What can I expect to see with this telescope?

Hi,

Before we begin, I know that this telescope is a very basic one, I know that
there is better models for a few dollars more, etc. But I will buy it using
AirMiles points, so in a sense it cost me nothing and this is the only model
of telecope available with AirMiles. So don't bother to recommand me bying
another brand, this is THIS telescope or nothing. And the "nothing" means
that my wife will grab all the AirMiles points to buy something else for
her... haha! ;-)

Telescope specs are at the end of the message.

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

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

I have absolutely no idea what can be seen with this telescope, and at which
size and quality. For example, how Jupiter will appear in that telescope?
Smaller then a dime nearly without colors, or bigger?

Or course the Moon will be viewable, but what more can I see that I don't
already see with my eyes? What kind of details will I see?

Of course the best way to give me a good idea is to direct me on a website
with images taken with a telescope of this power. An image worth 1000
words! ;-)

So, even if the telescope is "free", I want to be able to have fun with it
and not only looking at the moon.

Thanks for your comments everyone.
Jack

TELESCOPE SPECS:

Bushnell Deep Space Series
MODEL # 78-9512
SPECIFICATIONS: 420x60mm Refractor
FOCAL LENGTH (mm): 700
EYEPIECES: 5mm, 20mm
MAGNIFICATIONS: 35, 105, 140, 420

"rick" wrote in
:

Hi,

Before we begin, I know that this telescope is a very basic one, I
know that there is better models for a few dollars more, etc. But I
will buy it using AirMiles points, so in a sense it cost me nothing
and this is the only model of telecope available with AirMiles. So
don't bother to recommand me bying another brand, this is THIS
telescope or nothing. And the "nothing" means that my wife will grab
all the AirMiles points to buy something else for her... haha! ;-)

Telescope specs are at the end of the message.


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

Saturn rings?

Yes. Saturn is currently an early morning object and doesn't get high in
the sky before the sun rises. You will have to wait a few months to get
good views.

Jupiter?

Is visible with the naked eye. So I would be highly surprised if you
couldn't see it with your telescope. Note Jupiter is setting early
following the sun, so again you will have to wait for several months
before it is well placed for good viewing. Your scope will be able to see
the four Gallilean moons and maybe some detail on Jupiter depending on
the quality of the optics.


Neptune?

Visible with 10 X 50 binoculars but will take a bit of finding. You will
need computer generated star charts to help find it. Download Cartes Du
Ciel http://www.stargazing.net/astropc. This is a good time to be
tracking it down as it is well placed at present.


Other galaxies or nebulas???

Messier & Mechain saw the Messier catalogue objects with scopes not much
if any better than yours. You will probably need to go to a dark site
well away from a city though. There wasn't much light pollution in
Messier's day.


Asteroids???

Certainly some of the brighter ones when well placed.

Some other suggestions:

1. The moon.

2. Mars is rapidly closing in on opposition. This is THE planetary target
at present.


I have absolutely no idea what can be seen with this telescope, and at
which size and quality. For example, how Jupiter will appear in that
telescope? Smaller then a dime nearly without colors, or bigger?

Small but you may be able to make out some detail.



Or course the Moon will be viewable, but what more can I see that I
don't already see with my eyes? What kind of details will I see?

Lots. The moon has lots of fascinating detail.


Of course the best way to give me a good idea is to direct me on a
website with images taken with a telescope of this power. An image
worth 1000 words! ;-)

So, even if the telescope is "free", I want to be able to have fun
with it and not only looking at the moon.

Thanks for your comments everyone.
Jack

TELESCOPE SPECS:

Bushnell Deep Space Series
MODEL # 78-9512
SPECIFICATIONS: 420x60mm Refractor
FOCAL LENGTH (mm): 700
EYEPIECES: 5mm, 20mm
MAGNIFICATIONS: 35, 105, 140, 420

This seems a bit odd. The 20mm eyepiece will give you 35 X, and the 5mm
eyepiece will give you 140 X. Not sure how you are getting the other
mags? Is there a 3X Barlow lens that you haven't mentioned. If so forget
about using it with the 5mm eyepiece (that is where the 420 X could be
coming from). A mag of 420 X is way beyond what you can expect to get
with a 60mm objective. All that will happen is that you will get a fuzzy
and dimmer view. Just as a matter of interest, what diameter is the
focuser?.

