Realistic expectation?

[Brendan of Borg]

Hi all!

I was wondering if anyone here had an idea on what I should hope to expect to see with my little old Meade ETX 60mm scope? I have no idea on clarity of planets or nebula or even definate exclusions that is possible! I am aware of weather and eyepiece factors but am not over educatred on the latter!

Moon's ok as I would hope, seeing as it's a close neighbour!

Anyone know of a site with posted pics specific to my scope?

Any advice would be well appreciated, even if it's 'shut up and get out there to find out'!!

Cheers and btw, hate cloud cover with a passion!! Grrrr...

[stefski]

Hi Brendan,

I am always surprised by how much one can see even with a small 'scope such as yours.....You should be able to see most of the Messier objects with your set up - these include globular clusters, open clusters, nebulae and galaxies. With respect to these, it also depends on how much light polution you have. A lot of these types of objects (the brighter ones) from the NGC catalogue are also available to you, as of course are the planets. Just remember that the shorter the focal length of the eyepiece, the higher the magnification. This translates to a smaller field of view, but also more contrast.....Your telescope's usable limit for magnification is around x120 (using 2x aperture in mm as a rough guide). However, again, this is dependent a little on atmospheric conditions, but you can rarely go over this limit as your image will lack definition due to the small aperture.

Good luck and clear skies!

Stef

[Merlin66]

When I started, many years ago, it was with a 50mm single lens refractor on a wooden mount.... I used this for almost two years learning my way around the sky with my trusty Nortns Star Atlas.

As you say the moon is always a good starting point... I saw the phases of Venus, the bands and moons of Jupiter ( a light blue filter helped!) and ( just!) the rings of Saturn. Found Uranus and Neptune and plotted their path on the atlas; same for the brighter asteroids Vesta etc.

Some of the brighter double stars were challenging, as well as finding those small faint fuzzies in the Messier Catalogue but it did give me a much better understanding of what a telescope could and couldn't do, where things were in the sky and how an eqatorial mount worked ( without drives!) Never able to take an photos other than one or two through the eyepiece of the moon.

I later "upgraded" to a 6" f8 which I used for almost eight years and managed to get cameras to connect and some images. Generally it made a good "platform" for supporting a telelens/ camera for wide shots of the Milky Way etc.

Softly, softly enjoy what you have and learn as you go. You only have to look at the for sale columns to see the number of telescopes up for sale " Only used once..." " Only 3 months old" etc to see that it's not easy when you start and it does take time to learn the trade. After 45 years... I'm still learning!!

Ken

[russ]

Hi Brendan,

As Stef says, there is plenty you can track down with a 60mm refractor. I started with a 50mm refractor and saw plenty, it was my only scope for 2 and bit years. You've already seen the Moon which never fails to impress. You will soon have Saturn gracing the evening sky and like the moon, that never fails to impress regardless of what size scope you are using. Mars is a bit tricky this year as its only showing a very small size disk and really wants 150x+. But it's well worth pushing your scope and seeing what it can do. Science is all about experimentation.

[acey]

On planets you should be able to see Jupiter's equatorial belts, phases of Venus, rings of Saturn (with Cassini division). I once saw a Jovian belt with a 40mm refractor at 30x through a double-glazed window. But don't expect detail to jump out at you - wait patiently for moments of steady seeing and build up the image in your mind. Nor should you expect to see much on Mars - though you might be pleasantly surprised.

You can split lots of double stars and see colours in interesting ones like Albireo.

On DSOs it all depends how dark your sky is. If you can see the Milky Way clearly with the naked eye, and observe carefully, then your scope could show you all the Messiers and quite a bit else. If you can't see the Milky Way then you'll be much more limited but should still manage open star clusters, some globulars (e.g. M13), Orion nebula (M42) and maybe a few bright galaxies (e.g. M31, M81).

If you're interested in DSOs then think about finding the darkest possible viewing site before worrying about eyepieces, filters etc. For Moon and planets you want steady air so make sure you're not looking over someone's roof etc.

Have fun with your scope!

[Brendan of Borg]

Thank you all so much for taking the time to give me very positive and realistic answers! Yes the temptation is to run ahead and see if i can get my hands on a garden sized 'Hubble-scope'! Seems that I should just take my time and enjoy what I see. I am excited at what my scope can do now, now I just need a BIG axe for them street lights!!

Thanks again.

Brendan

[Space Bat]

Thank you all so much for taking the time to give me very positive and realistic answers! Yes the temptation is to run ahead and see if i can get my hands on a garden sized 'Hubble-scope'! Seems that I should just take my time and enjoy what I see. I am excited at what my scope can do now, now I just need a BIG axe for them street lights!!

Thanks again.

Brendan

Just remember many of the objects seen today were discovered with far inferior equipment than you have... the only advantage they had though which is very key was darker skies...

[ottUp]

Here is a list of good beginner targets, with columns indicating which small scope can see them, including a 60mm scope (not an ETX, but a 60mm refractor), and if you click through there are finder instructions and simulations to give you an idea of what they will look like. Hope this helps.

Regards

Richard

[Brendan of Borg]

Most helpful.. thank you all. You are top bananas!!

[David Pavlich]

If you can get to very dark skies, you'll see a lot. I started with a 60mm refractor and was stunned at what a difference sky conditions make. The Messier open clusters will be obvious as will the bigger stuff like M31 and M42.

The real secret is learning to "see" what's there. I had a miserable time finding faint stuff at first. When I finally did see M1, I had my epiphany. From that point, it became much easier to find stuff because I knew what to look for. Some of this stuff looks like nothing more than an out of focus group of stars, easily overlooked if you don't know what the objects look like. It really does take practice to be able to see.

David

[catburglar]

At this point I would say, get a copy of a book called Turn Left at Orion.

It shows you around 100 objects that can be seen in small telescopes, from less than perfect skies and it also includes drawings that show what you are actually likely to see.

It includes directions for finding them, which may not be required if your goto is on target, but I think it is most useful to match your expectations with your eyepiece view. The detail shown in glossy pictures and sketches you see in magazines and on the internet don't come easy.

Start with realistic goals and you'll be amazed at how much better you become at seeing all that your telescope can show you

[Brendan of Borg]

Thanks again for the fab info. I have got hold of TLAO and the The Backyard Astronomy Guide. Looks like all them cloudy nights will get used up with reading!

Thanks again for your help. What a fine place to be and a fine bunch of folk you are.

God bless yer...