My first telescope & my first questions

[phoebus]

Hello all again.

So I finally made the move and bought my first telescope, the Skywatcher Telescope N 130/650 Explorer BD AZ-S GoTo (here).

As expected he manual that came with the telescope is pretty crappy, definitely didn't help much, except perhaps in assembling the telescope.

My very first question, for which I think I already know the answer but I really want to get it out of my system (feel free to use as much verbal abuse as you like directed at me because of asking this) - isn't the front part of the telescope facing the sky supposed to have some sort of lens fitted to it?!!!!!

Furthermore, my telescope has a large lid cover which can be removed but at the same time the lid has two round "extrusions" one of them with its own smaller lid that can also be uncovered. So, 2nd basic question, is there a "rule" or a "preferred" way as to which one of the lids to have uncovered when using the telescope?

I've correctly set up the finder scope and did my first test in the daylight and then at night I pinpointed a bright object in the sky, centered it in the finder scope and proceeded to observe. But to my disappointment all I could see was a small white dot. I've also tried the different lenses that came with the telescope but nothing.

Btw, the lenses that came with it are the following (again, I would appreciate some pointers on when it's best to use them):

Super 10mm lens

Super 25 Wide Angle lens

Barlow 2X lens

Furthermore the packaging included the following items that have me puzzled as to their use:

a philips screwdriver sealed inside a plastic bag along with a triangular metallic bracket that just reads “screwdriver” on it

a hollow eye-piece with two mounting screws fitted to it

So, any tips on how to get started with this and do some super basic viewing would be greatly appreciated!

Many thanks for all your help.

P.

[Breakintheclouds]

Hello all again.

My very first question, for which I think I already know the answer but I really want to get it out of my system (feel free to use as much verbal abuse as you like directed at me because of asking this) - isn't the front part of the telescope facing the sky supposed to have some sort of lens fitted to it?!!!!!

Not on this type of scope. Some scopes - refractors, Schmidt-Cassegrains - have lenses at the end, but yours is a Newtonian telescope: a wonderfully simple and effective design which just uses mirrors.

Furthermore, my telescope has a large lid cover which can be removed but at the same time the lid has two round "extrusions" one of them with its own smaller lid that can also be uncovered. So, 2nd basic question, is there a "rule" or a "preferred" way as to which one of the lids to have uncovered when using the telescope?

In almost all cases you'll want to remove the cover entirely. In principle you can use the smaller hole to get better views when looking at planets, as this changes the aperture of the scope and so the f/ratio, but I've not had good experiences with that myself.

I've correctly set up the finder scope and did my first test in the daylight and then at night I pinpointed a bright object in the sky, centered it in the finder scope and proceeded to observe. But to my disappointment all I could see was a small white dot. I've also tried the different lenses that came with the telescope but nothing.

Slightly tricky without knowing what you were looking at, but I should point out that most stars only ever look like bright dots...!

Btw, the lenses that came with it are the following (again, I would appreciate some pointers on when it's best to use them):

Super 10mm lens

Super 25 Wide Angle lens

Barlow 2X lens

25mm is a fairly wide-angle eyepiece, for looking at big things such as clusters, starfields and so on; 10mm is for looking at smaller things such as planets, detail on the moon, small nebulae. If you put either eyepiece into the Barlow, it'll double its magnification. So, for example, if you put the 10mm eyepiece into the Barlow it'll be the same as a 5mm eyepiece, and give you even more zoomed-in views.

[brantuk]

Newtonians don't have a lense at the front as mentioned above. The light reflects off the primary (bottom) mirror, up to the secondary (diagonal) and out through the focuser - simple as that.

The cover/lid is usually left off during normal viewing. However - if viewing a full moon - you may want to replace it and just uncover one of the smaller holes. The moon is very bright and this will reduce the glare to your eyes.

The 130's a nice scope with great capabilities but the supplied ep's and barlow are only basic, you may wish to upgrade them once you get used to the scope.

To calculate magnification divide the ep size into the focal length. Your scope is 650mm focal length so a 10mm ep gives you 65x magnification. The barlow will double it to 130x. So effectively you have 4 mags with your set up. This will be useful when choosing ep upgrades.

Hope that helps and have fun with your new scope

[GrumpyRob]

Hi Phoebus,

You are not alone, I am in exactly the same situation as you, just got a Celestron 103eq as a gift and have to say I am a little underwhelmed so far. Everything I have managed to focus on (difficult enough in its self) appears no different to the naked eye. Dont get me wrong I was'nt expecting too much from the scope, but like you I am after some advice or pointers to improve my none too impressive start into the world of astronomy.

[MarkF]

The instructions that come with the scope, are literally how to assemble the scope. Instructions for the night sky comes on the net or in books or local astro club.

Looking at a star through the scope is not going to really wow you as a beginner what you need to do is a bit of reading and researching, what you want to look at, when will it be visible in the sky for your location. There is a wealth of info on this forum.

