What Can I Expect to See....?

[mareman48]

An old post, but very informative and enlightening.

 

Many thanks for taking the time to write it.

[Stub Mandrel]

On 14/12/2020 at 15:08, Pixies said:

And to strain the metaphor even further. An expert driver in a Mini can beat a learner in a Porche around a track. Observing is a skill to be learned and I've probably reached my 'P' plate stage. There are lots of good instructors on this forum.

🙂

Equally true of imaging - if not more so!

[Steve Reed]

New to the forum and doing research before buying my first scope. this thread has been a revelation. Many thanks for posting.

 

[UniDonk]

I'm so glad to have stumbled across this post. It reassures me that I'm not doing anything wrong!

My 7 year old daughter is fascinated by all things space so we bought her a 5" dobsonian for her birthday mid December. Since then, of course, there have only been 2 nights where we can see the sky...

I have always liked a bit of stargazing, although mainly in my youth when it was an excuse to be outside my mother's house and smoke "special" roll-ups after dark! I've never had a telescope and have no experience with astronomy.

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed to be honest. I'm enjoying the journey of discovery that we're starting out on together, but knowing next to nothing myself, I worry that I will spoil her enthusiasm for the subject. I realised that images through a sub-£200 dob ≠ hubble, but I worry that my daughter will be disappointed. Additionally, having no idea what I'm looking for/at, I'm at a loss of how to keep her entertained!

We've seen Jupiter (just a large white disc currently, no other details) and the galilean moons and watched them move about between the 2 nights of observing so far! Also looked at andromeda galaxy which underwhelmed my daughter until she realised what it was and that the light was 2.5million years old! That blew her away. We've seen the pleiades and hyades and enjoyed the different coloured stars. I spent a fruitless few hours looking for the comet currently in Gemini too, but couldn't find it! 

Sorry for the long post, and the emotional outpouring... Some practical suggestions for how to introduce my daughter to astronomy while giving me some practical tips on how to improve my own skills in a stepwise manner would be much appreciated!

[Orange Smartie]

1 hour ago, UniDonk said:

 Some practical suggestions for how to introduce my daughter to astronomy while giving me some practical tips on how to improve my own skills in a stepwise manner would be much appreciated!

I've used a 6" Dobsonian, which is only a little bit bigger in size to your daughter's and have managed to see a lot of stuff in a relatively short space of time, so you've made a good choice with what you bought. A lot depends on the conditions you're going to observe under so it's difficult to make specific recommendations for targets. However, I would recommend a couple of things: 1) a copy of Turn Left at Orion and 2) a good free astronomy app such as Stellarium or SkySafari for your phone. That's going to help you see what part of the sky is in the right place at the right time to match your viewing schedule.

Don't forget the moon as a target - it's a fabulous sight in my small binoculars and will blow you away through your telescope. The Turn Left at Orion has sections outlining what features you'll see based on the current moon phase.

[Highburymark]

UniDonk - I can only echo the previous post - the Moon should be your top priority. Even if the atmosphere is a little shaky, it provides unforgettable views with a reasonably powerful eyepiece. Look along the terminator where Sunlight falls upon craters and mountains. The next night, you’ll get a very different view as the Moon goes through its phases. M42 Orion Nebula should be very good in your telescope too.

[UniDonk]

Thanks for these suggestions! We've had a few more clear (ish) nights and have been watching features develop over several nights on a waxing moon. It's been fantastic! We've identified lunar seas and even some individual craters (we have invested in "50 things to see on the moon" to help us). We've also had a good look at the orion nebula which looks impressive. My daughter now asks every night when we're going to get her telescope out. It's been fun!

[Jim Smith]

I think this is pretty close to the live view through a small telescope...

 

 

[16sport]

Having recently joined and no clue in astrophotography or scopes found this post very interesting, well written and knowing that when I do get the opportunity to get out I'm not expecting to see all the magazine and Internet style pics.

 

What I have noticed when watching YouTube vids is even the astrophotography side, when you see an image taken from a well spec scope and camera compressed from 400 to 500 individual pics stacked into one that you don't actually see alot till you start to adjust the contrast/brightness etc then the magic happens .......every adjustment you see a little bit more till you end up with this amazing image of say the horse head nebula.

 

That is what I'm looking forward to getting home and trying to capture in December........not expecting great results as like driving a car need to start with the basics and learn  but keep on trying.

[starhiker]

This is a very informative post. Thanks a lot @Qualia. The part of explanation about the apparent magnitude and surface brightness definitely put me on a right track to expect what I may see on those galaxies and nebulas. 

[TracyK]

This makes me feel better! A complete noob, and just having being presented with a spectacular new telescope (with the lazy persons go2 mount 😅) this gives me a clear expectation of what I should be able to see, not what I think I should be able to!  (Should I start saving for my own Hubble? 🤔)

brilliant advice! 

Edited December 26, 2022 by TracyK
Typo

[jpoulette]

A very fun post - your "Saturn as seen in a 4" frac." reminded me of the first night I got my NP101is. Using an alt-az mount which I still love, I think I was out there for hours in the New England freezing cold !

