My first telescope nearly

[ShrewView]

Excellent present.

It's always good when the present is same size or bigger than your Christmas tree!

[iapa]

On 23/12/2016 at 13:10, kitten said:

Santa has been very naughty this year not only has he not wrapped my present but he left it at RVO instead of my house had to get hubby to pick it up for me.

Just look at it a brown cardboard box no girlie paper  no bows.

Once opened and set up you will have all the pretties you will need for many years to come

[kitten]

Hi first of all an apology to all who answered my last post on here have not been able to reply as i have been in hospital since Boxing day did not get home till middle of last week.

Hubby assembled the Dobson for me while i was in hospital ready for me coming home.

Did not feel good enough to use it till last night but it was so cold out i used it indoors through an open window in spare bedroom all i did was to align finder scope with main tube think i will have to change the finder for a right angle version the sight picture in finder is ok but i do not like the straight through finder at all makes your neck ache.

A lot of cloud drifting by last night but got some good views of the Moon also Venus and thought i saw Mars it was in the right position in the sky and it looked red.

I can't wait to get outside with some decent skies.

[cloudsweeper]

Glad you're feeling better and the great adventure has begun.  Yes, straight-through finders can be awkward, but have the slight advantage that you can see the view behind and so know where you are aiming.  Lots of us use combinations of finders such as an RDF (red dot finder) and a RACI.  Or a Rigel is handy, as it stands well off the tube.

Doug.

[JOC]

Hi kitten

That's a bit of a nasty one - in hosp. since Boxing day - poor you!

Never mind - you didn't miss much - January has been resplendent with cloudy nights - I got 4 nights with my new Telescope, and I doubt you will get many more.  Yes, I used mine once and also changed to a right angled finder-scope, however, before you splash your cash and look at some of the red-dot finders too,  I got a RACI (like the straight through one with a right angle), but sometimes it is not easy to line up on/find things 'upstairs' with it and I often wonder if a red-dot finder would have some advantages. At least if you look them up before buying a RACI you will sure that it is what you need. 

I have got the same size Flex-tube version of your telescope, and with it on just a few nights with the two stock lenses that I think you will have (25mm and 10mm), I have seen planets - Venus and Mars, Pleiades, M42 and split the trapezium, Capella and split the double star and taken a nice photograph of the Moon.  I think you will have a lot of fun ahead.

Wishing you 'Clear Skies!'

 

[Jimtheslim]

May I also suggest a Telrad finder (probably best bit of kit I've bought) and print the following charts

http://www.custerobservatory.org/docs/messier2.pdf

With these, finding fainter objects becomes a doddle. How dark your skies are depends on what you'll be able to see, but it will get you in the right place every time. I have the 10" version of your scope and when I started finding open clusters that had previously eluded me with the upside down/ back to front magnified finder scope I was blown away.

Enjoy that scope!

[Jimtheslim]

On ‎06‎/‎02‎/‎2017 at 10:38, JOC said:

Hi kitten

That's a bit of a nasty one - in hosp. since Boxing day - poor you!

Never mind - you didn't miss much - January has been resplendent with cloudy nights - I got 4 nights with my new Telescope, and I doubt you will get many more.  Yes, I used mine once and also changed to a right angled finder-scope, however, before you splash your cash and look at some of the red-dot finders too,  I got a RACI (like the straight through one with a right angle), but sometimes it is not easy to line up on/find things 'upstairs' with it and I often wonder if a red-dot finder would have some advantages. At least if you look them up before buying a RACI you will sure that it is what you need. 

I have got the same size Flex-tube version of your telescope, and with it on just a few nights with the two stock lenses that I think you will have (25mm and 10mm), I have seen planets - Venus and Mars, Pleiades, M42 and split the trapezium, Capella and split the double star and taken a nice photograph of the Moon.  I think you will have a lot of fun ahead.

Wishing you 'Clear Skies!'

 

I would say that a Rigel or Telrad would be more beneficial. When used in conjunction with the relevant charts there is nothing easier in my experience for locating objects. RACI finders are expensive unless you get one second hand and for me, not worth the money if you buy a Telrad/Rigal for almost half the price.

Just wait until Saturn and Jupiter come back into the night sky, you'll be amazed!

[Jon Sales]

Excellent scope! Buy a copy of Turn Left At Orion. Fantastic book and will teach you the night sky and to 'star hop' from one constellation to another around the night sky. 

The book is readily available. I got mine from a local Waterstones but I've also seen it in WHSmith.