So, what cam my telescope see?

Question

I brought a Telescope a little while ago, but never really used it.

Now, the skys are clear im wondering what I might be able to see.

I only see stars at the moment.

I have a

1200-90 Seben Comet Telescope / Spotting Scope

I look for around an hour, and spot many stars (Like a ball of gas with a dark center) and Im slowly starting to give up.

I got this from Fleebay few months back and this is in the discription

Aperture: 90mm

Focal Length: 1200mm

Faintest discernable stars: 11.7M!

Dawes Limit: 1.3 arc-seconds

Focal Ratio: f/13

Eyepieces: 1.25” (31.7mm)

Magnification: PL 26mm/46-fold

Thanks In advance for the replys.

I genrally need to know if i tryed hard enough could I see a planet or will it be so faded its not worth it.

Thanks

Answer 1

"I genrally need to know if i tryed hard enough could I see a planet or will it be so faded its not worth it."

Yes you have hit upon the most serious problem to face the would be astromonomer.

Most planets are so old that through constant washing and exposure to the sun they are beginning to fade. Some of them whilst still being there have faded to the point on imperceptibility. Others are what is known as "just on the cusp".

One of the reasons for America's big interest in space travel is the possibility that we may be able to repaint the worst affected with non fading paint and save them for posterity.

Answer 2

have you tried looking at the moon?

It a good one to start with and you can buy moon maps so you know what you are looking at. I got my daughter a telescope (many MOONS ago lol) and she loved looking at the moon, the seas on it etc

Answer 3

So this is a 90 mm Mak.  It's good for the Moon and planets. You could see the crescent Venus, but no detail.  You can see the Mars polar caps at opposition, five of the moons and the rings of Saturn, the bands and 4 moons of Jupiter - possibly the great red spot. From a good dark sky site you can see nebulae and galaxies, globular and open clusters, double stars - Alberio shows a gold and blue star pair,

You won't be able to see Pluto.

One thing that will help you see anything is to get together with other people who are trying to do the same thing. Check out your local astronomy club.  Sky and Telescope magazine's web site is also handy. For example, the clubs page might help you find a local club.

It's an interesting scope.  Very portable. Quick to set up. That's a big advantage.

Answer 4

Well with just your eyes -- under dark skies-- you can see the Andromeda Galaxy-- M31 at 2.5 million light years away.

Focus on seeing the Messier list of objects-- plus the planets.

Answer 5

Stars (even in the best telescopes) look like points of light.  A gas ball with a dark centre means that the image is out of focus.

Take the telescope out during the day (just so you can see what you are doing and, if you ever drop something, you'll find it easier).  This will allow you to get used to your telescope.

Never point it at the sun.

Find some distant object (a church spire, a minaret, a lone tree in the distance) and try finding it with the scope.  You will have to turn the k**b near the eyepiece, one way and the other, until the image becomes clear.

Don't do this by pointing at the sun.

The image will likely be upside down (which it should be).  Try moving the telescope around a bit, inspecting different parts of the object (moving up and down the spire, from branch to branch on the tree...) to get used to the way the image moves when you move the telescope.

If your telescope has a sight (sometimes a smaller scope on the side, or simply two notches on the barrel), check how the sight compares to the main view (on mine, I have to remember to move the object half way to the left of centre in the sight scope).

If you have more than one eyepiece, this is a good time to try them on the same object (you may have to change the focus slightly, every time you change the eyepiece).  The eyepiece with the longest focal length will give you LESS magnification than the eyepiece with the smallest focal length.  You will do most of your observations with the low magnification eyepiece (because it gives you the widest field of view), so get used to it.

Did I mention not to point at the Sun?  Well, don't.

At night, the first times, take it out while it is not completely dark.  If you do it in the next few days, the Moon will already be up.  Look at the Moon and adjust the focus.

Then move on to other bright objects.  This will help you practice "acquiring" objects and refine the focus as you move from object to object (your eye reacts differently between bright objects and fainter objects).

Later tonight, try Jupiter low in the Southwest (unfortunately, it does not get very high from my latitude).  You should see the Galilean moons quite easily.  Next, play with the focus while looking at the disk of Jupiter.  You should be able to see the two major bands.  Give your eyes the time they need to get adjusted.

The other thing you will notice, if you do this often enough, is that your eye/brain team will learn to see more details.  Within weeks you will see smaller details that you could not see on the first evenings of observation.

Always begin observing an object with the lowest magnification.  This makes it easier to find (you have a wider field of view) and makes it appear brighter (the light is more concentrated).  Moving to a higher magnification makes the image bigger, but it does not give you more details -- the amount of detail is dictated by the aperture of the telescope, not by the magnification.  

If you notice some special detail with the higher magnification, go back to the low magnification and you will now see the same detail (but smaller); it was there all along.

Have fun.

Answer 6

One of my telescopes is a 70mm refractor with a 900mm focal length. With a 25mm eyepiece, it generates 36X (power) and some of the things I can clearly see are craters and detail on the moon, Saturn's rings and moons and the stripes of the gas bands on Jupiter and its moons, M31 (The Andromeda Galaxy), although this galaxy is just a big fuzz ball. So for your 90mm scope all these mentioned above should be no problem to see, Stick with the 26,, eyepiece and start on the moon. Pick up a copy of Astronomy or Sky and Telescope magazine and use the night sky maps inside to start locating objects like the planets. The hardest part of astronomy is starting out trying to locate objects in the night sky. I've been learning the sky for over 20 years now and probably will still be learning for many years to come. Good luck and clear skies.

Answer 7

You could answer your own question just by pointing your telescope at the planets.  Maybe that would just be too much trouble for you.  You would actually need to leave your chair and go outside.

Answer 8

start with the moon and jupiter. you can't miss either.

get some star charts.

figure out how to focus it, bcuz you're doing it wrong.