What should I expect to see

[imballinger]

I received a Celestron Nexstar Evolution 8 for Christmas, I am a newbie to Astronomy and am enjoying learning about my new hobby and having loads of fun. But what should I expect to see from my new scope apart from white dots, what other equipment do I need to make the most of my new scope?

[iapa]

Unfortunately, stars are dots, for the very simple reason of distance. On ground level we'll not expect to see much more than that.

However, not all are white; in fact few actually are.

As an example, Albireo is a nice target double star which will resolve in the C8, one blue, one yellow.

A book, Turn left at Orion, shows what you can realistically expect to see with the sort of equipment we use i.e. not Hubble images stacked from hundreds of hours of exposures

There is also additional resource that can be used, in conjunction with said publication, to be found at http://www.cambridge.org/features/turnleft/pages/seasonal_skies/jan-mar/in_orion_the_orion_nebula_M42_and_M43.htm

If you have a DSLR, then an T-ring (specific to the manufacturer of your DSLR) and an M42/T2 to 1.25" nosepiece ( c£35 for the pair of well made ones) will let you put the camera in place of eye piece. You can then get pictures which will show more detail that the eye will.

The attached was with a Canon DSLR attached to Celestron C8 SCT (very similar to yours) as described showing Albireo A & B

 

 

[imballinger]

Just now, iapa said:

A book, Turn left at Orion, will show what you can realistically expect to see with the sort of equipment we use i.e. not Hubble images stacked from hundreds of hours of exposures

There is also additional resource that can be used, in conjunction with said publication, to be found at http://www.cambridge.org/features/turnleft/pages/seasonal_skies/jan-mar/in_orion_the_orion_nebula_M42_and_M43.htm

Thank you, I have that book on order.

[iapa]

I posted too early, before I had completed typing - post now includes a single image I took just after I got my C8 SCT.

Polar alignment and balance were very rough ly done just to get a shot

[imballinger]

How do you see images like that? Do I need to get better eye pieces than the one the scope came with?

[iapa]

9 minutes ago, imballinger said:

How do you see images like that? Do I need to get better eye pieces than the one the scope came with?

Sorry, in my edited 1st post I noted that you can add your DSLR (I am of course assuming the everyone has a DSLR these days) in place of your eyepiece for around £40.

With a 10mm eyepiece I think that Albieo will resolve to two stars - I dont do much viewing as such - more imaging (taking pictures :))

If you have a DSLR, then an T-ring (specific to the manufacturer of your DSLR) and an M42/T2 to 1.25" nosepiece ( c£35 for the pair of well made ones) will let you put the camera in place of eye piece. You can then get pictures which will show more detail that the eye will.

What lenses did you get?

 

[laudropb]

There many targets you can view with your scope. The Moon, planets, star clusters, distant galaxies, nebula etc. Turn left at Orion will give you an idea ho to locate them and you could also down load the free app Stellarium.

[iapa]

+1 to Stellarium, I was just going to suggest that after using it to check Albireo would resolve with an eyepiece for my last post LOL.

@imballinger with Stellarium, http://www.stellarium.org, you can set it up with the details of your 'scope and eye peices then have is show you what you could see.

This is Albireo with a 4mm eyepiece through the 8" 2032mm focal len SCT..

[StarryEyed]

You know what think a little less about what you might see and think more about what you are looking at. Now this leads onto having something that can give you good descriptions of your targets. This could be a book or an App. on a phone or PC. Lots of information on the internet but unless you have a tablet phone or laptop.... 

Sky and telescope website has a good web page on whats interesting this week which might given you a few things to aim for.

Spend a bit of time in the observing forums here and you will quickly see what others are looking at or find there are already answers to question you might have.

Most of all relax and enjoy the view dont rush things.

[Dave In Vermont]

Regards "what can I expect to see?" - Try this:

As if made-to-order!

Enjoy!

Dave

[imballinger]

50 minutes ago, iapa said:

Sorry, in my edited 1st post I noted that you can add your DSLR (I am of course assuming the everyone has a DSLR these days) in place of your eyepiece for around £40.

With a 10mm eyepiece I think that Albieo will resolve to two stars - I dont do much viewing as such - more imaging (taking pictures :))

If you have a DSLR, then an T-ring (specific to the manufacturer of your DSLR) and an M42/T2 to 1.25" nosepiece ( c£35 for the pair of well made ones) will let you put the camera in place of eye piece. You can then get pictures which will show more detail that the eye will.

