Re: Newbie Astronomy Misadventures (with Questions)
From: starburst (chills_at_deathtospammers.utexas.edu)
Date: 01/17/05
- Next message: John Schilling: "Re: can a moon sustain life in a solar system?"
- Previous message: Nick Theodorakis: "Re: can a moon sustain life in a solar system?"
- In reply to: Michael K: "Newbie Astronomy Misadventures (with Questions)"
- Next in thread: tony_flanders_at_yahoo.com: "Re: Newbie Astronomy Misadventures (with Questions)"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ]
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 21:50:50 -0600
Michael K wrote:
> Is an EQ mount supposed to be so hard to use? As Jupe moved westward,
> I was straddling a tripod leg with the counterweights bumping my hip.
> As it rose I was also having to stand on tip-toe and I am 6' 1"
> [Feet-inches, not minutes-seconds, BTW :) ]
Yes. Until you're used to it it's a real pain, and there will always be
parts of the sky where it seems like you just can't make the scope move
in the direction you want it to. Just keep after it and it will get easier.
>
> When looking for the comet, pointed westward, the EP was at 4 o'clock:
> is it normal to be so inconvenienced with 1 of the 4 cardinal points?
> Surely, you dont rotate the tube in the tube rings to move the
> focuser/EP to a comfortable position, do you?
Uhhh, yeah. I think that you'll find that comfort is extremely
important. When they talk about gazing at the stars, they mean just that
- *gazing*. The longer you stare at something, the better your eye will
become at seeing subtle differences and the better the chances will be
for that fraction of a second when the seeing clears perfectly,
everything gets steady, and suddenly you see another division in
saturn's rings, or four more bands on jupitier, or another star in the
trapezium. So rotate that tube away and sit down and look and look and
look. And on the same note, wear warm clothing and a hat when it's cold.
And buy or make a Denver Chair - they're the greatest invention since
pyrex. Be as comfortable as you can - it will pay off.
> The 6mm EP didnt seem to work at all. I thought I saw a flicker of
> light on the edge of the FOV but couldnt get it centered. Changing
> EPs moves the tube just enough that the object gets nudged off center
> (expected), but with the 6mm the FOV so tiny, it seems you would need
> a NASA/JPL laser precision type scope and major lockdown to make use
> of it. Is this basically accurate?
>
>
> And what is the deal with Jupiter? It was less than the apparent size
> of a pencil eraser at the best mag. M42 appeared to be about the size
> of a dime and I could only make out a faint hint of it with the naked
> eye. Jupe, on the other hand, gets very very sharp, but not
> significantly larger. It did appear a bit larger with the 15mm (66x)
> vs 40mm (25x) EP, but only marginally so - I got no sense of
> proportionality from them.
Part of the deal here is that the skyview eq is such a fast optical tube
assembly. On the one hand the focal length is so short that you can't
get much magnification out of it without using really short focal length
eyepieces. On jupiter, I don't see to much until the magnification
gets up to around 100 or 120x; and on the big planets I find the best
views around 175x - not more usually, and not less. And on the other
hand, the fast focal length means that collimation is critical. I mean
*critical*. You need to have the mirrors dialed right in to get the most
out of this scope on the planets and double stars.
You also need to be aware that everything looks better the farther from
the horizon that it gets. And that you need to give the scope plenty of
time to reach the same temperature as the air around it.
> Any suggestions on a Jupiter dimmer? As I said, it really looked like
> a B/W photo with 2 faint grey bands. Are there better times of the
> year to view it? Is it maybe just damn bright this time of year?
> Between the size and brightness/glare any chance of seeing the GRS is
> out of the question.
I think you'll find that once your scope is collimated, cool, and
pointing high in the sky, you'll get much better contrast and the glare
factor will abate. Other than that, I sometimes use a blue filter on
jupiter.
>
> Between The Sky software, Sky & Telescope's Sky Watch, SkyMap.com's
> monthly sky map and the many, MANY lists of objects and their RA/Decl
> on the internet (like SEDS) what is to be gained by buying a proper
> star atlas? I have _Star Watch_ which is good for what to expect and
> /great/ with star hopping instructions, but lacks RA/Decl coords
> integrated into the text descriptions. I end up conculting a list
> ordered by number anyway for M-objects.
>
> I have several lists printed out like Beginner's Watch List, Messier
> List, the SAA Top Non Messier list, The Urban List (brighter stuff)
> and Seasonal Lists etc and all come with coords and often maps. The
> reason I ask is because in a recent thread on books and references on
> Cloudy Nights, the virtues extolled seemed more related to enjoyment
> than reference quality. That's all swell, but I want educational
> stuff for now.
>
> What would be a good atlas/reference to buy for a total novice?
Download Cartes du Ciel and save your bread. It's got practically
everything. Turn Left at Orion is a good book for getting you started,
as is the Edmund Mag 5 Star Atlas, if you can find one.
Good luck, and welcome - Chris
- Next message: John Schilling: "Re: can a moon sustain life in a solar system?"
- Previous message: Nick Theodorakis: "Re: can a moon sustain life in a solar system?"
- In reply to: Michael K: "Newbie Astronomy Misadventures (with Questions)"
- Next in thread: tony_flanders_at_yahoo.com: "Re: Newbie Astronomy Misadventures (with Questions)"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ]
Relevant Pages
|
