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FANBELTPHIL

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FANBELTPHIL

FANBELTPHIL

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hi everyone, I'm phil and new to this site. I live in the Tameside area of Manchester and just getting in to astronomy. I already have a telescope and need some advice/tips on the set-up I already have, if it is adequate for a beginner. 

skywatcher Skyhawk 1145p (eq1)

super 10mm long eye relief

super 25mm wide angle (ler)

2x barlow lens

red dot finder

(the above was standard with the scope)

below are extras that I bought

skywatcher plossl 3mm 1-1/4 "

90 degree diagonal mirror

eracting eyepiece 1.5x

seben 5x24 finderscope

inexpensive set of filters (£17)

is this an adequate set-up for a beginner.
any tips/advice is very much appreciated. thank's phil.

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Lonestar70

Lonestar70

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hi everyone, I'm phil and new to this site. I live in the Tameside area of Manchester and just getting in to astronomy. I already have a telescope and need some advice/tips on the set-up I already have, if it is adequate for a beginner. 

skywatcher Skyhawk 1145p (eq1)

super 10mm long eye relief

super 25mm wide angle (ler)

2x barlow lens

red dot finder

(the above was standard with the scope)

below are extras that I bought

skywatcher plossl 3mm 1-1/4 "

90 degree diagonal mirror

eracting eyepiece 1.5x

seben 5x24 finderscope

inexpensive set of filters (£17)

is this an adequate set-up for a beginner.

any tips/advice is very much appreciated. thank's phil.

Hi Phil and welcome to SGL.

The scope you have chosen is a good starter scope and should show you plenty of good targets, especially if you can get away from the city lights.

It is good to see that you chose the 1145p rather than the slightly cheaper 114 as yours does not have the built in barlow element in the focuser which caused a lot of trouble for some people.

The only item on your list that is a little strange is the 90 deg diagonal... these are for use with Refractor scopes not Newtonian scopes... so I am not quite sure what you had in mind when choosing this item.

The only other item you will need is a Cheshire collimation eyepiece for aligning your scope mirrors: -

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/other-collimation-tools/cheshire-collimating-eyepiece.html

Later on, to make life a bit easier when viewing, would be a motor drive for the RA axis... this will track the viewed target saving you the need to keep moving the slow motion drive... which can cause the mount to shake about.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-mounts/ra-economy-motor-drive-for-eq1.html

Take your time and get used to your scope and mount before buying anything more though.

You will get plenty of help here on SGL.

Good luck and clear skies.

Best regards.

Sandy. :grin:

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PeterCPC

PeterCPC

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Hi Phil and welcome.

Good advice from Sandy there. I would not buy anything else until you have some experience of using the equipment - eventually you might find you need other things but wait until you are sure. I think that the 3mm will be challenging to use unless you have super "seeing".

Peter

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FANBELTPHIL

FANBELTPHIL

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hi vacuum, hi sandy, hi peter .pleased to meet you all, and thanks for replying.  sandy, hi there. the 90 deg diag was for ease of viewing, thinking it would be a bit easier on my neck, i did rush into things a little. I did realise after buying that it was not much use, nevermind  (all in the learning I suppose). the (eracting) ha ha  :), erecting eyepiece was from an older (cheap 'n' nasty scope) and thought it would come in handy. I have used my scope a few times looking at the moon, just to familiarize myself with it. the reason I bought this is it was in a sale (£140 about 14 months ago - in all about £220), and sky at night recommended it as a good starter scope.  what I would like to know is,  which planets etc would I be able to view with what I have. I am more interested in the planets, rather than astrophotography etc. I'm not sure what my scope is capable of. some advice would be appreciated on what I can view and what I cannot view. as has been mentioned, I don't want to start spending on extra's that I don't need. I do know how to collimate, I used the cheap scope to practice on, which I found quite easy to do.  the motor drive, do you recommend buying this now, or near future. thanks again for your welcomes and replies. phil.

