Nice View of Jupiter Tonight

[Erichalfbee]

 

[JamezF]

Unfortunately I don't have the right telescope mounted up at the moment, so in proper Blue Peter fashion, here's one I took earlier

Or if you like a bit of animation...

James

 

[hemo]

I was out delivering on Saturday and Mars was pointed out to me as slight speck in the dark sky and tonight I can see Mars quite clearly along with Taurus.

Jupiter is too low on the horizon for me and any view blocked by trees to the west, I left it too late in the evening to see it.

 

[hemo]

I'm ready for dusk tonight to see if I can get a sighting of Jupiter whilst it's attitude is higher in the sky.
Apparently Venus is also good to see to the SW just about dusk but attitude is low at about 18 degrees.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Unfortunately I don't have the right telescope mounted up at the moment, so in proper Blue Peter fashion, here's one I took earlier

Or if you like a bit of animation...

James

I just knew you would be prepared, James

 

[JamezF]

I just knew you would be prepared, James

I have spent many, many hours outside on cold nights with telescopes and cameras pointing at the sky

James

 

[Newbeeneil]

I use the SkyView lite app on my phone to identify stars and planets...... even the ISS and Hubble space telescope are on their. - and more importantly, it's free!

 

[Darryl]

Look like the gobstoppers we used to buy as kids.

Unfortunately I don't have the right telescope mounted up at the moment, so in proper Blue Peter fashion, here's one I took earlier

Or if you like a bit of animation...

James

 

[JamezF]

I use the SkyView lite app on my phone to identify stars and planets...... even the ISS and Hubble space telescope are on their. - and more importantly, it's free!

I tend to use Stellarium most of the time, because it also handles comets. There's some astonishing planetarium/telescope mount controller software out there now though.

James

 

[hemo]

Cloud has built up here this pm , may blot any chance of a good view late afternoon /early evening.

 

[hemo]

So for someone like me who has never has a star gazing scope or know little about them, what is a good introduction beginners product & price point in the purchase of one that makes the object clearer to see ?

 

[JamezF]

So for someone like me who has never has a star gazing scope or know little about them, what is a good introduction beginners product & price point in the purchase of one that makes the object clearer to see ?

These guys are thoroughly decent people and give good advice:

Best Starter Astronomy Telescope Guide for Beginners | First Light Optics

I absolutely wouldn't ever buy from anyone other than a specialist astronomy supplier. There's a lot of tat about at the cheaper end of the market.

What's the best choice is a complex question to answer though, because the preferred type of telescope for viewing solar system objects is likely to be different from that for viewing objects like nebulae and star clusters in the rest of the galaxy and for other galaxies and neither may be the best choice for astrophotography (which is pretty much unavoidably expensive to get into -- it makes beekeeping look very cheap). Storage space can be an issue too, though perhaps less so for people who already keep bees

It takes time to train yourself to see fainter targets or to interpret detail in the brighter ones. Making stuff appear "bigger" doesn't always mean you can see more. It's a patient person's hobby

If you were thinking of buying, perhaps a good way forward would be to find a local astronomy group and see if you can go along to a few meetings and/or observing sessions so you get a good idea of what options there are.

James

 

[bingevader]

Binoculars are a good place to start. There's lots to see. They're lighter and cheaper. You can use them for bird watching too.
I saw the 'Green' comet (fuzzy blob ) from the back garden a few nights a go before going to bed. Too late to get the telescope out!

 

[JamezF]

Binoculars are a good place to start. There's lots to see. They're lighter and cheaper.

Binoculars certainly can work well. An upturned broom is a good way to steady them, though on my list of things to do I have building a counterweighted stand for mine (along with a "dentist style" chair that I can lie back and whizz about in whilst using them )

Steven Tonkin's website is worth a look, too.

James

 

[blackcloud]

I saw the hole of the moon....

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I saw the hole of the moon....

AKA Uranus?

 

[hemo]

I have bins and old scope, I think a better tool to see more in depth or sharper views would be a nice new toy to have.
The Skywathcher Heritage 130p looks like a pretty reasonable starting scope.

 

[JamezF]

The Skywathcher Heritage 130p looks like a pretty reasonable starting scope.

It's a fair choice, certainly. There are some small niggles, but it's probably fair to say that it's built to a price so it's never going to be perfect. All you really need is a nice steady table or similar to stand it on and a comfortable chair.

James

 

[hemo]

For an intro scope there is so much choice from weaning out the wheat from the chaff.
Looking at reviews is the worst I have found with recommends saying this or that scope is a best or if you can afford X scope pay a bit more and buy Y scope, then one looks at Y scope and the reviews says if you can afford Y then buy Z. So the one upmanship begins.
I went on to a couple of stargazing forums and the consensus is the skywatcher Heritage was a good option and the 130p being a very fair starter scope that can be customised a little to be ample for most occasional needs.
It is like most hobbies, no matter what one buys one will always get the I wouldn't have bought that or this and would have bought X,Y or Z.
I'm buying from what I think is a resonable price point (having looked at the silly crappy ultra cheap) as an entry model to buy.
For me it will be for occaisonal viewing from the patio and not someone wanting to galivant around the country to view or expecting to be a Brian Cox.

 

[hemo]

It's a fair choice, certainly. There are some small niggles, but it's probably fair to say that it's built to a price so it's never going to be perfect. All you really need is a nice steady table or similar to stand it on and a comfortable chair.

James

One suspects nothing will be perfect because others will always have a pricier and better scope with optics. Then one starts spending really silly money that isn't worth it for what one needs to see.
The aim is to find something that is adequate for my needs/usage rather then a pair of bins.

On another note last night was wash out too much cloud obscured the sky so still no view of Jupiter.