New telescope owner - Need advice?
366979
You have two very good eyepieces already. Do you want more power? I don't think buying another eyepiece will help you, a 10mm eyepiece is close to the limit of your telescope performance (I guess its around 900mm focal length?). You will loose a lot of quality image with a shorter focus eyepiece, and you already have Plossls which gives very good quality images. If you want something different maybe an Erfle, but it is wide angle with low power, awesome for milky way. If you expected more, maybe the problem is that it is a small reflector. Also if you want to see deep space objects, the more power the less light you will gather, deep space objects are faint, so your eyepieces in my opinion are just right for your telescope. I think a pleasent experience will depend more in having very dark nights, with no city light contamination. This makes a lot of difference.\nPlanetary and lunar filters never have surprised me very much, I wouldn't spend money on them, but that is only my opinion.\nAnyway there's a lot to see with a 4.5, you will be able to see Jupiter's red spot (very faint), and Saturn's rings, but don't expect to see them big. There are lots, lots of clusters that don't need power, only light gathering. As I say before it is very important to watch in a place with no light contamination.\nYou won't get discourage if you learn what to aim at. Good luck and good dark nights.\n\n---Addition---\nWatching a full moon with a 4.5 hurts a bit, but it won't burn your retina, don't worry. You can cover some of the light entrance of the telescope if you don't have a filter.
1134720
Hi, great question.  I got a new telescope a year ago and have found a couple of excellent sites.  First try 'skyandtelescope.com'  this site has several features including a sky chart.  Enter your info, and it gives hour by hour info on whats up there to see, as well as info on upcoming events.  It offers 'how to advice' for telescopes, binocs and  astro photography.\nThe second is 'astromart.com'   this is one of THE BEST and most helpfull sites I have been to.  What a great forum.  Several active members are well known scientists and professors as well as very knowledgeable amature astronomy buffs.  No question is to stupid for them and you won't find a better place to gain advice and knowledge.   Questions posted are answered very quickly, usually in no more then a few hours, sometimes immediately.  Try both of these, I'm sure you will find what you need.    They are both  free of charge, believe it or not!!!\n\nLet me know what you think,  my s/n on astromart is lilkritter!!  Good Luck!
491826
Pretty much any telescope will see 'to' Uranus. Occasionally it can even be seen without any optical aid. That said, do not expect to see more than a small blue dot, even with a fairly big scope (one past what you are willing to pay).\n\nGenerally speaking, refractors are better for planetary viewing because they allow a higher magnification (longer focal length). The problem is that they are subject to chromatic abberation (little rainbows around bright objects) unless you spend a lot to correct it with good quality lenses. Reflectors will more often have spherical abberation, which tends to blur out features, so they tend not to be as good for planets.\n\nNext, are you talking about just the telescope or is the $600 for the telescope AND eyepieces? The right eyepieces can make a huge difference, so don't neglect them when shopping. For planets, get a couple of medium to high power Plossl eyepieces.\n\nBelow is a site with some good refractors. Disclaimer: I am not in any way affiliated with Orion Telescopes.
49711
this is subjective - but - Celestron has been having financial troubles, and was bought by another Far east company, whereas Meade seems to be doing pretty well, and has invested quite a bit in new automated manufactuting in Calif. So if you are talking about their SCT scopes, I think current Meades are likely better than current Celestrons, but the scopes are not all "exactly" the same, and you might find an example of a new celestron that does have better optics. There smaller non-sct scopes are in general, made in the far east and are likely pretty much the same quality.  Again, this is highly subjective, and 10 people will give you 11 opinons.  Meade has just introduced there new RC line, which the current issue of Sky and Telescope raves about as really superior to the SCTs.
405723
Most modern telescopes come with a guidance computer. You can just enter the name of the body you're looking for and the telescope will adjust accordingly. \n\nIf you don't have one of those, the best thing to do is follow the course of the sun. Planets are on the same plane, so they will more or less follow the same path that the sun does. \n\nExcept Pluto. He's just nuts.
788820
Sky and Telescope reviewed under $200 telescopes in the December '05 edition, and their well-rated telescopes (in order of preference) were:\nOrion SkyQuest XT4.5 Dobsonian\nOrion StarBlast Astro Telescope\nOrion SpaceProbe 3 Altazimuth\nOrion Observer 70mm Altazimuth Refractor\nScientifics Astroscan\n\nThe two at the top of the list have the largest apertures, at 4.5", and will therefore show you more than the others. The next two on the list are smaller, and the Astroscan won't take enough magnification for planets.\n\nDon't listen to people who will try to tell you that a small telescope is better for light polluted skies - bigger is ALWAYS better.\n\nStay away from Walmart and other discount stores, sporting goods stores,  science stores, camera stores, and eBay. Buy from a reputable telescope dealer. I've listed a couple below.
1056956
No, I read an article and it said that you need a strong telescope and lots and lots of astronomy experience. I was hoping I'd be able to see it too, but I have neither!
874618
I came up with a magnification of about 16\n\nThis interactive website will calculate what you need ==>http://www.csgnetwork.com/telescopemagcalc.html
965276
Newtonian telescopes are especially easy to collimate, since there is only one curved mirror and an eyepiece.  Basically, you need to get the eyepiece centered in the image formed by the mirror, you have to get it pointed in the right direction, and you have to get it focussed.
