Amateur Astronomy - Looking at Nebulas and Galaxies - General

[release][h2]Amateur Astronomy[/h2] Imagine looking through a telescope and watching things like this [img]http://www.fussylizard.com/astro/m22_cld2.jpg[/img] That my friend is a [B]Galaxy[/B] and this thread is about amateur astronomy![/release] [release][h2]What can you see?[/h2] You can see virtually anything, anything from looking at the moon to detecting exoplanets by measuring the light output while it passes a star. Anything is possible. Here are some pics. [img]http://www.windows2universe.org/the_universe/images/OrionNebula_M42_m.gif[/img] That is the Orion Nebula. [img]http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/astro/astpic/andromeda.jpg[/img] That is the Andromeda galaxy. [img]http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/upload/2009/12/celebrating_saturnalia/saturn_small_scope.jpg[/img] That's Saturn. All of this you can see through a telescope. Interested? Let's go through the basics on how to get started.[/release] [release][h2]What telescope should I buy?[/h2] There are a couple different telescope designs, I'll go through the most common. [h2]Refractor Telescope[/h2] [img]http://images.hayneedle.com/images/custom_site_images/361/image002.jpg[/img] Refractor telescopes are what the average person identifies with the word "telescope". These consist of a long, narrow tube in which light passes in a straight line between the front, objective, lens and a rear-mounted eyepiece. [B]Advantages[/B] >>Simplicity of design contributes to ease of use and reliability; >>Require little or no maintenance; >>Excellent for lunar, planetary and binary star observing, especially in larger apertures; >>Good for distant terrestrial viewing; >>Offer high-contrast images with no secondary mirror or diagonal obstruction; >>Render good color in achromatic designs and excellent in apochromatic, fluorite and ED designs; >>Sealed optical tube reduces image-degrading air currents and protects optics, >>Have permanently mounted and aligned objective lenses. [B]Disadvantages[/B] >>More expensive per inch of aperture than reflector or catadioptrics designs; >>Heavier, longer and bulkier than equivalent-aperture reflectors and catadioptrics; >>Cost and bulk factors limit the maximum practical aperture size, >>Less suited to viewing small and faint deep-sky objects because of practical aperture limitations. [h2]Reflector Telescope[/h2] [img]http://images.hayneedle.com/images/custom_site_images/361/image004.jpg[/img] Reflector telescopes usually use a concave, parabolic primary mirror to collect and focus incoming light onto a flat secondary mirror that in turn reflects the image out of an opening at the side of the main tube, into an eyepiece for viewing. [B]Advantages[/B] >>Lower cost per inch of aperture than offered by refractors and catadioptrics, since mirrors can be produced at less cost than lenses in refractors in medium to large apertures; >>Reasonably compact and portable; >>Excellent for faint, deep-sky objects, such as remote galaxies, nebulae and star clusters, because of their larger apertures, >>Deliver very bright images with few optical aberrations. [B]Disadvantages[/B] >>Generally not suited to terrestrial observation, >>Slight light loss due to obstruction from the secondary mirror. [h2]Catadioptric Telescope[/h2] [img]http://images.hayneedle.com/images/custom_site_images/361/image006.jpg[/img] Catadioptric telescopes use a combination of mirrors and lenses to fold the light and form an image. Catadioptrics are the most popular type of instrument, with the most modern design, marketed throughout the world in apertures of 3.5 inches and larger. There are two popular designs of these mirror/lens "hybrids", the Schmidt-Cassegrain and the Maksutov-Cassegrain. In the Schmidt-Cassegrain the light enters through a thin, aspheric Schmidt correcting plate, then strikes the spherical primary mirror and is reflected back up the tube, where it is intercepted by a small, secondary mirror. This reflects the light out an opening in the rear of the instrument to form an image at the eyepiece [B]Advantages[/B] >>Best all-purpose telescope design, combining the optical advantages of both lenses and mirrors, while canceling their disadvantages; >>Excellent optics with razor-sharp images over a wide field; >>Excellent for deep-sky observing or astrophotography with fast films or CCD imagers; >>Very good for lunar, planetary and binary star observing or photography; >>Excellent for terrestrial viewing or photography; >>Closed-tube design reduces image-degrading air currents; >>Compact and portable; >>Easy to use; >>Durable and virtually maintenance-free; >>Offer large apertures at reasonable prices less expensive than equivalent-aperture refractor designs; >>Greater accessory availability than is the case with other types, >>Best near-focus capability of all designs. [B]Disadvantages[/B] >>More expensive than reflectors of equal aperture; >>It is not what people expect a telescope to look like, >>Slight light loss due to obstruction by the secondary mirror. [/release] If you have any questions just ask away. [U][B][I]Keep in mind I am a extreme beginner to this hobby so don't ask complicated questions please.[/I][/B][/U]

Oh, Mr. T. You switch hobbies every day, don´t you? :v: Anyways, I've been interested in Astronomy for a long, long time. Maybe this is something for me.

Isn't the first picture a Globular Cluster? Anyway, I got a 150mm Reflector, it's a nice thing, works pretty well, my smaller eyepiece is fairly shit though.

My telescope mirror is all messed up. I think it's because I never wiped the condensed water from it after taking it back home from a cold night.

My Orion XT8 Dobson arrived yesterday. [img]http://orionskyquesttelescopereviews.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/orion_skyquest_xt10_classic_dobsonian_telescope.jpg[/img] Watching Jupiter and it moons is amazing. My only problem is the light pollution because i live close to a city.

