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Good morning please,

I am louis from Nigeria, since when I was a child i wouId sit outside and look up at the night skies and gaze at every object up there my eye can pick, and i am happy to say i'v seen quite a number of things. Recently got a reflector telescope F70076. Since things like telescope are not easy to come by in my country it was ordered from an online store. I found out later it is made in China which got me worried (sorry if this sound inappropriate, I apologize). The problem now is that I can't align the finder scope with the main telescope no matter how hard I try nor online instructions iv followed and secondly what I've managed to see through the telescope were even smaller compared to when I look at them with my bare eyes... Even the moon looked like a bright ball using the 20mm eye piece ... Smaller than what I could see with my unaided eye

The altazimuth won't hold in place no matter how tight I tighten it so it moves out of line from what am trying to look at.

Please help me... Have I got a fake or am I getin it wrong?

Thank you so much.

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4 hours ago, louizi said:

Even the moon looked like a bright ball using the 20mm eye piece ... Smaller than what I could see with my unaided eye

 

Hi Louizi,

yep, the scope is cheap and you should not expect much, however, any cheap scope will show the Moon in much better detail than a naked eye...

If you have seen just a simple ball, you were not if the focus. You should be able to see quite nice surface of the Moon at F7.
Have you tried to refocus?

P.S. not sure, but these cheap scopes usually come with cheap Barlow lenses, if you have got one with the scope, and  if you want larger Moon, try using Barlow+eyepiece...

But... You simply need to Align your finder scope before using Barlow, as you will get lost in the sky without it. Simply try doing it in a day time on very far object, in evening, re-align with the Moon center and  after use the brightest start you see (with the widest, probably 20mm eyepiece first, and finalise with 10mm if you wish, I doubt you will manage to align finder using barlow on ALT/AZ mount - even with 10mm eyepiece it will be a challenge ).

 

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I'm sure your difficulties will be overcome as you become familiar with you telescope Louiz.   They can be challenging to first time users.         The scope you have had a mirror of 75mm diameter, with a focal length of 660mm.   

 A F/ratio of almost f9.  The telescope is not going to be easy to use, and my first recommendation is to keep the Barlow out of the system until you have familiarised yourself with the instrument.  Concentrate on viewing terrestrial objects, using a daylight target to align the finder scope with the scope itself.  Use low power eyepieces only initially, as you will experience difficulty keeping targets in the field of view at higher magnifications. Barlow lenses double the power of any given eyepiece, and in doing so, doubles the difficulty of keeping an object in your eyepiece. 

When viewing sky objects, it is even more of a challenge because they move across the sky as a result of the earth's rotation.  You need to will need to move your mount in two directions to keep track of any sky object you are observing.

The Chinese are very capable of producing quality Astro equipment, and many astronomers are more than satisfied with their purchase of Chinese products.

I'm sure you will come to terms with your Instrument, and it will  give you enjoyable experiences. It's not the bee's knees of telescopes, but you will eventually get bug, and progress to a larger scope.       Best of luck, just keep in mind that patience and perseverance will provide rewards.

 

 

 

 

 

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Hi Louiz:

As above, try not to worry - I've used that scope and once you get the hang of it it will give decent views (the Moon will look good, it will show banding on Jupiter, the rings of Saturn etc and it will work for brigher nebulae and star clusters too).

The finder, to be honest, is pretty rubbish - finding things with this scope can take a little more effort than with others, but agtain you will get beter with practice. The issue with the Moon was probably focus. Especially with reflectors, focus can be confusing at first - if you are very far out you will start to see the refelction of the secondary mirror and that can make you think you are in focus but that the scope is not working (this happened to me the first time). Be patient and try working through the full range of focus. At some point it should start to give a sharp image and you can fine tune it from there.

Best of luck - let us know how you get on!

Billy.

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Hello Louis, and welcome.

It's been quite a number of years, if not decades, since most telescopes and kits were not made in China.  Before, in what I call the "olden days", they were made in Europe and Japan.  Some still are, but they are quite expensive, like this one, which was made in Japan back in 2003...

