Jump to content

SkySurveyBanner.jpg.21855908fce40597655603b6c9af720d.jpg

Help ..no image only bright white circle


Recommended Posts

On 26/01/2020 at 09:15, andib479 said:

I have a celestron astromaster 130eq. When I look through the eye piece, all I see is a bright which circle of light. Please note, the moon wasnt out last night. 

All lights were off in the house. It was pitch black outside. I moved the eye piece to try and home in on anything but it will not. The viewing focal is fixed, doesn't move and is held in place by screws. This isn't a case of blurred items, this is the scope not focusing on anything.

 

I've taken the eye piece out and when I look in the scope my eyes central. I've looked through the eye piece while it's not in the scope and I can see in the distance, all be it very blurred.  The caps are all off, theres nothing in the tube that should be there.

 

Any ideas? I've tried day and night 

20200125_155734.jpg

Nice bit of  plonk to smooth those dark nights astro watching🍷

Roger

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As nobody else has mentioned it so far, does this model have a lens at the end of the focus drawtube (Bird-Jones) and is it still in place and the right way up?

I concur with comments about collimation as it didn't look quite right from an earlier image and if modified for imaging that would also affect the focus point. Hopefully once sorted you'll get to enjoy the scope and views of the night sky.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

As nobody else has mentioned it so far, does this model have a lens at the end of the focus drawtube (Bird-Jones) and is it still in place and the right way up?

I concur with comments about collimation as it didn't look quite right from an earlier image and if modified for imaging that would also affect the focus point. Hopefully once sorted you'll get to enjoy the scope and views of the night sky.

Not a Jones-Bird.  The Astromaster is 130x650.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, MikeStickley said:

Is it just me or does the angle of the eyepiece look slightly skewed on the first picture of the scope above? Does the eyepiece slide smoothly into the eyepiece holder? Could be just the lens cap being wonky I suppose...

image.png.a01d8c85a02d89a9a88c6953c02f0f87.png

 

That might just be the lens cap sitting askew on the top of the eyepiece.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If all else fails, remove with the eyepiece, point the scope at a tree (there appear to be a bunch out that window) in the daytime, and look down the focuser tube from about a foot away.  You should be able to see an inverted image of the tree in there.  You may need to move your head in closer or farther, but you should be able to see the tree reflected off the secondary mirror below the focuser tube.  If you can't see that, your collimation is way off.  If that is the case, look down the tube from about a foot away from the end to see if your face is reflected in the primary.  Your face should be centered.  If it is skewed to the side, your primary collimation is also off.  Let us know what you see.  You could even snap a couple of images with your phone's camera and post them here for diagnosis.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, DaveL59 said:

As nobody else has mentioned it so far, does this model have a lens at the end of the focus drawtube (Bird-Jones) and is it still in place and the right way up?

I concur with comments about collimation as it didn't look quite right from an earlier image and if modified for imaging that would also affect the focus point. Hopefully once sorted you'll get to enjoy the scope and views of the night sky.

ya i agree its too long to be one, its looks like a parabolic f5 which is fine

joejaguar

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I took the 20 and 10 eye pieces out today to just look through them at the moon. They couldn't focus on the moon either. I wasnt looking through a window. 

 

The view finder slides on, then is screwed in place. It has a little wheel on the side.

 

Through one of the eye piece when I take it out, I can see the edge of the glass, not sure of this is ok? 

 

Sadly I can still see nothing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, apophisOAS said:

Nice bit of  plonk to smooth those dark nights astro watching🍷

Roger

Lol. Unbelievably, I do not drink. I like collecting certain bottles of alcohol. None will ever be opened much to the annoyance of my sister. I hope it stays that way when my son becomes a teenager. 

20191227_103236.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok take that 20mm ep look at the moon again but this time start with the ep all the way in then focus to where it gets smaller.  Once u get as far as the focuser allow then slowly start taking the ep out of the focuser mm by mm while u keep looking through it.

Untill u can seethe moon in focus even if that means the ep is not even in the focuser anymore and its 2 inches out in mid air.

If it focuses then u need an extension by the distance where the ep was at. 2 or 3 inches long.

Many scopes comes with 1 or 2 extensions maybe they lost it or forgot to  give it to u.

After that u gotta take it to someone who knows if its collamation.  Alot times u hear people say about collimating a reflector but it's something new people should not do or know who.

Its possible they saw the 6 bolts behind the mirror and turned them not knowing what it does and messed it up bad.

If there no clubs near u you can also try a telescope store but they norm charge u 50 to collimate it.

If u do that u only need to take the tube and ep u dont need to carry tripod 

Joejaguar 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 28/01/2020 at 21:25, andib479 said:

.....Through one of the eye piece when I take it out, I can see the edge of the glass, not sure of this is ok? 

 

 

This does not sound right at all. Do you mean that you can see the edge of one of the glass lenses that is within the eyepiece ?

