For those star gazers...

[rickhunter]

I found this neat little program that is free.  It is used in planetariums to show the night sky in 3d.  It's open source for Mac, Windows, Linux.

http://www.stellarium.org/

[a69mopar]

I hope you don't hate me for pointing this out, but they have a picture of Uranus on there....








 

it was only a matter of time before someone would have thrown that joke out there.

Thanks for the info, quite interesting,
Wayne

[Brianzz]

hardy har har

I just picked up a new telescope, this may come in handy

[a69mopar]

When I'm at my cottage, we sit out at night and look at the stars, This program has overlays of constellations, awesome.


Thanks again,
Wayne

[StatFreak]

hardy har har

I just picked up a new telescope, this may come in handy

[Ears perking up...]  What scope did you get? 

[Brianzz]

Bushnell 788846, I think

I'm glad it has the go to feature on it because it's more than obvious I don't know what I'm doing, but it was free.. so wth 

[StatFreak]

Free is always good! 

You have a 4.5 inch Newtonian reflector. It uses 1.25" eyepieces so at least it's not using the junk 0.97" stuff. That means that you could buy some higher quality eyepieces if you wanted to. (1.25" and 2" are the industry standard for telescopes) It comes with 4mm and 20mm eyepieces and a 3x barlow.

One of the most important aspects of a scope (aside from the quality of the optics and the diameter) is the stability of the mount. If the mount is not really sturdy then the images will shake, even in the slightest wind and every time you touch the scope. That's the number one reason that beginners get frustrated and quit stargazing early on. If you experience this don't let it sour your attitude towards astronomy. If you find stargazing interesting enough you might decide to step up to a different scope.

Just in the way of imparting some information, one calculates magnification by dividing the scope's focal length by the eyepiece focal length. This scope has a 900mm focal length. 900mm/20mm= 45x. 900mm/4mm= 225x. The rule of thumb if you have good optics and a sturdy mount is that a scope's maximum useful magnification is 50 times it's mirror diameter in inches. So 4.5" x 50= 225x Max. That would be under extremely good seeing conditions (rare). So you'll be using your 20mm with and without the 3x barlow most of the time, and will rarely use the 4mm and never use the 4mm with the barlow. Magnification is really not a factor at all in picking a scope anyway. Scopes that advertise their magnification are usually the poorer quality scopes that amateur astronomers stay away from. Besides, most objects out there require lower magnification, not higher.

You might want to pick up an 8mm eyepiece. The barlow will reduce the quality of the image so an 8mm without the barlow will give better results than the 20mm with one.

The scope's diameter determines how much light gets in and that's WAY more important than magnification -- it's EVERYTHING. The more light you bring in the more detail you can see. 4.5" is small but you will still be able to see some deep sky objects and will definitely be able to see most of the planets (possibly Uranus, probably not Mercury or Neptune and definitely not Pluto). You will find Saturn and Jupiter the most interesting anyway starting out.

You might want to buy yourself a good planisphere. Get one that is at least 10"-12" in diameter.

Jupiter and Venus are close together and can be seen at dust right now. (Unfortunately that means that you won't get the best views of Jupiter since it's better to see it later at night and higher in the sky.) Look for Jupiter's largest 4 moons. They can be seen in a scope but sometimes one or more are hidden as they orbit the planet.

Here is the current info on Saturn:

Friday, December 5, 2008
Saturn's rings are tilted just 1° from edgewise. Look for Saturn in the morning sky towards the south, below the constellation of Leo the Lion. The rings look needle-like as seen through the telescope. Take the opportunity to look at Saturn while the rings are nearly edge-on. The rings will tip exactly edge-on next September but Saturn will be too close to the Sun to be seen. The next easy to see ring plane crossing will be in the year 2039.

Using your goto, you should have a catalog of objects called Messier Objects. They will all start with an M, and range from M1 through M111. They are the most commonly viewed objects and a good place to start.

This time of year you might look for:
M45  the Pleiades. You can see the seven stars with the naked eye, but it is actually an open cluster with hundreds of stars.
        Use your lowest power with open clusters.

M42  the Great Orion Nebula. The most spectacular nebula in the northern hemisphere. Can even be seen with the naked eye.

Albireo in Cygnus, the swan. A beautiful double star. One is blue and the other is yellow (may seem red). This is believed to be a true double star system.
        The two stars orbit each other in the same solar system. It should be listed under "Named Objects" or "Named Stars".
        It is also in the IC catalog as IC1296 (if you have that catalog)

M13  Globular Cluster. The best and brightest GC in the northern hemisphere.

M31  the Andromeda Galaxy. Can be seen with the naked eye on good nights, and the only such object that is not in our galaxy.
        Use lowest possible power to get in as much as possible.

M57  the Ring nebula. Cool looking smoke-ring shaped nebula. It is actually a sphere of gasses that are the remnant of a star similar to our own sun that has reached the end of its life.
The Double Cluster in Perseus. It should be listed in "Named Objects", or else use NGC884 in the NGC catalog.

M25  A bright open cluster.

