Hints and Tips

[toml42]

Just thought I'd post a little trick that I've picked up, and perhaps others can contribute their own.

On Finding objects:

I've heard complaints in the past that finderscopes can be difficult to use, the inverted image, magnification and additional stars can make it difficult to find ones way around even simple constellations, particularly for a newcomer. I've heard people opt for red dot finders to get around this, but in my eyes they're missing out - all of the DSO's i've located so far were quite clearly visible in my finder!

Theres an easy way to get the best of both worlds - keep both eyes open! Start out with a bright star, and you'll find that you can have both the crosshaired high mag view, and the familiar naked eye view superposed and aligned.

Takes a little practice to be able to usefully interpret this superposed image, but it allows me to 'see' the crosshair with my naked eye and easily point my scope precisely at the area of a constellation that interests me, then use the finder eye to make fine adjustments.

[sgazer]

that's a very good technique, I also use it with my DSLR when just using a camera lens (as it has no finder!).

[NGC 1502]

Hi, I think that a nice idea is to have a red dot finder plus an optical one.

The RDF gets you close, and your chosen object may well be visible in the other.

Cheers, Ed.

[Hypernova]

I use this technique quite a lot while observing after reading about it somewhere and it works quite well for getting you in the right kind of area with a reasonably bright star that I am looking for in the FOV of the finder.

Although this won't work with a right angled finder, of course, so probably a red dot finder of sorts is required to get a marker star in the viewfinder. I am rubbish at finding stuff with a right angled finder, tried it once and took me ages to find m13, I think a telrad that is properly aligned and then go from there.

[toml42]

i really think i'd struggle with a right angled finder.

Having a red dot and a finderscope is a nice idea, i've also seen picture of someone using a laser pointer as a guide, that'd be cool

[culater]

Can a right angled finder be used with a red dot finder ?

Thanks

[NGC 1502]

Post #6, Yes it can. The largest scope in my club, a 20" Dob, has a Telrad plus

a r/a finder. r/a finders are loved by some, hated by others, so it's best to make

your own mind up.

Cheers, Ed.