First post and one or two questions for seasoned observers

[JR1987]

Ive always loved space but for some crazy reason ive only just decided to purchase a telescope within the past few weeks. I set it up aiming for Jupiter around 11pm, and seeing those red bands blew me away.. i've been hooked ever since. (its funny how something so simple looking can mean so much when you see it and know what it really is all those hundreds of millions of miles away)

the weathers not been great and i also live on the outskirts of London so you can imagine how observing here isnt as much fun as it could be..(although I have dark sky spots within an hour) but tonight, even though it was a full moon, it was clear. and to my excitement I found the Orion Nebula (I know its an easy one though haha) so i thought it was time to join up here since ive been reading alot here too.

anyway, a few questions id like to put out there...

1. I hope to enjoy observing as a life long hobby/experience. Theres alot of serious/casual observers out there with over 20/30 years experience, Id love to know what keeps them coming back, as im sure they have found alot of if not all of the objects in the catalogues.

2. Kind of in a similar ballpark to the first question, Do experienced observers still do lunar and planetary viewing? or is it just searching for deep space objects?

3. Finally, I have a fairly modest telescope.. a Skywatcher 5" f/900m. this will do for now but i can see myself wanting a bigger tube probably by the end of the year. is it really hard to find the tubes sold separately? the tripod and mount seem pretty good and it would seem silly to buy another lot if the current tripod and mount would support for instance an 8 to 10 inch tube.

Thanks guys!

[Physopto]

You can do an awful lot with a 5" scope. I use a 132mm refractor all the time. Had a Meade 12" LX200 SCT before. Then moved down as I wanted to do wider field imaging. Long focal length is not always the bees knees.

As you are new to it all ask around first and realy be sure before spending hard earned cash. You will get loads of help here from SGL I'm sure. If possible join a club and again try visiting a Star Party, you will usually able to talk to many astronomers with a variety of equipment.

Best of luck.

Derek

[John]

Hi and welcome to the forum !

I've been in the hobby for 30 plus years now but I still enjoy observing all types of objects and still spend quite a bit of time on the old favorites, whether deep sky objects or the moon and planets.

I do the vast majority of my observing from my garden which is not ideal on the whole for chasing the fainter objects so I'm happy to observe what I can get my scopes on

The Moon alone has enough detail accessible with a modest amateur scope to keep an observer busy for years !

On your scope upgrade question, you can get tubes separately (see the link below for an example) but you need to make sure your mount will handle a larger aperture scope. There is nothing more frustrating to use than an undermounted scope. An 8" to 10" scope is usually much more demanding on the mount than a 5" one.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/page/2/

[coulthamst]

It is certainly not hard to find Optical Tube Assemblies (OTAs )sold separately. Most specialist shops/suppliers advertise them. The internet is your friend, and the membership of this site will fall over themselves to advise you - the difficulty is reconciling the varied responses to your queries, and working out which pieces of advise are most relevant to your needs.

For instance, to help with your question as to whether your mount and tripod will carry a larger instrument, and to get an idea of its limit, just add the details of its make and model to this thread, and you are bound to get all the help you need.

As to your question as to whether experienced observers look at (or photograph) the moon and planets, unless they have chosen to specialise in a particular restricted area of astronomy, most will always have a look at whatever presents itself in the sky at the moment. There is always the possibility of subtle change of features, quite apart from the wonder of it all.

Best of luck in your own experiences.

Jim.

[Dave In Vermont]

Greetings & Welcome to SGL! Nice to have you aboard. We are always happy to answer questions new folks have. We've been there before ourselves.

I've been interested in astronomy, and many other sciences, since 1964 - when I was 4 and my parents took me to a planetarium in Boston, Massachusetts. And, yes indeed, I still love looking at the Moon. And the planets as well. So here's a gift for you regards our nearest neighbor:

http://www.ap-i.net/avl/en/download

This is a lunar-atlas. Very detailed with quite a few add-ons available for it. All free, as most of the best software seems to be.

Clear & Dark Skies,

Dave

[baggywrinkle]

Welcome to SGL.

Just got into work after an hour out on the fens doing some wide field photography.

in answer to your questions;

I keep coming back to known objects as each time you look you see more and no two nights are ever quite the same. I also like to find new objects too. So I am reading a lot and getting a bucket list toghether.

I love looking at the Moon and planets. The Moon is always changing and as the terminator shifts across its face new shadows reveal new features and again it is always changing due to the libation of the Moon. Jupiter is fascinating as over a period of an hour things move, its moons rotate and cross the face or get occulted.

SW are good scopes and should give you a lot of enjoyment...apeture fever is as certain as death and taxes....but slightly less final.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Welcome to SGL. Great first post.

Looking at the planets never tires. Jupiter in particular is so dynamic that it is always worth a look. I have also found lunar observation to be more interesting than at first, because I started using lists like the Lunar 100 to structure my observations. Imaging is also a way to keep going, as you keep getting better. Good planetary and lunar images can be made with modest kit, so there is an easy entry into the slippery slope. Solar white-light astronomy is also very accessible and doubles the time you have for observations. H-alpha (more expensive) is completely mesmerizing

I have also found I can do FAR more DSO observing from my suburban garden than I ever though possible. As you get your eyes in, you start pulling out fainter and fainter detail. What really got me back into the hobby several years ago (2009-2010) was starting to observe objects on various lists systematically, starting with the Messier list, then the Caldwell and Herschel 400 lists, the Brightest 100 Planetaries list, Herschel 2500, Revised Shapley-Ames Catalogue of Bright Galaxies, etc.

Another factor that keeps you going is that as you spend more, you feel you should use it more, and to use it more, you feel that a slightly better EP, bigger scope, etc are needed. A drain on the bank account but a boon for the brain

[Astro Imp]

Welcome to the greatest place on the web.

As has been said above there is always something to see.

The planets offer many challenges and many great viewing opportunities. You have picked a good time to start viewing Jupiter as over the next few weeks the four main moons are doing a merry dance, all of which is fascinating to see and well within the capabilities of your scope and unaffected by your light pollution. 

The Virtual Moon Atlas posted by Dave in Vermont is a great piece of kit, really adds to the enjoyment of lunar observing when you know what you are looking at.

Get out there, and have fun.

Good luck.