Learning my scopes - the comedy of errors begins!

[singlespeeder]

Hi Everyone,

I managed to get out into the back garden a couple of times this week to have a look at the sky.  As ever with me, it was a comedy of errors but still fun! 

Yesterday I aligned my ETX finderscope.  I also trained its drives and calibrated the motor.  All was well. I tried to take a look at the 8" reflector but couldn't easily see anything far enough away to align it.  Also it has a wooden tripod and no matter how hard I did up the butterfly screws one of the legs would invariably start to retract!

Come the evening I put the ETX outside in the shade to cool and set it to start position. Dog walked and it was near 10pm.  Halfway through unscrewing the front cap it stuck, cross-threaded.  Solid!  It's never done that before.  "Oh bum!"  I manage to take it off after much huffing and puffing (it is *NOT* going back on!), then take it back outside and set it up again and switch on.  The finderscope alignment was ok, not brilliant but ok.  I sent the go-to to point at Jupiter and got it in the finderscope and then eyepiece.  Excellent.

Strange thing was that Jupiter seemed, well, "bright". The other week I made out the bands fairly easily and the four Galilean moons.  Last night I could *just* make out the bands and the two moons that were visible but they seemed difficult to make out.  The sky seemed clear - can anyone hazard a guess what was up?  I then checked out the moon and, as ever, it was astounding.  A waxing moon is always an amazing sight through scope and binoculars!

My current plan of action is to learn my scopes and make out a list of easily found things to take a look at.  Eventually I want to do some photography and have a look at some DSOs. 

Oh, and learn how to use the setting circles on my newtonian!  And learning to collimate the newtonian.  I think the newtonian is my future but the ETX is good for a quick blast when you don't know that much.

Adam

[NGC 1502]

"Strange thing was that Jupiter seemed, well, "bright". The other week I made out the bands fairly easily and the four Galilean moons.  Last night I could *just* make out the bands and the two moons that were visible but they seemed difficult to make out.  The sky seemed clear - can anyone hazard a guess what was up?"

  

Hi Adam.   Just checked the Jupiter info I have.   Last night Callisto was in eclipse until 22.53 BST,  and Io was in transit across the disc of Jupiter until 22.36 BST, so you would have seen only Ganymede and Europa.

So no need for a visit to Specsavers

Regards, Ed.

[ronin]

I assume an ETX 105 or 125, don't think the 70 has a finder, it doesn't really need one.

You may find the finder is getting to be a "valueable" item now, people lose or bust them and there are no replacements.

"Problem" was likely the atmosphere, the Jetstream is going West to East over us at the moment and looks like it wil do for quite some time. Another option is slight dew on the front.

Those ETX's are easy to use, Meade got the set up and alignment process about right.

With a 32mm plossl or similar they have a half reasonable field of view.

Have you one of the flexi-focuser things?

[singlespeeder]

Hi Sub Giant,

Yes it is an ETX-125.  I do have a flexi-focuser.  The focus was very precise last night. Any time I go near the scope it seems to wobble the field of view, but I guess that when you've got a lower focal length eyepiece in it is bound to happen.  Using the AutoStar 497 to shift the view slightly also causes wobbles and I had to get used to the latency between me pressing a direction and it responding (and then stopping!)

Thanks for the info about the finder.  I'll make sure I take extra care now.

Brown Dwarf - I guessed the other two Galilean moons were in front/behnd Jupiter but have yet to remember which one is which.  My words above didn't come out to clearly.  It was Jupiter itself I found to be quite bright.  :

[Pompey Monkey]

I have found a moon filter helps reduce the glare of Jupiter. Unfortunately, if the seeing is bad, then it's bad. Even a large scope will sometimes show no more than a the two main cloud belts.

The seeing can vary from day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute and even from second to second. Sometimes an hour at the telescope will reward you with just a few handfuls of seconds of perfect viewing. But it's worth it!

Over time you will learn when to persevere and when to point your scope at something else!

[Sonicfishcake42]

Hi Adam! 

I know those moments. I've already managed to bang my head on the scope (Newbie mistake).... I've only had 2 nights viewing!! Hey ho, at least it makes a change from the corner of the extractor fan above my hobs. I don't know what sick sadist decides to put the blumming thing 5'5ft high. 

Even still, I can claim emotional and physical trauma as an excuse for the Mrs to cook!

Keep it up and fingers crossed for ya!