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Hi from the south coast (and a quick question)

D33P

By D33P
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D33P

D33P

Posted
Posted

Hi everybody [emoji3] I've just taken the plunge into this fascinating hobby and so far really enjoying blindly stumbling around the sky! Always had a passing interest in astronomy and decided it's time to get my first telescope.

I purchased a Celestron Omni 127 Xlt and a Baader 8-24mm (and a few other odds n sods).

One thing I have noticed is that as I get closer to the 8mm end of the eyepiece I can't seem to bring it into focus. I think I have the scope fairly well collimated after following a few posts here on SGL.

Could the be anything else I've missed or is it just the atmosphere recently?

I've only had the scope a couple of weeks, and due to weather and work commitments only had it out a handful of times.

Many thanks to you all.

James

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MarsG76

MarsG76

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Hi James, I'd say it's most likely the seeing.... The use of your 8mm setting on the eyepiece will be reserved for the clearest nights... But believe me, the view that you will get through it on the rare clear nights when observing Jupiter, Saturn, the moon or Mars will definitely be worth the wait. Think about getting a contrast booster filter, like the Baader contrast booster or the neodymium filter... Personally I use both stacked and the there were nights where the views of Jupiter and Saturn at maximum power were breath taking.

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barkis

barkis

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Welcome to the Forums James.

You will  get load of help from the members here, so don't be shy about asking questions.

Nice telescope you have bought.

That type of unit will take a bit longer to reach ambient temperature,

so depending upon where you store it, if indoors, will mean you have to wait an hour at least I would suggest

to allow it to cool sufficiently. 

Using High power on any telescope can be quite demanding of it, as everything must be right.

Collimation, cooled down sufficiently, and the Atmospheric conditions must be  conducive to good seeing too.

When all the right conditions are met, you will be very pleased with the scopes performance.

Don't get too obsessed with High Magnification though, low powers deliver very pleasing views too, and not so demanding

either.

Enjoy.

Ron.

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Chinapig

Chinapig

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Hi James - welcome from a little east of you on the Sussex coast.

There's a local bunch of like-minded people that you might enjoy linking up with - Worthing Astronomers.  Free to join, they publish a newsletter each month, host observing nights from time to time, and hold workshop sessions/talks every other month.  

There's a bit more info at: http://www.worthingastronomers.org.uk 

If you send them an email via the SUBSCRIBE link down the left-hand column on that page, you can receive their newsletter.  You'll also find their facebok page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/skywatchers101?_rdr=p

Have fun, enjoy your scope, and maybe we'll get some clear skies along the coast soon!

Cheers

Simon 

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Chinapig

Chinapig

Posted
Posted

Hi James - welcome from a little east of you on the Sussex coast.

There's a local bunch of like-minded people that you might enjoy linking up with - Worthing Astronomers.  Free to join, they publish a newsletter each month, host observing nights from time to time, and hold workshop sessions/talks every other month.  

There's a bit more info at: http://www.worthingastronomers.org.uk 

Whoops, think I posted a dodgy link to Worthing Astronomers, try this instead:

http://www.worthingastronomers.org.uk

Cheers

Simon

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D33P

D33P

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Wow! Thank you all for the very warm welcome :grin:  And thanks for the helpful tips.

It seems the consensus is that my issues are based in the atmosphere and not on my tripod, which is good to know.

I decided to by a telescope after noticing the beautiful clear sky whilst on night shift a few weeks ago. It seems my new toy came shipped with some really awful weather (maybe I forgot to untick the 'free fog' checkbox when I ordered). So, for that I apologise to you all.

MarsG76: I was thinking about a neodymium filter or maybe a UHC. Does it really make as much difference as the blurb suggests? Or is it really only useful for imaging. This is something I would like to get into eventually, but I need to find my way around the sky first. For now I'll just be poking my Canon compact into the eyepiece occasionally.

Simon: Firstly, sorry for ruining your skies  :rolleyes: Thanks for the links. Been threatening to sign up to FB for a while, this might just tip me over the edge. Would be good to meet up with others as I don't know anybody willing to stand around in the cold peering into the dark depths.

James

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glowjet

glowjet

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Hi James and welcome to SGL, you might like to reconsider posting your inquiry about using the eyepiece in the Equipment help and guide sections. These sections have a much bigger following than here in the Welcome section, you may even find some observers that have had similar problems, enjoy the forum :) 

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