First Scope Need Help!

[jackcarl]

Hi I Am Jack. i AM a amateur.Started Astronomy a week ago.

I bought a 150mm Telescope.

Celestron 150 omni xlt.

It has focal Length Of 750mm.

It Comes With 25 mm Kellner Eyepiece. so magnification is 30x.

The Problem Is.

I dont Know what it will look Like when you See A planet(Mars) or Nebula (Orion) with the Given eyepiece.I just Have the given eyepiece.

When I tried on Mars it Still Looked Like A Star.And on Orion Nebula " its so very much faint to the core. i cant able to see the nebula.

The Telescope Comes with CG4 Mount.

I Dont KNow How to Track Stars ,setting circles and slow motion.

I am So completely Noobish.

Can Some One Help Me plz?

Thanks.

[brantuk]

Hi Jack and welcome to the group.

Here's a couple of pointers. First thing is to read up on how to polar align the mount. Once this is done you'll only need to track in one plane by turning the RA cable only. Try the "primers" section here if the manual makes difficult reading (they all do lol).

For this you'll need to know how to identify the pole star - download "Stellarium" or "Skyviewcafe" onto your pc. These are both great software and completely free, with loads of info for finding your way around.

The plough and cassiopoea constellations point at the pole star too so google that (easy) technique and read up.

Also align your finder with the main tube on a distant object (as far away as poss) during the daytime - this will help.

A good book to get is "Turn Left at Orion" to help learning the sky. Also the Sky at Night and Astronomy Now magazines have positioning info every month and interesting articles at all levels.

The very best thing is to join a local astro society - they'll be more than happy to help you get set up. Once you're used to the setup procedure (which seems daunting at first) you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

Finally - to find out what stuff looks like - you'll find loads of pics that amateurs have taken on this and other forums or by googling around on specific object names. Don't be fooled by hubble images though - you'll be looking through earth's atmosphere with much lesser equipment (we all do) so you'll see anything outside the solar system as fuzzy patches or pinpoint dots (little or no colour). There is some colour to be seen on the planets though.

Good luck and feel free to ask specific questions - you're sure to get good answers here

[The Warthog]

Jack, since you are in Chennai, the north star is 13º above the northern horizon, so you may not be able to see it, depending on what is on your horizon. So, you are going to need to take some time, in daylight, to set up your scope.

Read the manual that came with your scope a couple of times, paying close attention and comparing what you see in the manual to what you see on the mount.

The main moving parts of the mount are in the form of a "T". The T rotates on both spindles. The T should be lying almost flat in your city, and you should adjust it to 13º from the horizontal using the scale on the side of the mount that shows the angle of the T to the ground.

If you cannot see the pole star and do not have a better way of determining north. put a stick in the ground where you are going to put the telescope, and put a marker where the shadow of the end of the stick touches the ground. Do this about 10 in the morning. Then about 2 in the afternoon, put a marker where the shadow of the end of the stick is now. A line joining the two markers is East-West, and a line at right angles to it is North-South. Set up the mount so the shaft of the T is pointing north along this line. Now put the scope on the mount, and you are ready to observe at night. Cover the scope with a clean cloth to protect it from heat, and don't leave it out in the rain.

You observe by moving the two spindles (axes) of the T. Like I said, read the instructions that came with the scope at least twice, and pay attention.

Best wishes for good, clear skies!

[jackcarl]

THanks Mr. brantuk and Warthog.

I am Already using Stellarium. BUt The Thing Is I cant able to take my Desktop PC to the top of building to point out the stars. lol . But its ok.

The first thing i Am going to do is read the Manual Completely .

THen I try To polar Align My Telescope.

I have a question on eyepieces.

THere are different size eyepieces(mm) and different type of eyepiece right.

what are their purpose?

can some one explain?

THanks Again.

[jobe]

Hi Carl

if you have a look at the stickies st the top of this section you'll see one on eyepieces which is very thorough

jobe

[The Warthog]

Most planetarium programs allow you to print out portions of the map to make carrying the maps around easier.

I too recommend the sticky on eyepieces, as I wrote it.

[Wurzil]

You will need a shorter focal length eyepiece than 25mm to look at planets. Try a 4mm (187x magnification) or a 5mm eyepiece (150x magnification) for Mars/jupiter/saturn.

Warren

[russ]

As Warren says, the 25mm is not really suitable for planetary observations, Mars especially. It has a small disk this time round and will appear almost star like at 30x. I have no idea how expensive things are in your location but a Plossl in the 4-5mm range will give you a much better image scale with the XLT150. Or a 10mm Plossl and a 2x barlow for the same effect but a more comfortable experience. Needn't cost too much.

[jackcarl]

ok I read the Manual .

ANd Read about Polar Alignment.

Right Now I have a Doubt.Where I am In now Southern OR Northern Hemisphere?(i am in india - chennai) I think i Am in northern Hemisphere.

Do i Have to Point it on Polaris For Northern Celestial Pole? OR Do i have to align it on Near Sigma Octantis For Southern?

Need Help Plz.

THanks.

[Astro_Baby]

Your are in the Northern Hemispher at 13' latitude. You will need to et the altidude of your scope to 13' - thats close to the equator so Polaris will appear very low in the sky.

Polaris is close to the North Celestial Pole (NCP) (the part of the Northern sky around which the sky rotates). Once the mount is point at the NCP you can track objects using only the RA control.

You might find a guide I wrote about simple polar alignment useful which is here Simple Polar Alignment for Beginners

But as Warthog says with Polaris at only 13' it will be almost on the horizon so you may not be able to see it. I cant really advise on that as I have no experience of astronomy when I am away from my own home location.

Mars will appear quite small through almost any telescope by the way - its a very hard target but your scope should, depending on how much light pollution you have around, resolve the Orion Nebula well. Bear in mind most nebula dont show color to the eye when using a telescope. Under very dark skies I can occasionally make out a hint of misty blue in the Orion nebula and the Pleaides (M45).

Hoping this is of some small help to you.

[The Warthog]

I did a sketch of Mars througn a 4.5" scope at about 160x a few years ago, and was able to capture some surprising detail. You have to wait for those moments of clarity.