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Hello there! Novice here

daveyboy20

By daveyboy20
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daveyboy20

daveyboy20

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Oooh, I wish I could see Saturn!! I'm tempted to try again but my tripod isnt set up properly, are there any tips for seeing saturn? Am I right thinking it is just lower and slightly to the left of the back of Leo? Was I using a good lens for it?

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richbyers

richbyers

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yes go to for want of a better word the backside of the 'lion' and its the next bright star down, with the 20mm it will bring out its rings, youll definatly know it when you see it! then use a higher mag eyepiece to see a closer view, i usually use my 10mm

rich

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daveyboy20

daveyboy20

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WOW!! I found it!! I could only use my 20mm so it wasn't big certainly couldnt see the moons but I could deffo see the rings, as a line going through it at an angle, I guess they are head on to us at the moment? That was awesome! I tried to use my 10mm and I found it but I couldnt seem to get it in focus as well as the 20mm, the 10mm defo made it bigger in the view but blurry. What would you recommend for me to see it better? Buy a decent Barlow lens? Maybe my 10mm is broken? I seem to get clear view with the 20mm wide angle just slightly small. Im not gonna be able to sleep tonight!! Thanks for your help :)

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richbyers

richbyers

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no worries

yer they will start to open up and that will be even better

with the 10mm your image will get darker, its just one of the downsides to increasing magnification, so that may be why you cant focus as well, as for the barlow im not sure- mines Rubbish but it came free, if you get a decent one then it will probably give better results.

ive been thinking aobut getting a neutral density filter to reduce the glare of the planets so that might be something to think about to.

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sbooder

sbooder

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Saturn may have been blurred in your 10mm because, of two main reasons, the seeing was not that good, a lot of atmosphere light and dust, and/or you may need to collimate your new scope.

Even though it is a small reflector, they generally need collimating after delivery. There is plenty of info on collimating on this forum and on the internet as a whole.

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barkis

barkis

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Hello and welcome to the SGL Forum Dave.

It is always difficult when you are trying to get to grips with a new telescope. You will soon begin to understand how to use it though.

I would suggest you use the eyepieces provided, and not the Barlow. I would only go up to higher magnifications when you have got used to the instrument.

Ron.:)

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Llamanaut

Llamanaut

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I was spurred on by Brian cox too & i had a tasco when i was younger. I get distinct ring views of saturn in my 60mm although i have to go to about 10 or 6mm for the best views. The finder scope is really essential to set up first as otherwise you'll really struggle to align it correctly with a target. The easiest method is to point the main scope at something far away but unmoving during the day then lock it all off. You then loosen the finder scope screws and manipulate the finder scope until it too is pointing at the same object in the main scope then slowly tighten the screws, two at a time if you can. Its a pain and it'll take time but trust me its worth it. Use that electricity pylon you looked at as a target. Your focal length is 1000mm so saturn should be a breeze with the eyepieces you have. Mars will still be a pink dot however cos its quite far away. Jupiter makes an appearance in a few months and the moon will start to get higher and bigger in the next few weeks. Hope this helps? Clear skies Dave

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daveyboy20

daveyboy20

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Thanks guys, what eyepiece would you recomend for looking at saturn? I could only really get my 20mm to work, it was amazing and could see the rings but slightly small, id like more detail, reckon any of the ones I have would be good? I did try the 10mm but couldnt focus it properly! My barlow doesnt seem to be very good as people have mentined so I think Ill invest in a new one, should I go 2x or 3x? 3x seems the obvious choice but wouldnt want it to be too dark

Thanks again everyone for the warm welcome :) Dave

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richbyers

richbyers

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i think 2x is enogh, any more and your scope wouldnt cope i dont think

as for the focusing, it can be an extremely fine tuning business at high mag.

did you try very carefully to move the focuser to try and get it sharp?

rich

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sbooder

sbooder

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Focusing sometimes can be an exercise in patience. What you have to keep in your mind as you focus is, that you may well have it in focus but the seeing might be a little bad.

So what you do is focus to where you think is the sharpest you can get, then view and wait. If you eventually see a sharp image you are there, but if after a minute, you do not get even a moment of clarity, you tweak the focuser just a smidgen, and do it all over again.

Some nights though you will go out and bang, it is crisp from the off.

Good luck and stick with it, you will find your eye gets better after about a month or so of regular observing.

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JamesM

JamesM

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Hi Dave and a big welcome! :)

I had a look at my charts and I must admit you were very fortunate to spot that rare constellation, Pylonis Electrocus, as it's normally to low on the horizon to observe effectively! Apparently, the nebulosity is 'shockingly' good according to the latest 'current' imaging. :D:D (..sorry Dave I couldn't resist - I'll get my coat! :))

Wishing you the very best with your observations and most importantly, clear skies. :D

James

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daveyboy20

daveyboy20

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So I looked at the moon for the first time last night, so cool!

Managed to get a Rubbish photo with my phone hovering above the lens

moon.jpg

That was with my 20mm lens, the 10mm was quite good but didnt focus as well, is it possible with my telescope to get really close up views of the moons surface so I could intimately explore the surface details? What lens/equipment would I need to buy if so as Id love to really be able to get up close and personal so to speak!

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sbooder

sbooder

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The moon is the most forgiving of objects for high magnification, because it gives off so much light, but of course there is a limit to every scope. You should get good close up views with your 10mm and a good 2x barlow.

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