astronomy

jezzasnr

looking for some help here!
Anybody with any astronomy knowledge, can you tell me what the bright star / planet is in the morning western sky is?
I'm guessing a planet as it's distinctly more noticeable than anything else up there, but can't find any info on line.
thanks in advance.
j

capt_slog

I think that will be Jupiter. If you have a good pair of binoculars and something to rest them against, you might even be able to see it's moons.

This is a good website.....

http://www.heavens-above.com/

If you create a login you can save your home location (and others) and it will tell you what you can see from there. Great for spotting the ISS and Iridium Flares.

VTech

Get yourself a great mobile app for your phone called "Sky Guide"

As above, think your referring too Jupiter

Velonutter

I'm getting more and more drawn into Astrology, but delaying what Telescope to buy until I can determine the right one.

Anyone got any ideas what the better ones with a couple of eye pieces up to say £500?

Always had an interest and it wasn't until I was in the Alpujarra Mountains in Andalusia last September that I got to see the Milky Way, simply blew my mind.

I found this on FB this week, just amazing http://www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic1502/

laurentian

Velonutter wrote:

I'm getting more and more drawn into Astrology, but delaying what Telescope to buy until I can determine the right one.

Anyone got any ideas what the better ones with a couple of eye pieces up to say £500?

Always had an interest and it wasn't until I was in the Alpujarra Mountains in Andalusia last September that I got to see the Milky Way, simply blew my mind.

I found this on FB this week, just amazing http://www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic1502/

I have a mate who is seriously into this. He's gone from getting amazing pictures of planets to nebulae and different galaxies - some of his stuff looks like it was taken from Hubble!

I'll ask him whats around for £500 and get back to you.

RDW

Velonutter wrote:

I'm getting more and more drawn into Astrology

You need to be careful with that. You might start by just reading the odd Mystic Meg column, but before you know it you'll be summoning the Goat of Mendes in an inverted pentagram.

finchy

Velonutter wrote:

I'm getting more and more drawn into Astrology, but delaying what Telescope to buy until I can determine the right one.

Astronomy. Patrick Moore would be very, very annoyed.

Velonutter wrote:

Anyone got any ideas what the better ones with a couple of eye pieces up to say £500?

It all depends on what you are planning to observe. If it's the planets in this solar system and the moon, you could go for a smaller telescope. Something like this would do the job nicely:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kenley-Astron ... 2c93e26a7a

For deep space objects (galaxies, the further gas giants) you'll need something more powerful.

Definitely examine the wares first, instead of buying off the Internet. You need a stable tripod (very important that the telescope doesn't move about under the slightest pressure) and a decent viewfinder. It's quite a time now since I bought mine and I don't know what the market is like these days, so check out all the latest product reviews in astronomy magazines. Many telescopes have automatic tracking which is good for a novice, but as you learn more about the sky you might want to go manual.

But really there's only so much advice you can give out over the Internet. It's definitely one of those hobbies that can only be mastered by going out there and doing it, especially if you can find someone with a bit of experience to help you.

Go for a Newtonian reflector.

ballysmate

Reflector not a refractor.
Don't get fooled by unrealistic magnification claims.
All telescopes have to gather as much light as possible, so a fat reflector is better than a skinny refractor.

Velonutter

Cheers laurentian, much appreciated.

RDW...no chance :-)

Doh...How stupid can one be John, when you get to my age, you think of one thing, read another thing and type something totally different. :shock:

Thanks for the advice though, I'd like to view and take images of planets etc. further afield, I used to be heavily into photography and would love to attached some of my cameras to the eye pieces and take some pictures.

I know what I am like, once I get me mind set, I won't want to stay with basic stuff, I'll want things more complicated and technically challenging.

I'll have a look at those links though John, cheers.

finchy

Reflectors vs. refractors

jordan_217

Could anyone recommend a good 'starter' (read capable and affordable) telescope? It's for my 7 year old son.

team47b

jezzasnr wrote:

looking for some help here!
Anybody with any astronomy knowledge, can you tell me what the bright star / planet is in the morning western sky is?
I'm guessing a planet as it's distinctly more noticeable than anything else up there, but can't find any info on line.
thanks in advance.
j

If you can see it high in the south late at night and in the western sky in the morning then it's Jupiter.

arran77

My Dad used to be quite into this but since he died no-ones really uses the telescope that much, when we move and have the space for such things I might make use of it and have a dabble.

The thing that always strikes me though is that in any urban area there's so much light pollution even with things like these new street lamps that only illuminate downwards so is there really a great deal to see unless you take yourself and the telescope out into the middle of nowhere?

finchy

I used to live out in the sticks and could see Jupiter and Saturn quite clearly. Now I'm living in town and don't have time to get out into the countryside, I can still make out their moons as tiny white dots, but I can't see any surface detail on the planets, rings, shadows, etc.

The moon is still worth looking at though. When you see it through a telescope or binoculars, it's not the same as looking at it with the naked eye. The contrast between the white of the moon and the black background of space is absolutely stunning. If you don't have a telescope but do have a pair of binoculars, I advise you to do this on the first clear night. You won't regret it.

capt_slog

They always used to say on the telly when this came up that the best thing to start with was a really good pair of binoculars.

The main point about looking at the night sky is getting as much light in the eye as possible, so using two eyes is a bonus. A pair of bins with big objective lenses is quite useful for this even though not as glamorous as a telescope.

