what have you seen with your 130mm reflector

[amyscott]

im still getting used to my telescope and would love to hear from similar people with the similar scopes so i know what your results have been , any pics of your results would be great too

thanks amy

x

[Neilius]

Hi Amy,

I don't have any pics to show, but in the 3 months Ive had my 130mm, I have seen much more of the sky than what my previous telescope could reveal. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Venus planet wise, Orion Nebula, Pleides, Sirius, Aldebaran and loads of others.

In fact, I was awarded a bursary yesterday from my Uni (I'm a mature student) and I am seriously thinking of upgrading to a 200mm Skywatcher. If I could sell my Celestron Astromaster 130eq I definately would buy it. Any takers?lol!

[D:Ream]

Depends on price and location!

[Porl]

I've been really enjoying my Astromaster 130eq since I got it last month. I've not seen as much as I would have hoped so-far but what I have seen has really blown me away.

I've mainly only been looking at the moon when its about and have been amazed with the craters. I've looked at Jupiter and can see the one cloud band but havent been able to see the Great Red Spot doh. I've also been looking at the Pleides and the Orion Nebula.

I saw ( I think ) the andromeda galaxy the other night but just as I found it a cloud went over it, then when i tried to get it back in to my focuser I lost it with a nudge as I hadnt balanced the scope doh.

Im trying to find some information on good things I'll be able to view with my 'scope, what have you guys been able too observe with your 130mm's?

Oo I also saw 2 satellite's the other night too which was pretty awesome and quite a surprise

Porl''

[amyscott]

hi porl , well i only had mine for christmas too , and so far i have seen the moon , jupiter ,uranus , orion nebula , a few double stars , the pleides , andromeda galaxy and a few star clusters , also been experimenting with my modified webcam.x

[jasonp]

Sounds like you have been doing well too see all that already, especially in our skies.

Took me 4 or 5 attempts to find andromeda and uranus.

[amyscott]

helps that me and my partner do it together , many hands make light work.lol

[LukeSkywatcher]

I think my proudest moment with my 130mm scope was seeing M57 (The Ring Nebula). I never thought my scope would be able to see it but it did. Yes it was TINY but it was perfectly formed. Like a little smoke ring in the sky.

Other impressive objects were:

Sombrero Galaxy,Black Eye Galaxy,a couple of nice galaxies in Leo and M3 off the top of my head. M31,M42,M44,M45 etc are all pretty SWEET (ok the Andromeda galaxy isnt really that good in a scope. Its better in large bins as is M44). The constellations of Auriga and Coma Berenices are always worth a look because they have some nice objects in them that are easily visible with 130mm.

So as you can see a 130mm scope is pretty good at showing DSO's. I dont get much of a kick out of observing planets with my 130mm (650mm focal length) scope. For planets i much prefer the views given by my 90mm refractor because it has a much longer focal length (1000mm).

[amyscott]

you really have seen a lot paul , more than i have imagined i would be able to see , so i will keep an eye out for things you have listed.x

[flashbennett]

Good info of what you have seen lukeskywatcher, didn't think be able to see all that.

Thanks

[RMcCallum]

I know this is an old thread but I'd thought I'd add my thoughts.

I received a Skywatcher 130 for my birthday about 6 months ago. For the first couple of months, I was really just getting used to the ins and outs of the scope, that and the fact I didn't really know where to begin, meant I saw very little. Then, winter came and so did the clouds, (above me anyway) cutting my off from my night time fix.

However, in my current telescope, I have been able to see, the Moon, the Ring Nebula (awesome), The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules (a bright splodge), Andromeda (a fainter splodge), Brocchi's Cluster (made me chuckle), Albireo (a favourite), Orion Nebula and Jupiter.

In my very, very old telescope (so old I can't remember the name or aperture) I also saw Saturn (EPIC).

I have also come to realise that planning is an essential part of astronomy. If you haven’t already get Stellarium, a very useful piece of kit. Also make a list of things you want to find for the night and record observations ect. when you do. Makes observing very rewarding.

My current project is a slow Messier marathon. I hope to find at least 2 of Messier’s objects per session. If you’re stuck for ideas this is a good one.

Regards,

Rupert

[sunnyandtony]

Ok, so I got my Canon 1100D a couple weeks ago, and since that time, I have been really keen on finding out what I can about telescopes and mounts in my price range, and I am mostly interested in photos of planets. I know that you can only really see a few of them (as there are only eight and one is just too plainly obvious) so I know I will get interested in Deep Sky Objects at some point. I am curious though what it means to see a planet, say Jupiter (the one I am most interested in seeing) through a 130mm telescope.