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Newbie help!



 
 
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  #1  
Old December 28th 05, 11:22 PM posted to uk.sci.astronomy
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Default Newbie help!

Good evening!
I've had a passing interest in astronomy for quite some time now and bought
myself a telescope for christmas. Having waited until a clear night, I've
trawled into the garden and scanned the skies hoping to find Mars...
I've tracked it on HNSKY and am sure of its position, the problem comes with
the image I saw - I'm using a 'scope with a focal length of 300mm, lense
70mm diameer and eyepieces of 6mm and 20mm.
According to the figures, I'm getting magnification of 15 and 50x...
So what should I be seeing? 2 hours of scanning revealed prin-picks of light
I took to be stars... Do I need more magnification or should I be seeing
anything with these lenses?
Thanks in advance,
Terry Kay


  #2  
Old December 28th 05, 11:42 PM posted to uk.sci.astronomy
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Default Newbie help!


"Terry Kay" wrote in message
...
Good evening!
I've had a passing interest in astronomy for quite some time now and
bought myself a telescope for christmas. Having waited until a clear
night, I've trawled into the garden and scanned the skies hoping to find
Mars...
I've tracked it on HNSKY and am sure of its position, the problem comes
with the image I saw - I'm using a 'scope with a focal length of 300mm,
lense 70mm diameer and eyepieces of 6mm and 20mm.
According to the figures, I'm getting magnification of 15 and 50x...
So what should I be seeing? 2 hours of scanning revealed prin-picks of
light I took to be stars... Do I need more magnification or should I be
seeing anything with these lenses?
Thanks in advance,
Terry Kay

You should be able to tell that Mars is more than a 'pinprick', at your
higher magnification, but it won't look large. Mars is shrinking now, but
is perhaps 1/5th of an arc minute across (1/150th the diameter of the
Moon). At your higher magnification, it should therefore be close to 1/3rd
the diameter of the Moon 'naked eye'. Not exactly big, but just about
large enough, to see some major features. Objects will always appear
'smaller' through the scope, than this suggests (this is a psychological
effect), but if you were only seeing 'points', then it suggests you were
missing Mars. It is _very_ bright, and should have been obviously brighter
than anything else remotely near.

Best Wishes


  #3  
Old December 28th 05, 11:49 PM posted to uk.sci.astronomy
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Default Newbie help!

Many thanks,
I'd hoped as much... The scope is definitely pointing in the direction of
the brightest point in the sky, but I've obviously missed the exact point...
Fingers crossed for tommorow night?
Thanks again,
Terry

"Roger Hamlett" wrote in message
...

"Terry Kay" wrote in message
...
Good evening!
I've had a passing interest in astronomy for quite some time now and
bought myself a telescope for christmas. Having waited until a clear
night, I've trawled into the garden and scanned the skies hoping to find
Mars...
I've tracked it on HNSKY and am sure of its position, the problem comes
with the image I saw - I'm using a 'scope with a focal length of 300mm,
lense 70mm diameer and eyepieces of 6mm and 20mm.
According to the figures, I'm getting magnification of 15 and 50x...
So what should I be seeing? 2 hours of scanning revealed prin-picks of
light I took to be stars... Do I need more magnification or should I be
seeing anything with these lenses?
Thanks in advance,
Terry Kay

You should be able to tell that Mars is more than a 'pinprick', at your
higher magnification, but it won't look large. Mars is shrinking now, but
is perhaps 1/5th of an arc minute across (1/150th the diameter of the
Moon). At your higher magnification, it should therefore be close to 1/3rd
the diameter of the Moon 'naked eye'. Not exactly big, but just about
large enough, to see some major features. Objects will always appear
'smaller' through the scope, than this suggests (this is a psychological
effect), but if you were only seeing 'points', then it suggests you were
missing Mars. It is _very_ bright, and should have been obviously brighter
than anything else remotely near.

Best Wishes



  #4  
Old December 29th 05, 01:04 PM posted to uk.sci.astronomy
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Newbie help!


"Terry Kay" wrote in message
...
Many thanks,
I'd hoped as much... The scope is definitely pointing in the direction of
the brightest point in the sky, but I've obviously missed the exact
point... Fingers crossed for tommorow night?


Make sure that your finder scope is correctly aligned with the main tube. Do
this in daytime - go out and (looking through the main tube) point the
scope main tube at an easily recognisable object a couple of hundred metres
away if possible - the top of a telephone pole or a chimney for example.
Then look through the finder. If the object is not centred in the finder,
you need to adjust the finder screws until it is....


Thanks again,
Terry

"Roger Hamlett" wrote in message
...

"Terry Kay" wrote in message
...
Good evening!
I've had a passing interest in astronomy for quite some time now and
bought myself a telescope for christmas. Having waited until a clear
night, I've trawled into the garden and scanned the skies hoping to find
Mars...
I've tracked it on HNSKY and am sure of its position, the problem comes
with the image I saw - I'm using a 'scope with a focal length of 300mm,
lense 70mm diameer and eyepieces of 6mm and 20mm.
According to the figures, I'm getting magnification of 15 and 50x...
So what should I be seeing? 2 hours of scanning revealed prin-picks of
light I took to be stars... Do I need more magnification or should I be
seeing anything with these lenses?
Thanks in advance,
Terry Kay

You should be able to tell that Mars is more than a 'pinprick', at your
higher magnification, but it won't look large. Mars is shrinking now, but
is perhaps 1/5th of an arc minute across (1/150th the diameter of the
Moon). At your higher magnification, it should therefore be close to
1/3rd the diameter of the Moon 'naked eye'. Not exactly big, but just
about large enough, to see some major features. Objects will always
appear 'smaller' through the scope, than this suggests (this is a
psychological effect), but if you were only seeing 'points', then it
suggests you were missing Mars. It is _very_ bright, and should have been
obviously brighter than anything else remotely near.

Best Wishes





 




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