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Crowland, we have a problem !

Labman

By Labman
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Labman

Labman

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My first serious foray into astronomy!

I'm 66 and will be retiring at the end of March next year. I go fly fishing when I can and enjoy photography and driving as well as my pair of Labradors.

I have been interested in astronomy for many years but now wish to take it up as a hobby. My birthday was 2 days ago and my wife bought me a Celestron Astro Master 130EQ as a starter. Impressive piece of kit !

A few decades ago I was in Sanfrancisco and one evening found a gaggle of people on a sidewalk. A couple had set up a fairly large telescope and we're charging people a couple of dollars to look through it. I nearly fell on the floor when when I looked and saw Saturn with its rings. Breathtaking! I'm just bursting to see Saturn through my own telescope. Last night Jupiter was bright in the sky and I spent 30 minutes getting cold and failing to see it through the telescope. Crestfallen :-( the reviews about the star finder scope on the 130EQ we're not exaggerating. In anticipation I had bought myself a Telrad unit. Anyone know how to remove the fitted red dot star finder without damaging the telescope ???

I'm really looking forward to learning a lot more about astronomy and the stars and hopefully meeting up with someone with experience to pick up some useful tips.

Must buy myself some warmer shoes !

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bingevader

bingevader

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Hello Labman and welcome to SGL! :)

Congratulations on the impending retirement!

Try posting your question about the red dot finder here, but I have a feeling that I've read before that it's not intended to be removed.

Are you seeing Jupiter through the finder and not the 'scope? In which case it just needs aligning.

If you're having difficulty in finding Jupiter then try one of the monthly astronomy mags which usually have the positions of the planets on a guide.

Alternatively, download Stellarium and that'll show you where it is. :)

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swag72

swag72

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Hi and welcome to SGL - Glad that you found us as there's a wealth of experience on here and folks are always happy to help. As an imager, what I know about what you are doing can be written on a very small pin head! I do understand though that whatever you use as a finder (Red dot or Telrad) get it lined up with the main scope during the day, on a distant pylon or something. That way you will easily start to find your way around. If the finder and the scope aren't aligned, you are on a bit of a hiding to nothing.

Hope that helps and look forward to seeing you around :)

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NotSoSuperNova

NotSoSuperNova

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Hi Labman, Welcome to the lounge. It sounds like you may have to leave you RDF on there (unless a suitably qualified person recommends otherwise). There's no reason you couldn't mount your Telrad a bit further down the OTA though, more in the middle. It doesn't have to be at the front.

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swamp thing

swamp thing

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Hi and welcome to the forum.

Yep those finders are truly woeful aren't they. I tried to find M57 in one once......gave up after about ten minutes and gave the guy an old RDF that I had as i felt so sorry for him.

Not sure how he fitted it as I've not seen him since though. Rest assured with a better finder the astromaster 130EQ is a nice little scope and will reward you with some good views :)

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AstroTux

AstroTux

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Hi Labman and welcome to SGL.

The RDF of the AstroMaster 130 is easily removed. Just unscrew the two screws nearest the OTA ( tube ) at the back and then slide it backwards. I fitted a Rigel QuickFinder and a finding 'scope instead, which makes it much more useable.

Hope this helps,

Alan

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Labman

Labman

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Hi all you guys, thank you for the warm welcome.

Well I've taken te advice  and fitted a Telrad at the front of th tube and aligned it during the day. What a difference! It was sub-zero last night but I was out for about an hour trying different lenses and enjoying amazing detailed views of the moon. This has inspired me to do a lot more.

I have got to get my DSLR fitted to the telescope somehow. It was interesting how quickly the moon moved out of the view. I have bought a motordrive so the telescope will (should?) track the planets and allow long exposures but I guess I need to polar align first. I've read how to do it and it scares me to death but fortune favours the brave so I am going to give it a go.

I downloaded Skyguide onto me iPad a few years ago and it is a fantastic help in finding stars and identifying bright stars etc.

I think I am moving forward and am very grateful to have such a friendly club of people with knowledge considerably greater than mine to call on for advice.

and yes, there is a fantastic Chinese takeaway in Crowland. Their prawn crackers are to die for :-)

Thanks again everybody. I look forward to talking with you again in the near future.

Very best regards.

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