Hi everyone :)

[brantuk]

First Light Optics probaby - click the link at top of forum page.

[cyroflame]

if i can only afford the sw explorer 130, is there that much difference between them 130 and 130p?

[brantuk]

The parabolic (P) mirror brings the light to focus properly giving better views - It's worth waiting and saving for

[cyroflame]

ok thankyou i guess will have to wait a little longer! the link i found to a calculator to work out the size of the moon doesnt ork, is there any way you could just find me a pic of what kind of image i will getting with top maginification with that kind of spec telescope? would be very much appreciaited :D

[cyroflame]

also, with the 130p , it has less focul length and mag, does that mean things will be further away?

[John]

ok thankyou i guess will have to wait a little longer! the link i found to a calculator to work out the size of the moon doesnt ork, is there any way you could just find me a pic of what kind of image i will getting with top maginification with that kind of spec telescope? would be very much appreciaited :D

At around 200x the moon should look something like this:

http://www.spacealberta.com/moon/surface/jan0706_1.jpg

It does depend on viewing conditions, phase of the moon, the eyepiece used etc, etc.

It's much harder to illustrate what other objects might look like - in fact why spoil the excitement of discovering for yourself ?

[John]

also, with the 130p , it has less focul length and mag, does that mean things will be further away?

It means that you will need a shorter focal length eyepiece to get high magnifications. But don't get carried away by high magnification - it's not the be all and end all of a scope - the main function is to gather light so that you can see detail and faint objects that they eye cannot - high magnification is not needed, or even desirable, for many objects.

[cyroflame]

ok thanks very much apreciated! so would you reccomend saving for that 130p rather than just the 130?

[brantuk]

Cyro - here's a link to a site that gives you a telescope calculator and a description of performance (what will fit into a telescope view) depending on aperture, focal length, and eyepiece size, etc.

It often uses the moon (and other objects) as an example of what you can see in the scope. Higher magnitudes mean "less bright" and lower or negative ones mean "more bright".

There is another calculator link with a visual representation but I'll try find that one for you.

Cheers

[cyroflame]

thankyou very much:) but there is no link:)

[BazMark]

ok thanks very much apreciated! so would you reccomend saving for that 130p rather than just the 130?

IMHO Definitely!

[brantuk]

Woops - copied it then forgot to paste d'ohh Here it is matey

Scope Calculator v1.0

[cyroflame]

thankyou very much that really helps! also, was just wondering, some one told me that i would be able to see Jupiter and saturn through the sw explorer 130, i know atm they have both nearly gone, but when they come around next, what kind of size would they be? picture would really help! )

[dark knight]

Hi Mike and a very warm welcome to SGL from me too

[brantuk]

Saturns around till early next year but getting low gradually towards the horizon. It's rings are almost closed right now but they will wobble open and close a little more each time, a couple of times before then.

You can run Stellarium fast forward to simulate this - but I like to do that using skyviewcafe (another free planetarium program). It runs in a java window and downloads real quick (couple of mins). The graphics are a little simpler but the info is very good and you can get 2 and 4 degree images of objects as they appear in the night sky.

If you fancy a challenge - see if you can get the saturn simulation in SVC - then - you tell me where in the sky it's gonna be on Xmas day this year and the state of the rings

[cyroflame]

well i have had a look at the svc and well...it's slightly confusing! i managed to find saturn and put it to christmas day, but i dont understand how that would tell me state of rings or where it would be. could you please explain?

[brantuk]

Click on "Moons/GRS" tab and zoom the picture - you can see the tilt of the rings about 1/4 open at 6am on Dec 25th. You can give the moons names on the right hand side (rather than numbers) - should see tethys and dionne - and you can also see Jupiter as well with Io - zoom out to see more moons.

Back on the "Sky" tab - right click and choose "Photographic Sky Survey" for a pic of what it looks like outside (except it will be quite light). Switch on "Constellations" and you can get oriented on the sky. Best used at night - loads of other stuff to explore to get you learning the sky and using the binocs till you get the scope.

Stellariums just as good but different. I use them both to see what's up every session.

[brantuk]

Now put your cursor on the day digit and hold down the up arrow - watch how saturn's rings change (sky and moons also) with time - it's a cool simulation and true to the sky if you've put in your town position and oriented the map correctly for your viewpoint.

[glowjet]

ok then, where is the cheapest place to find this 130p?

I think you will find Steve of FLO will do his best to price mach if at all possible.

[John]

I think you will find Steve of FLO will do his best to price mach if at all possible.

Good advice

Also don't be tempted by the lowest prices you can find - there are some dealers who have a inconsistent reputation for service (despite their glossy websites). Check out some of the threads on SGL for more details....