First unintended scope!

[Tzitzis]

Well my birthday is in May 5th and my gf surprised me and bought me a 60mm refractor with  3EP's and 2 barlows and a lunar filter.

Anyway it's great that I will get to use a telescope for the first time in my life. I will get to see the moon and I will be sure whether I want to continue and buy my Skywatcher Skyliner 150P or just stay at this level if I'm not interested.

So I was wandering, what sorts of things will I be able to see through my scope. I don't expect any DSO with the exception maybe of M42 and M13 (well maybe) but how about planets?

Finally I got a freakin' scope!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

10x50 binoculars can show plenty of DSOs, so a 60mm scope can certainly see many of the Messier objects, especially from a dark site (outside of Athens) and with low magnification

[baggywrinkle]

The Moon is an obvious target, as would be Jupiter and Saturn.

Some of the larger brighter DSO's too. I would recommend a copy of 'Turn Left At Orion', an excellent book that grades objects to 3 types of  veiwing, binolculars, small telescope and large telescope. The illustrations show what you are more likely to see rather than nice Hubble type images.

It also tells you how to find them too.

[ronin]

You should get Jupiter reasonably, you do not need that great a magnification fot it, 50x or 60x will be more then enough.

More for Saturn is preferable, it is smaller and further away, but try for it = nothing to lose.

DSO's lots of clusters, Open and Globular.

Double stars, serch out the different coloured ones, Almaak, Albireo and a couple of hundred others.

Nebula will be a bit more difficult, try M57, Ring Nebula.

As you are in Greece you should still have M42 and M45.

Another thought, if it appeals, is look up a list of Red Star, and/or Carbon stars.

Can make a different class of objects to locate.

[Tzitzis]

Thanks guys! Unfortunatelly no dark skies around here. And I do not own a car to get out of the city

[jonathan]

You could possibly get a solar filter for the objective or make one from Baader solar film, then light pollution would not be a problem (solar observing, baby!)

Obviously, take heed of all the warnings about the dangers of solar observing.

As for planets, you should be able to catch Venus setting in the West just after sunset right now (use your moon filter), Jupiter is still up high in the South, then later in May / June you should see Saturn rising in the East before midnight, you may be able to just make out the shape of the rings - they are at a good angle at the moment.  With looking out over a city you might get quite a bit of heat haze so you'll have to be patient with the view.

[Tzitzis]

Can't wait to try it tonight! Targets: Moon, Jupiter and Venus

[knobby]

Dont forget to align the finder scope with the main scope !

[Tzitzis]

Damn. How i do that?

[ghostdance]

Damn. How i do that?

Pick something (chimney/aerial/tree) about a quarter/half mile away (or as far as you can get) - in daylight -  get it dead centre in your eyepiece (faiirly high mag one, say a 10mm or similar), then align the finderscope crosshairs/circle by adjusting the finder, er,  knobs until the object is central. Don't know what kind of finder you have but they all can be adhusted/aligned (AFAIK)...Good luck!

And enjoy your first night

[Tzitzis]

Holy [removed word]! I just saw Venus! OMG guys!

[Astro Imp]

Great start, once you get going it's amazing the enjoyment to be had from seeing these beauties with your own gear from your own back yard.  

Good luck.