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Another newbie

C7tsj

By C7tsj
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C7tsj

C7tsj

Posted
Posted

Hi everyone. So I have bought my first scope after a month of looking. It is not the best but fits my needs plus my expectations are low, very low, extremely low. I know I ain't going to get Hubble views so anything I do see it a bonus.

The scope is a 114mm-500mm Tasco. I am getting fantastic view of the moon. The problem lies with Jupiter as it appears as a white lentil sized object.

Now I get the size won't increase given the limitations of my scope but should it not at least appear darker in colour? Is it purely due to the bad weather we are having and the colour is down to haze high up in the atmosphere.

I can also see at least three moons of Jupiter. I swear it is three but then again the EP I am using is nothing to write home about.

Thanks in advance,

Mark

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swag72

swag72

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Hi Mark and welcome to SGL - I wish I could help you with your questions, but what I know about observing could be written on a pin head :grin: Just thought it would be nice to say hello regardless of my own inadequacies.

Look forward to seeing you around :smiley:

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Bizibilder

Bizibilder

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Hello Mark and welcome to SGL!!  At the moment we are all suffering from poor "seeing" (which is how astronomers refer to the clarity and steadiness of the atmosphere).  Hopefully things will improve and you will get better views of Jupiter.

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JamesM

JamesM

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Hi Mark and welcome to the forum. A quick glance at your scope confirms that it came with three eyepieces which will produce the following magnifications (25mm = x20, 10mm = x50 and 4mm = x125). Now when we are observing the night sky, we have to take into account that we are looking through about 30 miles of atmosphere which is not only moving all over the place but which also contains particles of dust etc. When these conditions are combined together, we can calculate a more realistic maximum magnification we can use 'in the field' and the final view we can see. As you increase magnification you effectively stretch the available light that a scope can gather so clearly there is a limit as how much information a given aperture (in your case 114mm) can reveal. The rough rule of thumb for magnification when viewing planets (which are intrinsically brighter than deep sky objects) is about x60 per inch when there are very good 'seeing' conditions or to put it another way, when atmospheric conditions described above are at their minimum. Under average seeing conditions (which is typical for 9 out of 10 observing sessions) the maximum amount of magnification for planetary viewing is typically only around x30 for every inch of aperture which is where the resolution of the scope best matches the resolution of the eye. So for a scope with 114mm (4.5") of aperture and under realistic seeing conditions, you might expect to view an object through a maximum useful magnification of around x120 to x130. Your scope will not show an awful lot of detail because it doesn't have the necessary light grasp to secure enough information within the light it can collect to bring to the eyepiece. Light equals resolution or detail. 

I have no personal experience of your scope but I would imagine that the eyepieces that were supplied with the scope will be at best adequate for the job but little more though it is an area of your equipment that might well benefit from an upgrade. Eyepieces form a part of the optical pathway and so they can make a significant difference in securing the maximum performance from any scope. I'm not sure if a barlow type eyepiece came with the scope (a long barrel type object with x2 or x3 written on the side) but if it did I wouldn't bother using it as it will be of poor quality and won't do much to help you focus down on any detail. I might suggest that you could consider upgrading those eyepieces to a brand called 'BST' which are modest in price but I think a better option might be to take your scope along to a local astro club's public observation night to see if you can borrow an eyepiece or two to see what difference it makes before committing any further cash to your scope. Eyepieces of course can be used in any scope so their upgrade would benefit you in the longer term should you wish to upgrade your scope at a later date.

In summary, atmospheric conditions can reduce the optical power of a scope and that every scope has a useful maximum power when viewing planets. Resolution of detail is proportionate to the size of a scope's aperture and so there is a ceiling as to what you will finally see at the eyepiece. Eyepieces can certainly help improve the view the scope generates and likewise can harm the view if of poor quality. Hope my rambling help in your understanding.  :smiley:

Clear skies

James

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ronl

ronl

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Posted

Hi Mark welcome to the lounge,

if the weather cooperates soon and we get a good clear night I hope

you get better views, take your time when focusing, if you are observing

the Moon then re-target to Jupiter you will have to re-focus, it has to be 

done very slowly and finely, Jupiter is a lot smaller through the eyepiece

so the fine adjustment takes practice, plus the eyepieces won't be the best.

Good Luck and Clear Sky's

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C7tsj

C7tsj

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Hi Mark, welcome to SGL.

What eye piece are you using ?

If you are only seeing 3 moons then the other one is most likely behind Jupiter.

Avtar

The scope comes with a H25mm, H10mm, SR4mm and a 3x Barlow.

The SR4mm is more valuable in scrap metal than what it produces in viewing. The instructions claim it gives x125 mag but the scope clearly can't handle it. I also read somewhere on this site that the 'H' is part of a brand name and are of a very poor quality. Modest upgrade required me thinks.

In terms if the moons, I thought I seen four but given the EP was struggling to pick out any colour on Jupiter, I thought one of the moons was actually a reflection in the EP glass. Perhaps it was a fourth though.

Fingers crossed for some clear skies later. Thanks for all comments.

Mark

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avtaram

avtaram

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Hi Mark, I agree with JamesM, some better EPs would improve the image a lot.

I had a celestron 76az as my first scope and the eyepieces that came with it were not that great, the Barlow and 4mm were absolute rubbish. I bought a 15mm meade super plossl and that improved the image a great deal.

Since then I have moved onto better scopes.

Avtar

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michigander

michigander

Posted
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The scope comes with a H25mm, H10mm, SR4mm and a 3x Barlow.

The SR4mm is more valuable in scrap metal than what it produces in viewing. The instructions claim it gives x125 mag but the scope clearly can't handle it. I also read somewhere on this site that the 'H' is part of a brand name and are of a very poor quality. Modest upgrade required me thinks.

In terms if the moons, I thought I seen four but given the EP was struggling to pick out any colour on Jupiter, I thought one of the moons was actually a reflection in the EP glass. Perhaps it was a fourth though.

Fingers crossed for some clear skies later. Thanks for all comments.

Mark

Welcome to SGL, Mark!

The 'H' means it's a Huygens eyepiece, designed by a man who died in 1695. It was probably a pretty hot item back then.... :laugh:

Dana

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