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Newbie from Michigan


hiimdoug

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Hello from Michigan.

After a little research I bought an Orion SpaceProbe 130ST 650mm 5.1'' f/5 on Amazon as a bit of an impulse buy. My first night out was Sunday, I was able to see Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

Mars was a bit of a disappointment, smaller than I had expected with little detail, but Jupiter and Saturn were absolutely stunning. I could easily see the four moons of Jupiter as well as weather bands. The rings popped out beautifully on Saturn. I spent the last hour of the night, however, futilely looking for some DSO. Best part of the night, though, was the time I got to spend with my kids. My oldest son (7) had tons of great questions for me and he is thoroughly intrigued by all things cosmos right now.

Needless to say I am hooked on my new found hobby. I’ve already got on order a moon filter, 2x Barlow lens, and a carrying bag, and am looking forward to many more enjoyable nights.

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Hi and welcome. Looks like a good scope you have there - 5 inch reflectors offer a great mix of portabilty and reasonable power, and at a good price. Glad you enjoyed your first session. Mars is always a tricky customer - if you were using the supplied 10mm eyepiece for x65 then it's definitely going to appear very small. Even at higher magnifications (x150 or above) it takes time and patience to coax any detail out of Mars though. Billy.

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Doug (hope my assumption is correct!) - 

A great start.  

Mars can be a bit disappointing.  Next time you see Saturn, you might be able to see one or two moons.

With practice and patience, you should soon be able to spot some DSOs.  The planetarium software Stellarium can help with this, as can printed publications like a Sky Atlas, or Turn Left At Orion.

Have fun!

Doug.

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