New telescope help

[pakazmir]

Hi,

I've recently received a like-new Meade DS-114EC reflecting telescope (114mm/4.5" apeture, f/8, F=910m). It also came with a few eyepieces and the Autostar thingy. Problem is – I’m a relative noob and I don’t know how to get the most out of this telescope.

I’d like to look at planets and moons (Saturn, of course, being a favorite target) , but I’d also like to look at some cooler deep sky objects (galaxies, nebulae, clusters, etc.).

So, generally, any advice?

One specific question I have is: what eyepieces should I have/use with this telescope? I mentioned it came with some…I have a 9mm “MH” (whatever that means), 5mm and 16mm “Plossls,” and (I can’t find them right now) I think both some sort of Barlow lens and an image inverter. I want to get as big, bright and clear a view of the deep sky objects specifically, but don’t know what kinds and sizes of eyepieces “go” with this telescope.
I have some questions about the mount and motors but I’ll post those in a separate thread.

Thanks!
Peter

[aurora]

Start with the 16MM plossl. That is probably a decent eyepiece, should have usable eye relief (you shouldn't have to mash your eyeball into the glass to see stuff) and is low enough power to give you a wide enough field of view so you can find stuff.

As was pointed out in another recent thread, the book Turn Left at Orion is great for new telescope owners. It will help you find things to look at with your 4 inch scope, and tell you what to expect when you see it.

Note that the higher the power you use, the larger, fuzzier, and dimmer the objects will be. With a 4 inch scope, you will only be able to use high power eyepieces on very bright objects (like the moon and Venus) effectively.

[schlaugh]

I’d like to look at planets and moons (Saturn, of course, being a favorite target), but I’d also like to look at some cooler deep sky objects (galaxies, nebulae, clusters, etc.).

...I have a 9mm “MH” (whatever that means), 5mm and 16mm “Plossls,” and (I can’t find them right now) I think both some sort of Barlow lens and an image inverter. I want to get as big, bright and clear a view of the deep sky objects specifically, but don’t know what kinds and sizes of eyepieces “go” with this telescope.

Firstly, welcome to BAUT!

As for your eyepieces, highly recommend that you read the article below, but I'll offer a short version here. For a scope with a 114mm objective and a 1000mm focal length you should keep your expectations relatively low for high magnification.

To determine how much "power" an eyepiece can provide, divide the focal length by the length of the eyepiece. Since the DS-114 has a focal length of 1000mm a 100mm eyepiece would yield a magnification factor of 10x (1000mm/100mm). Which means your 5mm eyepiece should yield a magnification factor of about 200x. Except that unless you have really awesome seeing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seeing_%28astronomy%29) and a VERY steady mount, all you likely see for Saturn, for example, is a bright blob. Not saying impossible, but not likely.

For deep sky objects, such as those on the Messier (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Messier#His_catalogue)list, use larger eyepieces such as 30mm, and 40mm. DSOs are actually fairly large objects so the more light that can reach your eye, the better. And with any eyepiece, higher magnifcation = less light that reaches your eye.

The image inverter is probably useful for observing buildings, birds, wildlife, etc. else the image would be upside-down. And of course the Barlow doubles or triples (depends on if it's a 2x or 3x) the magnification of any given eyepiece. But see the comments above about higher power and actual results.

Astronomical Telescope Eyepieces: A Discussion for the Beginner (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=4&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.observers.org%2Fbeginner%2Fey epieces.freeman.html&ei=77SmSeKYEuHAtgf79bn0Dw&usg=AFQjCNEhXdmtRy3lpLB-TF6-tT0K06g6dA&sig2=oBstBmlhuiaP07O6m4UQ9w)

Good luck!

[pakazmir]

Thanks! I'll definitely get that book.

What would be considered a "high power" eyepiece for this scope? Are both my 9mm and 5mm eyepieces?

Thanks again,
Peter

[schlaugh]

Peter our posts crossed in the ether...see my comments above. The 5mm yields more magnification than a 9mm which yields more magnification than the 16mm. But that 5mm may not produce very good results.

[pakazmir]

schlaugh:

Thanks! For the welcome and the info :) I'll go and read that link as well.

I got it out last night and was looking at venus with the 16mm eyepiece and it was pretty good but a lot smaller than I was expecting (maybe the apparent size of a pea held at arms length). Is that about the most I can expect from this scope in regards to planet watching?

(Wanted to look at Lulin but it got cloudy later in the evening...maybe tonight.)

So I'm kind of getting from the posts that the 16mm eyepiece is probably the highest power I should be using regularly with this scope, maybe the 9mm occasionally, but also look into getting something around 40mm for other objects? Does it matter what "kind" of eyepiece? (Again, I'll read the link, too...)

Thanks again,
Peter

[Siguy]

A 32mm Plossl has really the max field of view you can get with a 1.25'' eyepieces. 40mm is just the same field made smaller, so it is redundant.

Some Meade DS scopes have focusers that might actually take 2'' EPs. See if you have a 2'' eyepiece holder, if not, you can get one for four bucks here (http://cgi.ebay.com/Meade-DS-2-inch-2-newtonian-focuser-screw-on-top_W0QQitemZ360106486743QQcmdZViewItemQQptZEye_Pi eces_Accessories?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116).

2'' eyepieces allow for wider fields and better images, but tend to be more expensive than 1.25''.