Have i purchased wrong telescope ?

[Dazraz]

Hi i have just had my dobsonian 8" skywatcher delivered today and am thinking i have purchased the wrong telescope

I am being told that unless i have a motorised platform for it i will only see planets for 2 seconds at the most.

I was told i should have bought a telescope with a tracking system.

Can someone please tell me if this is true as i am a beginner.

Regards

[Kai]

If you are at high magnifications then the planets will move fast (2 seconds imo will be a very high magnification), but all you have to do is nudge the scope to keep it centered.It takes a little practise thats all.

[Psychobilly]

Keeping a planet in the FOV of a motorised telescope at high magnifactions will aslo be a PITA unless you have accurately levelled and aligned the scope/mount in the first place.

I know people dont like them but I found a zoom EP to be ideal when you first start out as if you loose the target you can zoom out re center and zoom back in again... Once you get the hang of it then start using fixed EP's...

[barkis]

That is rubbish, who on earth told you that. The 8" Dobsonian telescope is one of the most popular scopes there is.

The mount is a simple one that's for sure. But it is both simple and effective, it is why you get a good set of optics, and the scope is relatively cheap. Of course any astronomical object will move as you watch it. The scope does not have a drive. The higher the magnification you use, the faster the image will move through the field of view. Don't worry about it, you will be able to nudge the scope around and keep the planet in view.

Don't listen to people who don't know what they are talking about.

Just you enjoy your new instrument, it will give you some great views of lots of objects, not just planets.

Ron.

[bish]

Hi Daraz,

I don't have a dob so am perhaps not the best person to give advice. It is true that when you look at the planets at a high magnification they will move across the field of view quite quickly.

I am told that with practise you can just gently nudge the scope to track once you get used to the scope. But, you should also remember that when you are looking at nebula and galaxies on lower powers you will see much more detail than if you had bought a smaller scope with a motor for the same price. I

If your only interest is to look at planets on higher power then a motor driven mount would be more convenient. However, for the money you have bought a great scope that will show you far more in the long run. Stick at it and you will get really addicted to observing.

[Dazraz]

Hi thanks for your reply that has made me feel a lot better.

Also one more question im going to try it out tonight just on the moon to begin with and i have 2 eyepieces

1. wide angle

2.super 10mm

which one do i use ?

Regards

[barkis]

Start with the wide angle, and when you have got the feel of using the scope, change to the 10 mm one.

Ron.

[barkis]

A trick to use. When you are viewing an object,, you will see it move from right to left in the eyepiece, That is the opposite way to the real movement. The telescope reverses everything, so if you are going to change to a higher power, move the scope so the the image is out of the field of view on the right. As you change to the 10 mm, the object will have drifted back into view.

Ron .

[mik]

Hi dazraz

Put the wide angle in find and center the Moon then put the 10mm in and enjoy the view.

As Ron said.

Mick.

[Dazraz]

many thanks everyone im getting excited now lol !!!

[crepitis]

Hi Dazraz, your 8" Dob is a more than capable scope which will give you great views, like the others have said, a little practice will enable to keep things centred at high magnifications.

Let us know how you get on tonight with your views of the moon.

[red dwalf]

you should get some great views with this scope, it`s all about getting light onto the mirror, the bigger the mirror the more light and the better view, you can buy tracking dobs now but stick with what you have and see where you want to go in the future.

[mik]

Dazraz.

Have a little read here it will give you some info on your scope and its history.

Dobsonian telescope - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mick.

[barkis]

Have a good time with your new scope. If you are looking at the moon tonight, you may be a little disappointed, as it is just about full, therefore the sunlight falls directly onto the surface. As a result, the craters on the lunar surface do not stand out in stark relief.

The moon is best viewed when it is in a phase, such as a crescent, or gibbous. Put another way, it's best to look when it is not full.

Looking at the moon will render your viewing eye almost unable to see. Nothing to worry about, it's a natural thing. Try and get a green filter to put in your eyepiece, It will just screw into the bottom of the eyepiece, and it keeps the glare down.

