New Discoveries - Extraplanetary, deep space, etc.

Palomar · 2002-06-14 10:43:41

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm....piter_1

*I read this item at Yahoo! news this morning. Wonderful!

"For the first time, astronomers have found a distant planetary system with at least one planet whose orbit resembles a member of our solar system"..."Just a decade ago, the concept of other stars having planets was "in the realm of science fiction," noted Anne Kinney, director of NASA ( news - web sites)'s astronomy division.

*Now WHY would the concept of other stars having planets have been considered in the realm of science fiction? I'm an amateur astronomer since the age of 8. I've never considered it an impossibility or pooh-pooh'd the idea. Maybe most of humanity is still not too far from the old belief that the Earth is flat and the center of the universe...

--Cindy

MS member since 6/01

Phobos · 2002-06-14 18:38:56

*Now WHY would the concept of other stars having planets have been considered in the realm of science fiction? I'm an amateur astronomer since the age of 8. I've never considered it an impossibility or pooh-pooh'd the idea. Maybe most of humanity is still not too far from the old belief that the Earth is flat and the center of the universe...

Considering they've been finding planets for nearly ten years now on a regular basis, it's definately outside the realm of science-fiction. It's nice to know for sure though that there are planets around other stars that exhibit the properties of our Solar System. Your an amateur astronomer? I've been thinking about buying a telescope lately but there's to many to choose from and the good ones seem a lot more expensive than I thought they would be. About the only astronomy I do is going to look at the moon with a pair of binoculars I got for Christmas when I was around 10 years old. I am pretty good at finding Jupiter and Venus in the sky though. I've also tried to find the Orion nebula with the binoculars, but I never see it. Might be to much light pollution or something.

Palomar · 2002-06-15 09:54:21

Your an amateur astronomer? I've been thinking about buying a telescope lately but there's to many to choose from and the good ones seem a lot more expensive than I thought they would be.

*Yes. My one desire as a kid was to be a professional astronomer. When I was around 9, I found a book in Ben Franklin 5-10 store called "A Golden Guide: Stars." I wringed my mother's arm to buy it for me; she did. I read and re-read that book for years, until the covers came off and the binding started coming loose -- not out of abuse, just out of sheer enjoyment of reading it; my favorite rainy-day book. The local public library had scant astronomy books. By the time I was 13, I was a regular subscriber to the magazine "Sky & Telescope." As for my beloved "Golden Guide" book on astronomy, it got lost somehow in my late teens; the last time I saw it was in my childhood home, bound with rubber bands to keep the pages all together. I tried for years to relocate it; not out of gaining any new information from it, but for sentimental reasons. I never found it again. Just last year I did find the new and revised version of the same book at a local bookstore; I bought it, and was happy to see the old familiar color illustrations, photos, drawings of graphs and charts, etc. as the first one I'd had...not that much different, just updated. The most endearing feature of the book, IMO, is the uniqueness of the color illustrations (painted); it's not just photos. It has a style all its own, and I'd recommend any parent buy it for a child with an interest in astronomy. With this little book I taught myself the constellations; the Big Dipper in Ursa Major is used as a "key" for locating other constellations, and then you go from those constellations to identifying others.

Unfortunately, I don't have a head for higher mathematics and physics, so there went my plans to be a professional astronomer.

I've had a telescope for 20 years now; an Astroscan 2001 by Edmund Scientific; a 4.5 inch reflector. I plan to purchase an 8-inch Dobsonian reflector in the near future.

I live in a city of roughly 110,000 population...I understand the issue of light pollution. My husband and I get out into the country to star gaze and use my telescope in the winter; at other times during the year I use my telescope in the most light-shaded part of our large lawn. We reside in the desert SW of the USA, and I don't care to go outside city limits in the summer at night to star gaze or use the telescope on the roadside; we've got 5 types of rattlesnakes in this area, along with scorpions.