Llanzlan.

Hi there Rick. You posted:

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

Saturn rings?

Yes, at powers above 30x you should be able to see the rings. However,
Bushnell advertises this scope as being able to achieve 420x which is totally
ridiculous. The power a telescope can effectively use depends largely on the
aperture (the diameter of the main objective lens). In this case, its a 60mm
aperture scope (ie: a 2.4 inch refractor with a 700mm focal length). A
general guideline is about 50x to 70x per inch of aperture as the maximum any
telescope can easily use. Powers much higher than this are termed "empty
magnification" as they provide views which are too enlarged and dim to show
much of anything. These excessive powers are essentually useless and are
cited merely to sell telescopes to unsuspecting people. The 140x might be
usable, and would certainly show the rings, but the 420x is basically a
marketing ploy which borders on false advertising.

Jupiter?

Yes, the scope will show you Jupiter. It will look like a whitish slightly
flattened disk with two faint orangish stripes across it. At 140x for
example, the disk will probably be about the same size as a dime held at
nearly 27 inches from your eye (ie: roughly at arm's length away). It will
also be accompanied by its 4 largest moons which will look like dim stars in
the field.

Neptune?

Yes, but it will only look like a very faint star with no detail.

Other galaxies or nebulas???

Maybe yes, and maybe no. If you are dark adapted, located in a dark sky site,
and are using the lowest power, some deep-sky objects like the brightest
galaxies and a few nebulae may be visible. However, these objects are faint
and usually require some significant aperture to see, so a 2.4 inch refractor
like the Bushnell isn't going to show you much of them. At best, most will
look like faint fuzzy blobs of light. Some of the brighter open clusters
might be better targets for this scope than distant and dim galaxies.

Asteroids???

Yes, but again, they will merely look like faint stars, and you may have
difficulty finding them, as they are generally too faint to easily see in the
inexpensive finderscopes which these small refractors generally come with.
The moon might be the best an easiest target for this small telescope.

Or course the Moon will be viewable, but what more can I see that I don't
already see with my eyes? What kind of details will I see?

You will see a lot of detail including craters, mountains, the flat maria
(lava plains), and other things. In fact, such a telescope is capable of
showing craters as small as 3.75 miles across.

Of course the best way to give me a good idea is to direct me on a website
with images taken with a telescope of this power. An image worth 1000
words! ;-)

It might be better to find a nearby astronomy club and look through one of
their telescopes to get an idea of what can be seen. They also might be able
to help you use this "free" telescope. Clear skies to you.

--
David W. Knisely
Prairie Astronomy Club: http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org
Hyde Memorial Observatory: http://www.hydeobservatory.info/

**********************************************
* Attend the 10th Annual NEBRASKA STAR PARTY *
* July 27-Aug. 1st, 2003, Merritt Reservoir *
* http://www.NebraskaStarParty.org *
**********************************************

Llanzlan, its nice that you are getting a "free" scope...but
I should point out that with our hobby, equipment (except for
binoculars) comes LAST, not first. Learning the night naked-eye
sky comes first (you may have already surmised this).
For if you can't point your finger to Saturn, the Andromeda Galaxy,
or the Beehive star cluster in Cancer, all naked-eye objects in
a dark sky, how are you going to
point a scope (which only has a field of view of 1/2 degree, or
less)? at them?
Its kind of like me giving you a brand new car, plunking you
down in the middle of Northern Canada, and say, go to it!
And you would say, I can't go anywhere or do anything...I don't
know the area...where can I go? Same with scopes and the night sky.

Also, if you are very new to the hobby, you as yet don't know what
you want to specialize in....(and you will eventually specialize)..we
all do. Lunar/Planetary details, deep sky objects, asteroids, variable
stars, splitting doubles/multiples, comet hunting, etc etc....
There is a scope out there that maximizes each of those activities...
Scopes are kind of like airplanes...all airplanes fly, but you don't
send a bomber to do a fighter's job or a cargo planes job.
(Otherwise, we'd all have the SAME scope)!
Sounds like yours is in the first catagory...lunar/planetary details..
so don't expect it to perform well (or as well as) on the other
catagories....just thought I'd let you know ahead of time, so you
are not disappointed.

