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What Can I Expect to See....?


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Qualia, I think this is a great post, Thank you. Not only brilliant for someone who is planning to buy their first telescope but also once they have and might be wondering if they're doing it wrong or need to upgrade to a better scope in order to get the views they expected.

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Cant even imagine the amount of time youve spend making this post. Its custom made for novice people like me. 

The solar system section including Mars, Jupiter and Saturn is spot on; you`ve helped me becoming a better observer and I thank you.

I have read this post many times already, but I know I will read it again.

Rune

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I found this very useful, having just got my first telescope, 150 mm (6 in) Newtonian. Having seen the above, assures me I'm seeing the expected for my equipment. Should have spent a bit more and gone for a 8 or 10 in.

Never mind! My first look at the Orion nebula was areal WOW!!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I agree with the general sentiment - a really well written and thought out post.

I too would have been disappointed had I not read this but having this knowledge in someways allows me to appreciate more what I am actually seeing.  Instead of thinking '**** telescope's a piece of ***** - why can't I see a billion stars' etc I can concentrate on a) finding the objects and B) researching them and being blown away by the fact I can see them at all!  Seeing Jupiter + moons for example through bins or M44 for the first time - truly mind blowing.

Great work and just reinforces my view that this is one of the best forums I have ever had the pleasure to participate in.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks so much for this post - I have to say, as an absolute beginner, I find the images of what to expect to see more inspiring than a tempering of expectations! Thanks for taking the time to make this detailed post, which has helped a great deal with identifying objects for me!

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Excellent post, especially the sketches showing great representations of what to expect to see in a small beginners scope. I'm still very much a newb (and think that will apply for a few years for me) and although I knew I wouldn't be seeing Hubble images I literally did not know what to expect. DSOs seem to be like busses but I also realised I had seen a few more but hadn't logged them as I thought the faint grey smudges were something like a little wispy earthbound cloud.

I've tried searching the web for images of what people see in their own small scopes but only seem to find pictures of the correct object (sometimes from small scopes) but that have been taken equipment that means they do not appear as they do in your eye, especially colour wise. Does anyone know where we can find more images like the sketches in this post?

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A great post, and as  I have just had my first scope delivered this morning (Skywatcher Explorer 200p) I wont have to great an expectation. On saying that about 20 years ago I looked through an 8" meade at Saturn and I thought at the time 'is that it'. I was really disapointed. I think at the time I was expecting to see what you saw in the astronomy mags.

Steve.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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excellent educative writing. Thanks. 

I am using a 5" / 1050mm reflector. 'Seeing conditions' do matter a ton. 3 days back, the sky was absolutely clear after one full day of rain. All the dust had settled down. Though in live in an urban setting, but thought of trying my luck with the ring nabula. And bingo....it was right there in the scope, in the first attempt. Looked like a small hazy star at 42x. However with a 6mm Ultrawide EP, it almost filled 50% of the FOV. Amazing view.

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Hi,

I joined this forum just to say thank you for this wonderful post. The images of what you are really likely to see are absolutely superb -- exactly what is needed to set expectations. Thanks!

-simon

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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  • 4 weeks later...
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Just found this great post, I wish I'd seen it 2 years ago when I first started!  I was expecting everything to look like the Hubble images in my lowly telescope and I was crushingly dissapointed at the time.  Thanks for taking the time to educate me!

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Thanks, Shane. It's been too long, so it really is good to be back :icon_salut: With that said, the Moonshane this summer has had some of the best sessions of its life. The skies are significantly darker where I am now and during the summer when it wasn't cloudy (very humid down here) you can see the Milky Way, M 31 naked eye, the principal stars of Ursa Minor and so on. What tops the session is that not only do I get to see everything I want to see, but I can do it from the comfort of a huge roof top that is literally a ten step climb from our flat. In effect, the Moonshane has become the ultimate grab and go. I just carry it from the store room and out it goes :grin:

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