--Cindy

MS member since 6/01

Phobos · 2002-06-15 16:17:09

Yes. My one desire as a kid was to be a professional astronomer. When I was around 9, I found a book in Ben Franklin 5-10 store called "A Golden Guide: Stars." I wringed my mother's arm to buy it for me; she did. I read and re-read that book for years, until the covers came off and the binding started coming loose -- not out of abuse, just out of sheer enjoyment of reading it; my favorite rainy-day book. The local public library had scant astronomy books. By the time I was 13, I was a regular subscriber to the magazine "Sky & Telescope." As for my beloved "Golden Guide" book on astronomy, it got lost somehow in my late teens;

Wow, that sounds uncannily similiar to my childhood. I don't remember exactly how I got interested in space though. I think I was just born with it. I think a lot of people with intense interest in any kind of science or art first developed it when they were under or around the age of 10. Once my niece gets to be around four years old I'm gonna try to spark her imagination by doing things like taking her to tide pools, etc. I originally wanted to be a marine biologist but my fate took me down a different path. Before I kick the bucket I'm hoping someone discovers giant squid alive in the depths of the ocean.

I've had a telescope for 20 years now; an Astroscan 2001 by Edmund Scientific; a 4.5 inch reflector. I plan to purchase an 8-inch Dobsonian reflector in the near future.

Can you see the polar ice caps of Mars with your 4.5" scope? I'm a complete idiot when it comes to telescopes, and so I dare ask, is it possible to see the moons of Mars with an amateur telescope that doesn't require its own dedicated plot of land? I'm also interested in viewing deepsky objects like nebulas and black holes (naw just kidding ). Which kinds of astronomical objects do you like observing the most?

bradguth · 2002-06-15 16:43:35

Sorry folks.

Exactly how many light-years difference is your so called "NEW" plant, as that compared to Venus, especially come this October 2002.

http://geocities.com/bradguth and http://guthvenus.tripod.com

It seems you and I are not going to live for thousands of years, let alone 10's of thousands. So, tell others and myself; what exactly is your point or ulterior motive?

Palomar · 2002-06-15 16:58:07

Can you see the polar ice caps of Mars with your 4.5" scope? I'm a complete idiot when it comes to telescopes, and so I dare ask, is it possible to see the moons of Mars with an amateur telescope that doesn't require its own dedicated plot of land? I'm also interested in viewing deepsky objects like nebulas and black holes (naw just kidding ). Which kinds of astronomical objects do you like observing the most?

*No, unfortunately I can't see the polar ice caps of Mars or its tiny moons; I'd need a telescope with higher magnification powers than mine allows me, which is why I plan to get a bigger one.

What I can see with my telescope are (a few examples):

1. The Orion nebula.

2. The rings of Saturn.

3. The four largest moons of Jupiter (two of which are nearly as big as Mars itself, the other two of which are about the size of our moon); they appear as pinpoint sparks of light close to the small pale-orange disc of Jupiter. Unfortunately, I can't see the Great Red Spot of Jupiter with my telescope either (not enough magnification power).

4. The Great Cluster in Hercules.

5. Venus and its phases (it goes through phases similar to our moon's).

6. The craters of the moon, of course...very spectacular. As a very important aside, *never* view the moon through a telescope of any size when it is a full moon. The full moon's magnitude is -15, compared to the sun's magnitude of -27; in other words, you'd hurt your eyes very badly.

7. The Andromeda galaxy; it's a very tiny ellipitical glow of light in my strongest eyepiece, but visible.

I also like to "split" double or triple stars.

Antares, the alpha star in the constellation Scorpius, is my absolute favorite star...and just in time for summer.

Once I get that 8-inch telescope I've been wanting, I'll be able to view many more deep-space objects I'm unable to see with my current telescope.

--Cindy

MS member since 6/01

Adrian · 2002-06-15 17:09:50

Brad, what on Earth does your post have to do with this thread about extrasolar planet detection? If you want to talk about Venus, make your own thread about it. If I see any further disruptive posts that clearly have nothing to do with the thread they are in, I'll just have to delete them.

Phobos · 2002-06-16 12:58:18

*No, unfortunately I can't see the polar ice caps of Mars or its tiny moons; I'd need a telescope with higher magnification powers than mine allows me, which is why I plan to get a bigger one.
What I can see with my telescope are (a few examples):
1. The Orion nebula.
2. The rings of Saturn.