583537
Adding to the above... If you can afford it and you want more than about 7x magnification, you should consider buying IS (image stabilizing) binoculars.   These need batteries, but dynamically correct for the shaking of your hands.  You can get them up to 15x magnification.\n\nAlso, it's important to consider what you want to use the binoculars for.  If you're going to use them at comparatively short distances, you don't want a pair that magnify too much because you'll have to keep moving the glasses around to see entire objects.  (That's why opera glasses, which are a form of binocular, are such low magnification - typically 2-4x).   Also, if you plan to use them at night or in low light, you want a large objective lens size (50mm or larger) because that allows the glasses to gather more light.\n\nLastly, if you'll use them in unstable situations (like a moving boat), consider the size of the exit pupil.  This is the objective diameter divided by the magnification, and measures the diameter of the image which your eye looks at.   This is important because it affects how precisely your eye has to be lined up with the eyepiece for you to see the image.
901312
b) is the correct answer, as others have said. You know, telescopes are a lot easier to understand if you look at a diagram.\n\nYou can find some here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflector_telescope
1097369
My personal reccomendation for a beginner with limited funds would be to get reflector on a dobsonian mount.  That is the type You move yourself.  Motorized mounts are very nice but they are costly.  Of most importance make sure the tripod and mount are sturdy.  Since a telescope is used to magnify - it will magnify the slightest movement and make the image blurry.  Incidently a Telescope does not magnify.  it only collects light to make the image brighter.  it is the function of the eyepiece to magnify.  I would suggest that you go to the website www.Astronomics.com.  They have been in business a long time and are very dependable and helpful.  They stand behind what they sell.  I have purchased scopes, eyepieces and filters from them over the years and am completly satisfied.  They have a site "how to choose a telescope"  Which you can download.  If You have further questions You can call them toll free and talk to someone who can help You.  Astronomy is a facinating hobby or even a lifetime occupation and the sooner You begin the better.  Also if there is an astronomy club in your area they are usually quite happy to share their knowledge with others.  They usually have "star parties"or viewing sessions and are glad to have visitors.   This would give You a chance to look through different types of scopes before investing in one.
790489
Make sure the lens cover is off the tube of the telescope and nothing is blocking the eyepiece.  Once that's done, you're probably just WAY out of focus.  There should be a focusing knob near the eyepiece.  Start turning it in one direction - it might take a while before an image appears.  If it doesn't work after about a minute, start going back in the other direction.  This might be easier to do at night - if you point the out-of-focus telescope at a star, you should see a big fuzzy donut where the star should be (and a few lines through it if you have a reflector).  Once that big donut is reduced to a point source, you're in focus.
878102
Do you know the aperture and what kind of a telescope it is, or where it is made?\n\nI've attempted several web searches and cannot find any "Novus" brand telescope. Is this something you got off of eBay? Because I hope you didn't pay very much for it. It is more than likely that it is toy junk.\n\nGood luck. Add more details to your question and you might get more info.
915694
That would be an OK telescope for the price. But it wil be dissapointing. It is an OK beginers scope but for 50 or 60 more you could get a better Reflector (note: not a refractor). What you have would be OK for viewing the planets and the Moon. To really get your moneys worth I would suggest getting better eye pieces. But these would cost quite a bit ($30-$130 or more) so I would just get another telescope.\n\nIf you want to view stars and nebulae and galaxies I would go for a Reflector. The bigger the aperature (the diameter) the better, and more expensive. I would say that what you got is OK but not great. \n\nIf your boyfriend finds he likes astronomy and wants something a bit better but not break the bank then I would suggest geting a Meade ETX-125 ($500 on Ebay) or ETX-90. They have an auto guide (they follow the stars) and a computer that lets you select what you want to see from a menu and it just goes there (some set up required). And a bunch of other stuff.\n\nIf he wants  the good stuff I would suggest the Meade LX90GPS or the LX200R. These are big and expensive but very nice!\n\nI think what you got was OK for your boyfriend to try and find out if he likes it. But a relector would have been better and not much more expensive. Look on ebay for a reflector. You should beable to find a basic one for 150-200. \n\nI would suggest that if your boyfriend wants bigger telescope to do research on what would be best.
869588
A good mid-priced porro-prism binocular such as the Orion Vista will be good enough for most people. If you want the best, look into the Nikon Prostar or Fujinon Polaris binoculars.  The Canon image-stabilized 15x50 is another good, premium astro binocular.\n\nMany of the lower-priced models from Orion, Celestron, and others will do fine. You'll get a little more distortion towards the edges of the field, and maybe a little less light throughput in the cheaper bins. For astronomy, you can dispense with extras such as rubber armor, weatherproofing, and center focus. Porro-prisms are better for astronomy than roof prisms, because the roofs can show a bit of a spike on bright stars. Avoid models with polarizing or anti-haze filters or coating - fine for daytime use, but their light throughput is considerably reduced.
154590
I bought a field guide that helps you find things with your telescope and basic telescope knowledge. i know you have to know where north/south (which ever is closer to you) and what your latitude is in degrees (how far you are from the equator).