M81  Spiral galaxy. You might also see the fainter M82 nearby.

M27  the Dumbbell nebula. I'm not sure how well you'll see this in a 4.5" scope.

Mizar & Alcor   Two stars that appear close together. They are not actually binary stars; they are different distances from Earth.

The moon is waxing so the sooner the better for the planets. Otherwise you'll need to wait for the next new moon (best viewing) and check the internet to determine which planets can be seen and when.

The best viewing is close to the new moon on clear nights with low humidity and low wind. However, the wind in the upper atmosphere can have a big influence on seeing quality. Sometimes it may be breezy at ground level but calm high up in which case you might have great seeing if the scope is sturdy enough to withstand the breeze and not vibrate. Sometimes it can be dead calm at ground level but seeing will be lousy because of high altitude turbulence. You need to get as far away from light pollution as possible. This can be almost impossible nowadays. (Don't get me started on light pollution! )

It looks like I got carried away here but hopefully this will give you a place to start.

[StatFreak]

Brianzz, I googled your address. From what I can see your best bet would be about 75-100 miles west of you in the mountains one state over, where routes 64, 441, and 23 are located. You're surrounded by too much civilization.

[jay]

When you googled him, hes not getting out of a Red Truck is he.....   

Hmmm Stat ... Stalker..... Bush only had Q to work with to justify invading IraQ ......   

Sorry guys me bad ..... 

[StatFreak]

When you googled him, hes not getting out of a Red Truck is he.....   

Hmmm Stat ... Stalker..... Bush only had Q to work with to justify invading IraQ ......   

Sorry guys me bad ..... 

 

I guess I messed up - I never even zoomed in closer than city level to his address. I zoomed out so I could look for uninhabited areas at preferably high altitudes. I didn't mention any state or city names. I should go back and get to the street level to look for him. Maybe I'll find him getting out of NaviNut's truck!!

[StatFreak]

Did I mention how expensive this hobby can get? If you think slots are expensive... Diehards end up getting large vehicles to carry their large scopes and motor homes to camp in when traveling long distances. Then there is the equipment. I have four top quality eyepieces (Naglers). They cost over $1500, and that's just eyepieces. But looking at some of these objects with a large scope (18 inches or larger) is truly spectacular. Globular clusters that look like little fuzzballs in small scopes resolve to thousands of stars! (no exaggeration) In extremely large scopes (over 24 inches) one can begin to see color and the illusion of 3D. Of course, my philosophy is to let the other guy buy the giant scope and cop a peek.

[Brianzz]

Great info Stat, thanks!

I actually live about 40 miles NE of Chattanooga, in Cleveland, it's pretty rural, they can't really afford street lights here 

[StatFreak]

Great info Stat, thanks!

I actually live about 40 miles NE of Chattanooga, in Cleveland, it's pretty rural, they can't really afford street lights here 

I didn't want to get specific about your location, but since you've let the cat out of the bag, I was looking at areas along hwy 64 somewhere between Rainbow Springs, NC and Franklin, NC. The idea would be to find a road that will get you to a high elevation with good horizon visibility and public access. A parking lot for trail heads would be a good example.

<EDIT> You might want to see if there is a local astronomy club nearby. It's always better to view with others and they would know of the best places to setup.

Here you go:
http://www.astronomyclubs.com/1/190/44/0/club.aspx
http://www.astronomyclubs.com/1/190/35/0/club.aspx

[Brianzz]

I went out last night and fooled around a bit, evidently there's problems with taking a scope from a 75 degree house to 20 degree outdoors 

[rickhunter]

Stat, can your scope use a T-Mount?  I've been looking at getting something "middle of the road" to use my D-SLR for some photography, but I just haven't gotten around to do the research, etc.  About as far as I got is using a 450mm lens on my dsrl to take pictures of the moon, but that gets old really quick.

[brichter]

I went out last night and fooled around a bit, evidently there's problems with taking a scope from a 75 degree house to 20 degree outdoors 

Yup! You'll need to put it out earlier and wait for temps to equalize. There's a couple of different devices to combat dew on the objective lens (big one at the front).

[brichter]

Hmmm Stat ... Stalker..... Bush only had Q to work with to justify invading IraQ ......   

I thought it was only the "Ira", since he started talking about Iran shortly afterwards... 

[StatFreak]

I went out last night and fooled around a bit, evidently there's problems with taking a scope from a 75 degree house to 20 degree outdoors 

Yup! You'll need to put it out earlier and wait for temps to equalize. There's a couple of different devices to combat dew on the objective lens (big one at the front).

Agreed. I don't have experience with the anti-dew devices because we don't need them in the desert southwest, but they are essentially heaters to keep the optics above the dew point. Now's probably a good time to suggest getting one of those car starter batteries/ 12v DC power supplies. (If your scope uses 12VDC, which is common. The heater will usually be designed to use that as well. So a lead-acid battery and a lighter socket splitter will give you the power you'll need with more to spare.

