Hi,


So, what can I expect to see with this telescope?

Saturn rings?
Jupiter?
Neptune?
Other galaxies or nebulas???
Asteroids???

You can expect to see all these things in varying amount of detail when they
are above the horizon: Saturns rings should be detectable, Jupiters cloud
belts and 4 moons will be there to see, a few bright nebulas such the
spectacular nebula in Orion.

A great many of us here got started with such scopes. I did, my first scope
was a worn out 60mm refractor I purchased at a garage sale. But the view of
the Great Nebula in Orion I got one early morning while camping in Arizona was
enough to exite me. That faint bit of nebulousity just grabbed my curiousity
and fueled something that has become a passion.

Whether you enjoy your scope as much as I did really depends upon what you
bring to the eyepiece, what sort of expectations you have.

If you are expecting Hubble like colors and detail, you will most likely be
disappointed. On the other hand, if your expectations are few and you are just
looking to see what can be seen, then you might well fall in love with Star
gazing. This scope can show some nice stuff.
--

Realistic expectations, a cautionary note here. THis is not meant to
discourage you but rather meant to let you know what to expect. As I said,
with the right attitude, this scope can provide some exciting views. But it
does have limitations and I want you to be aware of them.
---
A Cautionary Note:

Often objective lens in these 60mm refractors are pretty good, but the rest of
the equipment, the tripod and mount, the finder scope, the eyepieces, these are
where the problems are with the typical inexpensive 60mm refractor.

The only eyepiece you will get much use from is the 35X, even with good quality
eyepieces, most observing with a small refractor like this will be done under
100X, the 3X barlow and the 5 mm eyepiece are there pretty much just for the
advertising, 420X.

It is likely to have a 5x24 finder which actually has metal ring in it to
reduce the aperture even more, this finder will only show you bright stars and
a couple of planets.

THe mount will be shakey which is another reason why the higher magnifications,
will be unusable.

-----

My recommendation is to use the scope as it is, avoid the temptation to upgrade
the finder, the mount and the eyepieces, going this route will cost you more
than just buying a better scope with a decent finder, a reasonable mount and
some good eyepieces.

So take this scope and use it and enjoy it as it is. THere are some fixes for
these scopes, ways to improve the mounts at little or no cost etc. Do these
but save your money for an overall upgrade.

There are some very nice scopes out there at prices well under $500. The $229
6 inch Dobsonian at www.hardinoptical.com is a real bargin.

jon isaacs