Get stellarium as a free skymap prog as a starter, have a read around and see what you want to try and see Deep sky objects, planets, moon, double stars. If you know not a lot about the night sky then start with the moon when its up next, do a lot of reading and ask questions, if you get frustrated and lost the interest will dwindle.

A first book to get is Turn left at Orion, that will get you on the right track.

There are so many variables in observing its very bewildering.

edit: Oh and this time of year depending on where you are may not be a good time as it doesn't get very dark the further North you are.

[nr7286]

I think almost everyone on here likely has memories of frustration during the first use of their scope, myself included. I'd try the moon first, then give saturn a try. try using the software that came with it or stellarium (free download) to make sure you are really pointed at what you are looking for. When you get saturn in view it'll be worth all the time and frustration

[nr7286]

also you have the celestron 130eq? that is what I have. The findercope on it kinda sucks and requires some patience to get things in view. try to get your object in view with your largest mm eyepiece then go higher mag from there. also the 20mm eyepiece that comes with it isnt that great either but works for getting things centered for the 10mm. good luck

[ZOG]

I agree with the advice given above. A good book like "Turn left" will vastly improve your observing. Just pointing the scope at the sky ***** nilly will (unless you're very fortunate) just show lots of stars that don't look very different from the naked eye view. You need to learn WHERE to point it.

I'd also recommend a red dot finder. It makes finding objects so much easier.

[GrumpyRob]

Thanks for the info guys.

I am now looking for a red dot finder, is the Baader 30mm sky surfer on FLO any good and will I be able to fit it to my Celestron 130.

Also I would really appreciate some advice on Lenses and what I should buy and as I live near Heathrow light pollution is an issue so would I benifit from a filter.

Sorry for all the questions but hopefully I will be able to do the same for someone else in a few months down the road.

[sn00p]

i personally wouldnt bother with either Eye Pieces (Lens) or (RDF) Red dot finder until you have used the scope for a good few months... Get a decent book/planisphere and Stellarium...

Seeing you have Goto you just need to align correctly tell the scope what you want to view and the scope should be close or bang on... the EP'ssupplied are fine for now and the RDF in my opinion is a waste of time as you have goto so should only be using the finder for aligning??? of course if your going to use it semi manual or for photography or maybe a webcam then yeah "maybe" a RDF but i think you'll find the crosshair 6x30 is just fine... Personally i opted for a 90' finder as i was sick and tired of crawling round the floor when trying to aling up high but then i have a mak127. LP filter i didnt like on my 127 i thought it dimmed the view too much but thats a personal thing... at £19.99 for a SkyWatcher one its worth a go i suppose.

If you really want EP's then i suggest a good some where between 6-8mm planetary (depending on viewing)for a little more mag on bright subjects and maybe a 32mm WA for DSO??? the supplied EP's all though not the best are OK.

[MarkF]

Rob,

Just looked at the scope on Amazon, it says motor drive I am guessing that is just one drive to track the object in the eyepiece, it certainly doesn't mention a GOTO, bonus if it has but if not then a RDF would be a bonus and it really depends on your budget as to what you buy.

I would get used to the scope with the supplied 20mm and 10 mm Eye pieces for now check out what impact your light pollution has on your viewing. TBH I live at the same latitude as you in Berkshire and the skies are not getting dark enough to see and the best is after midnight so you won't be able to make a judgement call on seeing the deep sky stuff until the end of the summer really. You should get some cracking views of the lunar surface with the 10mm though.

Have a look for messier objects in Stellarium, they IMHO should be your first attempt at deep sky and some of them you will struggle with but M3 fe. should be visible albeit faint for you. The higher mm the better for that sort of object in the eyepiece range. Look at the mag (magnitude) of the object generally the lower the easier to see m3 is 6.40 easily achievable in your scope depending on dark skies, its a light grey fuzzy patch in my 114mm.

When I first started I realised you soon needed a map to find things and wildly scanning the sky really doesn't work that well, with Mars and saturn up they are easy to find and from these two you can work out nearby constellations.

I would start a thread "RDF for under£? recommendations" and see what comes up, you never know someone may be selling a decent one for the price you are wanting to spend.

[MarkF]

Just remembered the Finders - Rigel QuikFinder Compact Reflex Sight seems to have a good following and people just stick the base on so no drilling.

[Chris H]

When looking at stars they are so far away from us that even in much bigger telescopes they only appear as dots.

I have a Skywatcher 130p basically the same scope as you but without the GOTO and it is an excellent little scope delivering great views of the moon, planets, nebula and star clusters. I think you need a few more goes with it and everything should fall into place. Good luck.

[sn00p]

i just checked the link and it is indeed goto... has a synscan handset and 40'000 catalogue so bonus :-)

therefore no point wasting money on maps and books just yet.... theres a section on this forum that has drawings and sketches which are FAR more realistic of what you might see at the eyepiece rather than the rather flash glossy and colourful PROCESSED photos...

