How does it work?????

englishrose29 · Dec 26, 2005

Hi, Ultra beginner question.. . I bought a Newtonian reflector telescope for my husband for Xmas; but neither of us knows how it works! I spent 3 hours putting it together and tryng to decipher which way round it goes... When I look through the finder scope, the image is very blurred; through the other way it is net but reduced! Which one? Is it poss to focus the finder? When I try outside, it's imossible to see anything at all; all is black, and yes, I did remember to take the cap off the front! What eyepiece should I use first? Do I put the eyepiece in directly or do I need to put the erecting eyepiece thing first? is the finder scope at the bottom end of the scope, or at the top end (when pointing upwards)? Do I point the black, covered end in the direction I want to look or the open end????? Any mega basic help getting started would be fantastic! Thanks, Lucy-Jane

scopenoob · Dec 26, 2005

You sure you bought a telescope from a MAJOR brand? That sounds like you bought from a non-telescope store. Anyways, if it is a good brand.... Finder Scope: look into the smaller part of scope, and you can focus some finders, not all. All black: you have to aim it at a star or planet, or esle you won't see anything. Which Eyepiece: Just stick the eyepiece in. (simpliy put...) Start with a low power Finderscope location: on top Pointing: The open end Also you need to align the finderscope Still, it sounds like you have a cheap department store telescope.What brand is it? How much did you pay for it? Where did you buy it? I can help you more if you answer the above questions

Saiph · Dec 27, 2005

your best bet is to start in the daytime on a hill somewhere (so you can see far away). For the newtonian scopes (basically a bucket with a curved mirror) you point the open end at your target. If there is a "corrector plate" closing one end (in which case you have a cassegrain style scope), the "open" end is the end you look in to see the mirror yourself. Don't worry about any erector adapters, just learn to aim with everything backwards (which is what people tend to do anyway), as the extra piece can make images worse. Once you've got your scope aimed at something, like a clocktower, billboard, or whatever. Look through your finderscope (I highly recommend buying a "telrad" finderscope btw). Odds are, it isn't pointed at the same spot. Loosen and tighten the various screws around it, to aim it at the same spot your scope is pointed. While doing this, make sure to look through the scope occassionally too, as you'll probably bump it out of place. Once this is done, it will stay roughly aligned unless you really bump the scope during setup or use. Always check this alignment when you setup the scope (at dusk on a object nearby, and at night on stars or planets). Without knowing the specifics of the scope (size, brand, model, etc) that's about as much help as any of us can give you. Oh! and "larger" eyepieces (30-40 mm) give less magnified images, great for finding things. Then go to smaller eyepieces (15-25 mm) to "zoom in". Zoom in to much, and the image can get blurry though (regardless of weather, sky conditions, and focusing), so you sometimes end up with the best image in the mid-range somewhere. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> --------------------SaiphMOD@gmail.com -------------------"This is my Timey Wimey Detector. Goes "bing" when there's stuff. It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually. I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

englishrose29 · Dec 27, 2005

Many thanks for the help! I bought the scope from a seller in Germany for £43 (around $100) who seemed to be very reputable... There's a TS logo on the side but nothing else, and 70076 on the box. I'm starting to feel I made a mistake; but as it was a first for my husband and myself it seemed to be better not to invest a huge amount of money.

englishrose29 · Dec 27, 2005

Thanks Scopenoop and Saiph for taking the time to explain all that! <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

scopenoob · Dec 27, 2005

You sold return that or it's going to rot in the closet. Always buy a Orion, Meade, or Celestron telescope. Personaly I think Orion is the best of the bunch because all of their telescopes are of great qulity and they provide good value. You'll need to buy from a TELESCOPE STORE. No walmarts, no camera stores. Also people at telescope stores at usually friendly and helpful and will teach you about stuff. Never buy a telescope that says "450X power" or something. You'll want a telescope at least 4.5 inches wide. Also you may want to look at the 6" dobs. They're pretty huge for a beginner though

