New beginner. New telescope.

[mrwhippy14]

Hi this is my first post. Hope everyones well. My telescope ive aquired is as follows -

Startravel 102 SynScan AZ GOTO 102mm Refractor.

Specifications on my new telescope:

# Magnifications (with eyepieces supplied): x25 & x50

# Highest Practical Power (Potential): x204

# Objective Lens Diameter: 102mm

# Telescope Focal Length: 500mm (f/5)

# Eyepieces Supplied (1.25"): 10mm & 20mm

# 6x30 Finderscope

# Fully Multi-Coated Objective Lens

# 45° Erect Image Diagonal (1.25")

# SynScanTM AZ GoTo Computerised Alt-Azimuth HD Go-To Mount

# Power Requirement: 12v DC Power Supply (Tip Positive) or AA Batteries (not supplied)

# Stainless Steel Tripod with Accessory Tray

Im a complete noob. Ive used the plossl's but ive heard they are best for deep viewing in the sky ? (maybe not though) 'Ive only used the telescope once on the moon and on a star / planet yesteday. Not used it at all really. So i was wondering if anyone could recommend any other eyepiece i know my max mag is 100X at the mo with the barlow lens used. But would like to know what the forum thinks ?

Thanks in advance.

p.s. havent mastered the goto system yet as i dont have knowledge on the stars as yet...(but ive purchased a book on them also)

[milkyjoe]

Hi there.

I have the Sky-Watcher StarTravel 102 on an EQ1 mount so I will be interested to know who your scope performs. Like you, I am a complete noob, and trying to get used to my scope, too. It is well worth investing in a better barlow than the one you get with your scope - same goes for eps, but there is no rush. Familiarise yourself with your scope and eps first. Barlows are especially useful for planet/lunar observing as they effectively double you eps magnification!

I recently bought a Tal 2x barlow from FLO (sponsors of this site) and I also bought two plossls and have recently aquired a Baader Genuine Ortho 7mm ep (), which is supposed to be much, much better than the standard plossls out there; another good make to look out for are the Televue plossls, which are also supposed to very good. I'm currently looking for a 25mm one to replace my one that came with my scope.

Have fun and enjoy your new scope.

Richard.

[mrwhippy14]

Thanks for the reply. is yours the goto system ?

What have you managed to see with your standard EP's with this set ? And would you defientelty recommend upgrading . Thanks for the reply. Aprereicated.

[John]

My advice would be to give your new scope a chance to show what it can do before jumping into buying accesories for it. You need a few sessions under varying conditions to get a feel for it's strengths and weaknesses. Then you can invest in a more focussed (no pun intended !) way.

Your scope is a fast, achromatic refractor so it's strengths will be low to medium power views of star clusters, nebulae etc rather than high power viewing of the moon and planets. I thinlk you will find 100x - 130x the practical maximum power with it - despite what the spec says !.

You may find you want to invest in a 2nd scope, of longer focal length for higher power viewing - so hold back from spending more £'s for a bit if you can

[mrwhippy14]

Thanks alot. I will be giving it a go this weekend. I'll stay on this forum and hopefully one day be more of an expert .

[milkyjoe]

Thanks for the reply. is yours the goto system ?

What have you managed to see with your standard EP's with this set ? And would you defientelty recommend upgrading . Thanks for the reply. Aprereicated.

No, I opted to go without the goto system as I didn't really need one at the time and didn't fancy buying a million AA batteries, but I can definitely see why they are attractive newbies like yourself and me.

When I first started using my scope, I didn't have a clue to what I was doing, but did manage to take a look at the moon and saturn (you can't miss it as it's the brightest object in the eastern sky), but not much else!

As for upgrading, I would have to agree with John, to just take your time and get used to your current equipment first before plunging into buying loads of accessories. I would, however, recommend you join your local astronomy club as I have. It is a wealth of information, and the good thing is that you can get lots of help and advice.

Clear skies.

Richard.

[mrwhippy14]

Thanks again. Is Saturn a grey coloured planet , as you know i don't have a clue on much yet but I looked at the brightest thing in the sky yesterday. A grey slodge came through tbh. Then i got cloud cover. But it looked planet like...

I have considered on a club, which would help loads! How do i add you Rich maybe I could personally message you as we have the same scope and you maybe ablee to help again please

[John]

Download the freeware planetarium programme, "Stellarium":

Stellarium

Once you have saved your location, this will display what is visible in the sky for a particular time - very useful.

I've always found Saturn to be a pale lemon colour. Most astro objects are shades of grey though a scope though - don't expect the colours and detail that you see in photographs, even ones taken with a similar scope to yours - our eyes can't compete with what CCD's can capture !.

The highlight of the night sky at the moment is Jupiter (IMHO) which is clearly seen in the SE sky - it's brighter than any stars at the moment.

[milkyjoe]

Stellarium is a good free piece of software that I too use on a regular basis. You can download 'star catalogues', which can be useful for searching for DSO's, but is not essential.

As for Juipter, using my scope and a 10mm ep I can see it's 5 moons and 1 cloud belt quite clearly, and gives very sharp and crips views.

One thing to be aware of with achromatic refractors (that's both our scopes) is that they tend to suffer from what is known as chromatic aberration or CA as it's also known, which is basically a blue/yellow fringe around very bright objects, such as the moon and jupiter, but IMHO, it does not bother me.

Richard.