Newbie looking for some advice!

[Shontay7]

Hi Everyone!

I have been wanting to start Astronomy for some time and have recently moved to the countryside so i have perfect skies to do it now!

I received a ASTROMASTER 130EQ TELESCOPE for Xmas as a present and have set it up ok and have a 20mm & 10mm lens it comes with and I also purchased a 2x Barlow lens.

I can get good shots of the moon but anything other than that isnt great... Mars for instance - once i try to look at that the lenses are not good enough (or at least I have found that - but it could be me!!)

Is anyone able to give me some advice on better lenses I can buy so that I can see more?

Thank you for your help!

 

[teoria_del_big_bang]

I have not done that much visual so not the best person to suggest a better eyepiece but the ones suppled will not be the best however I would make sure the collimation is correct first as that could be more of a problem than the eyepieces, reflectors are not always well collimated straight out of the box.

Steve

[Shontay7]

@teoria_del_big_bang Hi Steve, thanks for that - I have no idea what that is - but have just googled it and thats a good shout  I will have a look into that and make sure its correct.  Thank you!

[Stickey]

Hi Shontay7,

Congratulations on your new telescope, I'm sure it will give you many years of enjoyment. 

Your eyepieces are pretty standard for such a 'scope and you're right, they're OK,  but not really the best.

The challenge with small targets like Mars is the magnification you need. For planets, you want to be in the x200 range. Your 130mm  'scope is f/5, which means its focal length is 650mm. With your 10mm e/p that gives you x65 and with the Barlow is goes up to x130, not quite high enough for Mars.

The problem will be that to get a good planetary e/p,  e.g 5mm or less, it will cost nearly as much as your 'scope in the 1st place. Similarly a good Barlow.

Also, higher magnification creates problems with focusing and finding. The tiniest touch in the mount makes the image jump around like a ping pong ball in a fountain. 

Bigger planets like Jupiter and Saturn are easier, but the latter is too low from the UK now.

Just enjoy astronomy with what you've got but be realistic and don't try to compare it with a 'scope costing many times more. 

 

Mike

Edited January 8, 2023 by Stickey

[bosun21]

My advice to you would be to learn about collimation of your telescope. It sounds scary but it’s a bit like adjusting the mirrors in a car so that they are all pointing where they should. I would replace both the eyepieces that came with the telescope as even the 20mm has a built in erect image corrector and isn’t the best quality just like the 10mm. For viewing the planets you can buy a 3x barlow of decent quality relatively cheaply and a couple of Starguider eyepieces, again not expensive. An 8mm and a 15mm BST Starguider would give you all the magnification you need for Mars with your 3x barlow. As you already bought a 2x barlow this will increase the range of magnifications available to you. Good luck with your new endeavor.

[Guest]

45 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

My advice to you would be to learn about collimation of your telescope. It sounds scary but it’s a bit like adjusting the mirrors in a car so that they are all pointing where they should. I would replace both the eyepieces that came with the telescope as even the 20mm has a built in erect image corrector and isn’t the best quality just like the 10mm. For viewing the planets you can buy a 3x barlow of decent quality relatively cheaply and a couple of Starguider eyepieces, again not expensive. An 8mm and a 15mm BST Starguider would give you all the magnification you need for Mars with your 3x barlow. As you already bought a 2x barlow this will increase the range of magnifications available to you. Good luck with your new endeavor.

What he said 

[Shontay7]

Thank you all so much  I really appreciate you all taking the time to help me - off to read about Collimation!!

[markse68]

Just to add, don't expect too much from Mars- it's getting smaller by the day and is very seeing dependent and with a smaller reflector even at high magnification you likely won't be able to make out much. If you catch Jupiter early in the evening though you should get some nice views and it's pretty dynamic

Mark

[wulfrun]

16 minutes ago, Shontay7 said:

off to read about Collimation!!

Try this guide. Simple, no nonsense and aimed at the beginner:

https://garyseronik.com/a-beginners-guide-to-collimation/

[Spile]

2 hours ago, Shontay7 said:

Thank you all so much  I really appreciate you all taking the time to help me - off to read about Collimation!!

Do give my guide a spin and see how you get on 

https://astro.catshill.com/collimation-guide/

[Shontay7]

On 09/01/2023 at 21:47, Spile said:

Do give my guide a spin and see how you get on 

https://astro.catshill.com/collimation-guide/

Thank you! :)

[Shontay7]

On 09/01/2023 at 20:00, wulfrun said:

Try this guide. Simple, no nonsense and aimed at the beginner:

https://garyseronik.com/a-beginners-guide-to-collimation/

Thank you!! :)