New telescope

[KarenRobert]

What filters do we need to start? We would like to view the Moon and Planets and their Moons.

[laudropb]

It is best to do without filters as you learn how to use your new scope. You may want a Moon filter at some stage, but planetary coloured filters only make subtle differences to the view and many do not use them. Which scope do you have ?

[dweller25]

Hello and welcome to SGL.

You don't need any filters to view the planets and their Moons - which scope do you have ?

[dweller25]

Oops laudropb responded whilst I was typing

[Stu]

Hi

You don't actually need any filters for the moon and planets.

Which scope do you have? With larger scopes some people find the moon too bright so they use a neutral density or variable polarising filter to bring the brightness down. The other option though is just to get the magnification up, that helps.

If you do fancy getting one though, depending upon budget, I find a Baader Neodymium filter works well on both the Moon, Jupiter and Mars. It helps cut the brightness and improve contrast a little.

Best advice for observing planets? Four key things:

Cooling

Collimation

Seeing

Patience

Make sure your scope is well cooled and collimated. The planets look best when they are at their highest as you are looking through less of the atmosphere, you need a night of steady seeing to get the detail, and avoid observing over houses with their central heating flumes etc

Finally patience. Don't just look quickly and be disappointed, spend half an hour looking and you will catch the really steady moments and your brain will begin to build up a much more detailed picture.

Use x150 to x180 on Jupiter, x200 ish on Saturn and as much as you can get away with on the Moon and Mars!

Stu

[Charic]

.....I too find the Moon very bright especially  when its a full Moon. My options are to use the Moon filter ( only ever used it once in the time I've owned it?) Wear sunglasses, but that prevents my eye getting close enough to the eyepiece, so now, I just leave my dust cap on the telescope, only exposing the 2" aperture. I'm  fully aware that this reduces some aspects of a telescopes ability, but this method reduces the brightness for me, and on the Moon, so large and so close, its my happy solution. Thin veiled cloud also reduces the intensity of the glare, so not all cloudy nights are wasted?

Only you can decide on the method that suits you best!

[RT65CB-SWL]

I don't use coloured filters, except a No: #47 for Venus; (I have not used it since I purchased it earlier this year); as I am purely 'visual' at present as I rarely connect a digital compact camera or webcam to my 'scopes when observing. I use Lunar/Moon & Neodymium filters on almost anything/everything else.

[Dave Lloyd]

Hi guys, welcome.

[BritAngler]

+1 for the Moon filter, useful for some people when the Moon is more than 1/2 full. The other filters aeajr mentioned (especially the UHC and OIII) are ones you can put on your wish-list but there are perhaps other things that should take priority, for eg a collimating cap and Cheshire eyepiece if you have a Newtonian....

[spike95609]

A moon filter is the only one that will be of immediate use. I have a 10" scope and when the moon goes above 50% full it starts to become a little blinding and is hard to look at for more than short periods. I did buy a moon filter when I first got the scope, but I haven't used it since as I didn't like the yellow tint it added. I eventually bought a Baader Neodymium for other uses, but found out it was a very good moon filter too.

[spike95609]

My moon filter is the Baader Neutral Density, it does the job it's just it felt like I was looking at the moon with sunglasses. The Neodymium gives a more neutral look, even though the filter is clearly shaded pink.