Without resorting to the dramatic, let me state this as simply as possible.

I really enjoyed my Celestron C8 telescope. Even though it was only 8”, it gave me a great view of anything I aimed it at. Although I have visited the Palomar and Laguna observatories, the largest telescope I have viewed the sky through was a 16 refractor. And that was too long ago.

I have excellent eyesight. I can see an object at least 2.9 million light years away . But at 59, my eyesight is beginning to fade a little. Even though the eye doctor says I have better vision for my age than almost anyone else, I can tell that I cannot see some of the distant things I used to be able to see. Perhaps that is because I had almost super vision most of my life.

The point is, the no one knows when their eyesight will begin to diminish. It will happen to all of us. If you are still young, I suggest that you buy a good telescope now. Buying a telescope is something that is easy to put off, as there always seems to be something that is more urgent. But take it from me, you will never get another chance to see as well as you see now. The largest, most expensive telescope will never compensate for good vision.

Instead of a new large screen TV, or a newer model car, go out and buy a telescope that is twice as big as the one you were planning on buying “someday”. All the digital images, all the photographs, and all the Hubble images that have ever been produced cannot compare to the real thing.

Do this for you.

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Reality: What a concept!……………………..><Ç(((Ç°>

I totally agree with everything you say!!
I am 77 now and still enjoy what I am doing. Built my first telescope when I was only 25. It was a 6" reflector. Will never forget my first view of Saturn!!
Then followed many years of lost chances for multiple reasons until a friend sold me his 9" homemade Dobs 6 months ago. What an experience that has been. I started doing afocal imaging and the support of members of this forum is invaluable. Everyone wants to help and advise.
See some of my recent images at:
http://home.telkomsa.net/mybirding/Afocal.htm

Thank you for posting this valuable piece of advice.

Phil

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If at first you fail, you're running average

Hello gentlemen. I have only recently pursued my interest in astronomy and before knowing too much, went and bought a Meade 114EQ-ASTR reflector 114mm aperture. It is a nice scope for beginners I think, but I have to say that I'm dissapointed a little about a couple of things, and (this scope is only a month old now) I'm planning on getting another one this year (a much more serious one), though my sons really like this one.

Here's the things that I didn't like. (This is my first time looking through a real scope and after actually studying a little astronomy) Saturn was just plain white. The rings were not as distinct as I'd have liked. It had kind of a 'glow' about it. If someone so much as steps near the scope, everything is shaking so much. Also, I can't seem to focus the high powered lenses and get a good sharp image of Saturn.

Now, I did buy a kit that (was almost as much as the scope) included several eyepieces, a barlow 2x and some filters. Is this scope just not good enough or am I doing something wrong? What's the best I can expect.

Don't get me wrong, it was neat seeing the rings (which you could easily make out) but I'm wanting to know if I spend $2000 on a scope, will the image be proportionally 10x better!

The moon was absolutely amazing though. Extreme detail.

Also, what about nebula's? I've seen a filter for that, but what will it give me?

Thanks for some advice to a newbie!

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Regards,

Ken Walker

I forgot to subscribe.

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Regards,

Ken Walker

Telescopes are often a disappointment for the beginner. Most things are fuzzy blobs (if you can find them) and the planets are mostly featureless tiny disks.

Before you go out and spend even more money, learn to see.

Saturn - can you see a disk? The rings? Then you're ok. Look for the change in contrast in the middle of the rings, the dividing line is the Cassini division (it isn't a black gap through a small telescope). Look at the disk - is there a darker band around the equator? And just may be you can make out that the pole is a little darker than the rest of the disk. After that you can chase down the satellites Titan, Tethys, Rhea, Mimas and Dione.

Jupiter - first thing can you see the two bands through the middle - those are the equatorial belts. That might be all you can see. On another night look to see two more bands north and south. The red spot appears a colourless blob if you're very lucky. Watch the 4 big satellites can you see the shadows on Jupiter?

Mars - can you see any variation of colour at all? Maybe Syrtis Major? That would be it.

