First View

[steviebee]

Well I used my new scope for the first time tonight ( Skywatcher 200p, EQ5),  had a job to start with as my spotter scope was not aligned properly (well I am a beginer). Sorted that and then had a really good view of the moon, I tried Mars but was a bit disapointed. I think I have too much light pollution here in North Kent. Then I saw it and it was just fantastic. Saturn. I had been building myself up to see this and she did not diasapoint. I cant wait till I get my camera (tomorrow) and hopefully start to take a few pics.

Steve.

[Christhorpe]

Well done Steve. Sounds like you had fun.

[steviebee]

Yes totally hooked :smiley: .

[steviebee]

Having had my first view of Saturn I am now lusting for more (is this normal?). I was using a 2x barlow with a super 25 wide angle long eye relief lens on my SW Explorer 200p (they are the ones that came with it). Saturn was crisp and the rings although clear looked like just one. I have read on here that it is possible to see the moons with a SW 150p. Am I asking to much from my scope? If not can some kind person point me in the right direction as to alternative lenses I could use. Would a 3x barlow help? Be gentle with me as I am a complete novice who is well and trully hooked. I know light pollution is a problem at the moment as I am observing from my garden in North Kent. Lots of lights. But in 3 weeks I will be home in South West france where my nearest street lamp (100w bulb) is about 150 metres away.

Steve.

[romx]

lower mm eyepieces will give better views of planets without the need for a barlow. i find my new vixen npl 8mm gives good results for Saturn although i want a 6mm for hopefully even better views a 8mm does allow me to see the banding in the rings rather than seeing it as a single ring. I think the vixen npl eyepieces are very good for a very reasonable price over at flo http://www.firstlightoptics.com/vixen-eyepieces/vixen-npl-eyepieces.html remember lower mm ones offer higher magnification for planets and moon etc and higher mm are better for wide field objects like deep space objects

[steviebee]

Thank you romx, my smallest one is a 10mm. I could not see anything using this. I just expect it is just getting used to the bits n pieces. I will have another try tonight with the 10mm, should I use my 2x barlow as well with the 10mm?

Regards.

Steve.

[romx]

Doesnt hurt to try, if its good conditions give it a try and see how it looks. where i am i have quite a lot of light pollution and only get Saturn above rooftops so not the best conditions by far and i find the Barlow degrades my view so i  prefer without but it may be good for you

[AndyWB]

To be honest, I don't find light pollution a factor for the usual planetary suspects - they're mostly pretty bright. Don't panic about Mars - there have been a lot of threads recently saying how hard it is to get much detail out of it - because is it hard!

Re: the Moons - Yes, you should be able to see several. Titan is bright and obvious, even in significant light pollution. Rhea is pretty straight forward too. I'd expect you to get them, Dione, Tethys, Enceladus and Iapetus (when it's on the correct side of the planet - it's a funny one 'cos it's black on one side, white on the other) - provided they're not too close to the planet - the glare, and light from the rings, can drown them out.

In my 130p on Saturday I managed to spot Titan, Rhea, and Dione (in averted vision), under moonlight, near a town centre. A 200p should knock spots off that!

FWIW, I use the iPhone app 'SaturnsMoons' to show where the moons are - but I only check it after I've had a go at identifying them myself!

Oh, and I agree with the recommendation of 6 or 8 mm eyepieces. I think the 200p has the same focal length as my 250px, and 6 and 8 are what I mainly use in it for planetary. I got a 6mm Vixen SLV specifically for Mars - and never did manage the conjunction of Mars being visible, me having the big scope out, and the eyepiece. However, on Jupiter and Saturn, it's proved very good. Quite pricey though, and only 50 degree field of view.

[steviebee]

Hi Andy, many thanks for that. I have just ordered a 6.3mm skywatcher lens. Hopefully that will be here for Monday. I could not get out last night as too much cloud, but also my wife and I were at a friends house for dinner. My friend  gave me a brand new Aluminium case for my camera and lenses (result), I had only been discusing getting one with my wife that morning. Hopefully tonight will be better for viewing. I suppose it will be a bit of trial and error to start with, but with the fantastic help on here it wont belong before I will crack the basics. I'm off to France in 3 weeks so hopefully will be able to get some good shots in with my camera.  Thanks again for your reply and help.

Steve.

[AndyWB]

Yeah, I was going to mention that - if you're in Southwest France during the summer like this, can I suggest also taking a look around Sagittarius? It's a fantastic bit of sky! I was surprised how much higher it was when I was in the Alps last compared to the UK.

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/194155-a-random-night-in-the-alps/

[kerrylewis]

I agree re Mars. It does not give up its secrets easily! A good guide to seeing is if you can see the Cassini division in Saturn's rings - that is a narrowish dark line dividing the rings in two - then the seeing and your setup is OK, and Mars is worth a go. It's getting smaller now as we are past opposition but if you study it carefully for a while (some sort of stool is a great accessory) then you may still see brightish light patches and darker shapes.

Good luck!