Equipment

[Bigmanzidane]

Hi there,

Just registered today and have become very interested since watching the Stargazing Live programmes on BBC last week.

My wife very kindly bought me a telescope for my birthday. Its a Jessops own brand TA800x80 and I took it out for the first time tonight.

Got some great views of the moon but when trying to view Jupiter close by, couldn't really make much out. Looked much like a silver blob in the distance, fair enough it was a little bit hazy outside.

Should I be able to see more detail with telescope? Not very sure as I am new to this, but also very excited to learn more.

Thank you

[Chris H]

Hi and welcome to the forum, glad you enjoyed the Stargazing live programs.

What eyepiece were you using? And what focul length is your scope? Jupiter is currently a good target in the night sky it's nice and bright which helps a lot. Even at low magnification you should be able to see the planet as a white dot with it's 4 largest moons strung out either side. At higher powers x100 and above you will be able to clearly see banding on the surface of the planet.

[stev74]

Hi and welcome to SGL,

You are exactly where I was 2 years ago when the missus bought me the same scope for Xmas. So it's a reflector with a 80mm mirror and a 800mm focal length on a alt-azimuth mount (it moves horizontal and vertical).

I'm not sure if it still ships with the same eyepieces now but the ones I got were really not very good and made of plastic - 20mm, 12.5mm and 6mm. The good news is you will get really nice views of the Moon and you will also get views of the brighter planets and maybe 1 or 2 brighter Deep Sky Objects (DSO's) like M42 a bright nebula in the constellation of Orion.

For Jupiter put in your lowest power eyepiece (EP) first, the one with the highest number on it ie. 20mm or H20 it will give you a magnification of x40. Then work your way up to the 12.5mm (x60) see how it looks then the 6mm (x133) remember you will need to adjust the focuser each time you put in a different EP. To work out the magnification of any EP in your scope just divide the focal length of the EP by the focal length of your scope - 800/20=40.

I think it also comes with a x3 Barlow which will triple the magnification of any EP you put in it. To be honest it really is pretty useless and will push the 6mm and the 12.5mm EP's over the maximum magnification of your scope.

Detail wise on Jupiter you should be able to resolve the planet into a small disc, see some banding on the surface and 4 moons.

OK now the bad news most or all department store or shop own brand scopes are really bad and should be avoided, unfortunately that includes yours. Saying that for me it was enough to get me hooked after seeing craters on the Moon, banding on the surface of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn hopefully it will do the same for you.

I soon upgraded my scope to what I have now a Skywatcher 200P and have never looked back, still you have to start somewhere so good luck and keep asking question.

Cheers

[rowan46]

welcome to sgl I hope you enjoy your new hobby

[cotterless45]

Welcome, best to start off inexpensively and build up. I know plenty folk who have spent too much money on gear they never use. Keep it simple and remember the scope you use will be the easiest to get out and set up.