Jump to content

skywatcher explorer 150p and sysnscan help?

dazza297

By dazza297
in Welcome

Recommended Posts

dazza297

dazza297

Posted
Posted

Hi I have just purchased the above telescope on the eq3 mount. I am in need of any usage advice that you guys can give me as a beginner. Firstly what should I be expecting to see detail on. Are the supplied lenses adequate the 25mm wide and 10mm with x2 barlow. I am going to use the scope tonight for the first time and I feel my biggest challenge is going to be the polar alignment for synscan goto( when ive got polaris in the tripod window should I also then have polaris in my telescope lens also?.Lastly on the synscan controller its says ngc and when I press it it asks me to  put in the catalogue number , where can I find the list of which number is what galaxy etc .Any starting out advice would be well appreciated.

Thanks

Darren

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Zadoq

Zadoq

Posted
Posted

Hi and welcome.

I can't really advise regarding the lenses as I'm an imager. Regarding the NGC numbers, the best thing is to look around at what you're interested in and work out the catalog numbers. For example, if you're interested in M51, if you look on Wikepedia, it'll tell you that it is NGC 5194. The Synscan should also support other catalogs, e.g. M for Messier and the IC catalog. Between those 3 (NGC, M and IC) you'll have pretty much anything you want covered.

Also, I think the Synscan software has the option of a deep sky tour, so you might want to try that out. I believe it shows you wha'ts popular, but taking into account the location, time of year and time of day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
RWB

RWB

Posted
Posted

This helps a lot Thankyou , it was forecast to be clear tonight but them clouds just won't clear arghhhhhh

Hi and welcome to the hobby of stargazing or as some would call it  cloud dodging :grin:  :grin:

until you look up you have no idea of the amount of cloud up there .have you ??

still, the stars will still be there  to-morrow or the next day and the cloud pixies must have a rest

sometime then  you will go WOW!!

so patience my son read up on the subject for when the skies do clear

Regards  and C.Ss

Robin 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
laudropb

laudropb

Posted
Posted

Hello and welcome to the SGL. Sorry I can't help with your mount. The NGC alludes to the New General Catalogue which is a large list of DSOs.

As a beginner I would suggest you keep it simple. Start of with the moon , Jupiter and learn the main constellations. Down load the free app Stellarium and this will help you navigate the sky. Best of luck

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dazza297

dazza297

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hey guys I went out tonight after the clouds parted , lined up Polaris in the alignment window and aligned the Big Dipper also , put he scope on and started the star alignment and the weights started to hit the stand the way it wanted to move so not sure what I did wrong there , i used the stellarium app to navigate about and I got great views of the great nebula in Orion ,Jupiter and andromeda although andromeda was very weak and unclear with both lenses, a good First night tho. Thanks guys

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BlabyStarGazer

BlabyStarGazer

Posted
Posted

Hi and welcome to SGL.    The supplied eyepieces you have will serve you well until you've mastered aligning the mount properly and setting up the GOTO handset.  As previously mentioned, there are plenty of videos on the subject available on Youtube - don't try and run before you can walk or the OTA hitting the tripod won't be the only problem you'll have.  That in itself is an indicator that you don't have things set up correctly.

Find your local Astro Society and there will be plenty of folk on hand to give you sound advice and some pratical help. 

Clear skies ..

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dazza297

dazza297

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Well done Darren. A good result from your first session. The Astronomical society of Glasgow has an observing night at the botanical gardens on Tuesday night. Check out the web site and see if you can manage along

Thanks for the info that does sound excellent ,however I may not manage due to work commitments. All of your help well appreciated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dazza297

dazza297

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hi and welcome to SGL.    The supplied eyepieces you have will serve you well until you've mastered aligning the mount properly and setting up the GOTO handset.  As previously mentioned, there are plenty of videos on the subject available on Youtube - don't try and run before you can walk or the OTA hitting the tripod won't be the only problem you'll have.  That in itself is an indicator that you don't have things set up correctly.

Find your local Astro Society and there will be plenty of folk on hand to give you sound advice and some pratical help. 

Clear skies ..

Hi thanks for your reply. I got this feeling right away that I had to go back to the drawing board and everything will slowly take time, I have spent today levelling my scope and marking the home position on the mount using thin permanent pen . I watched a video last night that was for the heq5 mount and a lot of it was relevant to my mount although how you find the polar home position is different . Although in your experience what is the way to go with eyepieces for when I progress eventually?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.