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Hello from Haywards Heath

rodders

By rodders
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rodders

rodders

Posted
Posted

Hello I have been looking at the stars for a while now with binoculars and have decided to get a telescope i have decided to get a manual one purely for the learning experience, I am just hoping it will not be to much of a struggle lining it all up but i think that is part of the fun.

Clear skies

Rod

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completenovice

completenovice

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Hi and welcome. 

I'm a bit like you and preferred to start out with a manual mount. I find the challenge of finding stuff on my own fun and feel you learn a bit more trying to figure it out for yourself and get a sense of satisfaction when you achieve what you're aiming for.

You can always GOTO later.

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JamesM

JamesM

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Hi Rod and welcome to the forum. Lots of fun to be had putting your kit together and a bit of frustration sometimes to keep it interesting!  :grin: Two suggestions to help you learn the sky and to get you up and running. First off a book entitled, "Turn Left at Orion" which list some 100 objects that are divided seasonally to keep you observing throughout the year. Great maps and written instructions to help you find the objects with some interesting background information to help you appreciate what you are looking at. If you wuld like to preview the layout of this book then you can do so here. Lastly I would certainly recommend downloading a free piece of planetary software called, "Stellarium" which is really great for helping you learn the sky and to find more objects. It's a great tool to use and along with the above mentioned book, you can also use Stellarium to help you practice finding some of the objects that it lists. There are plenty of other great features to keep you going, especially when the clouds come in and one useful tool is the ability to configure the screen image to match your own view of the night sky from your particular viewing location. One other useful feature is the ability to advance the night sky so you can calculate when objects will come into view, particularly useful if you view of the night sky is blocked in any way. Hope you find the suggestions useful and I am sure that other members will add to the list. Don't hesitate to ask any questions as they arise and don't worry if one or two might seem silly because we have all asked the same in the past and that's how we learn and move forward. 

Clear skies and hope you enjoy the forum.

James

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ronl

ronl

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Posted

Hi Rodders welcome to the lounge.

you are right, manual observing is the best way to learn the

night sky, with telescope or bin's, it can get frustrating sometimes,

but it's much more fun and satisfying when you do find your target.

Good Luck and Clear Sky's

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buzzlightyear

buzzlightyear

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Hi Rod.

I only started December and brought a small GOTO and got hassle trying to get it aligned.

So decided to buy a dob 200p and I'm having more now and getting more experience at learning the night sky.

I'm not saying GOTO scope are bad but they ain't for me but you live and learn, just wish I would of gone to an astronomy club to try first lol

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