Nebulae - start with M42 (Orion). Find the trapezium and the "fish mouth". Admire the green glow. Then see just how far the green goes, it get's fainter and fainter doesn't it.

Galaxies - frankly these are difficult for a 4.5". Andromeda (M31 and M32) are fuzzy blobs. If you get really good at finding things M81 and M82 are more rewarding - M82 looks like a cigar.

Don't expect to see awe inspiring detail or colours. Be satisfied to have seen a little. Go back tomorrow and see a little more. DSOs will be grey smudges, but you can find them. Please, please put away the expectations that stuff looks like the photos - it doesn't even through a 12".

On the question of what would a nebula filter do for you - the answer is not much on such a small telescope. You haven't got enough light to begin with - cutting it down will not help.

The tripod vibration can be improved - hang a heavy weight from the centre mount, fill the legs with sand or even replace the legs with wooden ones.

The reason Saturn is not clear at higher magnifications is due to the atmospheric conditions, known as seeing and transparency. Seeing is a measure of atmospherice stability, transparency is a measure of how much junk there is in the air (moisture, dust, pollution). These conditions have a pronounced effect on how much magnification you can use on a given night. Here in the Pac NW, I'm lucky if I can go beyond 100 - 125X on most nights, regardless of the quality of the scope. As far as Saturn being purely white with a glow, that could be attributed one or more of several things (though ozark is right, you need to get some experience 'seeing'):
1) Really lousy atmosphere
2) Eyepieces fogged up
3) Mirrors out of alignment (may need collimation)
4) Dirty optics (not likely since the scope is a month old)
5) Flaw in the mirrors shape

As far as the mount stabilty, that is an issue with lower cost equatorial mounts. It sounds like you may need to invest in a sturdier mount, though ozark's suggestions are definitely worth trying out.

A nebula filter might not do much for you, you need a fair amount of aperature to use those as they will dim the image a bit. More aperature = more light gathering ability. From what I've heard, you generally need 8" or so before a nebula filter becomes useful.

A good upgrade to that scope should you decide you want to would be an 8" or 10" dobsonian reflector. Dobs have the distinct advantage of being inherently very stable due to the design of the mount. A good 8" dob can be had for around $400 or less.

Hey thanks for the great input! First, I didn't mention this before, but I'll say it now, I sort of knew that the photos weren't what you really see. I read about technics of layer 12 or so pictures and achieving this spectacular image. Still, after the first peek, I was like 'it's just a dot', but the more I got into it, the better it was (after the initial let down) and now I'm trying to learn the constellations.

I will try your suggestions.

I have also pretty much decided on a 10" dob for my next scope...I'm even toying with the idea of building it myself.

I got up real early the other day for the purpose of seeing Jupiter, and I saw the four moons! I'm seeing things that I could never see without the scope, so in that sense it's great, I just wanted to make sure that I'm not missing anything. Thanks again.

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Regards,

Ken Walker

KennyD you don't need to spend $2,000 on a scope. You can buy a very good 10-inch Dob for less than $600. Check out the Orion site for the SkyQuest XT10 Classic, or check out the Sky-Watcher site.

I have the Orion XT-10 (although now mounted on an EQ mount that cost almost 3x the price of the scope) and can say that it has provided some very good viewing. Obviously the more doo-dads that you add the more expensive it gets. The best investment - after the scope - is in quality eyepieces.

Here's a review of the XT-10 by a member of an astronomy club:

http://www.novac.com/resources/reviews/xt10.php

Here is the 10" dob I have (the Orion XT10) and I'm very pleased with it: http://www.telescope.com/shopping/pr...oductID=252216

I've made a few easy mods to it, but it's quite useable right out of the box.

Building your own won't save you any $, though if so inclined, it will allow you to customize it the way you want, plus the satisfaction of knowing you built it yourself.

Also, a visit to a local astronomy club, and a look through a variety of telescopes (sizes, types, price ranges) could be a great investment and prevent disappointment or selecting the wrong telescope for you.

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"I'm as accurate as any psychic. And I'm a cartoon!" -- Squidward

"Arrrgh, the laws of physics be a harsh mistress!" -- Bender