FS-102ba.jpg.595c2c97b0c1eb9ad8e8803880c9319d.jpg  

I rarely use it however, as it makes my heart race, and takes my breath away, each and every time.  I'm a bit too old for that much excitement.  Seriously, however, the Chinese have come a long way in the manufacturing of quality optics, and since the 1990s.  I have quite a few telescopes made in China, and they're pretty good.  I've been amazed by their collective performance even...

923939356_MadeinChina.jpg.4d089f07a50a3c6c5d2d26b21d334a1d.jpg

So there, there's no need to be concerned as to your own.  Yours may be quite similar to the one on the far left within that image.  Do you have an image of your own that you might share with us, or a link to where it was purchased?  My own is only a step up in size, and both are of a longer focal-length.  That makes it easier to see faraway objects up close.  It would help if you had a 10mm eyepiece and a 2x-barlow, for the Moon, the planets, double-stars, and at 140x.  The Newtonian would need to be collimated well for those higher powers.  To help find objects in the sky to observe, a 32mm Plossl eyepiece would be a big help, and at a low power of 22x; almost binocular-like.  If you can balance the telescope upon its mount, and to where it stays in position, more or less, as you move it about, that would help a lot.  You can do this by adding small weights to the telescope's tube, placed strategically, to help balance it.  I don't know if you've tried this or not, but it is generally recommended to line up the finder with the telescope during the day, and using a land target a good distance away, the farther the better.  Here's hoping that you get much more enjoyment from your telescope in future.

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Hi Louis & welcome to SGL,

My first scope was just like yours. I saw enough good views with it to get me hooked on Astronomy.

Sometimes the bracket that supports the finder can be fitted back to front making it virtually impossible to align. The screw slots should be toward the front of the scope. Worth checking.

If it is fitted correctly but you can not quite get it aligned, try  slightly loosening the two mounting screws and adjust the aim. This may help.

Once you have the finder & focusing sorted you will great views of the moon.

I am sure you have seen the Seven Sisters (Pleiades) cluster . Small & dim with the naked eye. With a 20mm eyepiece the whole field will be full of bright stars. Magic!

As an experienced naked-eye astronomer you will enjoy finding that many familiar stars turn out to be doubles (occasionally trebles) through the scope. Wonderful!

Many popular telescope brands like Skywatcher and GSO are made in China. You are in good company.

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Thank you all for your replies, advice and encouragement, I will do according to what you all have said and hopefully with patience and practice I will become better at operating my telescope.

Iv attached a photo of my telescope.

Thank you all again, you have been really helpful.

2018-12-05 20.39.57.jpg

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It looks very attractive in that livery. Please post your experiences as you go on to improve your observing skills. It helps to record in a notebook the sessions you go through.

Your progress will help to inspire others who are on the starting blocks of  their practical journey into Astronomy.  Main thing, is to enjoy it all. :icon_salut:

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3 hours ago, louizi said:

Thank you all for your replies, advice and encouragement, I will do according to what you all have said and hopefully with patience and practice I will become better at operating my telescope.

Iv attached a photo of my telescope.

Thank you all again, you have been really helpful.

The eyepieces, and barlow, look to be .965" in diameter, which have been superceded by the 1.25" format.  I have a few .965" myself, and I like them a lot, but the views are a bit narrow.  The focusser of your telescope, however, looks like it would support the larger 1.25" eyepieces.  That's something you can look into in future, if you'd like.  If, in the end, you find the 5x24 finderscope too difficult to use, you also have the option of replacing the 5x24 finderscope with a red-dot finder, like this one...

1562392744_red-dotfinder.jpg.537bddd52d2fd821a798733fc43f9ced.jpg

You may be able to get one from the same vendor as the telescope kit.  It's battery-powered, and usually takes a common CR2032 battery.  Another choice would be a 6x30 finderscope, the next size up from the 5x24. 

One more thing that would improve the stability of the mount lies in the replacing of the metal, aluminum legs with those of wood.  They can be made from scrap-wood even.  Wood absorbs vibrations much better than aluminum.  I have a lot of fun working on and with my telescopes, and you can, too.  Newtonian kits in particular lend themselves to that type of thing quite well.  Make it your very own.  If you don't like something about it, change it, improve it.  

