Hello from Liverpool :-)

[Nathan UK]

Hi everyone , I'm new to astronomy....

still a little confused about things as well haha. 

I own two scopes the first one I purchased was celestron power seeker 114eq/f 900and my newer scope is the skywatcher explore 130p/f650.

im starting to learn to navigate the sky a bit better ....

even when walking of a evening I'm looking up recognising constellations but trying to view things like planets, the andromeda or the ringed nebula and I'm just hitting a brick wall lol .

im finding (for example) where the andromeda should be but I don't seem to be actually seeing what I want to see haha. 

My highest mag on the celestron is x225 using a 4mm plossl 

my highest mad on the skywatcher is currently x65 with a 10mm eye piece or 162.5 with the celestrons 4mm eye piece. 

I would also like to note that I have a x3 Barlow lense ..... 

Cananyone give me suggestions of how to get the out of of my scopes and what scope I would be best using for planets, nebulas , the andromeda ect I am a complete beginner but trying my best any help would be appreciated thanks

nathan.

[BXRO]

Hi Nathan, and welcome to SGL. I use the same scope as you (SW 130 P) only just got into observing been using the skymaps.com monthly PDF free download as a guide. Hope you have as much fun as I am having . Plenty of people on this site who will help you gain the knowledge to really put those scopes to good use

[Nathan UK]

Thanks bxro

[gingergeek]

Hi there Nathan and welcome to SGL, kick back and relax

[Nathan UK]

Thank you ginger geek

[Gino Arcari]

Hi Nathan welcome to SGL. Try using a low powered eyepiece when viewing andromeda, it takes up a larger portion of the sky than you might think.

You won't see it like you see it in images, as cameras are able to take long exposure photos. If you haven't seen the Orion nebula yet, I'd definitely look at that first so it might make finding andromeda a bit easier as you'll realize how dim DSOs are.

[Nathan UK]

Thank you Gino....

makes a lot of sense haha maybe I was looking at a small part of the andromeda hahaha thanks for the tip ha

[cloudsweeper]

Welcome, Nathan, from another Merseysider!  Hunting (hopping) round the sky should initially be done at your lowest mag/highest field of vision.  With a 650mm focal length, you'll get great views with a 32 or 40mm eyepiece.  And if you download Stellarium (for free), you can use it to see exactly what you're looking at.  Remember to use Night Mode, and even an additional red acetate sheet over the screen (if used "in the field".)

Doug.

[Mr Spock]

Hi Nathan, welcome to SGL

Aperture wins, so use your 130 for everything - it's a good scope. A 32mm eyepiece (x20) would be perfect for low powered views of nebulae and clusters, as well as Andromeda (galaxy). I'd probably stick to x162 for planets, though, you could probably push it to x200 on a good night.

[Nathan UK]

Thanks  for the tips cloudsweeper

[Nathan UK]

Thanks Mr Spock 

the eye pieces I currently own are 

25mm wide angle long eye relief 

20mm erecting eye piece 

super 10mm

and plossl 4mm

3x Barlow lense 

you have advised on a 32mm any other eye pieces I should purchase?

what eye pieces can I use the Barlow lense for when planetary viewing ? 

Thanks for the advice and sorry for the silly/simplistic questions but I'm new so I guess I'm excused haha 

thanks s for the warm welcome and help everyone 

[Dave Lloyd]

Hi Nathan, welcome.

[Nathan UK]

Thanks dave

[laudropb]

Hello and a warm welcome to the SGL. Stick to the eyepieces you have just now and learn how to make the best use of your scope. Then you will be better placed to decide which other eyepieces you need.

[Floater]

Hi, Nathan, and welcome.

It will help you a lot, I think, if you have a read of the thread 'What can I expect to see' in the Getting Started With Observing section. It will give you an idea of how things will look through your eyepiece. I think most beginners have a picture in their mind - usually from magazines or the Web - of what they are going to see with their telescope. Unfortunately, they will never match up. Cameras can stack up the data; human eyes cannot. That's the hard truth all visual observers have to live with.

However, once you are aware of that you can start 'training' your eyes to see more. Take your time; chill out. (Which should be easy in these temperatures! ⛄️⛄️) It's all about teasing out detail and living with what our atmosphere does to the views. Let's face it, there ain't an alternative!

Have fun.

[Nathan UK]

Thanks laudropb & floater, I will take both your advise on board and I appreciate your comments.

i don't expect to see Stephen Hawkins universe haha but I would like to know I'm looking at the right thing to appreciate its beauty and it's mystery . 

I will deffo check out what I expect to see. 

You have all been very helpful I have learnt more from yourselves on this site in a few houRS then I have in pointless reading online for months so I'm really happy I haven joined this community thanks guys

expect some silly questions to come haha 

[Pete Presland]

Hi welcome to SGL from Pete in Bedfordshire :-)

[Nathan UK]

Thanks for your warm welcome pete

[adair12]

Hello and welcome to the forum

[swag72]

Hi and welcome to SGL - Sadly us imagers actually do no good at all in some respects and create these colourful images of M31 etc... then manufacturers put them on their boxes and people think that's what they should see and then are disappointing with what they can see.

Look in the sketching section for starters.... this will give you a good idea of what you can expect to see. There's also a thread somewhere addressing this very issue, but I've not seen it for ages!

I hope that helps! Enjoy your scopes! They are very capable for sure  

[Dave Lloyd]

2 hours ago, swag72 said:

Sadly us imagers actually do no good at all in some respects and create these colourful images of M31 etc... then manufacturers put them on their boxes and people think that's what they should see and then are disappointing with what they can see.

The laws of advertising misrepresentation seem very lax when it comes to department store telescope boxes.

[Nathan UK]

swag 72 thank you mate , I kind of know what to expect, I'm thinking of giving my celestron to a under privaleged kid in the community as s my Skywatcher is good enough for now 

adair12 thanks for your welcome mate

[Nathan UK]

Agreed Dave although it doesn't put me off my new hobbie

[ronl]

Hi Nathan, use your 25mm for finding targets and for observing the Andromeda galaxy, you are best leaving the

20mm erecting eyepiece in the box, use that one in daylight, it doesn't matter which way up at night, practice focusing

by very slowly turning the focus knob, this takes time to get it right, the stars should be small dots at the center of your

view, concentrate on one target until you are happy with the view.

Good Luck and Clear Sky's.    

[Nathan UK]

Thanks for the tips ronl