Hi I'm new to the forum

[Ratlet]

56 minutes ago, chessboxing said:

Oh and I saw 3 of the geminid meteor shower tonight so all in all a cold but good week so far 

Cracking start!  I've got the 32mm plossl for my 130pds (basically the same views as your scope) and it's my most used eyepiece.  It also has the handy trait of turning the scope into its own finder because the FOV is quite large.  Can be a bit confusing due the the number of stars visible, but I long since stopped using my finder scope in favour of the plossl.

The 8mm BST does a great job on planetary.  I Barlow it up sometimes but more often than not the seeing won't support it.  Also the 8mm frames the moon's on Jupiter which is very satisfying.

I got 'turn left at orion' for finding suitable targets.  It's really good and had a nice mix of DSO and doubles.  You can pick it up second hand on Amazon sometimes.

When you go out to observe I'd suggest sketching some targets.  It's hugely satisfying and really helps you to see more of the target.  Pencil and paper works well and you can invert the image on your phone for the colours the correct way round.

To help stave of the cold I find that changing to fresh socks really helps keep my feet warm.

Oh and keep posting your observing reports.  Either in this thread or the what you saw to ight megathread.  Some of us poor blighters might be clouded out and we love reading other reports.

[Carbon Brush]

You have seen more in a week than many of when starting out saw in a month, or more!
Your enthusiasm is amazing.
Great advice from all of the earlier contributors.

On keeping warm. Remember you are very inactive at the scope. It is not like taking a brisk walk in the cold.
The key to warmth is multiple layers. Woolly hat. Fingerless gloves with pull over mittens.
Big boots allow thick socks and insoles to insulate from the ground. Lots more.

When I got my first scope, Santa brought me gloves, woolly hat and socks!

[M40]

Welcome to the site great results👌 and on the gloves side of things, I have found fingerless gloves with a pair of those throw away gloves underneath, just pull off the tips of the fingers as you need, works a treat

[Nyctimene]

Welcome to the forum from a German Dobsonaut and 130 P Flextube owner! A wonderful scope and a lot of enthusiasm - a good mix to have fun. You've made good decisions already, as to get the 32 mmf Plössl eyepiece. Your four eyepieces, together with the 2x Barlow, will give you 8 magnifications from 20x up to 162x, a very useful range. I'd suggest a smartphone app as SkySafari or Stellarium, which makes star-hopping a lot easier. Later on, a UHC filter, and a small step stool. And start to record your observations and experiences in a little notebook (paper version); it's nice to read later in cloudy nights. Keep on posting here!

Stephan

[Joef]

Welcome to SGL. 

[chessboxing]

First off thankyou all for your replies . I have had a great start with my first telescope and  have been impressed with what I have seen so far . I've managed some great views of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn and found myself just looking through the 25mm ep at the stars last night moving across the night sky and trying to get the focusing dialled in.  It really is amazing what you can see sometimes.  I feel like I'm just starting to learn the night sky . 

[Sunshine]

We really enjoy reading about the adventures you’re having, you remind me of ME! with my childlike enthusiasm. 😂 don’t forget to explore other thread topics and post discoveries and observations under those topics such as Lunar, planetary, deep sky, observations etc as you will find a broader audience. When I make double star observations I’ll post in the double star thread, for example. We will look out for future observations with equal enthusiasm!

Edited December 14, 2022 by Sunshine

[chessboxing]

.I'm looking at m31 right now for the first time the first galaxy I have seen 

[Pete Presland]

Hi welcome to SGL from Pete in Bedfordshire 🙂