Celestron Astromaster 114 Reflector Telescope Problems!

[HSphotography]

I bought an Astromaster 114 Reflector telescope the other day and I've been trying to use it, as an amateur with astronomy, I bought this one as it was recommended.

But I've been having problems... the finderscope is pretty useless, and the 20mm lens isn't great either, the 10mm is better.

Looking through the telescope at the stars - I might as well have just invested in a pair of decent binoculars, they show up no bigger, no more detailed or interesting as they do with the naked eye.

When we finally found a planet - Saturn - it was so small it wasn't worth looking at! This was after at least an hour of trying to find it through the finderscope etc.

Yet when other people have photographed their images that they got with the same telescope and same lenses, they appear much bigger and detailed.

Apologies if this is all due to my being dim, this is my first telescope. I am just hoping that someone can offer some help.

Are there any other lenses or equipment I could invest in so that I get close up, detailed images of the planets at least?

Many thanks in advance for any help.

[marsan]

Hi

Your experience is not unusual, as with most people starting out in astronomy there is always a mismatch between what one expects and what one gets with telescopes.

Starting with binoculars is actually better than starting out directly with a scope, the binocular vision lets you view with a greater degree of comfort and the wide angle views allow you to easily find your way across the sky.

Stars will look no bigger, not with a starter scope like the Astromaster 114

or even the 130mm or 150mm.You will however be able to see more stars , fainter ones that you cannot see with the naked eye and resolve more stars .

You could use a 2x Barlow lens( this doubles the magnification) but the maximum usable magnification is limited by the size and quality of your optics and by the seeing conditions ( stillness of the air , stable temperature )

Obtaining good pictures of planets is not an easy task.You will need a sturdy mount , and you will have to use a lot more equipment ( 4x barlows, take multiple exposures , stack and process images ).

I would like to suggest that you invest some time reading through the forums here to get a feel for what others do in this hobby and what you can expect from your scope.

The lunar/planetary imaging forum has plenty of information for amateurs at all levels.

Welcome to the 'night' life

[HSphotography]

Hi marsan, thank you for your reply and your advice, it's much appreciated!

When we found Saturn earlier this evening (or at least what we were led to believe is Saturn) it was just as small as the stars are via the naked eye, through the telescope - that's the bit I cannot understand, as we tried both the 20mm and 10mm lens.

Anyway, we were already considering investing in a 2x Barlow, and I will look for a 4x as well.

I've also read that buying a better finderscope will help, the one that came with the telescope is an absolute joke.

[marsan]

This website has a telescope simulator that approximates the view through a telescope .

It should give you some idea of what you can hope to see through your scope. Telescope Simulator

[AstroPaws]

You're expecting too much from your telescope. Not because it isn't any good, but because we're surrounded by such high-tech images that we then expect to see them ourselves!

Remember that you're not looking at computer generated images, but directly at Saturn from your own back yard. That in itself is pretty amazing.

A good piece of advice that I took was to spend a long time looking, even if something initially appears small or without detail. It takes a long time for your eye to start making things out.

With your 10mm lens you should be able to see the disc of the planet with the line of the rings across it (they're 'edge on' at the moment). Are you sure you were looking at Saturn?

Take time getting used to your scope . Practice using and adjusting the finderscope on the Moon. It's easy to blame the equipment, but you'll spend money that you don't need to.

Persevere - it is worth it out there!

[step_hen]

Perhaps if you let us know what area you are in we could point out a local astro society who can help? Make sure you have your finder properly aligned- this will help to find objects, as i suspect you were not looking at saturn as it should be very obviously different to a star in the astromaster! Line the scope up on the most distant object you can during the daytime, and then centre the finderscope on the same object using the thumbscrews- always move two screws at a time, one to tighten while the other loosens. You get used to this with practice.

Better finders/ eyepieces/ barlows etc will help- but the equip you have should be enough to get decent results before having to dish out more dosh! The 2x Barlow would be my first choice as this will help with planets, though the 4x would be way too much IMHO. Also, download the 'Stellarium' program. its free and great to use, and with a cheap compass will have you finding objects much easier. See if you can identify the Orion Nebula (M42) or the Pleides star cluster (M45). they should both look great in your scope, especially in the 20mm on moonless nights.

Stephen

[themos]

Don't invest in lenses or equipment. Find an astro society and go to a meeting and talk with people there. Let them show you how to use the scope.

Federation of Astronomical Societies - Home

[Iris]

It took me a wee while to find Saturn - I had gone through three scopes in quick succession (faults) and in my first two was, like you, very dissapointed by my views of Saturn which I put down to poor seeing, looking through double glazed windows (twice). The first and last time I looked at it through my 127mm Mak it looked no better than a bright star and I packed up rather disheartened and cold toboot!.

It was only when I got my third scope that I finally got to see the beast - fortunately for me it was the first time I was able to use the GOTO to find the planet - as soon as it stopped slewing I knew something was wrong - because it was pointing far away from Saturn ..

Before re-calibrating the system, however, I decided to take a look to see what the computer had mistaken for Saturn - guess what...

It WAS Saturn and it was totally unmistakable even at low power magnification - the realisation swept over me that what I though was Saturn wasn't - it turned out to be the Star Arcturus.

I had wrongly assumed that Saturn would be big and bright to the naked eye just like Mars and so the first time I looked for it mistook Arcturus for it cos it was rising in the same general direction.

It was only when I realised my mistake, courtesy of the GOTO, that I discovered that saturn is rather small and dim like a medium star to my naked eyes.

Of course you might not have made the same misidentification but it might be worth checking I'm not the first nor last to do so (as other posters here will attest) - one thing I am now certain of though - I wouldnt fail to recognise Saturn through a modest scope now if I were looking at it

[HSphotography]

Thank you all for your replies and your advice. I was close to taking the telescope back and although I realise that there are one or two faults with it, i.e. the finderscope, I know that I'm only just beginning and I will perservere as it is more due to my lack of experience. I guess I was just disappointed at first.

I'm on the outskirts of Donacster in the UK, at the moment, but my home is in the Lake District - that's where I can see the edge of the milky way on a clear summer night!

I will look to see if there are any groups around those areas that can help us.