Astronomy

[yesteryeargames]

We have quite a clear sky where i live as its a small town down in cornwall, and only a 10 min drive to the countryside where its pitch black and crystal clear. I have thought about binoculars but i want something more. I have always wanted to own a telescope but have lacked the funds and space before now.


Taking photos is not something i want to do right away as i need to learn more first and just get used to the sky , but it would be nice to know that i have the option in the future, so that is something i am taking into account now as i pick a scope.

Does that Skywatcher Explorer 200P EQ-5 have a motor ? am i looking at the right sort of scope

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Bn8KAeCDqg

can i at least expect to see with the naked eye views and a little bit of colour like in that video
thank you

[MisterBubbles]

But if you do decide for a scope i'd recommend the Celestron NexStar 4SE, ive a bigger aperture than this one, but its easy to move around and set up and has the nice goto feature which again helps you find objects and is pretty easy to set up given a few tries, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Celestron-Ne.../dp/B000GUFOBO

[yesteryeargames]

Looks compact and easy to move about,
do you need to buy extra scopes for it ? does it have a tripid with it for that price ? what exactly would i need ?

I am hoping for a good view of planets and maybe some dso ???,
As this has a motor can you manually just aim the scope without using the motor


I have read many reviews and it seems an excellent choice for a beginner and even experts praise it for the ease of use and moving about .

What can i honestly expect to see with without a camera, can you make out jupiter and all moons and a little colour , saturn and the rings.

could you view adromoder galaxy as a fuzz , any nebulas??


thank you

[EJG1980]

I've got a ?50 pair of binoculars that can just about see the moons around Jupiter, it's surprising what you can see with even modest equipment. You'll never get bored with seeing the likes of Jupiter or Saturn through a telescope! Even here in the outskirts of London with a fair bit of light pollution I can easily see colours and details on those planets with my scope, so you should have lovely views under rural dark skies.

I can see the Andromeda galaxy here as a fuzzy patch of light with a brighter centre, so you should get a similar view but clearer and with a bit more definition. Most things like nebulas and galaxies will look like fuzzy patches without any colour, but it's still amazing to track them down and see them with your own eyes.

One shop I find very good is Harrison Telescopes. When I bought my first scope I emailed them, told them the kind of things I wanted to do / observe, and they recommended me a scope based on that. You have to compromise in some ways whatever you buy, be it ease of use vs flexibility, types of objects the scope is best suited for, etc..

[MisterBubbles]

I think the celestron is s great starter scope, it comes with one eyepiece, the scope is the instrument , eyepieces come in all sizes and apertures, and prices. The celestron comes with a tripod and a wedge, wedge just makes it point more diagonally for photography, but one of the most important aspects of astronomy is actually observing them , and for beginners nothing puts them off easier is not finding objects and observing, the built in goto has a motor and catalogue which has a monthly tour of objects to view per month. Plus yesteryear it depends what you want to do with your scope, im probably on the fringes and want to do a lot of visual observing and drawings at the scope, but most people are more drawn to photography. Plus the type of objects you want to see should make your decision of choosing a scope easier.

[yesteryeargames]

Hi , just an update i have bought a skywacher skyliner 200p, in the end i decided to go for the better views than to have the go to system. Has anyone here used one before? they look huge and very solid perfect for beginners who are willing to learn the sky a little,


Does anyone know any good stargazing apps for iphone that will help me navigate the sky find things with the gps maybe ?

[MisterBubbles]

Sky Safari Pro if you can afford it, or the regular version.

[MisterBubbles]

http://www.google.co.uk/url?q=http://www.iphoneness.com/ipad-apps/5-best-ipad-astronomy-apps-for-stargazing/&sa=U&ei=mx_3UJPtH4qY1AXawYDwDw&ved=0CCYQFjAC&usg=AFQjCNHyJuW72ECnv2PZ2gsvhoPhXwoQpw

[EJG1980]

Hi , just an update i have bought a skywacher skyliner 200p, in the end i decided to go for the better views than to have the go to system. Has anyone here used one before? they look huge and very solid perfect for beginners who are willing to learn the sky a little,


Does anyone know any good stargazing apps for iphone that will help me navigate the sky find things with the gps maybe ?

Awesome, I've been so tempted to get a Dobsonian telescope, I'm jealous now

Another vote for Sky Safari Pro, it's very good.

I'd also download Stellarium for the PC as well. It's free, excellent, and you can do lots of cool stuff with it.

[MisterBubbles]

Another cool app for your PC to link to sky safari is main-sequence http://www.mainsequencesoftware.com/WFS.html

[EJG1980]

While tapping an object on your iPad / iPhone and having the scope go to it is very swish, personally I'm not sure it's worth the extra expense for the wi-fi adaptor when you can just use the hand controller on the mount.

Moot point for yesteryeargames anyway, with his fully manual scope

Can't wait to hear how you get on yesteryeargames! That scope under some nice dark rural skies should be a brilliant combo.

[yesteryeargames]

Thanks for the tips , i have just orderd a copy of turn left at orion i heard thats an excellent book for beginners do you know of any more i should look for ?

, I have had a 20 minute session before the clouds came in, which was not really enough to even cool the scope or so ive read,



anyway i had no idea what i was pointing at and i found Jupiter right away got a really lovely view of the bands and 4 moons,

I know this is nothing special just used an iphone help by the lens but also got some cracking views of the moon.

http://instagram.com/p/Ut_NyAMwhl/

http://instagram.com/p/UrkJpbswvZ/

http://instagram.com/p/Urj5OoswvA/

Very bright blury pic of jupiter,

http://instagram.com/p/UrnU86Mwjy/

I am hoping to get a 2 x barlow and a filter to improve my views, most of all hoping for a clear night, its been nothing but cloud all week.

Im really happy to be able to get a view of things like this, i have learnt a little , i think this hobby and scope will last a lifetime

[MisterBubbles]

Fantastic, great pics of the moon and im glad you've caught the bug, just wish i could drive as where i stay its terrible light pollution and i wouldn't take my 1K scope out here for some brass monkey to try and rob me. Will post more good books tomorrow.

[yesteryeargames]

Thanks, its a great hobby i have yet to have a clear night tho so the best is yet to come

I would like to learn exactly what im looking at how far away it is ect, maybe i need to keep some sort of record.

Have you upgraded any of your lens ? The one i bought comes with a 25 and a super 10mm

I am trying to get a 2 x barlow and look into getting a high quality one, or possibly 1 super lens that can be twisted to get different zoom levels ?

I think i need to get some proper time on the scope first learn a bit more before i spend any more , but would be great to have an idea so i can start saving as they are not cheap i know that much :P

[MisterBubbles]

You mean eyepieces? Lens are inside your telescope.