Just starting out, advice?

[beemo]

Just starting out and I have a few questions. So far I purchased the Orion XT 8" Classic Dobsonian Telescope (25mm eyepiece)

Orion StarBlast 4.5 Astro Reflector Telescope (17mm, 6mm eyepieces)

Scenix 10x50 Wide Angle Binoculars

Celestron Telescope Eyepiece and Filter Accessory Kit (2x barlow, 15mm, 4mm, 6mm, 9mm) and various colored filters
 

On these past few nights I have seen the basics, mars, venus, jupiter and its moons. I am having trouble finding nebulas and galaxies. I think I saw a galaxy last night though through my binoculars but when I try and locate it with the dob I cant seem to find it again.
Mars looks like a tiny orange dot, anyway to see it more zoomed in? Do I need to buy more lenses?

Are their any lenses I can add to safely view the sun? or do I need a separate telescope for that?

Any additional advice would greatly be appreciated

[Astro Imp]

To help you find your way around have you downloaded Stellarium? http://www.stellarium.org/ This is a great free planetarium program, also of great help to get started is the excellent book Turn Left at Orion, tells you how to find objects and what to expect when you've found them.

Mars is not in a good position to view at the moment, too low in the sky and far away, wait until its nearer next year.

Don't buy any further eyepieces at present, get used to using what you have.

To view the sun you need a filter over the front of your scope. Baader film comes to mind. DO NOT use filters attached to the eyepiece, these are very dangerous as they are likely to break and you will end up with serious eye damage, possibly blind.

Good luck and clear skies.

[ronin]

Going to ignore the Starblast, I think it is a fast (f/4) reflector and as you have the XT8 seems you will use the XT8.

The eyepiece set: the 4mm is likely no use. For whatever reason eyepieces seem to have a performance line at 5mm. If you go shorter then you need to select carefully and usually they cost more. 4mm eyepieces are good for throwing at cats.

Going to assume that the scope is 1200mm focal lengh. so f/6.

The one supplied will be a decent plossl, it will give 48x.

That might show Jupiter and the 2 main equitorial bands, and the 4 moons if they are not hiding.

I say "might" as you are collecting a lot of light into a small image and the image could just be too bright so you see a bright disk and no detail. Try a 15mm eyepiece for 80x, for Jupiter that should be better.

When Saturn makes an appearance you will need a bit more say 120x (for ease) and that is a 10mm eyepiece, an 8mm will give 150x and an 8mm should be fine in the scope.

Mars (not going to llike this) really need 250x and above and that will be a problem, even that may not be enough - have read of many need ing 300x and 350x to see anything. At 120x Mars will be a red disk, a small red disk. I suggest you take the pragmatic approach:- accept that 98% of the time Mars will be a small red disk and buy an eyepiece that might occasionally deliver a view if the conditions fall right. You are looking at an eyepiece in the 4mm region but better then the one in the kit. Could try the barlow and the 9mm but I suspect the combination will not be great.

For the Sun you need something called Baader Solar Film and make a filter to fit over the whole of the front aperture - or buy one for your scope (Thousand Oaks I think). DO NOT USE AN EYEPIECE FILTER FOR THE SUN THEY ARE DANGEROUS! You cover the complete front aperture - you also cover the finder. Covering the scope then using the finder to locate the sun is not a good idea but people forget and do it.

What do the eyepieces in the kit say on them Pl, MA or anything?

The only filter I suggest is a moon filter, I do not have one of them and my opinion of coloured filters is they seem of little use for anything. But some people like a coloured image.

Galaxies - sorry forget M31 Andromeda, easy, bright(ish) but it is big. Too big to see it all in the XT8 in one go. What most see is the middle bright bit that looks like a fuzzy blob (exactly what it is). Use the 10x50's on Andromeda. Try the one the "other" side M33 (??). Start with the 25mm to find what will be a dim patch then increase the magnification.

If you decide that you need/want better eyepieces then ask but also supply a price per eyepiece you are happy with and an overall budget. You can get say 6 at $60 each or 1 at $500. So unless you say you could (will) get all opinions.

[beemo]

Thank you both for your replies

Too bad about Mars, but thats ok.

I will download stellarium

The sun solar films sound a bit too scary for me, so I will go ahead and buy a solar scope instead.

So I picked out the cheapest one I can find, its the Meade Coronado Personal Solar Telescope ($699), will this give some good views of the sun? as close as the moon looks in my 8" dob?

[Astro Imp]

Good point Ronin about covering the finder when viewing the sun, I'm afraid it slipped my mind to mention this.