celestron astromaster130 eq

japats57 · Joined: 26 Dec 2007 Posts: 1

I just purchased a celestron 130 telescope for my wife and myself for christmas . I fully understand it will take some time (and reading) to get the hang of this , however I have a few questions and greatly apprciate any help. 1st any tips on how to use the finder scope having some difficulty using this. 2nd having trouble locating seen with the naked eye planets any suggestions on what astronamy books I should read to help me locate these objects. thank you for any responses in advance.

Jne_K · Site Admin Joined: 24 Sep 2003 Posts: 5018

Hi

You need to adjust the finder scope - these never come ready to go out of the box. I like to adjust the finderscope by day. It's a lot easier to see what you are doing in daylight. Simply aim the scope tube at a large object on the horizon - a building, water tower or whatever - put the low power eyepiece in the scope and move the scope as needed unitl the object is in the eyepiece. Lock the scope into position, then adjust the finderscope until it is loooking at the same object.

As for books, my favorite beginner's book is Terrence Dickensen's "Nightwatch". For a star atlas, I use Sky&Telescope's "Pocket Sky Atlas" religiously.

Finding planets is a matter of checking website's online or picking up the latest issue of Sky&Telescope or Astronomy magazine. Really good idea for every beginner to subscribe to these, anyway. Right now, though, the brightest "star" in the evening sky is Mars, fairly high a bit to the southeast. Saturn rises later in the night, low in the east, so you'll have to stay up late to catch it. Venus is impossible to miss in the early morning sky. It accompanies me every morning as I ride my bicycle to work in the dark. Jupiter won't be up till February but will be great this summer.
_________________
Thanks for posting with us
Joanie K - Your personal optics expert

Forum: http://www.opticsplanet.com/msgboard
Blog: http://blog.opticsplanet.com/
Store: http://www.opticsplanet.net/

Phone: 847-513-6201
Fax: 847-919-3003