As a complete newbie - I think I was literally jumping up and down at finding Saturn. Exciting image to see, even today. 😀

[DSviewer]

Really useful and informative post

[biswasg]

Excellent post. I am a newbie to astronomy having bought a 4" refractor recently. What I was trying to understand from hours of internet searching became very clear from your one post. Eagerly awaiting more such insightful yet simple explanations. Thanks a ton.  

 

[Elbasso]

This post is pure gold for anyone thinking about buying their first scope. Love it! 

[shaztronomer]

Great post, after you've levelled your expectations you'll realise that what your seeing is still awe inspiring 🤯

[Dimitrisanagn]

A total newbie here and this post has been so informative! Thank you so much.

 

Besides my own interest and knowledge, my 6-year old wants so much to get us a first scope and this post is very helpful to manage the expectations of both of us and help me think a bit more on what I need to buy, how much to spend and most importantly how to appreciate our observations.

 Life saver!

[daphniesman04]

I consider myself new to the hobby but I've always had the interest. I've always ended up with these stupid box store scopes and all I can see is the moon.  I was thinking that with a 8 inch dob I would be able to see alot more than just the moon.  But after reading this,  it just depressed me even more and discouraged me further.  If I can't see any more than what was displayed here in this write up after spending a few hundred bucks,  I may as well quit now before I spend  5 or 600.00 on a dob and can't see nothing but the moon. 

[Bugdozer]

5 minutes ago, daphniesman04 said:

I consider myself new to the hobby but I've always had the interest. I've always ended up with these stupid box store scopes and all I can see is the moon.  I was thinking that with a 8 inch dob I would be able to see alot more than just the moon.  But after reading this,  it just depressed me even more and discouraged me further.  If I can't see any more than what was displayed here in this write up after spending a few hundred bucks,  I may as well quit now before I spend  5 or 600.00 on a dob and can't see nothing but the moon. 

I don't understand. You can see an amazing amount with an 8 inch scope of any kind. You have used scopes before so you are familiar with the main drawback of a Dobsonian, which is actually pointing it at something you otherwise can't see, so that won't be much of a barrier. You can see some incredible sights with such a scope. 

[daphniesman04]

Maybe I misunderstood the article but it seemed to me that the reality vs expectation is a vast difference. I appreciated the honesty.   I am shopping for decent scope, I'm tires of all these cheap scopes that we have bought or been gifted and can only see the moon. I was recommended to get a 8 inch dob. Then I found this article showing what I should see vs what I was expecting. It seems that I will see the moon,  and some planets without a lot of detail and basically afew little smudges of grey beyond that? And that is with spending roughly 500 or so on a 8 inch dob. In order to see anything distant such as galaxies, nebulae etc, will require me to spend I'm assuming much more than 500. And I just don't have the budget for that. I'm not complaining,  just trying to understand reality vs expectations.  My 13 year old and I have tried ALOT of big store junk.  With every one there is excitement during the set up followed by a let down during the actual viewing.  Just kinda tired of all the junk scopes out there, lol.

Edited December 31, 2023 by daphniesman04
Reword.

[Mandy D]

@daphniesman04 An 8 inch Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount (AKA "Dob") is a very serious piece of kit, with which you will be able to see huge amounts of detail on the Moon, the bands and Gallilean satellites of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, all of the planets in the solar system and a great many deep sky objects, including the awesome M42, Orion Nebula. |Even better news is that you can pick one up, second-hand for £200 or less! Nothing else for the money is going to give you more than an 8" Dob. OK, you will need to get some good eyepieces and that could set you back more than the telescope, but they can be bought one at a time asthe money becomes available. Another awesome aspect of this type and size of telescope is that they are easily transoprtable to dark sky sites, even in a small car and take only two minutes to set up.

How about photographing the Moon and capturing even small craters? Even that is easily done with a bit of practice, as is photographing Jupiter and it's satellites. Here is a link to some photos I took of the Moon with an 8 inch Dob. They are not even close to the best that can be achieved with that telescope:

I think your big mistake is visiting "big stores" and viewing their "junk" They do not, generally, know the first thing about telescopes or astronomy, because that is not their game. For that, you need to talk to specialists and ideally visit a real telescope store. Given that you have not indicated a location or even currency, I have no idea where you are, but if in the UK, Rother Valley Optics have a showroom that you can visit. FLO, the sponsors of this forum are mail-order only, but are very responsive to queries and questions and have a no-quibble returns policy. There are, of course, others that you can find on the web, but most important of all use a specialist, not Amazon, Ebay or your local department store or supermarket! This is not something the "big stores" will ever excel at marketing or demonstrating. It requires highly knowledgeable and experienced in the field staff to do that.

Finally, initially, astronomy can be disappointing as your expectations are likely way too high and you will need to temper them, but with practice and experience an 8 inch Dob will reveal the delights of the night sky to you.

[Second Time Around]

The ZWO Seestar 50 may suit you better.  Strictly speaking, it's a camera rather than a telescope and builds up an image over several minutes on a smartphone screen.  

I've no experience of one myself but I'm sure others will chip in.

[daphniesman04]

Thanks everyone. 

[essentialblend]

Amazing thread! Thanks for taking the time. I'm now beginning to better appreciate these smudges.

[bosun21]

The main thing you are going to see is a decline in your bank balance.