Saiph · Dec 27, 2005

if there is no telescope outlet nearby, the company catalogs serve just as well. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> --------------------SaiphMOD@gmail.com -------------------"This is my Timey Wimey Detector. Goes "bing" when there's stuff. It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually. I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

englishrose29 · Dec 27, 2005

Hi, thanks again for the help - telescope body is over 4.5 ", but opening itself at (what I now know to be) front is about 2" wide; is it this opening that should be 4" wide? I checked out the place where I bought it; it is a specialist telescope store in Germany. This is URL of scope: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dllViewItem&item=7572785005 whaddya reckon? A good evening to all, Lucy-Jane

englishrose29 · Dec 27, 2005

I think link doesn't work - this one should: http://www.telescope-service.com/newtonians/start/newtoniansstart.html#n76mm

harmonicaman · Dec 27, 2005

Does your telescope have the Alt-Azimuth mounting or an Equatorial mount? (An Equatorial mounting is a complicated counter-weighted mechanism which allows you to more easily track stars with your telescope as they "Move" through the sky.) Do start by viewing distant objects on the ground. This will familiarize you with the telescope movement controls and eyepieces. See what all the different eyepieces do! Try the Barlow lens only after the telescope is already focussed on an object with another eyepiece; it's a bit tricky to use... The Erecting Prism is necessary for viewing things on the ground as its sole function is to turn things right side up! It generally isn't used for astronomical viewing because you don't really need to turn things right side up in space. DO NOT LOOK AT THE SUN!

scopenoob · Dec 27, 2005

I highy recommed you buy this one: http://www.telescope-service.com/Celestron/Newtonians/Newtonians.html#NT150 It's expensive but you've chosen an expensive hobby If you can't afford that at least get this: http://www.telescope-service.com/OrionUSA/reflectors/reflectors.html#StarBlast The eyepeice that came with your telescope is useless. You're better off looking at the sky with your naked eye then use that eyepiece. If really need to use that telescope, you'll need to pay $60 USD for an replacment, then times that by 3, = $180 USD (152 Euro)

bobw · Dec 28, 2005

If you got the one in the first big picture on that page you should have an opening over three inches in the front end of the tube, by the eyepiece and finder scope. The mirror, in the back end is 76 mm in diameter. That one looks better than my first Newtonian. It is better than Newton's first ones. My first one was a 3" which had a long thin metal tube running down the side for a finder; like a big soda straw. It was pretty useless It should work. You should be able to see some stripes on Jupiter, rings of Saturn, the Moon, nearby comets. The planets will be pretty small and it will take some patience to find them. It will probably be pretty jittery, too. If there was any wind at all I had to hold my finger on my first one to keep it from vibrating. You can have fun with this scope. Try to find somebody, a friend or science teacher at a local school, who knows how telescopes work. They will be able to tell you if it is broken. Follow the other advice about trying it out in the daytime and getting the spotting scope to point at the same place as the main scope. Point it at a building or streetlight 1/4 mile away and you should be able to focus it then center the corner of a window or something while you make the finder point at the same place. It will never be exactly right. When you find your target in the finder you will have to move the main scope slowly around in circles to try to find the target in the big one. Don't ever look at the Sun or anything near it or you will go blind for sure. Did you ever fry an ant with a magnifying glass? Same idea except your eye is the ant. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

englishrose29 · Dec 28, 2005

Many thanks for your advice! I'll give it a go; funny, it was a gift for my husband and it's me that's doing all the work behind!

Search

How does it work?????

englishrose29

Guest

scopenoob

Guest

Saiph

Guest

englishrose29

Guest

englishrose29

Guest

scopenoob

Guest

Saiph

Guest

englishrose29

Guest

englishrose29

Guest

harmonicaman

Guest

scopenoob

Guest

bobw

Guest

englishrose29

Guest

Similar threads

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Share this page