Need some help with my telescope

[nightskywatcher]

Hi there,<br /><br />I have a bausch & lomb telescope but when I look through the lens in the focusing tube i can't see anything, what am I doing wrong? Also, how do I find planets like jupiter and mars? Thanks in advance.

 

[5billionyearslater]

Ok for a start, You'll not see Mars at this time of year. If you want to see Jupiter, you'll need to go out in the early hours of the morning.<br /><br />Saturn is up in the sky all year round, located in Leo, just off the star, Regulus.<br /><br />Get yourself a star map quick!<br /><br />When you use the the finderscope to find stuff first, it uses a lower magnification, but you should be able to see enough to guide around. It can be hard at first because you tend to find that finderscope is pointing higher than you think, so align with the eye across the finderscope and roll the telescope down a little.<br /><br />Use your focuser to focus the scope. At first, the stars may appear as a fuzzy ring, all you need to do is put it into focus. You might need to collimate the telescope,a lthough this is usually un-nessesary with brand new scopes.<br /><br />The eyepiece determines maginfication. Most scopes come with a 25mm eyepiece. Divide this number by the focal length of the telescope and you get the magnification power.<br /><br />You don't state what size the aperture is? I'm not too familiar with the make of scope you mention. I have a Celestron which have excelent optics. <br /><br />Oh and last but not least, was the sky clear? Seems so obvious, but you won't see much if there is a thick smattering of clouds. You should also consider light pollution, but even in well-lit cities, you can still see stuff.<br /><br />Anyway, hope this has been of help to you!

 

[nightskywatcher]

Hi,<br /><br />Thanks for your reply. Is there any reason why I cant see anything through the focusing tube? When i'm looking for planets like saturn, do I use the focusing tube or the finderscope? Thanks.

 

[MeteorWayne]

I'd use your eye first. It's (Saturn) the brightest object in that part of the sky, and if your finder and telescope are anywhere close to focused, should be a breeze to find.<br /><br />If either is WAAAAAY out of focus, try targeting a distant tree or top of a telephone pole in the daytime. At least then you can get it in the ballpark. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[5billionyearslater]

Yea, agree with M-Wayne, locate Saturn with the eye first.<br /><br />You'll need a star map if you are unsure where Leo is and where Saturn is. I could just say locate Orion and look eastward and you'll see a big triangle; Saturn is the apex of the triangle, but I don't know if this will be much help.<br /><br />Once you spot it with the eye, locate it in the centre of your finderscope. Now, assuming you have aligned the finderscope to begin with, the object(s) will appear in the main optics.<br /><br />On a (standard) 25mm eyepiece, Saturn will be very small. You'll probably need to buy more eyepieces and perhaps a barrow lens, but the 25mm will prove to be very useful anyway because of it's wider field of view.

 

[billslugg]

nightskywatcher<br /><br />You have got to get the finder aligned with the scope. Do it during the daytime. Find a power pole with a glazed insulator. The sun will reflect off of it giving a point source.<br />Sight along the tube, follow the pole up, nail it right on the dot. Now do the adjustment thing on the finder. Get it right in the center. When you carry it out at night, you locate the object by eye, sweep it up in the finder, put it dead square on the crosshairs, and VOILA it is right there in the scope! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[nightskywatcher]

thanks everybody for your help, as u can probably tell, i'm new at this. So once i have saturn located in the finderscope, do i look through the lense in the focusing tube? Also, can anyone recommend a good set of eyepieces? Thanks!<br />Oh and it's a 3 inch reflector telescope with a 1.25" eyepiece format.

 

[billslugg]

nightskywatcher<br />Yes, after you locate the object in the finder scope, then you can view it through the focus tube. This assumes that the finder scope is properly aligned with the telescope. This must be done first. There is no way around it. Has to be done. Get the finder pointing the same direction as the scope. Then you can start worrying about eyepieces.<br /><br />Edit: Added an "e" to telescope. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[nightskywatcher]

Sometimes the finder scope is out of focus, how do I focus it? Thanks

 

[nightskywatcher]

Ok, thanks for your answer. Now, another question: can anyone recommend a good eyepiece kit for my telescope? It's a 1.25" eyepiece format. Also, where can I get a star map? Thanks again. <br /><br />EDIT: What is a barrow lens? and where can I get one?

 

[5billionyearslater]

Eyepiece and Filter Kit (currently out of stock, but I'm told it will be in stock soon): http://www.celestron.uk.com/catalogues/view_item.asp?ItemID=30963&CatalogueID=272&CategoryID=3873<br /><br />The kit comes with a variety of eyepieces, filters and wouldn't you know it, even a Barrow Lens! <br /><br />a Barrow lens doubles the magnification power. So if you use an eyepiece that will give you a magnification of 48 times with your scope, adding the Barrow lens will make that same eyepiece have 96 times magnification.

 

[huey_pilot]

Try using this interactive skychart to locate some stuff <br /><br />http://skytonight.com/observing/skychart/3308911.html<br /><br />It has a place to put your city, timezone, and the time of night or day that you will see on the map. I use it all the time. <br /><br />