[QUOTE=Asgard;32811259]Oh, Mr. T. You switch hobbies every day, don´t you? :v: Anyways, I've been interested in Astronomy for a long, long time. Maybe this is something for me.[/QUOTE] I have a tendency to switch hobbies. :v:

Isn't the correct plural "Nebulae"?

Got a Celestron Nexstar 80 Slt here at my house. [img]http://www.scientificsonline.com/media/catalog/product/cache/2/image/348x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/3/1/3126818.jpg[/img] Computerized telescopes are pretty nice if there's not too much light pollution, otherwise they can be a bitch to calibrate, so just take it up to the local observatory/ somewhere that's dark. I really need to get a camera attachment for it though, taking photos through a telescope is really hard without one. [url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/60163821@N03/6020826946/][img]http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6150/6020826946_06a6dc641e_b.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/60163821@N03/6020826946/]DSC_2848.NEF[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/60163821@N03/]Sumap1[/url], on Flickr

I still have my telescope ....somewhere

Also, why did you copy the OP from [url]http://www.spaceref.com/telescopes/How-To-Select-Your-First-Telescope.html[/url] ?

[QUOTE=Asgard;32814779]Also, why did you copy the OP from [url]http://www.spaceref.com/telescopes/How-To-Select-Your-First-Telescope.html[/url] ?[/QUOTE] Because I'm lazy. And I can't describe shit without messing up.

I have a few telescopes, but nothing beats just laying on the grass and looking up.

I wish I still lived in the ass-backwards end of nowhere with no light pollution, but sadly, I live in a city now, and I can barely see the stars at night.

This is why I love living in the middle of no-where.

Only thing I can see through my telescope as more than a dot is the moon. But even just looking at the moon is worth it, you can see all the crater impacts and everything.

I love space shit. I listen to Star Talk Radio all the time.

I love astronomy- too bad the weather here in Cleveland is shitty, and when it's clear, it's too cold and there's light pollution. I have a pretty nice telescope though- an Orion StarBlast 6i (with the computerized starfinder) or something. I plan on majoring in Physics with an Astronomy concentration in college too, which makes it even better.

I have a meade DS-80 its pretty good. i can see jupitor (and some colors) i also bought a Lens that gets rid of the Blue and red Haze or glow or what ever i like it (i found it in the trash)

Anyone that has even a fleeting interest in astronomy should check out their local Astronomical Society. I joined York AS in 2009 and they often hold meetings with guest speakers, we hold public "star parties" in the countryside (such as at Sutton Bank Visitor Centre, one of the darkest skies in Yorkshire) and we also have our own observatory out of town that we can use whenever we want: [img]http://www.yorkastro.org.uk/images/obstour_1.jpg[/img] this image is from 2006 though, since then we've completely refurbished it and raised the rolling foot a few feet to house our largest telescope: [img]http://www.yorkastro.org.uk/images/obstour_6.jpg[/img] And for telescope enthusiasts (i.e. those who care about equipment), we have 2 self-built dobsonian telescopes, signed by John Dobson himself: [img]http://www.yorkastro.org.uk/images/obstour_2.jpg[/img] The telescope behind the one in the bottom right is the one I currently have on loan from the society (and I have for about a year). It's also a Dobsonian, albeit much smaller, but it's still great for planetary observing. So yeah, check out your local AS

I got a Celestron Nexstar 130SLT right here. Here's a picture because all those numbers and letters probably don't mean jack shit to you. [img]http://www.binocularsbest.net/images/pictures/celestron-nexstar-130slt-newtonian-reflector-telescope.PNG[/img] There's plenty of light pollution where I live, but there's this place that the local astronomy club- lovely bunch of folks- likes in a nearby State Park. There's a helluva lotta trees in every direction, and not a whole lot of development. Every last Saturday of the month they meet there and all get their telescopes out for viewing, weather permitting. I've gone a couple of times myself, and I must admit, my telescope feels mighty small next to the gargantuan towers the other people have. They get damn good pictures too, I must say. I'm actually working on an astronomy research project for school involving stars and spectroscopy. I won't bore you with the details, but I think it'll be a winner this year.

I always liked looking at a full moon through my binoculars, maybe I should actually get a good telescope.

I've always been really interested in astrophotography, but I don't have any telescope. Sometimes I am able to use my neighbor's or my grandma's, but I really wish I had my own.

Where's that guy with the telescope the size of a water heater?

I was thinking of buying a large dish radio antenna and a amateur radio kit. Then I can listen to the stars! Who knows, I might discover an alien race sending us messages.

I have a 600mm refeactor somewhere in my house. Was about to buy a Orion XT8 Dobson when I decided "Fuck this, I'm not gonna keep up with this hobby anyway".

I've always wanted a telescope, but I never had the money :( Cameras got priority for me.

How do you take a picture through a telescope?

[QUOTE=BCell;32828977]How do you take a picture through a telescope?[/QUOTE] A camera - telescope adapter.

My dad bought me a new telescope last year when I started my astronomy class in high school. It was better than the previous one we had. It's a typical refractor I believe. The base is a bitch though. Looking at anything smaller than the Moon is quite aggravating because the smallest of movements moves shit out of view. Still, looking at the Moon in detail is fucking cool.

I wish I could see the sky at night, but there's way too much light pollution where I live.