i cant see much

[daz01968]

i have a skywatcher 1145p goto scope but i really dont see alot,  what lenses should i be using for the best results from this scope

[NGC 1502]

Folk on here are willing to help, but perhaps you could give us a little more info, it would be a guide as to what may help.

Is the go to technology not working properly so the scope is not pointing at objects ?   Or maybe the scope is pointing at objects, but you are not happy with what you see ?

Also, what eyepieces do you already have ?

Hope we can help, but we do need a little more to know what's best.

Regards, Ed.

[daz01968]

Folk on here are willing to help, but perhaps you could give us a little more info, it would be a guide as to what may help.

Is the go to technology not working properly so the scope is not pointing at objects ?   Or maybe the scope is pointing at objects, but you are not happy with what you see ?

Also, what eyepieces do you already have ?

Hope we can help, but we do need a little more to know what's best.

Regards, Ed.

im not happy with what i see, my eyepieces are 10mm 25mm wide field barlow +2, im just a newbie but i expected more

[Stu]

im not happy with what i see, my eyepieces are 10mm 25mm wide field barlow +2, im just a newbie but i expected more

Hi,

As Ed says, it would help to know what you have looked at to know how to assist.

Have you set the goto up? Have you looked at the moon or Jupiter? Which other objects have you looked at that are disappointing? In what way are they disappointing?

Stu

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[NGC 1502]

Thanks, is your scope this one ?  http://www.365astronomy.com/skywatcher-skyhawk1145p-synscan-az-goto-newtonian-reflector-telescope-p-2295.html

A 114mm Newtonian should give good views, as long as you manage expectations.  If you are expecting views like we see in astronomy magazines or online, then disappointment is almost certain, except for maybe the moon which is spectacular in most telescopes.

For instance the planet Jupiter, can you see a sharp disc with at least a couple of cloud belts and the 4 bright satellites ?

If you are overdoing the magnification, or not focusing very carefully, that won't help.   Jupiter looks good at 80 - 120x, but if you try 200x or more with many modest scopes, then a fuzzy Jupiter is likely.

Most deep sky objects are faint.  With galaxies, just expect to see a dim fuzzy patch - that's quite normal.

Telescopes need to cool to ambient temp to work properly, but a 114mm Newtonian should be fine after 20 mins or so.

Opinions vary on how good the supplied eyepieces are, but many would say an upgrade would help, but again, please don't expect "Hubble" like views.

Does this help ?   We haven't covered everything, so please come back for more if necessary, I'll check back here tomorrow (or maybe later tonight) or of course others may offer help.

Regards, Ed.

[ronin]

First what are you expecting to see?

If colour images of anything then sorry everything is really grey,

Next Orion has gone so there is not M42 around either.

You would have to be out early evening to get Jupiter, it is starting to disappear now.

Mars is presently out ther in the South but you will need more magnification then the 114P is capable of.

Saturn should be OK with a reasonable 5mm in the scope.

If you have read the blurb and think that 228x is possible then sorry but 130-150x is more realistic as a maximum. I would not expect anything above 150x.

The eyepieces you have will not be great, so you may need to consider additional.

At f/5 and for any magnification then I suspect plossl's will not be a practical option.

I suggest you get nothing less then 5mm and accept a magnification of 114x.

You can easily end up spending as much on eyepieces as the scope cost, you can however use the eyepieces on a future scope.

With no M42 then you will have to work out what to look at, try open and globular clusters, they do not require significant magnification.

Another is double stars, Delaware astro has a list of coloured doubles to hunt down.

Cygnus is starting to rise and there are a couple of nebula in that, faint but possible.

If the problem is the goto does not point at what you expect then that is a different matter.

As said the more we know the better an answer that can be given.

"I can't see much", is also not much help in order to supply a solution.

[impactcrater]

I looked at hte scope as described by NGC 1502 . It is a 'beginner's' scope.  So one must bear that in mind. Personally , looking at UK prices I would have gone for  nexstar 4 SE or the nexstar 127 SLT for not that much more....I know also DOBSONIANS are good value but I don't own one .

the hobby is not just about what you see. it is in looking at say , a star and then learning about it...how bright is it on the 'scale' , what type is it , how far away is it , is it a double system , and even does it have exoplanets.

firstly , you need to look at a bright star and learn what you will see  with these easy objects . well, it is a point of light . that's all .

then the wonderment...yes, there are loads and loads of them....

be aware that whilst your scope advertises 42, 000 objects , this seems to me a bit of commercialism . most of them will be outside your scopes abilities and indeed many other scopes too.

[90mm]

There is a blog I write that is about using small telescopes like the one your using. I talk about what objects to look at and what you can expect to see. My last post and the next is about recording keeping and that may not interest you right now but look at the other posts. A good target for a small telescope is M81 & M82 in Ursa Major. Start with your 25mm eyepiece, you should be able to see both galaxies in the same field-of-view. Like the others said, don't expect too much. Both galaxies appear like gray smudges of light. But when you think about what you are really looking at, its quite amazing.