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swag72

swag72

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Hi Phil and welcome to SGL! The ideal beginner scope is one that you use, even if it's not the very best scope, if it keeps you interested and looking upwards then it's perfect! I don't look through my scopes, so can't give you an opinion on it at all, but looks like you've got some good advise so far.

If you've not already done so, then download Stellarium, a free planetarium programme, and that will really help you navigate your way round.

Look forward to seeing you around :smiley:

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HIP3802

HIP3802

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Hi, Phil, and a warm welcome to SGL - and to amateur astronomy! If you are interested in the planets then you are begining at the right time - as at the moment there are a number of them around. In the West, from around 10:15 pm, you should be able to see Jupiter. Moving to the South West is Mars, and slightly later and to the South is Saturn. if you have a clear horizon you may catch Mercury very low to the West at around 10 pm (although the sky may be it may be too bright at that time).

If you haven't done already i can recommend downloading the free planetarium 'Stellarium' which is used by many on here to find objects in the night sky, and to plan for observing sessions. It is customisable to your locatrion - and even to your telescope - giving you an idea of what you should be able to see through your eyepiece. Downloadable here: http://stellarium.org/

Hope that helps,

Martin.

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ronl

ronl

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Hi Phil welcome to the lounge,

all scopes are good, you just have to learn it's limitations, and all scopes have their 

limitations, and also you have to learn seeing conditions, which limit the views you get,

it's all about learning and gaining experience, once you know your kit through using it,

you then gain the knowledge of the limitation of your kit, also light pollution will decrease

your views, don't expect big close up views, you only see those in magazines and NASA

photographs, so when you get a clear night go out and enjoy your scope.

Good Luck and Clear Sky's 

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FANBELTPHIL

FANBELTPHIL

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hi ron. yes, I understand all this, before I purchased my scope, I did do a lot of research etc. then got some advice on what to buy, I have been interested in astronomy for a few years, but working permanent nightshifts didn't allow me to pursue it fully. that situation has now changed, and I can finally do more. thanks for your input. hi to all who have welcomed me to sgl. phil.

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Lonestar70

Lonestar70

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hi vacuum, hi sandy, hi peter .pleased to meet you all, and thanks for replying.  sandy, hi there. the 90 deg diag was for ease of viewing, thinking it would be a bit easier on my neck, i did rush into things a little. I did realise after buying that it was not much use, nevermind  (all in the learning I suppose). the (eracting) ha ha  :), erecting eyepiece was from an older (cheap 'n' nasty scope) and thought it would come in handy. I have used my scope a few times looking at the moon, just to familiarize myself with it. the reason I bought this is it was in a sale (£140 about 14 months ago - in all about £220), and sky at night recommended it as a good starter scope.  what I would like to know is,  which planets etc would I be able to view with what I have. I am more interested in the planets, rather than astrophotography etc. I'm not sure what my scope is capable of. some advice would be appreciated on what I can view and what I cannot view. as has been mentioned, I don't want to start spending on extra's that I don't need. I do know how to collimate, I used the cheap scope to practice on, which I found quite easy to do.  the motor drive, do you recommend buying this now, or near future. thanks again for your welcomes and replies. phil.

Hi Phil,

No need to rush into buying anything at the moment, take time to get to know your scope and mount and also learn your way around the sky... 'Stellarium' is your friend for this.

Once you have found your feet you will have a much better understanding of what you need in order to improve things.

Having said this...the first thing I would recommend (sooner rather than later) is to buy a Cheshire collimation Eyepiece and learn how to collimate your scope... this will be one of the most beneficial things you can do.

A very good tutorial for this is by one of SGL's members: -

http://www.astro-baby.com/collimation/astro%20babys%20collimation%20guide.htm

I suggest you delay going for motor drive at the moment unless you find tracking things using your RA slow motion a real pain... some people do some don't.

One thing you must learn with this hobby is patience... take everything in small steps...  the stars are not going anywhere soon.

Enjoy.

Best regards.

Sandy. :grin:

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