My sister in law has some that have image stabilizers built in (cannon?), and we used them around this time last year for looking at the stars. We could easily see the moons of jupiter with them, and also make out the galaxy which makes up one of the 'stars' in Orion's sword (if i remember correctly).

johnmiosh

Try Stellarium. Free for PC, http://www.stellarium.org/en_GB/

Also available as an app, but i think it has to be paid for.

mr_goo

Jupiter is actually visible in the night sky from 9-10 ish in the east. Ive got a Celestron Nexstar reflector telescope. As stated by others, the larger the diameter to gather light the better, plus good optics. On a good clear night with reasonable magnification it is possible to see the cloud bands on Jupiter quite well. I have also seen 4 of the moon in orbit. However Saturn is the one that I could look at forever. To see the rings is quite stunning. It is normally visible in the night sky in the East during the summer. The rings are now getting more visible as the planet tips at an angle that gives a good image. Two years ago they were side on so very hard to detect.

laurentian

Velonutter: My Mate's Response:

". . . I guess it depends on what they want to view with it or whether they want to do astro photography etc. If they want to learn the sky & go at it manually then the biggest Dobsonian scope they can afford (if they are like me & lazy then a scope with GOTO is always a good bet although they will be paying more for the mount & getting a scope with a smaller aperture)"

Not exactly comprehensive but something to throw into the mix.

Velonutter

Thanks Laurentian, much appreciated.

jordan_217

I could see Jupiter really clearly last night with a 10mm lens and and x2 Barlow lens combo. Zoomed out and I could also see its moons. A goosebump inducing moment. Cant wait for the next new moon

Gregger

I have praticed Astronomy for 10+ years with a variety of scopes, 16" Dobs, 5" premier refractors etc
Its an odd hobby
Don't believe any hype. What you will actually see is totally different to 95% of the images you will see on the Net
The majority of those are time lapsed photography
Be prepared to spend freezing cold hours looking for faint "fuzzy" objects, pretty anorak stuff I'd say
With a half decent scope (see below), Jupiter and its Moons (and their shadows) will be seen and is great. Saturn will demonstrate the rings nicely with shadow on the planet and is THE best sight. Mars may reveal small detail and a polar ice cap. IMHO everything else is either pin point (Uranus, Neptune) or a feint fuzzy patch in the sky. Unless your spending top money on a quality kit AND have a "dark site" away from light pollution
To give a flavour of what you might actually see at the eyepiece, see my sketches here of Comet Lovejoy, passing by at the moment

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/234404-lovejoy/

Bear in mind that's a £1000 pair of binos for the top sketch
£450 of 125mm scope for the bottom sketch

Best beginners scope are often thought to be

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/maksuto ... -goto.html

I have this but not used much so cant give detailed feedback. be prepared to upgrade eyepieces etc for £150

Or

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsoni ... onian.html

8" so a good bit of light gathering but not the easiest kit to use?

As ever, try and see before you buy - friends, contact a club

Feel free to ask Qs

Velonutter

Thanks Gregger, much appreciated.

On that page they showed an image taken with a £995 scope as below: -



What sort of equipment do you need to be able to get some thing like this captured on your camera?

Gregger

Can you post the link?

Velonutter

Gregger wrote:

Can you post the link?

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/maksuto ... graph.html

Gregger

Bit naughty and deceptive that
You will NEVER see that amount of detail with the naked eye, even with Hubble!

With imaging its all about:

The mount for the scope. Must be rock solid and perfectly set up
Prob something like this to cope with the weight, may be even something better or permanetly mounted on an astronomy pillar;
http://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatc ... mount.html

The imaging kit. A top DSLR, may be even modified for astronomy ( making it otherwise U/S for "normal use"). Say a mid range Canon, 500-£750. Or specialist kit like
http://www.firstlightoptics.com/atik-ca ... amera.html
He may have used another scope "piggy back" mounted to guide the whole process

Software. Plenty of free stuff to "stack" images together to make better quality. And of course Paintshop and that's not cheap and complicated. And a good lap to to process it all.

And loads of time,patience and skill.

Ultimately you end up with guff that loos like the scope set up here!
http://astro.neutral.org/Current_telescope_setup.html

With imaging, its not really about the scope, lots of lads are using small refractors such as
http://www.firstlightoptics.com/william ... -2013.html (IMHO hopeless for visual use) and spending all the cash on top quality mounts, cameras and CCDs

Look at his web site http://www.steves-astro.com/
4 hours for one image! Lists the kit he uses and you can price that up!

So not cheap and takes years to learn - dont let me put you off. First Light optics are good and will give loads of advice as will the forum I posted earlier

Where in South Staffs are you?

Velonutter

Cheers Gregger, that has blown my mind, I know my stuff with Photography, but I am totally lost, it's like a totally different language.

I'm about 6 miles north of Wolverhampton/10 Miles south of Stafford, so I can get into some dark areas unspoilt by light.

Gregger

Its just like learning to ride a bike!

big_p

I have a cheap 8 inch reflector and took these with my iphone down the eye piece.

This is Jupiter and moons.



and again on a different night.



You can see it a lot better with your eye, you can see the great spot and stripes quite well, the iphone images are a bit crap really.

The moon is always interesting to look at, you'll be amazed how quick it moves out of view if you use a non motorized scope, try not to look at it when it's full though, the detail isn't as good and it'll blind you in one eye.

Gregger

Hers one I took of Jupiter, suggesting what you can actually see with a half decent scope. The dot on the right is one of the Moons of Jupiter, the black dot is it's shadow



List of clubs her, including a few in West Mids
http://www.astronomyclubs.co.uk/

Useful advice in the stickies here
http://stargazerslounge.com/forum/34-im ... echniques/

Gregger

What things actually look like down a scope

Saturn



Venus with phase


Mercury


Total Solar Eclipse Turkey 2006


Total Lunar Eclipse from my back Garden

metronome

Love your shots. Saturn is fantastic. Mind blowing subject.