How to use Nexstar 114 GT? PLEASE HELP!

Hi:

I just bought the Nexstar 114 GT and wonder how I can use it to view
the Polar Cap on Mars. I tried to use the 10mm eyepiece and can only
see Mars as a white source of light that is about the size of the a
pencil top. Can someone provide me some instructions on how to set it
up? Now I can use it to see the surface of moon; However, the
instruction said I should see Jupiter or even the Saturn ring with
this scope. So I guess seeing the Polar Cap with this sope should
have no problem. Am I doing something wrong? Thanks very much for
your help as this is my first time in life to use a telescope.
Thanks.

Novice

Dai Ba Wong wrote:
Hi:

I just bought the Nexstar 114 GT and wonder how I can use it to view
the Polar Cap on Mars. I tried to use the 10mm eyepiece and can only
see Mars as a white source of light that is about the size of the a
pencil top. Can someone provide me some instructions on how to set it
up? Now I can use it to see the surface of moon; However, the
instruction said I should see Jupiter or even the Saturn ring with
this scope. So I guess seeing the Polar Cap with this sope should
have no problem.

The polar cap is now getting VERY tiny. Seeing the rings of Saturn and
the moons of Jupiter (and bands on Jupiter) should be much easier than
the SPC of Mars.

Phil

Thanks Phil but I wonder how to locate the Jupiter and Saturn. I can
easily locate Mars next to the Moon but I don't know how to focus on
the Jupiter and Saturn. Can you give me some help.

Also after reading other responses I found that I may need to buy an
accessories set, such as this one from amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...761364-8578552
That means I would spend a total of 260 + tax for the scope as I got
this scope from the Costco deal (as most people did). Is 260 worthy
for the Nexstar 114 along with the accessories kit listed above? Or I
may get a scope with better quality and results among the same price
range? Please advise and thanks for your help.

Phil Wheeler wrote in message ...
Dai Ba Wong wrote:
Hi:

I just bought the Nexstar 114 GT and wonder how I can use it to view
the Polar Cap on Mars. I tried to use the 10mm eyepiece and can only
see Mars as a white source of light that is about the size of the a
pencil top. Can someone provide me some instructions on how to set it
up? Now I can use it to see the surface of moon; However, the
instruction said I should see Jupiter or even the Saturn ring with
this scope. So I guess seeing the Polar Cap with this sope should
have no problem.

The polar cap is now getting VERY tiny. Seeing the rings of Saturn and
the moons of Jupiter (and bands on Jupiter) should be much easier than
the SPC of Mars.

Phil

Saturn rises around midnight (and currently is in Gemini), so by 2 am it
should be visible. Jupiter rises about an hour before sunrise. so it
would be a challenge to see it.

Dai Ba Wong wrote:
Thanks Phil but I wonder how to locate the Jupiter and Saturn. I can
easily locate Mars next to the Moon but I don't know how to focus on
the Jupiter and Saturn. Can you give me some help.

Also after reading other responses I found that I may need to buy an
accessories set, such as this one from amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...761364-8578552
That means I would spend a total of 260 + tax for the scope as I got
this scope from the Costco deal (as most people did). Is 260 worthy
for the Nexstar 114 along with the accessories kit listed above? Or I
may get a scope with better quality and results among the same price
range? Please advise and thanks for your help.

Phil Wheeler wrote in message ...

Dai Ba Wong wrote:

Hi:

I just bought the Nexstar 114 GT and wonder how I can use it to view
the Polar Cap on Mars. I tried to use the 10mm eyepiece and can only
see Mars as a white source of light that is about the size of the a
pencil top. Can someone provide me some instructions on how to set it
up? Now I can use it to see the surface of moon; However, the
instruction said I should see Jupiter or even the Saturn ring with
this scope. So I guess seeing the Polar Cap with this sope should
have no problem.

The polar cap is now getting VERY tiny. Seeing the rings of Saturn and
the moons of Jupiter (and bands on Jupiter) should be much easier than
the SPC of Mars.

Phil

Saturn rises at 1:15am, so try and get it at 3:00am or so. It rises
in the west and is about 3 times dimmer than mars, but is still
evident it's not a star.

Try and find the Pleiades, a truly magnificent Open cluster. More
rewarding than Mars for the 114gt.

BTW, do a google search for cartes du ciel. Great free star chart for
the PC, prints, etc.

Luck


On 11 Sep 2003 13:07:47 -0700, (Dai Ba Wong)
wrote:

Thanks Phil but I wonder how to locate the Jupiter and Saturn. I can
easily locate Mars next to the Moon but I don't know how to focus on
the Jupiter and Saturn. Can you give me some help.

Also after reading other responses I found that I may need to buy an
accessories set, such as this one from amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...761364-8578552
That means I would spend a total of 260 + tax for the scope as I got
this scope from the Costco deal (as most people did). Is 260 worthy
for the Nexstar 114 along with the accessories kit listed above? Or I
may get a scope with better quality and results among the same price
range? Please advise and thanks for your help.

Phil Wheeler wrote in message ...
Dai Ba Wong wrote:
Hi:

I just bought the Nexstar 114 GT and wonder how I can use it to view
the Polar Cap on Mars. I tried to use the 10mm eyepiece and can only
see Mars as a white source of light that is about the size of the a
pencil top. Can someone provide me some instructions on how to set it
up? Now I can use it to see the surface of moon; However, the
instruction said I should see Jupiter or even the Saturn ring with
this scope. So I guess seeing the Polar Cap with this sope should
have no problem.

The polar cap is now getting VERY tiny. Seeing the rings of Saturn and
the moons of Jupiter (and bands on Jupiter) should be much easier than
the SPC of Mars.

Phil

wrote:
Saturn rises at 1:15am, so try and get it at 3:00am or so. It rises
in the west

Hmm .. that I will have to get up early for. I've never seen anything
rise in the West but a rocket launch from Vandenburg.

Phil

One thing the manual for the 114GT doesn't tell you is that you have
to take off the WHOLE front cover. There is a smaller cover in the
middle that you take off when you want to reduce the brightness of
some objects but this is not the real cover and I'm sure a lot of
people are only removing this one, like I did. The image looks a lot
better with the real cover off. I know this sounds stupid of me but we
are beginners and know nothing about telescopes. Maybe you didn't
remove that cover?

On 11 Sep 2003 02:38:05 -0700, (Dai Ba Wong)
wrote:

Hi:

I just bought the Nexstar 114 GT and wonder how I can use it to view
the Polar Cap on Mars. I tried to use the 10mm eyepiece and can only
see Mars as a white source of light that is about the size of the a
pencil top. Can someone provide me some instructions on how to set it
up? Now I can use it to see the surface of moon; However, the
instruction said I should see Jupiter or even the Saturn ring with
this scope. So I guess seeing the Polar Cap with this sope should
have no problem. Am I doing something wrong? Thanks very much for
your help as this is my first time in life to use a telescope.
Thanks.

Novice