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Where to begin!?


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Hello all. New to the forum, returning to astronomy and absolutely no clue where to start!!

I have a Skywatcher 114/900 telescope, I’d say it’s pretty much standard as I haven’t used it for years and have never really added anything to it.

I used to be a keen beginner (beginner as in knew barely anything about astronomy). I’d really like to get back into the hobby but I don’t know what my next steps should be.

What extras are a necessity for my telescope? What equipment/books/reading material/apps, should I purchase?

Everything I have for my telescope is bog standard which I know is very limited. I’m not in a position to purchase a more expensive telescope, but I’d like to maximise my current telescopes potential.

I’d really appreciate anybodys help and advice.

Thank you

 

 

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A couple books and eyepieces should get you going somewhat. Use books and other reading material to learn how and where to find objects, like star hopping techniques, asterisms etc. A simple pair of binoculars like 8x50s would help a lot with the star hopping. There are a number of free apps like Stellarium and Skysafari which are great. This, along with a couple decent plossls, should get you seeing some interesting objects, and more importantly fuel that enthusiasm! 

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19 hours ago, BrightestStar said:

What extras are a necessity for my telescope? What equipment/books/reading material/apps, should I purchase?

Over and above what has been said above, get to know your equipment so you can use it to its fullest potential.  You will soon realise its shortcomings (nothing is perfect) and then can make informed decisions on what to purchase. In the scope such as yours the common areas for improvement that will be suggested are an upgrade to a steadier mount and the eyepieces. But learn first 🙂

Edited by AstroMuni
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Hi,

I started out 15 months ago with something similar. A Skywatcher Skyhawk 1145p on an EQ1. What mount do you own? The EQ1 is very wobbly but there are improvements you can make. I also now have a much larger 200p Dob but I still use the 1145p.

Here it is doing a bit of solar which I can highly recommend. Much depends on the direction you want to take.

If your setup is similar I can give some suggestions learnt from this forum and a dose of trial & error 😀

B392F397-6118-4AB7-8E71-E89980C81610.jpeg

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Hi, welcome to the forum.

As well as the advice above, some other things to consider:

- a red torch or headlight, to preserve night vision
- an adjustable chair or stool so that you can observe in a comfortable position
- a range of clothing/gloves/boots that keep you at a comfortable temperature in all conditions when you might observe

There's a LOT you can spend on the actual optical equipment, but I agree with the advice given: spend some time getting to know the scope you have, getting to know the skies, and reading as much as you can. That way, when you do come to spend some money, you have the best chance of doing so effectively for you.

You don't have to spend a lot on books because there's so much online, but one book that is certainly worth getting is Turn Left at Orion, which gives you a tour of some of the more accessible and interesting sky objects and some good background information about how to observe. They also have a website.

Here are some useful external links:

Sky & Telescope Starter Guide

Sky at Night Beginner Guides

British Astronomical Association Starter Guides (currently offline, but very informative)

and also have a look at some of the "sticky" threads at the top of sub-forums, if you've not done so, especially:

Getting Started General Help and Advice

Getting Started With Observing

Get to know how the search function works; there's a massive amount of advice here already, but do ask questions if you want specific advice. It's a rare query that gets no answers on here.

Good luck, and dark skies.

 

 

 

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Hi and welcome to SGL. In my opinion it is a good idea to get used to your gear in the daylight so you can familiarise yourself with how it works, always making sure you do not point it anywhere near the sun (assuming we are going to see the sun sometime) A very useful app is Stellarium which is free and gives you the view of the night sky when you enter your lat and long positions which you can google.

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I’ve put together a blog of tips and suggestions (link below) that may be of interest. My top recommendation is that you get a copy of Turn Left at Orion.

Edited by Spile
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20 minutes ago, Spile said:

I’ve put together a blog of tips and suggestions (link below) that may of interest. My top recommendation is that you get a copy of Turn Left at Orion.

snaffled a couple of great info from your site thanks :) 

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My first question would be what part of astronomy tickles your fancy? There really is a huge range of topics that could be covered.

If you're unsure on your focus then general astronomy resource should help; quite a few have been given above, however look at your local/national astronomy magazines too; i.e. the sky at night.

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Another thought is the Practical Astronomy Show 19/03/22. Depending on your location it could be possible to spend a few hours there amongst others. I remember going to, I think it was Kensington Astrofest way back and picked up on a lot - it's a very friendly and helpful community. 

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