What things actually look like through a telescope ....

[John]

I've been searching the net for something which gives an idea of what the view though a scope is actually like. I've come acoss this online simulator which I think is reasonably accurate given the caveat that goes with it - your local conditions etc may vary !.

It only deals with 2 popular deep sky objects, M31 The Andromeda Galaxy (with it's 2 companions M32 and M110) and M13 the great globular cluster in Hercules. It serves to give a general idea though, particularly the impact that extra aperture can have.

Here is the link:

http://www.mydob.co.uk/eyepiece_simulator.php

John

[EA2007]

thats reasonably accurate for m13 anyway, for m31 its a little optimistic, but thats maybe due to conditions when I have seen it.

Good find John.

[ukbigd]

Looks a good link John...............

By the way have you got your new scope yet m8, I have had a great time and a lot of enjoyment with this dob...........

[John]

Looks a good link John...............

By the way have you got your new scope yet m8, I have had a great time and a lot of enjoyment with this dob...........

Not yet - but soon I hope Dave.

I'm glad you are enjoying the Skywatcher 8" - great scope

John

[russ]

Good link John. Gives a good idea what the extra aperures gives although the M31 dust lanes is a bit optimistic from my location. Only glimpsed them once with averted vision.

[Jeff RV]

I placed this one earlier on the forum but can't find it, if its of any use.

http://www.scopesim.com/

Jeff.

[John]

Thats a good one as well Jeff

The Sky & Telescope site is a good resource for starting out in the hobby.

John

[scotastro]

The view is probably ok for a sky with moderate light pollution.

From my dark skies I needed to add an extra 2inch to the aperture to get an equivalent view.

Mike

[mikeyggg]

Good link, although I think it's probably more like what you would see in a dark sky situation.From small town Dunstable where I live, the views are not quite as sharp as that.Mike..

[beamer3.6m]

A good book for this is Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders.

Excellent books, beats Turn Left at Orion for star guides, and actually shows images of what you will see rather than Hubble.

[Meerkat]

Nice site, and as I'm saving up to get a Skywatcher 300P FlexTube I thought I'd register.

Answered "What colour is a lemon?" as lemon and was told the answer was wrong :?

Turns out that lemons are yellow

Steve

[philsail1]

Yes, a good link John (Jahmanson).

I would think it might be of great use to a beginner who may not be sure of what "size" scope to go for, and who perhaps is under the impression that he/she is going to see an image akin to those beautiful photos we see in magazines! (and on SGL too!).

Also, (well to my eyes anyway!), the simulation aptly shows that the difference in size, resolution, and brightness of image (when using the same eyepiece), is quite subtle between scopes of widely differing apertures. One would think that a 12" reflector would give dramatically better views of deep sky objects than an 8" scope. This doesn't seem to be the case - unless the difference comes out gradually over a period of time as one becomes used to viewing through the larger scope.

I think the simulation would give a beginner a much better understanding of the capabilites of different size scopes, and help him/her choose their scope not just on mere size (biggest is best!) but more so on the (well to me anyway) very important aspect of personal needs such as "lifestyle," "observing location," "storage space," "portability," and "ease of use," and finally sheer cost implications.

All this can be overwhelming to a beginner - I know it was for me. And although we on "SGL" are more than helpful in giving advice to beginners, it still is a daunting decision as to which scope to go for that will satisfy their needs in as many of the above aspects as possible.

I feel that anything which can help a beginner will be much appreciated.

Regards,

philsail1