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Unchartered Territory

StevieBTheFirst

By StevieBTheFirst
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StevieBTheFirst

StevieBTheFirst

Posted
Posted

Hi everyone

Novice enters the lounge....

Well, having spent several late evenings in the lounge as a guest, I took time out last night to become a member.

First things first, thanks to Grant (moderator?) for sorting my access out when I made a mess of my User Name (it was well past midnight and Grant's immediate help was gratefully received).

It's been very helpful to read through the various 'newbie' threads as I've evaluated customer reviews of various starter telescopes.
I've been pleasantly surprised at the supportive nature of existing members with their helpful replies to requests for help and advice.

It seems I'm joining a group of very helpful enthusiasts without a single hint of one-upmanship and implied superiority.

Members appear to be honest and very willing to share their experiences to the point of admitting making poor choices in the past.

Earlier this week I purchased a Skywatcher Explorer 130P and I feel like an excited little child on the lead up to Christmas as I wait for my purchase to arrive.

Unfortunately an attempt was made to deliver it today whilst I was at work so it looks like I'm going to have to wait a few more days!

I started off by convincing myself that the Skywatcher Heritage 130P FlexTube was the one for me due to its ease of setup and friendliness to a beginner.

However, at the back of my mind, I was being nagged by the Explorer - I was very concerned that if I bought the Heritage I'd be forever wondering if I should have spent a little bit more to get the Explorer.

Anyway, the choice was made and this 52 year old kid is having to wait another couple of days to start out on a new pastime. 

I heeded the various advices about not going OTT with accessories so I just bought the Explorer - my daughter bought me the DK Planisphere and a copy of everyone's favourite Turn Left at Orion for my birthday.

I look forward to getting to know my Explorer and joining this stargazing community.

Until next time.....

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Langy

Langy

Posted
Posted

Hello Stevie and welcome to SGL.

Im sure you will not be disappointed and will have many hours of pleasure and some frustrations as we all do, the latter only making us better.

Sent from my Windows Phone 8X by HTC using Tapatalk

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JamesM

JamesM

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Posted

Hi Steve and welcome to the forum. Yes, sharing in the mistakes as well as the success in our endeavours is what allows us to unite in our astronomical experiences. We have all "been there and done it" (...some of us still are :grin: ) but these experiences are important in understanding and helping others so that we can at least have a smile about it all and is part of what makes astronomy fun. Astronomy can get a little technical at times but none of it is difficult, it's just there is so much of it which is constantly being updated and revised which at the end of the day effectively renders us all as beginners really in the great scheme of things.

Clear skies for your new delivery and hope you will share with us your trials but also your successes too in the near future.

James

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Davie

Davie

Posted
Posted

The 130p is a great starter scope.

One thing I'd recommend (and probably 99% of the people here) is installing Stellarium onto your computer as its a great tool for letting you know what your actually looking at :)

hope you manage to hold out until your new toy arrives !!

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pipsquip

pipsquip

Posted
Posted

Hi steve from a fellow newbie lol one thing I would say when you get your scope is set it up in daylight. Focus the biggest eyepiece you get with the scope then align the finder scope or red dot finder with a tv aerial or street light as far away as possible ( at least 500 yards ) you can do this by using the biggest eyepiece you have got position the scope so the image is in the center of the eyepiece then adjust the finder so the image is in the center of both the finder and the scope . This is a lot easier to do in daylight than in the dark

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Zuben Elgenubi

Zuben Elgenubi

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Posted

Welcome to SGL Steve  :smiley:

I've not used the Explorer 130 myself, but it seems to have a lot of fans so I'm sure you will be very happy with it. As you've already noticed, this place is a gold mine of help and advice but remember, the only silly question at SGL is the one you don't ask!

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HIP3802

HIP3802

Posted
Posted

Hi, Stevie, and a warm welcome to SGL! I don't know if you have it already, but if not I can highly recommend you downloading the free planetarium software 'Stellarium' which many on here use to both find objects in the night sky and plan a viewing session. It will complement your planisphere and 'Turn Left...' well, and is also customisable for local conditions (locality, light pollution etc). It can also be customised to your own scope - giving you an idea of what you should be able to see through the eyepiece. Downloadable here: http://stellarium.org/

Hope that helps, and good luck with your new scope.

Martin

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malkster

malkster

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Posted

Hi Stevie from Bonnie Scotland

I am also a total novice.Hope you enjoy your scope

I think you have made a good choice as that seems to come up well in all the hundreds of reviews I seem to have read recently.

Enjoy

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