DSO's you will most likely be looking for small fuzzy patches like distant smoke smudges... M44 Beehive will be a little more "starry" but crystal clear concentration of stars... Looking at Stars in themselves will be just that apart from slight colour definition and the odd double/triples etc that when viewed through the scope become actually 2 or 3 stars hence being so bright to the naked eye.

As said above the sky REALLY needs to be dark so little light pollution, NO moon and late nights for viewing DSO's so to start try double stars, moon and planets (venus/mars/saturn and jupiter) unfortunately Mars is tiny right now and Saturn is low in the sky early :-( but on the up side Jupiter yhe largest planet and indeed in the eyepiece also is on the up....

I live in a semi rural area but its still in the dreaded light bubble and for me with 5" mak on most nights i can barely make out M3 and M13 which are some of the brighter Globs... M57 requires averted vision etc etc but on rare occasions when the conditions allow you will be blown away with what you can see... Patience Patience Patience im affraid... well either that or deep pockets lol.

Get yourself on google earth and find a nice un populated area close by check light pollution maps and get the scope in the car... You maybe pleasantly surprised. I see as much with my 10x50 bins at my dark site as i do through my 5" at home :-(

[sn00p]

oh and if you want i will sell you my barely fingered "turn left at Orion" book. Mint condition £10 + P&P.... it got me started on what to view and when but with the goto you dont really need to know how to find it you just need to know how to align the scope correctly ;-)

[MarkF]

Snoop, I think you are looking at the link for the first poster, Rob has a different scope a Celestron 130eq which I am sure doesn't have a goto facility. Unless I am missing the point totally

[Astro_Baby]

The 130/650 will easily resolve planets - take a look at my review of one here Review of the Sky-Watcher 130PMfor some sketches of Jupiter and Saturn (actually they are pics that have been arted up to make them more representative).

The cap that covers the front of the scope (dust cap) has two caps on it. Only one of these is removable. The other one is to hang the removable cap on when its in use.

Basically when observing bright opjects like the moon or some planets by removing one of the smaller caps you increase the scopes focal ratio (the ratio between the size of its primary optical surface and the length of the scope) which can imporve the contrast and reduce glare.

The tools you got are for assembling the scope and collimating. The strange tringualr thing is for use as a screwdriver.

The hollow eyepiece with two screws on it is I assume part of the focuser and its the bit the eyepieces go in.

As already said all stars will look like tiny white points of light because of the extreme distance BUT you will see more of them and more impressively clouds of them in some of the Messiar objects like M42 and M13. Dont expect hubble like images BUT my bet is when you see Saturn for the firts time or Jupiter and its moons or M42 you will be suitably wowed.

Dont let a bad start put you off at all - this game needs patience and time. Its not an instant thrill but do ask questions and you will always get a decent reply on this board.

Mel

[Astro_Baby]

ps - the Celestron 130 is not execatly the same as a SKy-Watcher 130 - the ones I have seen have their finder built into the front ring of the scope (one of the reasons why I always sugget getting the SKyWatcher version). As a result it doesnt have a Vixen accessory shoe for a replacement finder to mount onto. You wopuld have to buy a finder shoe and fit it. Its simple enough and requires only two small drilled holes. JUst be careful if you do it and dont let metal flakes get on any of the mirrors.

[sn00p]

Snoop, I think you are looking at the link for the first poster, Rob has a different scope a Celestron 130eq which I am sure doesn't have a goto facility. Unless I am missing the point totally

My bad??? oh well theres some good info for both there anyways... right back to the day job:D

[bish]

Sorry if I repeat the other replies, I'm off to work so have just glanced over the thread.

My first scope was Skywatcher explorer 150 - fairly close to yours. I found that using a pair of small bins helped me locate objects easier. As suggested you really need a good book or stellarium. Once you start to find your way around the sky and locate the brighter objects (such as M13 and M42 mentioned above,) it will all start fall into place. M27 is another good one to start with. The planets take practice and patience. My first look at Jupiter with supplied eyepieces showed nothing but an orange disc. The more you look the more you see.

You'll never see views like the magazine pics but when you learn what to expect and what you are looking at you'll get lots of enjoyment from your scope. I was hooked the first time I looked around the Moon with the 10mm eyepiece

[GrumpyRob]

Thanks again Guys,

All you replies are vey encouraging and filling me with renewed optamisim, just waiting for a clear night to try again (very frustrating).

I am going to change the finder scope on my Celestron as the supplied one seems pretty pants, if anyone could recommend a half decent one that wont break the bank it would be appreciated.

[Chris H]

GrumpyRob, does your scope have a red dot finder? If so they are pretty good as long as you have fairly decent skies and can see enough stars. One tip for using RDF's is to make sure that when using it you have both eyes open. I presume you are in the UK, this time of year is not the best for astronomy it just does not get dark enough, when we are a couple of months past the longest day things will improve greatly.