First viewing

[sammy1404]

So i got home today from school thought, ok its clear skies might be able to put my new scope to good use, as i looked up i saw the moon and this was at 4:15. So i thought you know ill try the scope (skywatcher skyliner 250px) just to see if it works in daylight. Well what can i say... it was fantastic!!! using my 25mm eyepiece i could see in detail the whole moon (well half because its half moon lol dont know the official term) cranked it up to 10mm and i was simply amazed, couldnt fit the whole moon in this time but saw individual craters in magnificant detail. So enoough of the moon i just scanned the skies with my eyes and looked for stars, couldnt find any. But then my mum pointed out one. It was really faint but i aimed the finder scope (unfortunately its not fully collimated right now but its pretty close tbh) then gazed through the 10mm, all i saw was a white round blob, put it in focus a bit and hey presto there is jupiter and 4 possibly 5 moons!!!!!!! i clearly saw the band across it but i dont think the red spot was there. I was simply gob smacked, absolutely amazing! and this was at 4:30, first time i had used the scope after unpackaging it yesterday and i saw jupiter (which was lucky tbh).

Absolutely fantastic and cant wait to put it to good use when its actually dark!!!

[brantuk]

Hi Sammy - great first report - I can feel the excitement in your words lol Just wait till you see Saturn, your jaws gonna drop - catch it in the South just before sunrise around 6:30 - 7:00 in the morning. But not on a school day eh!

If you haven't got it allready - download "Stellarium" - it's a free software plantarium and brilliant for finding stuff in the sky right at your location.

All the best

[Tigaroo]

Simply amazing when you see it for the first time! Good luck and happy viewing!

[sammy1404]

yeah i have stellarium and an app on my iphone like stelarium, both very useful, i just cant wait to put it to more use!

[BazMark]

I remember being astounded at the Pleiades and Beehive clusters when I first saw them in a SW 114PM I used to own. I can make out about 6 or 7 stars in the Pleiades without the use of a scope and I can't see the Beehive cluster at all due to light pollution were I live (Basildon Essex). But with a scope, even a small one, it's truly amazing what's over our head.

[brantuk]

Tomight you could try for M42 (Orion Nebula) and M45 (Pliedes) - both smashing objects and really very easy - you can see them naked eye. Also have a go at M31 (Andromeda) - bit difficult to find first time but very satisfying when you do. It will be straight overhead just under Cassiopiea and top left of the Great Square in Pegasus.

[JamesM]

Congratulation Sammy on your first observations - they will last a lifetime. Plenty of things yet to see with a dark sky so here's wishing that those clear skies keep coming your way!

James

[brantuk]

The Beehive is awesome in binocs too cos you get a nice wide field

[perrin6]

Sammy, you'll see a lot more detail on Jupiter than what you reported seeing, given reasonable atmospheric conditions, good collimation and a fully cooled scope.

[sammy1404]

thanks guys, unfortunately the cloud has beaten me tonight im hoping it will go soon though. Ive seen orion through binoculars but couldnt exactly make out much so i cant wait to see it through the scope