Topic: Celestron Astromaster 130 EQ

[GillE]

Santa brought my husband a Celestron Astromaster 130 EQ telescope.  Tomorrow he's getting an adapter to connect his DSLR camera to it.

Is anyone here familiar with this telscope?  He's a complete novice to astronomy despite watching "The Sky At Night" avidly for decades.

[Simon]

Not me, but I know a man who might be.   

[Clive]

Celestron is a good make and nice quality and a 118mm mirror translates to approximately 4.5" which will allow you to see star clusters, galaxies and planets.  It has probably come with a number of different eyepieces from 6mm to 20 mm but the 20mm will be the most useful.  The 6mm eyepiece is used for looking at markings on the surface of planets but you have to find the planet using the 20mm eyepiece first.  You can buy a 40mm eyepiece which will give an even wide field of view.  The most important step is to set up the finderscope which should be done in daylight possibly using a TV aerial in the distance.  Using a telescope is quite difficult and will require perseverance but to see the Pleiades star cluster or the Andromeda galaxy - both of which are visible this time of year - is such a pleasure.  If he would like to be added to my mailing lists please let me know. 

[GillE]

Thanks, Clive - I'll ask him  .

[sam]

  Using a telescope is quite difficult and will require perseverance but to see the Pleiades star cluster or the Andromeda galaxy - both of which are visible this time of year - is such a pleasure.  If he would like to be added to my mailing lists please let me know.

Indeed it is... ask my A-level physics class today who were very very confused by the concept of a Barlow lens.... 

[Simon]

They wouldn't be the only ones!   

[Clive]

It's an inexpensive eyepiece extension that doubles magnification.  Best avoided in my opinion.   

[GillE]

It's an inexpensive eyepiece extension that doubles magnification.  Best avoided in my opinion.   

Why?

[Clive]

Because it adds another lens through which light has to travel and that means less light will reach the eye.  Magnification is not a good thing as far as observing the heavens is concerned because it's harder to find what you are looking for and the object will be dimmer or less clear.  A Barlow lens adds length to an eyepiece and can unbalance the tube.  It can make the telescope unwieldy.  The telescope will be easier to use without it but make sure you use your least powerful eyepiece.  The telescope might have come with two or three eyepieces, say 6mm, 12mm and 24mm.  The 6 is the most powerful and the 24 the least powerful.  Start off with the latter and try and forget about the smaller diameter eyepiece for the time being.  Start off by looking at the Moon which is best viewed at first quarter or before.  Never ever use it to look at the Sun or blindness can occur. 

[sam]

Barlow's are good for stable observations of bright objects.. you know Jupiter, Moon... windows.   

[Clive]

  

[GillE]

Thanks, Clive 

[Rodders]

The magistrate told me I wasn't allowed to have another telescope.

[Simon]