Orion SkyQuest 4.5 viewing question

I have decided on buying an Orion SkyQuest 4.5 dob. It is a compromise
decision as I got three kids 13 and under and the 4.5 is also fairly
portable. I was wondering if users familiar with this scope can tell me what
I can expect to see.
The only other telescope I have own has been one of those 60mm refractors
sold in department stores, actually mine was a Jason refractor I bought at
13 years old back in 1971. So the Orion 4.5" has got to
be a step up over that one. Can I see any deep sky objects like Orion Nebula
as an example. What about galaxies?? With my Jason refractor I was able to
see Andromeda , though it was a small.
Can i see the Mars ice caps at opposition?
How about Jupiter's red spot at times?? Any information appreciated.

The XT4.5 is a huge step up from a 60mm Jason. You will be able to see
many Galaxies, many deep sky objects, easily see the Great Red Spot when
it is in view, and decent surface detail on Mars when Mars at opposition.

You will be stunned by the difference between the XT4.5 and the 60mm Jason.

Hi David,

David wrote:
I have decided on buying an Orion SkyQuest 4.5 dob. It is a compromise
decision as I got three kids 13 and under and the 4.5 is also fairly
portable. I was wondering if users familiar with this scope can tell me what
I can expect to see.
The only other telescope I have own has been one of those 60mm refractors
sold in department stores, actually mine was a Jason refractor I bought at
13 years old back in 1971. So the Orion 4.5" has got to
be a step up over that one. Can I see any deep sky objects like Orion Nebula
as an example. What about galaxies?? With my Jason refractor I was able to
see Andromeda , though it was a small.
Can i see the Mars ice caps at opposition?
How about Jupiter's red spot at times?? Any information appreciated.

A 4.5" will show you a lot of things. You will need dark sky for
really good views of deep-sky targets, but this is true for all
telescopes. The Orion Nebula looks _GREAT_ in 4.5". Many other
nebulae and galaxies should be visible too. For the galaxies, the most
important thing for a good view is a dark sky - if your place have
serious light pollution, a trip to a darker place is a very good thing
that will be rewarded. (Don't start with a trip, though - there is
nothing worse than being in a cold dark place with a scope you don't
know enough and not enough experience/equipment to help you navigate
the sky. Get used to the scope for a while from your backyard.)

Regarding the planets - all those things you are asking about will
be readily visible with your scope. (However, keep in mind that the
Great Red Spot is not so red those years and one may not recognize it
at first.) The light pollution is not an issue. You need good, stable
seeing, and some time for the scope to cool down after you take it out
for viewing. The collimation is especially important for planetary
viewing. At least in the beginning I would advice you not to play
with the collimation - not that it is something especially difficult
to do, or that you can break anything - just it's good to get used
to your scope for a few sessions before trying to collimate.

Finally, you will need a good set of sky charts. Search the newsgroup
for ideas in this respect. You will have to get some red light,
so you can see in the dark without ruining your night vision too
much. Then you will need a portale table to put the charts. And
a portable chair to sit when observing. And probably an eyepiece
or two in addition of what you have. Maybe a UHC or OIII filter
will come handy at some point... The list of useful things is
endless - don't get scared, one can go without most of those things.
Think of them as a blessing - there will not be a Christmas or
birthday coming, when you don't have idea what present to get, :-)

Good luck with your new scope! :-)

Ckear skies,

- Alex

So the Orion 4.5" has got to
be a step up over that one. Can I see any deep sky objects like Orion Nebula
as an example. What about galaxies??


Hi:

Yes, you'll be able to see quite a few galaxies and other deep sky objects with
a 4.5. The entire Messier list is quite doable with this aperture--I've done
'em all with a 4 inch myself--and you can see many other deep sky objects
besides.

Now, as for how good they will look and how easy they will be to find, that
depends on the condition of your skies with regards to light pollution.


