Some question's if i may

[MarcT]

Hello, well this is my first post so im new on the forums (go easy on me), my name is Marc and im 29, i always had an interest in astronomy but never really took it all that serious, i used to own a semi decent refractor scope (dont know model etc) but it was fun looking at the rings of saturn, moons on jupiter and of course the moon. I am a photographer by trade and i have always loved to take photos its just my number 1 passion. i recently bought myself a Nikon D700 which i am totally in love with.. My friend just the other day gave me a loan of his (i think) Skywatcher Skyhawk 1145P..

After viewing the scope i managed to get jupiter on a clear night tonight, it was i must admit pretty damn small, i could see 3 of it's moons and 1 red strip across the middle of it.. overall it was amazing to see but also very very small i mean it didnt have the WoW factor i was expecting, im presuming from my childhood days the refractor would of given me a much better view. Now to my questions.

Just how close can i expect to see from jupiter if i invest in a good standard refractor scope also can you recommend one, price range hmm say up to 600 quid, also do you recommend a goto mount if i wish to get into taking photos?

Next question is if i get a second scope that being a reflector, am i right in saying i wont see anything like in the photo of the week above? i mean i know the human eye cannot see the colors from what i have read but am i just going to see blobs and smudges regardless of the scope i own? as much as i love to take photos i would still appreicate the WoW factor from looking directly into the scope at some galaxies with color and the swirls of cloud that you see in some photos. If you can see images like the POW directly from a scope what would you recommend, budget say 1000 quid. i dont expect excatly whats in the image im not ignorant but im talking along the lines of or nothing at all like it, i also understand multiple exposures and long exposures so im also going to guess its blobs and smudges

anyways forgive any typos or incorrect words on my part im still new to it all. Thanks for taking the time to read my long winded post and for any replies.

[Moonshane]

welcome to the forum!

although the general rule of the larger the aperture, the more detail you will see in deep space objects does apply, you will never see anything like the POW through the eyepiece. the problem is that these things are so faint that the colour receptors in your eyes (cones) shut down and only the night vision / monochrome receptors (rods) work. This is what dark adaptation is. galaxies will only appear as milky splodges with occasional structure such as spiral arms etc from darker sites and with larger apertures. you'll only see all but the brightest nebulae (like the Orion Nebula which is a naked eye object virtually from dark sites) if you use a filter (like a UHC or Oiii which are not cheap) and even then it will be monochrome.

you really have to remember that what you are seeing is ridiculously far away and even being able to see it is amazing. adjust your expectations and you'll be a lot happier.

planets and double stars etc, can and do show colour but being so small (compared with eg a galaxy or nebula) will generally show a small disk in most scopes, especially in the UK where seeing restricts the magnification to perhaps 200-300x on most nights. at 250x, Jupiter will be about the size of a 10p piece at arms' length and Mars is even smaller, like a pea. that said, the detail you can see on good nights is incredible. occasionally you'll get a really 'steady' night and then you can push the magnification further subject to aperture and eyepiece quality.

stars never get any bigger with magnification increases but tighter doubles show more 'splittage' if you increase.

in terms of scopes, if you are thinking of imaging then the mount is key. you could probably get a good mount for about £500-700 and then maybe a 200mm reflector with a couple of eyepieces for the budget mentioned. I'll leave the choices to others as I am a visual only observer.

if you are interested in galaxies etc then aperture is the most important thing. in that case go for the biggest dobsonian you can handle.

many people get two scopes, one for deep space and a refractor for planets, moon and double stars. again with your budget you could get both for visual.

consider buying used off this forum - it's well worth it.

there was a 200mm dob for sale on here which has a decent spec and would be a great start.

good luck with your newfound interest!

[MarcT]

Thanks for the reply Moonshane, and yes i came into this kind of clueless in regards what i would get through the eye piece, that aside it would still be amazing to if even manage to photo such things, it would be a little unrealistic to expect to see a nebula with all it's colors from a normal telescope, if that was the case I'm sure astronomy would be the new football lol

As for the 200 dob yeah have that in my bookmarks and will patiently wait read and confirm everything before i jump in and make a purchase, i 2 have been a victim of an Argos special "nat geo" scope which went into the bin about an hour after it was built.

Looking forward to my discovery's, having fun just learning where different planets galaxies and such are located, that in itself seems to be a great deal of fun, and a Dob would be even better for the hunt.

[themos]

Hello Marc,

I think you should think about joining an astronomy society near you. It's a quick way of finding people with the knowledge and enthusiasm to guide you in what you want to do and you can have a look through their scopes as well so you'll know what to expect for your £100s.

[Moon Lander]

If you are looking at buying second hand from the forum, then you will have plenty of time to read up through the various postings on here and you will need to join in the discussions. To try to avoid the dealers, the forum rules are that you need a minimum of 50 posts before you can access the buy and sell section. With good interaction, it will only take a couple of weeks (or less) to get there and it is amazing what you will learn whilst you patiently wait.

Good luck with the imaging.

[MarcT]

Hello Marc,

I think you should think about joining an astronomy society near you. It's a quick way of finding people with the knowledge and enthusiasm to guide you in what you want to do and you can have a look through their scopes as well so you'll know what to expect for your £100s.

Yes thats a great idea and im going to phone about later on after i finally go nap alittle. I am pretty sure i will be even more hooked when someone who knows what there doing points into a distant blankness tells me to look and next thing i know its m27 or what not

[MarcT]

If you are looking at buying second hand from the forum, then you will have plenty of time to read up through the various postings on here and you will need to join in the discussions. To try to avoid the dealers, the forum rules are that you need a minimum of 50 posts before you can access the buy and sell section. With good interaction, it will only take a couple of weeks (or less) to get there and it is amazing what you will learn whilst you patiently wait.

Good luck with the imaging.

Ah thanks for the heads up i didnt realize there was such a section, appreicate the information

[ollypenrice]

As regards taking astrophotos, it is a complicated business and you need the right kit. Don't rush into anything. Some of the cheaper kit looks as if it can be used for photography but in reality it won't work for you. There is a good book called Making Every Pixel Count by Steve Richards and that would be a fine place to start your investigation.

As for the eyepiece, well, even in a 20 inch there is a touch of the FFB to what can be seen. (Faint Fuzzy Blob!!) However, with experience you get to tease out more and more detail and the Wow Factor grows on you. Of course there are instant Wows out there as well. Andromeda, M42, M13...

The planets are small but senstional.

Olly

[MarkF]

Hi Marc and welcome, its a bewildering choice and such a diverse hobby makes it all the more difficult to make that choice, like all things there is no all round scope for imaging and visual and planets and deep space. Bloomin typical but I am sure if you are a photographer you realise this, might want to consider a pair of binoculars to start with mounted on one of your tripods. Amazing what you can see with a pair of cheapish 10x50 bins.

Still lots to read and digest on here whatever you decide is going to be your particular delight in star gazing.