Thrown myself in at the deep end.

[drl1989]

Hi all, my name's Douglas.

So I've had my Celestron Nexstar 130 SLT computerised telescope for about three months now and I'd be lying if I didn't say I've not had my fair share of "start up issues" with my new hobby. I'm also embarrassingly new to amateur astronomy but I'm very patient and willing to accept setbacks on my "journey".

Anyway, I have some newbie questions that I'd really appreciate answers to, to help me really make them most out of my telescope and my hobby in general.

Tonight wast my first night viewing Jupiter with my newly attached Celestron Omni Barlow Lens to which I was expecting a marked improvement to the pale dot I'd seen in the sky a few nights before. I'm beginning to think there may be something wrong with my telescope. I've read on other forums and reviews of this product on the internet, all of whom say there's a dramatic improvement to viewing experience when using the Barlow lens. I was somewhat disappointed.

Trying both the 25mm eyepiece and the 9mm eyepiece produced dismal results with the Barlow.

So..

Is this the sort of image of the planets to be expected using a telescope such as mine?

Am I expecting too much?

Have I made a really obvious mistake that could put things right?

Thanks for reading.

[John]

Hi Douglas - welcome to SGL,

Theres nothing wrong with the kit you have got - many newcomers to the hobby start with Celestron SLT's and the Omni barlow / eyepieces. All barlows do is have the effect of increasing (by 2x in the case of the Omni 2x barlow) the magnfication that an eyepiece gives rather than "dramatic improvements". Could you describe how Jupiter appears to you know and what you expected so that we can give you some feedback on whether somthing is amis and if so what it might be and what you can do to improve the views.

Cheers,

John

[MikeP]

Hi Douglas,

Welcome to SGL. You have taken the most important steps that a newbie to astronomy can take - joining SGL and asking for help.

One thing to be aware of is that Jupiter is quite low in the sky at present which means you are looking at it through more atmosphere than if you were pointing at something directly above your head. Unless the atmosphere is still and clear, the views will always be compromised.

Also, there is a "maximum limit" to which a scope can magnify, which is about 50x its aperture in inches - so for your scope about 250x - BUT this being under ideal conditions. Your scope has a focal length of 650mm so the 9mm eyepiece provides about 72X, with barlow 144x. It is likely that given Jupiter's position and (I assume) less than ideal viewing conditions last night this is just a bit too much.

Anyway, as John asks, let us know what you can see so we can check that you don't have a problem.

Mike

[drl1989]

Hi again,

First of all, thanks for the warm welcome to SGL and your speedy replies. I think I've found the best place on the net to get some meaningful support and advice.

John, thanks for reassuring me that there's nothing wrong with the kit I've got. You asked what Jupiter looks/looked like last night and I've created a little diagram to show you. I've attached it to this message. Basically, all I'm seeing is a small pale but bright dot in the sky. Of course, it does stand out more than the surrounding stars but there's no room for detail because it's just appearing so small through my scope.

Without sounding too hopeful, I was expecting something marginally better or as good as this image here, taken through the same telescope as mine:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2651/3745897220_f954c47d12.jpg

Mike, thanks for informing me about magnification limits and the fact that the conditions last night may have compromised my viewing experience. And there was me thinking it was an ideal time to view Jupiter.

-Douglas.

[resonator77]

Hah, Good old celestron 130:cool:

I had the same scope for about 4 weeks. Every time I was out in the open checking for planets, Jupiter was a big white blob in my eyepiece. Frustrated bought myself more expensive scope of Celestron Nexstar series hoping to see sharp images of cloud bands on Jupiter. To my shock, with the telescope 3 times the price, Jupiter appeared in my eyepiece the same white blob:p

So in the end, it is not the telescope but the weather conditions and location of Jupiter in the sky that makes the visibility better.

Do not be let down by the view, wait for some time and you would be able to see Jupiter in its glory, that is for certain.

Hope this helps

Resonator77

[nobbytate]

Hi Douglas, you may find this site useful.

don,t have the link but it,s http://www.12dstring.me.uk/astro.htm

go to camera and eyepiece field of view calculator,it gives you a good idea about what you can expect to see.

John

[drl1989]

Hi John,

Thanks for that web address, it looks really useful.

-Douglas.

[John]

Your scope is capable of resolving the details shown in that photo Douglas but the contrast variation of the features will be much less than in the photo and you will only be able to make it out during periods of good seeing and after studying the planet for some time - the details don't jump out visually.

John

[drl1989]

Thanks ever so much for the reassurance John.

And to the other John, the website you provided is very useful although I do have one question to you or for anyone else who uses it.

Why is it that when I select my telescope, lenses and barlow from the drop down options does it come back with some superb pictures of, for example, the Horse Head Nebula? Surely my telescope isn't capable of such fantastic images? When I select solar system objects the images are far more realistic to what I'm currently able to see.

Perhaps there's a problem with the website?

http://www.12dstring.me.uk/astro.htm

-Select field of view calculator.

Thanks again everybody.

[nitram100]

I think it's to show you the field of view of your eyepiece/scope not what detail can be seen.