Ron.

[Sam]

You most certainly have not made the wrong purchase. The 8" Dob is a brilliant scope that is both portable and cost effective. Like others have said because it's not a driven mount you'll have to nudge it into position as things drift across the sky. My first proper scope was an 8" on a dob mount and I enjoyed excellent views of Mars and Saturn with it (and the moon and a heap of DSOs). At the higher magnifications the objects will move fairly quickly through the FOV but you get used to moving the scope to compensate for this very quickly. Enjoy your telescope mate, you've made a brilliant purchase that'll give you hours and hours of enjoyment.... now we just need some clear skies!

Sam

[TheThing]

As others have said, you have bought a cracking scope there!

Whoever told you it was 'wrong' is just plain daft (or possibly a salesman for motorised mounts?!?)

Enjoy.

[Dazraz]

Thankyou to everyone's comments i cant believe how i joined this forum 20 minutes ago thinking i was down £200 and now with so many replies i feel great again - the power of forums cool !!!

[mik]

Dazraz

You will find this is more than just a forum it is a close nit community of freinds from retailers to beginners all helping

each other out, and more importantly enjoying the hobby.

Stick around you will be glad you did.

Regards Mick.

[irishbloke]

One thing you might find useful in future is some sort of a red dot or telrad finder. It's a zero magnifaction finder so once its lined up properly where you put the ring or dot is where you are looking at. When I first got my dob I found the finder scope hard to get used to.

I love my dob. You will too after you look through it. The moon will be very bright without a filter, not harmful just bright, so while amazing it might not be the most comfortable. Jupiter however will put all fears to rest. It will be the bright object 20 degrees to the left of the moon.

Hope you have a great night.

Brian

[jgs001]

I've used a small telescope on a camera tripod at 160x on the moon. It gets a little irritating keep shuffling things along, especially when the camera tripod isn't up to the job, and you have to keep all the locks tight... but it's doable... For widefield stuff it's not a problem anyway, as the amount of time you have is quite long and tracking is easy. As I understand it the Dob has an easy to shift mounting so I really wouldn't worry about that. In fact... when I can figure out a way of sneaking a Dob into the house (any suggestions for disguises greatfully received) I'll be getting one for use when the rest of my kit is capturing to camera.

[johninderby]

You'll find that the dob is easier and smoother to move than a photo tripod. It takes a little practice, but you'll soon get the hang of just nudging the scope enough to keep the target in the field of view.

The one thing though is to keep the tube balanced so that when it's about at a 60 degree angle and with the tension knob loose the tube stays where you put it or just very slowly moves. If the tube is out of balance you may find that it doesn't move very smoothly in the ALT axis.

And BTW I consider the 8" dob to be the perfect beginners telescope. It's what I'd recommend if someone asked me.

As to sneaking it into the house..........you're on your own there.

John

[FLO]

I have enjoyed some excellent views of Saturn and Jupiter through a Dobsonian. Also, you don't need a motorised platform, you can simply lift your telescope tube off its base, add some tube-rings and a dovetail, then mount it on a regular German Equatorial mount.

HTH

[Beulah]

I have the same telescope, and it is an awesome instrument. Nudging the scope to follow objects becomes second nature very quickly.

KEEP IT!!

I am relieved you posted your query on this forum - the best thing you have done this year!!!

[ZOG]

Try using a 12" under high mag !!! Honestly I think most new dob owners have these fears but you will soon learn the nudging technique.

I tend too move the scope so the planet I'm observing is just out of view of the EP and then just watch as it drifts slowly across the FOV.

Give it a month and it will become second nature to you.

[albedo0.39]

Agree with pretty much all that has been said here. You have nothing to worry about with an 8" dob - except where to point the thing first ! The art of "nudging" the scope to keep the image central is really only ultra critical at high powers and if you pick a good WA or SWA eyepiece then the objects take a fair amount of time to cross the field of view

Relax ! - all you need is a clear sky and you're off !