Hello from India

[BhaskarK]

Hello People,

I recently purchased a six inch reflector and am excited to learn more about this hobby. With the onset of monsoon (JPR is where I live) by the end of this month, the conditions are going to be unfavourable so I better buckle up to learn the most important skills before that. I have taken a look at most of the bright objects and stars. Now my primary target is the Ring Nebula in Lyra which I hope can be easily found by starhopping (a skill I wish to learn quickly). The light pollution in my area is quite high with a naked eye limiting magnitude of a little more than 4 (5 if I try really really hard).

Equipment:

6 inch f/7 Dobsonian mounted reflector with 6x30 straight-through finder scope.

Eyepieces:

25mm EWF Kellner

17mm EWF Kellner

12.5mm Ramsden

2x and 3x Barlow. (I guess mentioning the 4x Barlow won't help because it's a singlet and suffers from high chromatic aberration) .

The first thing I wish to do is buy some eyepieces or accessories for the scope. I hope I can get sufficient help here.

Also, I am uploading some photos I have taken(mainly of moon and Saturn) by holding my trusty Lumia to the eyepiece. 

Clear Skies !

 

PS. the images where there is dust on the lens is actually the 4x barlow which I have handled quite roughly. Also, getting accessories is not an easy job here because there are only a few suppliers. Do take a look here before you recommend something.

Images and a video are attached with this post.

 

Saturn Processed.bmp

WP_20160617_005.mp4

[Dave In Vermont]

Greetings and welcome to SGL - it's good of you to join us!

I am certain we can help you in your stated quest to learn the night-sky and locate such entities as M57 - the ring-nebula in Lyra. Once you've settled in and explored the many sub-forums here, you will hear about Stellarium - a computer planetarium-program that will help you do so - free of charge. One of the greatest bargains going!

Have a productive monsoon-season -

Dave

[BhaskarK]

1 minute ago, Dave In Vermont said:

Greetings and welcome to SGL - it's good of you to join us!

I am certain we can help you in your stated quest to learn the night-sky and locate such entities as M57 - the ring-nebula in Lyra. Once you've settled in and explored the many sub-forums here, you will hear about Stellarium - a computer planetarium-program that will help you do so - free of charge. One of the greatest bargains going!

Have a productive monsoon-season -

Dave

A a matter of fact, I have already installed Stellarium on my laptop. However it is really a chore hauling the laptop on the roof everyday and destroying my night vision (even in the night mode). I use a software on my phone to identify the brightest stars before going out for observing. Now I am thinking about printing a copy of the Triatlas as a star-hopping guide. Vega is quite easily visible here and getting to M57 must be easy, but I have yet to try it.

PS. I don't know the apparent fields of my eyepieces. Any idea how to experimentally find them ?

[Dave In Vermont]

 You can print star-maps from Stellarium to take with you.

Did the eyepieces come with your telescope? If so, tell us what telescope you bought and from where & who made it. You can start a thread(topic) in a good forum here for people needing such information about their telescopes and eyepieces:

https://stargazerslounge.com/forum/186-getting-started-equipment-help-and-advice/

Dave

[BhaskarK]

7 minutes ago, Dave In Vermont said:

 You can print star-maps from Stellarium to take with you.

Did the eyepieces come with your telescope? If so, tell us what telescope you bought and from where & who made it. You can start a thread(topic) in a good forum here for people needing such information about their telescopes and eyepieces:

https://stargazerslounge.com/forum/186-getting-started-equipment-help-and-advice/

Dave

Here's where I got the telescope from. It's the last one.

http://www.sharpvisionindia.com/prod1.htm

Also,  I am attaching the file that was supplied and having complete specifications about the scope.

 

G-II PDS in word.doc

[swag72]

Hi and welcome to SGL - There's lots of helpful folks on the forum and masses of information too, so I'm sure you'll learn loads

Look forward to seeing you around

[Astroboy239]

Welcome to SGL. 