I've been wanting to know exactly what kinds of things you could see with a certain power. So I take it a 4.5" isn't really what you want if viewing deep sky objects is your thing? I have to say though, I want to see the phases of Venus. I hear with an 8" scope you can actually see Pluto as a very faint point of light, so I imagine that might be a better scope to invest in for observing things like nebulas, etc. Ack, I had no idea either that it was bad to view the moon directly through the scope. You've scared me from even using my binoculars to look at the moon with, thanks for the warning though before I buy a scope and burn holes in my eyes . Anyways, do you ever have to "collimate" the mirror in your scope? I've read that's something you have to do but I don't know what the procedure is.

Brad, what on Earth does your post have to do with this thread about extrasolar planet detection?

I think Brad needs to take his medication.

Palomar · 2002-06-16 20:12:49

Phobos writes: "So I take it a 4.5" isn't really what you want if viewing deep sky objects is your thing?"

*Generally speaking, yes.

Phobos: "Anyways, do you ever have to "collimate" the mirror in your scope? I've read that's something you have to do but I don't know what the procedure is."

*I've never heard of that term before. My telescope needs no special procedure or upkeep in a warm climate [I'll explain that in a moment] other than keeping the external portion of the lens and the eyepieces clean and free of dust. When living in northern Iowa, which gets very cold weather, I took the advice of authorities on the subject and slowly introduced my telescope to the colder environment [particularly in the dead of winter] from indoors to outdoors. The telescope's optics are delicate, and to take it from an indoor environment of 68 degrees F to an outdoor environment of 0 degrees F might result in cracked optics. I'd put the telescope near the back door (a cool area in the house) for 10 minutes, then on the back porch (noninsulated and enclosed, very cool) for 10 minutes, then take it outdoors. I'm not sure if paying special attention to humidity, temperature differences, or something similar is what they mean by "collimate."

Phobos: "I have to say though, I want to see the phases of Venus."

*It's a very pretty sight.

This also reminds me of a hilarious true story a regular columnist of "Sky & Telescope" told in his monthly installment, in my teenage years; his name was George, and I don't remember his last name [shame on me, I should remember it, as I read his articles for years!]. Anyway, when he was a teenager back in the early 1950s, he stayed outdoors all night one night with his telescope. His father worked a graveyard shift, and around 5 a.m. came home. He called out to George, and during the conversation asked George "what that bright star over there in the eastern sky" was. George told him it was Venus, and turned the telescope to view it. George's dad saw a small, glowing crescent in the eyepiece and exclaimed, "That's the moon!" [Since when do you need a telescope to see the moon?!]. He and George argued for nearly half an hour, and his father simply refused to believe it WASN'T the moon. He related the story in a very humorous way that I cannot. It gave me a good laugh, and probably lots of other readers as well.

--Cindy

MS member since 6/01

Phobos · 2002-06-17 17:06:25

The telescope's optics are delicate, and to take it from an indoor environment of 68 degrees F to an outdoor environment of 0 degrees F might result in cracked optics. I'd put the telescope near the back door (a cool area in the house) for 10 minutes, then on the back porch (noninsulated and enclosed, very cool) for 10 minutes, then take it outdoors. I'm not sure if paying special attention to humidity, temperature differences, or something similar is what they mean by "collimate."

Oh man, I would have just packed up the scope in winter weather and dragged it indoors immediately when done. It never would have occured to me to allow it to acclimate slowly to temperature. I think by collimate they mean to adjust the mirror so it properly reflects light to the right places. I saw a laser collimater once so I assume it means to align the mirror or something along those lines. I've suddenly gained a few more points of confidence though knowing you haven't had to do anything to the mirror. I'd just end up making the scope useless, I just know it.

He and George argued for nearly half an hour, and his father simply refused to believe it WASN'T the moon. He related the story in a very humorous way that I cannot. It gave me a good laugh, and probably lots of other readers as well.

haha, I could see how that could happen. I can see how someone might just for an instant think they're looking at the moon, but to argue for half an hour that your looking at the moon when there's no moon in the sky! Reminds me of one guy I know in particular. You'll tell him a joke meant for a four year old and it takes him like 10 minutes to get it but I think even he could be convinced he wasn't looking at the moon!

