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Hello from Aylesbury

new star gazer

By new star gazer
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new star gazer

new star gazer

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Posted

Hi my name is Gill and I live in Aylesbury. I have already picked up lots of useful advice, just watching from the sidelines ( for which many thanks).

I have just purchased my first telescope (Skywatcher Explorer 130PM). I've spent the last few days getting to grips with it!

This is probably a dumb question, but how should I be viewing the moon? Looked last night and it was so bright all I could see were the veins inside the telescope.

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Neon

Neon

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Hi Gill,

Kevin's right about the moon filter, it'll help alot and bring out some more of the contrast. Maybe ask Santa if he could drop one down your chimney this year.

And I'm another local lad, down the road in Berkhamsted.

Mark

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barkis

barkis

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Hello Gill and a warm welcome to SGL.

There are always teething problems with a new scope., especially if you have never used one before. I am a bit flummoxed when you say veins,

do you mean veins as in blood vessels, which snake all over the place, or vanes, as in the cross supports which hold the secondary mirror at the top of your telescope. I would try in daylight first. Put an eyepiece with the largest number into the focuser, try to point the telescope at a house chimney at a far distance from you, or a tree or anything that you see really. then when you think you are lined up on it, turn the focusing knob right in, usually that is in a clockwise direction, if you go right to the end, turn it anti clockwise until you can focus on whatever it is you are pointing at. Once you have it focused, leave the eyepiece in, and when the sky darkens, try and locate the moon to point your scope at. It shoulfd not be difficult to get the moon in view. It won't be focused, but if you gently turn the focus knob clockwise you should get a good focus on the moon. It will be a low power view, so whilst the moon is still in the eyepiece, gently remove that eyepiece and replace it with a one of a lower number, trying not to move the telescope as you do so. Then turn the focuser clockwise a little more until you get a good focus. Go back and forth gently till the image is sharp for you. The eyepieces are numbered in millimeteres, the low ones are high magnification, and large numbers are low magnification.

I am explaining this as if you are a complete novice, so if you are further advanced than that, then I apologise for seeming patronising.

Best wishes .

Ron. :icon_jokercolor: PS. Filters are not a focusing aid, you should be able to focus your scope without a filter. The moon is mid phase, so you will see lots of detail near the terminator.

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cygnusx1

cygnusx1

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Hi Kevin,

Yes, I was seeing the spider veins from the secondary.

I was using a 25mm eye piece, but couldn't get it to focus.

Guess I'll have to get that moon filter.

Gill

Did you at least see a blurred image of the object?

Tried focusing inwards and outwards too, slowly? - its easy to slip past focus in our eagerness :icon_jokercolor:

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new star gazer

new star gazer

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Did you at least see a blurred image of the object?

Tried focusing inwards and outwards too, slowly? - its easy to slip past focus in our eagerness :icon_jokercolor:

Yes I did see a blurred image. After 2 hours of viewing stars I was frozen, so I probably did slip past focus.

Thanks to all for the welcome and support :embarassed:

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Starflyer

Starflyer

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Hi Gill,

Welcome to SGL.

Let us know how you get on over the next few nights, hopefully we'll get a few hours of clear skies at some point this week.

The moon can be painfully bright, as others have suggested - ask Santa for a Moon filter. In the meantime you can try putting the end cap on the 'scope with the small cap removed - get the moon in the eyepiece and focused first and then gently put it on. This will reduce the amount of light entering the 'scope by a large amount and will significantly reduce the brightness.

Cheers,

Ian

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radioactive

radioactive

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Gill Hello to you I am sure the more you look through your scope the more you will understand it it would be good to take it out in the daylight and get accustomed to what you see an other thing in use for the moon viewing keep you power down to start with use the weakest eyepiece a 30 or 40mm if you have one and yes if the moon is waxing past a crescent shape a moon filter is very handy the area of most interest to you on the moon will be where the light and dark parts touch this area is known as the terminator line and will give you the best view and feeling of depth or contrast

hope this helps

Enjoy the forums

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new star gazer

new star gazer

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Hi Gill,

Welcome to SGL.

Let us know how you get on over the next few nights, hopefully we'll get a few hours of clear skies at some point this week.

The moon can be painfully bright, as others have suggested - ask Santa for a Moon filter. In the meantime you can try putting the end cap on the 'scope with the small cap removed - get the moon in the eyepiece and focused first and then gently put it on. This will reduce the amount of light entering the 'scope by a large amount and will significantly reduce the brightness.

Cheers,

Ian

Hi Ian, I tried what you suggested last night with great success. Really good view of the moon. Even my husband was impressed!

I had a first view of NGC 1977, very chuffed. I thought it was the Orion nebula at the time but Starry Night put me right. Can't wait to get back out there.

Thanks for the advice

Gill

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