If you could take a photo looking down the focuser tube of the scope, with no eyepiece in place and the camera more or less in the center of the tube, we could tell quite a lot from that. Otherwise we are just guessing really.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 28/01/2020 at 20:05, Owmuchonomy said:

Are you willing to say where you are roughly located. It may be that a local club or SGL member could help. I have just set up and demonstrated exactly the same telescope for someone close to our observatory.

I'm in selby north Yorkshire. I think the nearest club is York. I have emailed them, but their email no longer works:( 

 

On 28/01/2020 at 14:47, Louis D said:

If all else fails, remove with the eyepiece, point the scope at a tree (there appear to be a bunch out that window) in the daytime, and look down the focuser tube from about a foot away.  You should be able to see an inverted image of the tree in there.  You may need to move your head in closer or farther, but you should be able to see the tree reflected off the secondary mirror below the focuser tube.  If you can't see that, your collimation is way off.  If that is the case, look down the tube from about a foot away from the end to see if your face is reflected in the primary.  Your face should be centered.  If it is skewed to the side, your primary collimation is also off.  Let us know what you see.  You could even snap a couple of images with your phone's camera and post them here for diagnosis.

Whilst I align my large telescope mirrors  I've used my travelscope. Not a bad attempt given I've never done this. Struggled with tremor quite a bit. 

Screenshot_20200130-195501_Gallery.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 28/01/2020 at 21:25, andib479 said:

I took the 20 and 10 eye pieces out today to just look through them at the moon. They couldn't focus on the moon either. I wasnt looking through a window. 

 

The view finder slides on, then is screwed in place. It has a little wheel on the side.

 

Through one of the eye piece when I take it out, I can see the edge of the glass, not sure of this is ok? 

 

Sadly I can still see nothing.

Hi andib479, I have the exact same telescope. If you cover the front of the telescope with a piece of white paper, remove the eyepiece and look down the hole where the eyepiece fits, can you see an image of your own eye?

Also, as someone else suggested, its easier to try out your telescope during the day using your 20mm erecting eyepiece.

BTW, just looking through the eyepieces, you wont get a focussed view of the moon. What you could do is place the eyepiece close to a wall in daytime and you should be able to get a projection of your window on the wall.

Edited by M55_uk
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 28/01/2020 at 21:25, andib479 said:

Through one of the eye piece when I take it out, I can see the edge of the glass, not sure of this is ok? 

I suspect you are looking at the 20mm erector eyepiece? From one end you can see the erector prism and it feels like you are looking at glass.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It might sound a daft notion, but I assume you are trying to use it outside and not through a window?  In addition once taken outside are you giving it a chance to cool down and then you need to make sure that you don't have condensation all over the optics - which will def. make things blurry - you might find it you take it from a warm room straight outside and try to use it at this time of year that it almost instantly fogs up if the temperatures are all over the place and you are near dew point time.  If you have managed to see a dark shape that suggests that you are looking at the centre of the 4 spider arms that hold the secondary mirror - the focus needs to turn way beyond that - if you can't drive the eyepiece in and out by turning that big knob someone pointed you to on the picture then as previously mentioned the focus locking screw is tight and will need loosening - though you have mentioned you think the EP is moving this is still worth saying again. 

Another important thing is to make sure you looking into the eyepiece properly.  With some Eye-pieces you can be 1-2cm above them and still see into them, with others you need to be really close to them.  You also need to look directly down their centres otherwise you get all sorts of interesting effects as you view the inside edges of the eyepieces.  

Put in the 20mm EP and take it outside in the daytime - if you can't succeed in the day you certainly won't at night.   You need to point it at a distant roof - even without the finder look into the EP and move the telescope up and down until you clearly see the light that is the sky, become the dark of the roof and stop when you get it 50/50 sky/roof (NB - point in the opposite direction to the sun - the sun is very dangerous), then twiddle the focus wheel until you get the roof in focus.  The collimation would need to be WAY out not to get a reasonable view of a roof.  Keep twiddling that focus when more and more in each direction and I feel certain that at some point you will get the roof in focus. 

If you can't get the roof in focus come back here and someone will pick you up as this is more than I know,

Once you've got the roof in focus pick something in the centre of the telescope eyepiece view, then leave the telescope alone and have a peep through the finder.  The finder will have a way of adjusting where it points - probably some knobs to twiddle.  You need to now move the finder so the view in the centre of the finderscope matches the view in the centre of the telescope.  this means when you now put an object in the middle of the finder it will match the telescope view.  You have to check this each time the telescope is used and if necessary adjust the finderscope - it will almost certainly change if the finderscope has been removed.  

Once the finderscope and telescope are seeing the correct thing (and you can leave the telescope outside from day into night) pick a moonlit night and find the moon in the finder - now twiddle the Eyepiece in and out with its wheel until the moon is in focus and you should be up and running. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.