Palomar · 2002-07-04 08:14:39

"Hubble Captures 'Fireworks' of Old Supernova"

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/fc/Science/Hubble_Telescope/

*I found this item in today's Yahoo! Science news. Check it out; very pretty.

--Cindy

Canth · 2002-07-04 12:39:46

I am an avid subscriber to sky and telescope and have an eight inch reflecting telescope. A really good company for buying telescopes and getting information is orion telescopes and binoculars. Telescope.com is orion's url. I reccomend their learning center, it was an amazing help to me a few of years ago when I got into astronomy (I am only 16). Sky and Telescope's webbpage is also an amazing resource. Hope I am of some help.

Phobos · 2002-07-04 18:26:17

I was looking at some 8" reflectors on the internet but I'm curious as to how good those mounts are. They look like it would be easy to move the scope up and down, but might be some work moving it side to side. Is it easy to keep tracking an object with those things?

Canth · 2002-07-05 09:34:15

I have a dobsonian mount wich is a simple up down side to side mount which sits on the ground. I have found it very easy to use. You should always check out reveiws or customer opinions of a telescope before you buy it. It is a good idea to go to a star party and try out a few telescopes. Most ametuers are not only willing but eagar to let others try their scopes. I suggest using sky and telescope's organizations search to find an astronomical society close to you. If there is one they are a great way to find star parties. I would also suggest looking in the yellow pages to see if there are any telescope stores near you. They are another great place to try out telescopes. Take your time picking out a telescope, I am sure you would be quite dicouraged if you picked one which wasn't right for you. (especially for a few hundred dollars

By the way you can't hurt your eyes looking at the moon with your binoculars unless they are about 90 mm, larger than a small telescope. When I first got my eight inch telescope I really hurt my eyes looking at the full moon. You are fine looking at the moon with a telescope eight inches or under untill after the first quarter. A few weeks ago I was quite enjoying using a 60 mm refractor to look at the full moon. I do prefer the veiw of the crecent moon with my big telescope to the full moon though. Good luck.

Phobos · 2002-07-05 12:46:58

Thanks for the info Canth. I visited the Orion telescope site you mentioned and found this beauty

http://www.telescope.com/cgi-bin....302

The price didn't seem that bad either. Anyway, do you ever
"collimate" your telescope? Cindy said she never had to do anything of the sort.

Palomar · 2002-07-05 15:03:37

Is it easy to keep tracking an object with those things?

*I have to track objects manually with my telescope, which is easy [the base of it is rounded, and it can also be carried with the shoulder strap].

You probably already know this, but telescopes can be bought which have tracking devices attached to them. You'll have to set the right ascension and declination coordinates for the object you wish to view, and turn on the tracker. I've never used a telescope of this sort before, however. Most folks with trackers on their telescopes are into astrophotography, and require the tracking device for long-exposure photos.

--Cindy

Canth · 2002-07-06 10:18:01

I have had to colminate my telescope. It involves turning some screws on the back while someone looks through the eypeice to see when the mirrors are aligned properly. The screws move the main mirror. The secondary mirror also has to be adjusted but that is not hard. Colmination is not that hard but it takes a little bit of time and is much eisier with two people. Your link just brought me to the front page of orion. Which scope caught your eye? I have the skyquest 8 inch dobsonian. It is truly a wonderfull telescope. It is a bit bulky though. Luckely we have a big car.

Canth · 2002-07-06 10:27:34

The astroscan telescope is incapable of being colminated from what I have read. The mirror is fixed in place or something. Sometimes this results in problems but usually the mirror is fixed in roughly the right place. Colmination allows you to keep the image quality very good all the time. You don't need to be very accurate with the colmination for casual observing. If you want to use high powers and see lots of detail your colminataion had better be perfect. Ditto for pictures. Also the shorter the ratio of the mirror's width to its focal length the more important colmination is. F4 is a short focal ratio, itmeans that the focal length is four times as long as the diameter of the mirror. F6 is medium short, F8 is medium long and F10 is really long. Refractors usually have long focal ratios whereas reflectors tend to be shorter. The focal lengths of catadioptric telescopes are complicated, there is a lotof good information out there. Someone elsecan probobly explain it better than me.