Good luck and Clear Skies!

[brantuk]

Hi daz and welcome to SGL

The 114 is a good little reflector that will show a lot of objects - for eye pieces I'd suggest a range from 8mm to 30mm in steps of 4 or 5mm.

If you're totally new to astronomy then the advice from the guys above is all good - buying the scope really is the easy bit. Then you have to learn about which objects are where in the sky, how to find and view them, which eye piece to use, what your field of view is, what the seeing is like, how much transparency there is, what elevation the object is at, what temperature your scope is, is your star alignment correct, is your polar alignment correct, is the finder aligned with the tube, how dark is your observing site, are there any heat sources around (eg looking over houses), do you need averted vision for an object, etc, etc, etc.

It's a bit like those very first driving lessons where you have to learn to observe the road, steer the car, change the gears, use the pedals, watch your speed, check the road markings and signs, check your mirrors, watch for pedestrians, be careful of bikes, and navigate to your destination, etc, all at the same time. But do persist, if you can drive a car then you can learn to use a scope - it just takes a little practice. Hth

[bingevader]

Yep, I reckon you should see loads with a 114. I have a 90mm 'scope and have enjoyed that for years. The book "Turn Left at Orion" is a good guide for small to medium sized 'scopes, with realistic diagrams of what you'll expect to see.

Also, have a look here for a good idea of what you'll be likely to see.

I think an 8mm plossl (as long as you're not a glasses wearer), such as the Vixen NPL would give you a few more options along with your barlow.

BTW, you will see Mars, a small pinky orange disc rather than a pin point of light as from a star. Through my 90mm 'scope I can make out the polar ice cap as a lighter area at the pole, but not much else, but still an amazing sight in my opinion!

[RichM63]

As a direct response to the thread title, neither can I at the moment.

The weather, grey, wet and miserable, never ending daylight all play an important factor in what we can see.

When I first started, it took me 5 nights to get to see the Orion Nebula M42, I simply couldn't land on it.

Great advice from all the guys above, my only contribution is, leave the Barlow in the box for the moment, you will only add to the problem.

In fact I'd probably only use the 25mm for the time being and generally star gaze to get a feel for things.

Over magnification is generally a bad thing causing much frustration and is over hyped by the telescope sellers.

My first EP purchase was an even lower power at 32mm to help with wider field views, it is now the first EP to go into the scope and is probably there for 60% of the time.

Rich

[daz01968]

Ive looked at the moon and its fantastic,but Jupiter just looks like a white disc just like everything i look at , and trying to set up the goto bit is a nightmare , it keeps coming up with a list of stars that in sight, i must be well stupid

[todd8137]

I should imagine most of what you paid went on the goto system and not the optics ,but you should still get some good views the goto can be a bit hard at first

Pat

[hazegood]

Ive looked at the moon and its fantastic,but Jupiter just looks like a white disc just like everything i look at , and trying to set up the goto bit is a nightmare , it keeps coming up with a list of stars that in sight, i must be well stupid

yes that's what Jupiter looks like, you might with good seeing make some bands out visually, but you certainly wont  get the views you see in pictures,

What problem are you having with setting up the goto, which alignment type are you doing,

[Fogagen]

 and trying to set up the goto bit is a nightmare

Have a look at these videos by Dion at Astronomy Shed. They were invaluable for me when I started. (link is first part of seven or eight)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fO6hyYtPwM

Rob

[Thalestris24]

Have a look at these videos by Dion at Astronomy Shed. They were invaluable for me when I started. (link is first part of seven or eight)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fO6hyYtPwM

Rob

Dion's videos are great but I don't think they really apply to the 1145 goto...

[Fogagen]

Dion's videos are great but I don't think they really apply to the 1145 goto...

My mistake .. sorry! I thought it was a standard EQ mount , but I just looked it up.

Ignore me!

Rob

[Lonestar70]

Hi Daz,

One problem with the goto set-up can be choosing the right stars to use... yes, the handset does give you a list, but... the handset does not have any clue as to exactly what can be seen... it knows nothing about buildings, trees, hills etc which may block the view or the effect on star visibility where there is any severe light pollution... and Croydon is going to have quite a high level, especially towards the North (LONDON)... many stars on the list will just not be visible from your location... others will be... but which ones?

It is also much harder to choose if you don't know which star is which in the night sky or their names.

It would help you to download the free planetarium programme 'Stellarium'

http://stellarium.org/en/

With this you need to enter your Latitude and Longitude and it will show you what is in YOUR sky in real time.

You can also set the level of light pollution which will eliminate stars that can't be seen at a particular level.

If you adjust the level so that your screen display closely matches what you can actually see with your own eyes ( I would say about level 6 - 7) then what stars remaining on screen can be used for GOTO set-up.

If you click on any star in Stellarium it will tell you it's name + lots of other good info.

For goto setup select stars which can be seen from the handset list using the names given on Stellarium.

You will soon learn your way around the sky.

I hope this helps you on your way.

Good luck and clear skies.

Sandy.