In addition to equalizing your equipment , you will also need to equalize yourself. It takes a minimum of 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust to night vision, and can take up to three hours to fully adjust. You will want to turn off all your house lights and use a red light to see what you're doing. (Red light doesn't affect your night vision.) You can use a flashlight with red gel taped over it, or purchase a red LED light. The one I use has a cord to hang around your neck and a dial to adjust the intensity and to keep it on while it's hanging so you can use it hands free. Don't turn the lights on if you go into the house for something; you'll ruin your night vision and have to start all over.

I'll get to the use of peripheral vision for looking at stellar objects after you've gotten your feet wet.

Aligning the scope is crucial for the goto to function correctly. Follow the instructions that came with the scope. They will be tailored to the firmware in the scope.

[StatFreak]

Stat, can your scope use a T-Mount?  I've been looking at getting something "middle of the road" to use my D-SLR for some photography, but I just haven't gotten around to do the research, etc.  About as far as I got is using a 450mm lens on my dsrl to take pictures of the moon, but that gets old really quick.

Yes, I have a T-mount adapter for Nikon lenses, but I ended up buying a Meade DSI PRO with the Autostar suite because I got frustrated with trying to get good pictures with a regular camera. In addition to that I didn't want to ruin either of my DSLRs, and to get good results in astrophotography I would have had to remove the camera's IR filter (because a large portion of the light from deep space objects is in that spectrum) which would have precluded using the camera for terrestrial photography unless I procured an IR filter that could be screwed onto the front of any lens I used. That also becomes a PITA.

Btw, the best viewing and photography of the moon is usually accomplished when the moon is a crescent. A full moon is not only much too bright, but it appears completely two-dimensional. When one takes pictures of a crescent moon and focuses on the terminator, one can see shadows and detail that reveal the height of the mountains and the depth of the craters. The common school of thought is to use a series of ND (Neutral Density) filters when viewing or photographing the moon, but I prefer a variable polarizer. That way I only have to buy one filter and can adjust it to let through exactly the amount of light that I want.

Note to Brianzz: Viewing the moon through a scope without one of these filters will instantly ruin your night vision. Even with the filter it will impair your ability to look at faint objects for a while. In a larger scope (8 inches or more) looking at the bright part of the moon without a filter can actually be uncomfortable. It won't actually damage your eyes, but it's not something you'll want to do.

Anyway, to get back to the equipment question, the DSI hooks up to a laptop and one can drive the scope and the photography from the computer. One can set the software to use manually selected guide stars in the scope's field rather than using a second tracking scope -- which simplifies things -- and then program it to automatically take the desired number of photographs and the time for each exposure and leave it to do it's thing. It also allows one to set the minimum quality for an exposure to be accepted and it will throw out and re-do any exposure that doesn't measure up.

Most digital deep space photography consists of taking dozens or even hundreds of shorter exposures and stacking them to get the necessary amount of detail and color. The cheaper Meade DSI is a color imager at 8bits per channel, but the DSI PRO is mono with 16bits of depth to better handle the wide contrast necessary in astrophotography. It comes with an adaptor and four color gels. One takes a series of shots with each filter (red, green, blue, IR) and a dark shot (used to negate CCD noise) -- all with the same exposure time -- and then stacks all of the shots using the reference stars to align the pictures. Registacks is a good stacking program for this step and a bit easier to use than the Autostar suite's stacker.

One cool thing about the Autostar suite is that along with using the guide stars in the software it also auto de-rotates images taken with a fork mounted scope. It's still better to get an equatorial mount for astrophotography (the tried and true method), but the software works quite well without one.

[rickhunter]

So basically this device hooks up to an eyepiece.   I found the DSI PRO on clearance for $388, is it worth speding the $700 for the DSI PRO III version?

[StatFreak]

So basically this device hooks up to an eyepiece.   I found the DSI PRO on clearance for $388, is it worth speding the $700 for the DSI PRO III version?

I haven't looked into the latest version. I can find out about it if you'd like. Actually, it doesn't use an eyepiece; it replaces it.

Sorry for the delay in responding. My ISP's DNS has been down for over 2 days.   I have has so many problems with them that last month they credited my account for a full month free. BFD. What good is it when the service doesn't work half the time. ...  ROADRUNNER SUCKS!

[rickhunter]

If that's a common issue with your ISP, you should consider keeping handy a few of the public DNS servers around so you can manually configure for their use while your ISP is experiencing trapped smoke release syndrome.

[StatFreak]

If that's a common issue with your ISP, you should consider keeping handy a few of the public DNS servers around so you can manually configure for their use while your ISP is experiencing trapped smoke release syndrome.

Not a bad idea. K+ and thanks Rick.   I'd have left them long ago if DSL weren't 1/4 as fast. Ah, well.. I won't be with them much longer anyhoo.

[brichter]

What kind of speeds do you get with RR, David?

[rickhunter]

ATT-Uverse has just become available in my area.  I'm just waiting for them to deploy the voice section so I can do it all at once, but they can offer me now 18Mbits download 1.5Mbit upload for around $65 when added to the voice/TV/Data deal.  I would end up paying about the same for the services I have now, which is DirecTV, ADSL and POTS.