Proper way to get into astronomy to avoid disappointment:
Start learning the night sky with a star chart and binoculars. (we all
have to do it).
Find and join a Club...attend some of their star parties and look
over and learn about various scopes, and which do what, the best.
Decide what your main interest is in, after talking and viewing with others.
Then after 6 months or even a year, acquire a scope that meets your
needs of what you decide is your primary interest.

You are kind of doing it backwards, which is Ok, but realize this
ahead of time, to avoid disappointment later....the most
common question or comment we get is...."I can't see or find anything
with my scope"....people make the assumption that equipment comes first
in our hobby...it doesn't. Telescopes come LAST. Knowledge comes FIRST.

Knowledge of the night sky, and where things are located, and what
types of objects they are (globulars, nebulae, open clusters, planets,
etc) and what you can expect to see with your particular scope, comes
first, and foremost. Just thought I'd let you know ahead of time.
Clear Skies,
Tom Whiting

PS: I'll probably get 'flamed' for all this, as I'm sure there
are differences of opinion on this topic, but its how I feel,
so flaming me won't change my opinion.




Llanzlan Klazmon The 15th wrote:
"rick" wrote in
:


Hi,

Before we begin, I know that this telescope is a very basic one, I
know that there is better models for a few dollars more, etc. But I
will buy it using AirMiles points, so in a sense it cost me nothing
and this is the only model of telecope available with AirMiles. So
don't bother to recommand me bying another brand, this is THIS
telescope or nothing. And the "nothing" means that my wife will grab
all the AirMiles points to buy something else for her... haha! ;-)

Telescope specs are at the end of the message.


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

Saturn rings?


Yes. Saturn is currently an early morning object and doesn't get high in
the sky before the sun rises. You will have to wait a few months to get
good views.


Jupiter?


Is visible with the naked eye. So I would be highly surprised if you
couldn't see it with your telescope. Note Jupiter is setting early
following the sun, so again you will have to wait for several months
before it is well placed for good viewing. Your scope will be able to see
the four Gallilean moons and maybe some detail on Jupiter depending on
the quality of the optics.



Neptune?


Visible with 10 X 50 binoculars but will take a bit of finding. You will
need computer generated star charts to help find it. Download Cartes Du
Ciel http://www.stargazing.net/astropc. This is a good time to be
tracking it down as it is well placed at present.



Other galaxies or nebulas???


Messier & Mechain saw the Messier catalogue objects with scopes not much
if any better than yours. You will probably need to go to a dark site
well away from a city though. There wasn't much light pollution in
Messier's day.



Asteroids???


Certainly some of the brighter ones when well placed.

Some other suggestions:

1. The moon.

2. Mars is rapidly closing in on opposition. This is THE planetary target
at present.


I have absolutely no idea what can be seen with this telescope, and at
which size and quality. For example, how Jupiter will appear in that
telescope? Smaller then a dime nearly without colors, or bigger?


Small but you may be able to make out some detail.



Or course the Moon will be viewable, but what more can I see that I
don't already see with my eyes? What kind of details will I see?


Lots. The moon has lots of fascinating detail.


Of course the best way to give me a good idea is to direct me on a
website with images taken with a telescope of this power. An image
worth 1000 words! ;-)

So, even if the telescope is "free", I want to be able to have fun
with it and not only looking at the moon.

Thanks for your comments everyone.
Jack

TELESCOPE SPECS:

Bushnell Deep Space Series
MODEL # 78-9512
SPECIFICATIONS: 420x60mm Refractor
FOCAL LENGTH (mm): 700
EYEPIECES: 5mm, 20mm
MAGNIFICATIONS: 35, 105, 140, 420


This seems a bit odd. The 20mm eyepiece will give you 35 X, and the 5mm
eyepiece will give you 140 X. Not sure how you are getting the other
mags? Is there a 3X Barlow lens that you haven't mentioned. If so forget
about using it with the 5mm eyepiece (that is where the 420 X could be
coming from). A mag of 420 X is way beyond what you can expect to get
with a 60mm objective. All that will happen is that you will get a fuzzy
and dimmer view. Just as a matter of interest, what diameter is the
focuser?.

Llanzlan.

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

Hi all,

Thanks a lot for your answers, I appreciate the time you take for me.

