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Loztblaz posted:Oh hey it's my telescope!
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Jun 18, 2009 00:30
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| # ¿ Apr 23, 2024 12:53 |
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Last weekend I drove up to Philadelphia to see Galileo's telescope at the Franklin Institute. Pretty cool exhibition, highly recommended for anyone with an interest in not only astronomy, but also history, navigation, geometry, etc. Now I want a medieval astrolabe, bad.
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Jul 17, 2009 23:26
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Something hit Jupiter and left a black spot, and it's cloudy here! Dammit.
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Jul 20, 2009 06:08
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I gave it a shot tonight but the seeing was horrible. I could barely see the 2 bands, let alone any detail.
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Jul 22, 2009 05:56
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Loztblaz posted:I was clouded in during the transit, but not before or after, oh well. Astronomy!
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Jul 23, 2009 04:18
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Oh shi guys Going to a dark, dark place tonight!
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Sep 19, 2009 17:30
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Well, the forecast was a lie! I had about an hour and a half of clear sky and then it clouded over. But I did get some good observing in. Uranus, Neptune, some galaxies, a couple of globular clusters, plus a failed attempt to locate some comets. I also saw what must have been the rocket that NASA launched from Wallops Island. For about 2 minutes there was a faint oval of light in the southeastern sky. Armageddon posted:I got a laser colmination tool, which I must say is very handy... Collimate the laser, too. Mine was way off when I got it. Basically, hammer 4 nails into a block of wood to make 2 Xs, rest the laser in the notches, then shine it at the wall and rotate it. If the dot moves, you can adjust the beam with screws that are probably hidden under the label. It makes a big difference. Also, don't trust the factory mirror center spot; it's probably off too. If you pull the primary mirror, you can accurately mark it.
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Sep 20, 2009 19:19
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micron posted:Another few questions: I've got the 12" Intelliscope, and frankly, I haven't plugged the Intelliscope system in in a year. A Telrad to get you to the right part of the sky and then the 9x50 finder scope in concert with a decent sky atlas is 100% as effective and so much less hassle. Personally, I find it to be more fun as well. edit: I would take the additional aperture of the 10" over the 8". Assuming pi=3*, the 10" has 75 sq in of aperture vs 48 for the 8". That's a big jump. * cuz astronomy isn't a science or anything Bolkovr fucked around with this message at 22:04 on Dec 3, 2009 |
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Dec 3, 2009 21:57
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micron posted:I just picked up an 8" intelliscope for 206.50 on ebay (think I did pretty good). I have not picked it up yet but what should I look at or for before payment is made on a used scope? Like what should I inspect etc besides normal broken parts and such? The mount is melamine-covered chipboard (IKEA furniture, basically). Check it for chips and water damage. Rack the focuser in and out. Shine a light in the tube and look down the tube at the mirror. General dust and such is fine, but big scratches or corrosion are a deal-breaker. You'd probably pay more than $200 to get it recoated. Make sure you get all the parts: tube, mount, the 2 knobs, Intelliscope and cable, finder scope, 26mm and 10mm eyepieces and the collimation cap, which is a plastic piece that fits in the focuser and has a tiny hole in it and reflective foil on the inside. You use that to align the optics, which is really important and also fairly confusing. The manual (which you can download from Orion if you don't have it) talks about it, but you can also google 'reflector collimation' and read up on it. It will make your brain hurt until it clicks and then it becomes easy. Before it gets dark, take the scope outside and put the 26mm eyepiece in it. Point the scope (not at the Sun!) at a distant treetop or cell tower or whatever. Then using the knobs on the side of the finder scope, adjust the finder scope to also point whatever the main scope is pointing to. Then put in the 10mm and readjust it. That will align the telescope and finder scope. (I point this out only because it's counter-intuitive and trips up a lot of people, myself included, when they first get a telescope) Neptune is very close to Jupiter right now in the southern sky, so grab a PDF chart and go find a planet.
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Dec 19, 2009 00:24
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INTJ Mastermind posted:This might be a stupid question, but how big exactly is say a Orion XT-6 or XT-8? Online pictures don't really give me a sense of scale. I'm 5'9". My XT8 comes up to my armpits fully assembled and pointing straight up. The XT6 will be just about the same height. You will generally put a Dob mount on the ground. With an 6" or 8" you can either kneel on the ground or sit in a chair. I used to stick my XT8 on a milkcrate to get the eyepiece up so I could use it standing up more comfortably. Obviously, if you're viewing something near the horizon you'll be down lower than viewing something at the zenith. micron posted:Any opinions on a truss style Dob scope? I see a 8" meade lightbridge for sale about an hour away from me. If it's used and a good deal, sure, go for it. But if you're buying new, a truss 8" has few benefits over a regular tube 8" unless you only have a Smart Car or something.
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Jan 12, 2010 07:23
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Anyone else unable to shake the impression that Tycho crater is actually the Moon's south pole and the rays are lines of longitude?
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Jul 28, 2010 04:59
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It would be hard to go wrong for $30, but a 60mm scope is really going to be limited to the Moon, planets, and only the brightest deep-space objects, like star clusters. You could probably see several of the brightest nebulae from a reasonable dark area. Galaxies would be barely detectable. But as a cheap way to get started, go for it. If it's complete and in good shape, you can always pass it on for what you paid for it.
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Apr 7, 2011 15:59
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Jekub posted:
There are waaaay too many stars in this picture. It's hard to reconcile the view through the eyepiece from suburbia with long-exposure photographs sometimes.
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Sep 22, 2011 22:19
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Prathm posted:
Are the fields-of-vision perfect circles?
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Nov 3, 2011 18:49
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AceSnyp3r posted:and it sounds like the Zhumell Z8 is a better deal than the XT8, so I'll probably go with that. Confirming that the Zhumell is nicer than the Orion.
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Jan 16, 2012 05:04
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Don't underestimate shipping it. The sheet metal tube is very thin and without the mirror cell (you need to remove the mirror and cell for shipping) it's pretty flimsy. You'll need half-moon inserts for the box you ship it in to fully support it. The box the mirror will ship in must be very strong as the mirror is heavy. As for the scope itself, the XT10 is nice. I've got an XT12. But unless you're confident in your relative's packing ability, I would spend the extra $150 on the new scope. You get a better focuser and bearings, but won't have the locator computer.
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Jun 5, 2012 23:58
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Inept posted:I usually use my scope in fairly light polluted skies, and visible guide stars are few in my area. I figured a finder scope might help in that regard. I love the RACI finder that came with my Orion XT12. From my corner of suburbia, the stars visible in it match exactly what's shown in the Sky & Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas.
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Jul 18, 2012 05:42
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| # ¿ Apr 23, 2024 12:53 |
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If you're in OK City, Astronomics, one of the biggest telescope retailers in the US is in Norman.
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Oct 6, 2012 18:30
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