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4 hours ago, Alan64 said:

One more thing that would improve the stability of the mount lies in the replacing of the metal, aluminum legs with those of wood.  They can be made from scrap-wood even.  Wood absorbs vibrations much better than aluminum.

Good advice. Stability makes a world of difference to observing experiences. As an immediate short-term measure, hanging something heavy(ish) from below the centre of the tripod reduces the centre of gravity and can improve a shaky tripod's performance.

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8 hours ago, Alan64 said:

The eyepieces, and barlow, look to be .965" in diameter, which have been superceded by the 1.25" format.  I have a few .965" myself, and I like them a lot, but the views are a bit narrow.  The focusser of your telescope, however, looks like it would support the larger 1.25" eyepieces.  That's something you can look into in future, if you'd like.  If, in the end, you find the 5x24 finderscope too difficult to use, you also have the option of replacing the 5x24 finderscope with a red-dot finder, like this one...

1562392744_red-dotfinder.jpg.537bddd52d2fd821a798733fc43f9ced.jpg

You may be able to get one from the same vendor as the telescope kit.  It's battery-powered, and usually takes a common CR2032 battery.  Another choice would be a 6x30 finderscope, the next size up from the 5x24. 

One more thing that would improve the stability of the mount lies in the replacing of the metal, aluminum legs with those of wood.  They can be made from scrap-wood even.  Wood absorbs vibrations much better than aluminum.  I have a lot of fun working on and with my telescopes, and you can, too.  Newtonian kits in particular lend themselves to that type of thing quite well.  Make it your very own.  If you don't like something about it, change it, improve it.  

 

8 hours ago, Alan64 said:

The eyepieces, and barlow, look to be .965" in diameter, which have been superceded by the 1.25" format.  I have a few .965" myself, and I like them a lot, but the views are a bit narrow.  The focusser of your telescope, however, looks like it would support the larger 1.25" eyepieces.  That's something you can look into in future, if you'd like.  If, in the end, you find the 5x24 finderscope too difficult to use, you also have the option of replacing the 5x24 finderscope with a red-dot finder, like this one...

1562392744_red-dotfinder.jpg.537bddd52d2fd821a798733fc43f9ced.jpg

You may be able to get one from the same vendor as the telescope kit.  It's battery-powered, and usually takes a common CR2032 battery.  Another choice would be a 6x30 finderscope, the next size up from the 5x24. 

One more thing that would improve the stability of the mount lies in the replacing of the metal, aluminum legs with those of wood.  They can be made from scrap-wood even.  Wood absorbs vibrations much better than aluminum.  I have a lot of fun working on and with my telescopes, and you can, too.  Newtonian kits in particular lend themselves to that type of thing quite well.  Make it your very own.  If you don't like something about it, change it, improve it.  

It would be great to be able to improve my telescope along the way but here in Nigeria it is really very difficult to get things like this as I believe I am among a very small subset of people who picks interest in things like this and is interested enough to go ahead to but a telescope. The only way I can get accessories like the ones you show is via online shopes like Amazon, the shipping bills wil suppercede the cost of the equipment.

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7 minutes ago, louizi said:

 

It would be great to be able to improve my telescope along the way but here in Nigeria it is really very difficult to get things like this as I believe I am among a very small subset of people who picks interest in things like this and is interested enough to go ahead to but a telescope. The only way I can get accessories like the ones you show is via online shopes like Amazon, the shipping bills wil suppercede the cost of the equipment.

I understand.  I had been reading about the state of astronomy there in Nigeria beforehand, and I'm well aware of the difficulty.  Now, my first telescope was a 60mm, smaller than yours, and it had a 5x24 finderscope, too.  It's better than nothing at all.  But I would look into getting a few 1.25" eyepieces and wood for the legs.  My first one came with wooden legs...

1910804228_Sears4426manual2.jpg.87654ecf4df6b73b8bdb9e1424504b72.jpg

That was back in 1972 or '73.  Practically all tripods had wooden legs back then, as the industry knew what was best.  But then time passed, costs were cut, environmentalists howled, and the wooden legs went the way of the Dodo. 

 

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I tink I can get a wood worker to build me a tripod from wood.

And about astronomy in Nigeria, we are still in the dark ages. I know very little myself but when I point to the sky to explain some things to friends they are usually full with amazement or doubt.