That was exactly the answers I was looking for.

This scope is a good start to see if I will like this hobby since I have
nothing to lose. And if I like it and begin to be adicted (;-) I won't have
any problem to spend many hundreds $ to buy a great scope later since I know
I will appreciate it and it will worth it.

But for now I prefer to start at the beginning before spending many $ and
this scope will be perfect.

And the astronomy club is a good idea, I will look for one in my region.

Thanks again folks and like you said, "Clear sky" to you too! ;-)

Jack

For a club in, or near your area, go to:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com

Punch on resources, clubs, your country or state,
and view the clubs in your region...most include
either a website and/or an E-mail address; some
include an actual human's name with his/her phone
number and address.

(You might also want to subscribe to "our bible"
Sky & Telescope magazine while you are there, too.
Most of us get it on a yearly subscription.)
Clear Skies,
Tom W.
Erie, PA



rick wrote:
Hi all,

Thanks a lot for your answers, I appreciate the time you take for me.

That was exactly the answers I was looking for.

This scope is a good start to see if I will like this hobby since I have
nothing to lose. And if I like it and begin to be adicted (;-) I won't have
any problem to spend many hundreds $ to buy a great scope later since I know
I will appreciate it and it will worth it.

But for now I prefer to start at the beginning before spending many $ and
this scope will be perfect.

And the astronomy club is a good idea, I will look for one in my region.

Thanks again folks and like you said, "Clear sky" to you too! ;-)

Jack

bwhiting wrote in
:

Llanzlan, its nice that you are getting a "free" scope...but
I should point out that with our hobby, equipment (except for
binoculars) comes LAST, not first. Learning the night naked-eye
sky comes first (you may have already surmised this).
For if you can't point your finger to Saturn, the Andromeda Galaxy,
or the Beehive star cluster in Cancer, all naked-eye objects in
a dark sky, how are you going to
point a scope (which only has a field of view of 1/2 degree, or
less)? at them?


Er. I think you replied to the wrong poster.

Llanzlan.


SNIP

Jack,

I'm a beginner too. You should definitely go for it!

Maybe some of this is repitition of what's been said - not
intentional!

We took apart my first telescope (~40 yrd old Tasco 1.75" refractor)
and cobbled in a homemade pvc focuser and attached the tube to a
simple photo tripod. Then added a decent 1 1/4" ($50 eyepiece). I
expect many here would be quite surprised. Sure, lots of shortcomings.
But definitely capable of giving you a look at some detail on Jupiter,
Saturn's rings, and at least some neat Messier objects. As well as
what will look like awesome views of the moon.

The eyepiece is really important. With the original ep's the view was
terrible. You can get a good used eyepiece for much less than $50.
Preferably 1 1/4".

Your mount and tripod will probably be pretty shaky. You can improve
things by hanging a weight (milk jug filled with water or sand) from
the center. If you have a decent photo tripod you can attach the
scope. Lot's of simple ways to do this.

Gary Fuchs


"rick" wrote in message ...
Hi,

Before we begin, I know that this telescope is a very basic one, I know that
there is better models for a few dollars more, etc. But I will buy it using
AirMiles points, so in a sense it cost me nothing and this is the only model
of telecope available with AirMiles. So don't bother to recommand me bying
another brand, this is THIS telescope or nothing. And the "nothing" means
that my wife will grab all the AirMiles points to buy something else for
her... haha! ;-)

Telescope specs are at the end of the message.

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

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

I have absolutely no idea what can be seen with this telescope, and at which
size and quality. For example, how Jupiter will appear in that telescope?
Smaller then a dime nearly without colors, or bigger?

Or course the Moon will be viewable, but what more can I see that I don't
already see with my eyes? What kind of details will I see?

Of course the best way to give me a good idea is to direct me on a website
with images taken with a telescope of this power. An image worth 1000
words! ;-)

So, even if the telescope is "free", I want to be able to have fun with it
and not only looking at the moon.

Thanks for your comments everyone.
Jack

TELESCOPE SPECS:

Bushnell Deep Space Series
MODEL # 78-9512
SPECIFICATIONS: 420x60mm Refractor
FOCAL LENGTH (mm): 700
EYEPIECES: 5mm, 20mm
MAGNIFICATIONS: 35, 105, 140, 420