Clear skies

Varad 

[hippie]

Welcome to SGL .

[Mr Spock]

Hi, welcome to SGL

[laudropb]

Hello and a warm welcome to the SGL

[Mick J]

Hi BhaskarK and hope you find all you want here at SGL,  we have a few Indian members - the impression I get is equipment is difficult to find but seems to be getting easier, I suppose being close to Delhi helps, all the best fighting the pollution.

[Linda]

Welcome to the site.

M57 is just between 2 stars in Lyra and not difficult.

Good luck with your scope.

Don't you have a second hand online marked in India, in the region where you live? Maybe you could score some equipment there. A paper atlas is really nice to have, together with a small red light.

[gls]

Welcome, I must say you take better pictures than me by holding your phone up to the eyepiece.

[Dave Lloyd]

Hi and welcome.

[Alan White]

Welcome

Having just joined myself I know, the warm welcome you are given.
Hope the weather holds for you before monsoons start.
Clear Skies 

[glowjet]

Hi Bhaskark and welcome to SGL, a 150mm reflector is a nice all round starter scope for your observations, you may find your first port of call, for better clarity with your observing, will be your eye pieces. Those supplied by the manufacturer, Kellner and Ramsden, are very basic but ok to get you started. The design of the optics is very dated and not really the sharpest knives in the drawer when compared to eye pieces nowadays. Investing in good first base quality optics, should your first step. If you inquire in the relevant Equipment section, I am sure you will receive some useful suggestions that will suit your scope, enjoy your Astronomy and the forum  

[Lenny147]

Welcome to the forum

[Starwiz]

Welcome to the SGL!  

I loved Jaipur when I was there last year.  

I can see what you mean about the light pollution though.  

John

[BhaskarK]

15 hours ago, Linda said:

Welcome to the site.

M57 is just between 2 stars in Lyra and not difficult.

Good luck with your scope.

Don't you have a second hand online marked in India, in the region where you live? Maybe you could score some equipment there. A paper atlas is really nice to have, together with a small red light.

 

We do have ebay here but most of the equipment available there are low aperture refractors and almost all the reflectors are overpriced. I also have a red light but I feel it also affects the night vision and so I try to read my atlas in moonlight only.

I tried for M57 yesterday but due to the dense and uniform cloud cover, even moon wasn't visible, let alone Vega. Going to try again today.

While there is no hope for them here, Clear skies to you. 

 

[Charon]

Welcome aboard.

[Linda]

A red light is still a good solution, but maybe yours is too bright. Maybe you can put a handkerchief over it or so? Or find a smaller red light. We prefer to use our telescope for deep sky when there is no moon. Then you need something else than moonlight to read your atlas.

Just to give you an impression, without saying that it is the ultimate solution, I bought something like this one:

http://nl.aliexpress.com/item/Flexible-Black-Music-Stand-4-LED-3AAA-batteries-White-Dual-Arm-Useful-Book-Reading-Light-Super/32347092091.html?spm=2114.010208.3.91.LHI8kd&ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_10,searchweb201602_4_10017_301_10040,searchweb201603_11&btsid=1b8859d8-9a96-4815-9a17-a685f67bf1da

And I painted the lamps red with 2 layers of red hobby paint. Red nail polish will also do the trick. One layer was still too bright, but 2 layers is OK. And I usually only use one light for reading in the atlas. When I have found the object, I turn the light away.

Laptops and telephones are in general not good for your night vision. Although many astronomers still use them. On your phone, you could install a twilight app, so that is isn't so bright. I use that to record my observations on the phone's voice recorder.

 

Cloud cover is to be expected when you buy a new scope...

[Pete Presland]

Hi welcome to SGL from Pete in Bedfordshire :-)

[baggywrinkle]

Welcome to SGL. Glowjet has already made the comment I would re the EP's.

[JamesM]

Hi BhaskarK and welcome to the forum

Clear skies

[seo]

Hi and welcome to SGL.