Bit of help .

[Teddy]

I have just took up this hoppy and I want to get sorted before I go outside. So sorry if these are daft questions but ...

I wear glass's , so do I keep them on whilst looking through bino's ?

As it's gettin cold would a little camp fire impair my viewing or the quality

also , how do I know that the star i am lookin at is the star that I am trying to find. What better following co-ordinates or use a star map. Or both

Any help wud be appriciated

[alfi]

hi

i dont wear glases, so i havent tried, but i guess you need to try, and do what feels best for you, since everybody is a little different when it comes to eyesight.

i would at least keep the campfire behind me, maybe put a metalplate in front of it, so it radiats the heat, but less light?

i would personally use a starmap.

alfi

[John]

The camp fire is a nice idea but it brings a couple of things with it that don't mix too well with astronomy - light and smoke !.

My suggestion is to put an extra layer on and get yourself a good sky chart book like "Turn Left at Orion" - pick a couple of constellations each night and find your way around them.

John

[JimBobs63]

Hi,

I do wear glasses - but I take them off to use binoculars. I find that I can adjust both the overall focus, and the difference in focus between my eyes using the diopter adjustment, to suit my (poor) vision.

Of course, if I then give the binos to my wife or kids to look at the same object, they have to readjust the binos to suit them!

Best Wishes,

Jim

[crovax]

I wear glasses but I take them off when I use binos or telescope. I simply find it very uncomfortable to wear glasses and look through EP/binos. On the other hand as JimBobs63 has mentioned another observer will have to refocus after you. And then you'll need to refocuse after that observer. And so on. Also every time I look at the sky to point my 'scope to the right place or to navigate through stars and constellations to find the right place to point 'scope at, I have to put my glasses, then take them off to look into EP, then put them on to point 'scope again, etc. This s*cks very much too.

I think that alfi is right, simply try both and you'll know which is more comfortable for you.

[kniclander]

be careful if you take off your glasses you don't fall into the campfire...

[Teddy]

Ha ha I ain't that bad kniclander.

Prob better with out them as comfort is important. Will try both

I can't see southwest at all from my garden due to trees so will set up a little chimeny fire there so don't effect things (need to keep warm)

i will go down the route of w star map then. Guess it takes a while to learn . But how do I know for sure that I get the right star.Don't want to think I am lookin atsomethin only to find out it's the wrong star. Hope u know what I meanwhen I ask that question

Cheers for the help

[John]

.... But how do I know for sure that I get the right star.Don't want to think I am lookin atsomethin only to find out it's the wrong star. Hope u know what I meanwhen I ask that question

Yep - it's a challenge particularly as stars are not labelled in real life like they are on the star maps !.

Best thing to do is to pick something that is distinctive such as the

the Pleiades, or seven sisters in the constellation of Taurus, the Bull or M31 the Andromeda Galaxy in, er, Andromeda - that sort of thing. At least then you will know when you are looking at the right thing as nothing else looks like these objects.

John

[JimBobs63]

As far as knowing which star you're looking at, you could try the Stellarium software - it's free to download and use, and can give you a real time indication of the position of the stars from your location to compare to what you're seeing with and without the binos/scope.

I used it last night when wanting to look at Jupiter, Vega and Altair through my binos - I checked that I had the the right positions in the sky by comparing their positions relative to the moon as shown on Stellarium.

Got to see Gannymede through the binos too - result!! (OK so it was just a point of light, but it's not visible to my naked eye!)

Cheers!

Jim

[TheThing]

Teddy, the only daft question is the one you never ask.

(You may get some daft replies, but it's all in good humour!)

Welcome to SGL.

[Teddy]

Cheers thing! Just I normally shout at my missus when she asks daft questions

[kniclander]

sorry for my daft answer Teddy .

seriously, i wear glasses when looking through the finderscope but no glasses when looking through the main scope or bins

[TheThing]

sorry for my daft answer Teddy

Only one apology needed here, from me to you, kniclander! I wasn't suggesting your answer was daft at all, just saying that, generally, SGL members have good senses of humour and sometime you will get answers that make you involuntarily spit tea over your work computer! I do this regularly! (Poor IT boffins!)

In fact, in a H&S concious world, your answer was quite appropriate!

So, many, humble apologies, kniclander.

[Teddy]

It's ok Kniclander I like a bit of a laugh. Think I will go with whatever seems to work at the time.

[kniclander]

Only one apology needed here, from me to you, kniclander! I wasn't suggesting your answer was daft at all, just saying that, generally, SGL members have good senses of humour and sometime you will get answers that make you involuntarily spit tea over your work computer! I do this regularly! (Poor IT boffins!)

In fact, in a H&S concious world, your answer was quite appropriate!

So, many, humble apologies, kniclander.

no apology necessary (but as apologies go, it was a very nice one )