What lenses did you get?

 

Just the one's that came with the scope 13mm and 40mm   Celstron plossl

[Astralprojection]

On 28/12/2016 at 11:37, imballinger said:

Just the one's that came with the scope 13mm and 40mm   Celstron plossl

Don't forget the 2x barlow as well But what else would be good? 

[ngwillym]

Some very useful advice and some sketches here -  http://www.deepskywatch.com/astronomy-sketches.html    - too

Enjoy the view

 

[Astralprojection]

9 hours ago, ngwillym said:

Some very useful advice and some sketches here -  http://www.deepskywatch.com/astronomy-sketches.html    - too

Enjoy the view

 

Thanks for that!

 

[Astralprojection]

Just to briefly recap imballinger's post:

These are my calculations based on our current eyepieces: 

 

13mm or 6.5mm with 2x barlow
31mm or 15.5mm with 2x barlow
40mm or 20mm with 2x barlow

Magnifications:

13mm - 156x
31mm - 66x
40mm - 51x 
 

Magnifications with barlow:

13mm - 312x
31mm - 132x
40mm - 102x

Total 51x, 66x, 102x, 132x, 156x, 312x

 

Eyepieces (1" 1/4): 

 

Celestron Plossl 13mm (stock EP)

Celestron Plossl 40mm (stock EP)

Baader Hyperion 31mm

 

Celestron Barlow 2x (With T adapter)

 

What other EPs or any equipment upgrades should we consider? We are definitely thinking of "upgrading" the 10mm stock EP, but any advice would be most welcome

 

[SonnyE]

You can expect to see everything... only a lot bigger.

As you sink into Astronomy, you will discover things that you want to try (Eyepieces, Barlows), things to help you see things better (Filters, LP Filters, Filter wheels), And if you get really brave Astrophotography. Which was what I wanted to pursue from the onset of this insanity and why my kit is specific to imaging.

I only sorta regret I didn't get a better camera, but everybody starts somewhere. Otherwise, the worst is behind me climbing the steep learning curve.

If you haven't already, I'd recommend you download Stellarium to see what's out there. http://www.stellarium.org/

Pick your operating system across the top and take a look. Start by putting your location and time zone in.

You can see a lot right now when you get some clear skies. Enjoy!

 

[Astralprojection]

12 hours ago, SonnyE said:

You can expect to see everything... only a lot bigger.

As you sink into Astronomy, you will discover things that you want to try (Eyepieces, Barlows), things to help you see things better (Filters, LP Filters, Filter wheels), And if you get really brave Astrophotography. Which was what I wanted to pursue from the onset of this insanity and why my kit is specific to imaging.

I only sorta regret I didn't get a better camera, but everybody starts somewhere. Otherwise, the worst is behind me climbing the steep learning curve.

If you haven't already, I'd recommend you download Stellarium to see what's out there. http://www.stellarium.org/

Pick your operating system across the top and take a look. Start by putting your location and time zone in.

You can see a lot right now when you get some clear skies. Enjoy!

 

Hi there! 

Thanks for your reply We have Stellarium and SkyPortal, theyre very useful indeed. I'm just wondering what EPs, based on the list above, we are missing and which would be best to get? Definitely, the 13mm one needs an upgrade to a better quality, but any other particular ones to consider? Also, are there any filters etc useful to have from the start? We've got a moon filter so far, though haven't yet been able to see the moon in the sky (clouds and moon phase making it impossible to observe it).

[SonnyE]

I would suggest a Light Pollution filter if there is any amount of light pollution in your area. And a Moon filter. A Moon filter blocks all but about 13% of the brilliance of the moon so you can make out various details.

I chose to get a small kit when beginning that included several filters and a 2X Barlows. I added to it a bit. Many say not to, but for me it was better than sitting on my thumbs wishing.

[faulksy]

you don't need any other equipment, just a tank of fuel and head somewhere dark, you will then have a feast for your eyes

[rockystar]

On 12/28/2016 at 10:22, imballinger said:

How do you see images like that? Do I need to get better eye pieces than the one the scope came with?

I can split Albireo very easily at low magnification (x40), so you shouldn't have any problems with your current set up. The only problem is it will be very low in the evening sky right now. Try Almach instead - in Andromeda - similar double star, but a bit closer together, and should be nice and high at the moment.