Am not an astronomer not even a physicist, am a microbiologist but star gazing, the moon, planets, galaxies and all heavenly bodies have been a kin interest of mine, my difficulty with numbers and calculation was what discouraged me to pursue astronomy. I probably would have been one of the very few Nigerian astronomers . :)

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17 hours ago, barkis said:

Your progress will help to inspire others who are on the starting blocks of  their practical journey into Astronomy.  Main thing, is to enjoy it all. :icon_salut:

First image, electric pole viewed with 2mm eyepiece + moon filter.

IMG_20181206_120405_2CS.thumb.jpg.402ce5fd8089889787f42c9b3841e07a.jpg

Second image, electric pole view with 2mm eyepiece+ 2X Barlow + moon filter.

IMG_20181206_122301.thumb.JPG.bcba5c84daea701d755632c99bd26d1b.JPG

Third image, electric pole view with 2mm eyepiece+ 1.5X erecting eyepiece+ moon filter.

IMG_20181206_122223.thumb.JPG.0059c5718a8f3a4e8e0fcba3a25e4074.JPG

Fourth image, electric pole view with 2X Barlow+ 1.5X erecting eyepiece+ 2mm eyepiece without moon filter

IMG_20181206_122044.thumb.JPG.6de8dfd5d6aaf249629967e2731c9bc3.JPG

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Looks like you are able to reach a good focus, at least on ground objects. Have you been able to reach sharp focus on moon or stars? 

You may be able to make a basic finder scope using a short length of plastic plumbing pipe attaxhed to the scope and attaching a crosshair at each end of the pipe. Look down the pipe and line up the crosshairs to aim.

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46 minutes ago, CraigT82 said:

Looks like you are able to reach a good focus, at least on ground objects. Have you been able to reach sharp focus on moon or stars? 

You may be able to make a basic finder scope using a short length of plastic plumbing pipe attaxhed to the scope and attaching a crosshair at each end of the pipe. Look down the pipe and line up the crosshairs to aim.

Not yet... Its still daylight here by night am going to give it a try..  Hopefully d haze due to the harmattan wont be a problem.

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Just now, RolandKol said:

I doubt you will see the Moon tonight... :)
Or even tomorrow... :)
On Saturday... Maybe

I didn't see it last night nor early this morning when I came out to look for it... So yes its possible I dont see it tonight and for a few days too.

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Do you  use planetarium software like Stellarium?

It is a free download for your PC.            http://stellarium.org/

You can input your location & any date  & time you like and it  will show all the celestial objects that you can observe.

Cartes  du Ciel is similar.                         https://www.ap-i.net/skychart/en/download

 

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8 hours ago, louizi said:

 

It would be great to be able to improve my telescope along the way but here in Nigeria it is really very difficult to get things like this as I believe I am among a very small subset of people who picks interest in things like this and is interested enough to go ahead to but a telescope. The only way I can get accessories like the ones you show is via online shopes like Amazon, the shipping bills wil suppercede the cost of the equipment.

There are a number of sources of 2nd hand equipment, one of which is part of this site: https://stargazerslounge.com/forum/217-for-sale-swap/

That may allow you to purchase more equipment at a lower cost than Amazon. The kit here will have been well looked after, particularly or by a long standing member of the forums.

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7 hours ago, louizi said:

I tink I can get a wood worker to build me a tripod from wood.

And about astronomy in Nigeria, we are still in the dark ages. I know very little myself but when I point to the sky to explain some things to friends they are usually full with amazement or doubt.

Am not an astronomer not even a physicist, am a microbiologist but star gazing, the moon, planets, galaxies and all heavenly bodies have been a kin interest of mine, my difficulty with numbers and calculation was what discouraged me to pursue astronomy. I probably would have been one of the very few Nigerian astronomers . :)

are you not already now? :)

One option to improve stability of a mount is to hang weights from it. I found a bag hung from the bottle centre of the mount filled with something heavy - I used water but sand, rocks and such would do. It can act like a pendulum and dampen vibrations.

Another option is to fill the tripod legs - if they are hollow

3rd, have the legs extended as little as possible - you'll need a stool to be comfortable at that height tho'

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