First ever telescope experience

[andyb505]

So finally got my first ever telescope, a Skywatcher Heritage 130p, yesterday. Out of the box and into the garden for it to cool down. Tried to set up the red dot finder but could not adjust it correctly so gave up and used my eyes (must look at why it would not adjust enough, it looked to be in line but not enough adjustment available to get it set up correctly).

Opened the scope and put an eyepiece in. Immediately able to find and see Jupiter! Delighted.

Played around for the next hour or so, switching between the 10mm and 25mm eyepieces and trying a 2x Barlow. Plenty of success with the two eyepieces but could not get the image to focus with the Barlow (obviously need more practice with the scope!).

Stayed with Jupiter and at the end of the short time with the scope (which probably needs setting up a bit better and possibly colimmating as it was straight out of the box?) had managed to see Jupiter with three moons and saw some banding on Jupiter.

I was like a kid in a sweet shop! Really impressed with the scope and the fact that I had so much success straight out of the box at my first attempt. This is the first time I had ever used a telescope, let alone set one up and tried to find a specific item in the sky and I was so happy!

Now to spend some time making sure I have set up the scope correctly and try and get the red dot finder working properly. Then I have a whole list of things to start looking at next time we have some clear skies.

No wonder people get hooked on this astronomy stuff

A very happy Andrew.

[alanjgreen]

Re: RDF issues, Try adjusting how the RDF sits in its bracket on the telescope body.

This may bring it into range of the adjustment dials.

[AndyWB]

I found the red dot fiddly to get aligned, but having done it once it has never been adjusted - and it's pretty accurate.

My 130p didn't need collimated out of the box - it was pretty much bang on. Some do, some don't - if you've access to a Cheshire collimator, you might want to check.

Next up, if I can make some recommendations - the Orion Nebula and the Moon. (Sort of to my surprise, it seems to be the Moon that blows my friends away when I show them it)

[CJ77]

I'll second Andy's recommendation for the moon. I've taken some (very shaky) pics with my phone and showed them to friends who are amazed by the detail you can see. Welcome to a hobby that will steadily take over your life!! Happy hunting!

CJ

[Blazar]

Agree Lunar is fun. Afocal photography is fun. (together Lunar and Afocal is great, seem to have hundreds of photos of the moon).....actually Astronomy is fun (Full stop). Get yourself a copy of Turn Left at Orion, and really begin your hobby in earnest.  Also read Qualia's superb post  (entitled what can I expect to see)

Good luck

[Astro Imp]

Great post Andrew, its amazing what you can see from your own backyard.

Re the RDF there has been a lot of discussion recently about getting it aligned and it would seem that on some there is not enough adjustment, several members have overcome this by putting shims under the mounting bracket.

HTH

Good luck and enjoy.

[ronl]

I cut pieces of plastic from a milk bottle, then slid them under

and to the side of my finder foot, you can wedge them on an

angle which moves the finder towards the scope, this gives you

a bit more adjustment, mine is a finder scope, but it will work the

same for your red dot finder.

[andyb505]

Thanks for the tips people.

Sent from my GT-P7500 using Tapatalk

[TractionMan]

It sure is a great little scope that packs quite a punch! I'm sure you'll have tons of fun with it. And yes, it IS easy to get hooked on astronomy!