First Telescope Advice and Recommendations

[Saggy]

On 08/12/2021 at 13:27, banjaxed said:

Hi and welcome to SGL. I would recommend that you install a free app called Stellarium which will give a map of the stars and planets from your location once you have entered your coordinance. I find it to be one of the most useful aids for locating objects.

THanks again, will download this app but does this app take into account light pollution when looking up what you can see from your location or is it purely where objects are in respect to your location?

Thanks again, Sarah

[banjaxed]

1 minute ago, Saggy said:

THanks again, will download this app but does this app take into account light pollution when looking up what you can see from your location or is it purely where objects are in respect to your location?

Thanks again, Sarah

Hi Sarah,

Unlike the real world Stellarium is always cloud free 😀but it does give an accurate picture of clear skies at your location once you enter your co-ordinance. Like many others on this forum I find it to be a valuable asset when searching for objects that are viewable from your location.

[wulfrun]

Brighter things such as the moon, Jupiter, Mars etc aren't so badly affected by light pollution, so they're always visible (at the right time of course). A telescope will always show vastly more than the naked eye too, even though you may struggle to get a specific object in view. In really dark places, it can also be difficult to see the constellations because your view is overwhelmed (nice problem to have though).

There are numerous phone apps that will allow you to point the phone at the sky and reveal what's in that area and potentially viewable. Some allow you to attach the phone to the scope and show you on-screen what it's pointed at, once set up correctly. Not deadly-accurate but can be helpful.

[Saggy]

13 minutes ago, banjaxed said:

Hi Sarah,

Unlike the real world Stellarium is always cloud free 😀but it does give an accurate picture of clear skies at your location once you enter your co-ordinance. Like many others on this forum I find it to be a valuable asset when searching for objects that are viewable from your location.

Thank you 🙂 

[Saggy]

10 minutes ago, wulfrun said:

Brighter things such as the moon, Jupiter, Mars etc aren't so badly affected by light pollution, so they're always visible (at the right time of course). A telescope will always show vastly more than the naked eye too, even though you may struggle to get a specific object in view. In really dark places, it can also be difficult to see the constellations because your view is overwhelmed (nice problem to have though).

There are numerous phone apps that will allow you to point the phone at the sky and reveal what's in that area and potentially viewable. Some allow you to attach the phone to the scope and show you on-screen what it's pointed at, once set up correctly. Not deadly-accurate but can be helpful.

Okay perfect - so we can see still some things if we head off to the beach on Boxing day. So I'll look for Jupiter perhaps and work out when you are able 

I can imagine the overwhelming aspect, even the campsite isn't quite so amazing as in the middle of the moors in the middle of the night or some of the places near my dad's house- the sky is literally littered with stars without a space in between!!

THanks  🙂

So all I need now is a city wide blackout  😄

 

 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Saggy

[Saggy]

2 minutes ago, Saggy said:

 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Saggy

[wulfrun]

5 minutes ago, Saggy said:

Okay perfect - so we can see still some things if we head off to the beach on Boxing day. So I'll look for Jupiter perhaps and work out when you are able 🙂

I can imagine the overwhelming aspect, even the campsite isn't quite so amazing as in the middle of the moors in the middle of the night - the sky is literally littered with stars without a space in between!!

THanks  🙂

 

There's always something to see on a clear night. Jupiter will be low down in the SW on boxing day, it'll set around 8pm. The view will likely not be very clear but it's unmistakable and you should see several of its moons (up to 4 are readily visible).

[Saggy]

3 minutes ago, wulfrun said:

There's always something to see on a clear night. Jupiter will be low down in the SW on boxing day, it'll set around 8pm. The view will likely not be very clear but it's unmistakable and you should see several of its moons (up to 4 are readily visible).

Thanks - I'm assuming by SW you mean south west. THe only dark part of the beach is over on the east so I wonder if will be able to see it if only low down over the tall stuff in between because of the way it curves round. Will definitely try though and should be able to just do it if it's not too westerly.

THanks again 🙂 

[wulfrun]

14 minutes ago, Saggy said:

Thanks - I'm assuming by SW you mean south west. THe only dark part of the beach is over on the east so I wonder if will be able to see it if only low down over the tall stuff in between because of the way it curves round. Will definitely try though and should be able to just do it if it's not too westerly.

THanks again 🙂 

Yes, south-west, it'll set even further to the west. You won't need the darkest skies for Jupiter so no problem with compromising the viewpoint. It'll be at its highest earlier (i.e. clearer view) so start looking as soon as it's dark enough - it'll be one of the first things visible as darkness falls.

[Saggy]

29 minutes ago, wulfrun said:

Yes, south-west, it'll set even further to the west. You won't need the darkest skies for Jupiter so no problem with compromising the viewpoint. It'll be at its highest earlier (i.e. clearer view) so start looking as soon as it's dark enough - it'll be one of the first things visible as darkness falls.

Perfect, OKay will go as sun setting. Won't be able to see it later I don't think as the more west it goes, the more Portsmouth will get in the way 😄

Will it be the same the day after boxing day?

THanks, Sarah

 

[wulfrun]

12 minutes ago, Saggy said:

Perfect, OKay will go as sun setting. Won't be able to see it later I don't think as the more west it goes, the more Portsmouth will get in the way 😄

Will it be the same the day after boxing day?

THanks, Sarah

 

Near enough, yes. Each day (EDIT: night?) brings celestial events 4 minutes earlier (not totally accurate, nor for everything but close enough for most). So Jupiter rises AND sets about 4 minutes earlier. Eventually it'll set before dark until well into next year when it comes "back around", so it'll not be visible.

Do note that's not a totally accurate description but it's good enough. The sun and moon don't fit the description, for instance.

Edited December 19, 2021 by wulfrun