Peace,
Rod Mollise
Author of _Choosing and Using a Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope_
Like SCTs and MCTs?
Check-out sct-user, the mailing list for CAT fanciers!
Goto http://members.aol.com/RMOLLISE/index.html

David wrote:

I have decided on buying an Orion SkyQuest 4.5 dob. It is a compromise
decision as I got three kids 13 and under and the 4.5 is also fairly
portable. I was wondering if users familiar with this scope can tell me what
I can expect to see.
The only other telescope I have own has been one of those 60mm refractors
sold in department stores, actually mine was a Jason refractor I bought at
13 years old back in 1971. So the Orion 4.5" has got to
be a step up over that one. Can I see any deep sky objects like Orion Nebula
as an example. What about galaxies?? With my Jason refractor I was able to
see Andromeda , though it was a small.
Can i see the Mars ice caps at opposition?
How about Jupiter's red spot at times??

All of the above -- assuming reasonable viewing condtions.

On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 21:16:16 GMT, "David"
wrote:

I have decided on buying an Orion SkyQuest 4.5 dob. It is a compromise
decision as I got three kids 13 and under and the 4.5 is also fairly
portable. I was wondering if users familiar with this scope can tell me what
I can expect to see.

I have one I bought a little over a year ago (and I also have three
kids 10 and under in age)


The only other telescope I have own has been one of those 60mm refractors
sold in department stores, actually mine was a Jason refractor I bought at
13 years old back in 1971. So the Orion 4.5" has got to
be a step up over that one. Can I see any deep sky objects like Orion Nebula
as an example.

Well, sure, but then M42 is visible to the naked eye ;-) Seriously,
though, it's a nice object in the 4.5, and under higher power you can
make out some structure in it, even with some not-so-good skies.

What about galaxies?? With my Jason refractor I was able to
see Andromeda , though it was a small.

Yes, you can easily see M31, but keep in mind even in light-polluted
skies you can see it with binoculars. I haven't been in a dark enough
sky to see much more than its core.

Here is my take on it: I found it to be an excellent beginner's scope
for the price. I find it to be a little short for comfortable viewing
if I put it on the ground, so I usually put it on a low table (we have
a "kids' table" that is about 2 feet high and three feet square).

If you want to do much planetary viewing, you might want to also get
either a 2X Barlow (as we did) or buy another eyepiece in the 5-7 mm
range (assuming Orion is still bundling the 10mm and 25 mm eyepieces).

When Mars was at its closest approach last summer, I could see its
south polar ice cap, and some darkish surface detail. Jupiter is a
nice object. I can usually see two major equatorial cloud bands, and
when the sky is clear I can sometimes see some other detail. I haven't
seen the GRS yet, though. Also, the Galilean moons are easily seen.
Saturn is also a pretty nice object, and your kids should appreciate a
view of the rings. IMO Venus is not much to look at, except when it's
at a thin crescent stage.

Depending on how dark your skies are, you can make out a number of the
"faint fuzzy" deep space objects, but they probably won't knock your
socks off. Mostly I try to find them because I like the hunt.

One thing that did happen to me was that I acquired a taste for
looking at open clusters. Many of them are quite pretty in that scope,
even when the skies aren't so great. Personally, I think Winter is a
great time for starting to observe, with a number of interesting
clusters out, not only bright naked eye objects like the Pleiades and
the Beehive, but other easy to find ones such as the clusters in
Auriga and Perseus and M35 in Gemini (and moreover, there is plenty of
dark outside in the winter).

Nick

--
Nick Theodorakis

contact form:
http://theodorakis.net/contact.html

"David" wrote in message news:AS6pd.8229$8o.6373@trndny08...
I have decided on buying an Orion SkyQuest 4.5 dob. It is a compromise
decision as I got three kids 13 and under and the 4.5 is also fairly
portable. I was wondering if users familiar with this scope can tell me what
I can expect to see.

The book "Turn Left at Orion" by Guy Consolmagno, et al. is a must
have for anyone with a small telescope.

It's wonderful for getting the most out of your scope and telling you
what objects will really look like through the eyepiece. Lots of great
tips, techniques, and viewing ideas.

Here's the amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...87111?v=glance

Don't forget about ovserving the moon, especially with kids. Try to
get your kids to look at it when it's not full so the shadows will
make the craters really jump out at the terminator.

-Mark