Phobos · 2002-07-06 15:52:34

You probably already know this, but telescopes can be bought which have tracking devices attached to them. You'll have to set the right ascension and declination coordinates for the object you wish to view, and turn on the tracker.

I've seen those Meade telescopes which you punch in a number and it automatically takes you to X object. That doesn't really sound like much fun to me though. I like the idea of having to manually fish for the object you want. I want to develop a good knowledge of the night sky so I can casually point out sometime that X object just happens to be in that constellation over there.

I have had to colminate my telescope. It involves turning some screws on the back while someone looks through the eypeice to see when the mirrors are aligned properly. The screws move the main mirror. The secondary mirror also has to be adjusted but that is not hard. Colmination is not that hard but it takes a little bit of time and is much eisier with two people. Your link just brought me to the front page of orion. Which scope caught your eye? I have the skyquest 8 inch dobsonian. It is truly a wonderfull telescope. It is a bit bulky though. Luckely we have a big car.

That's exactly the type of info I was looking for on collimation. I wanted to know if it was something that required you to be exactly precise and if you collimated it incorrectly if your scope would be near impossible to get back into proper collimation. I have no experience with collimation whatsoever so I probably sound like a total idiot. I have a sister who lives in a very dark rural area. I was just planning to park the scope at her place so I wouldn't have to carry it around a lot. Yeah I was looking at that 8" scope. It was under $500 which is good. What power eyepieces do you prefer to use for viewing deep sky objects like nebulas and star clusters?

Palomar · 2002-07-06 19:17:19

The astroscan telescope is incapable of being colminated from what I have read. The mirror is fixed in place or something.

*Correct; mirror is fixed and requires no colmination.

I wish Edmund Scientific would build 6" and 8" models of the Astroscan. I think they might have marketed a 6" Astroscan a long time ago, but I'm not sure of it [memory-wise]; if so, it didn't pan out apparently, and they still only sell in the Astroscan in the size I have it.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2002-07-06 19:34:57

I've seen those Meade telescopes which you punch in a number and it automatically takes you to X object. That doesn't really sound like much fun to me though. I like the idea of having to manually fish for the object you want. I want to develop a good knowledge of the night sky so I can casually point out sometime that X object just happens to be in that constellation over there.

*If you're an absolute beginner in astronomy, I'd suggest the book I mentioned previously in this thread: "When I was around 9, I found a book in Ben Franklin 5-10 store called _A Golden Guide: Stars_"...With this little book I taught myself the constellations; the Big Dipper in Ursa Major is used as a "key" for locating other constellations, and then you go from those constellations to identifying others." I've known a couple of adults who bought it for themselves, on my recommendation; they quickly assimilated the information and went on to more in-depth books. You'll also have to familiarize yourself with the constellations relative to what season of the year they appear in [you may already know this]; the book I mention gives an adequate introduction to that aspect as well.

It's definitely the best idea to get to know the constellations, major as well as minor. As for "manually fishing" for the object you want, you do know that everything is upside-down in a reflector telescope? I'm not sure this is the case with refractors; I haven't looked through one of them since I was a kid, and don't remember. If you're able to locate them, and if they're still being published [I bought my pack 20 years ago, from the company advertising in "Sky & Telescope"...and I'm sorry, I forgot the name of the company which published them], try to purchase "Astrocards." They are [or were] sold in packs, solid 5 x 3 inch cards, with deep-sky objects catalogued on each, including the respective constellation the deep-sky object is "in" [or near], and includes information on how to "star hop" from one star to the next, and scan slowly over, in order to get the object you want in view. "Astrocards" also has a pack cataloguing binary and triplinary stars. This is, of course, provided you don't have a tracker -- or don't want to use it. The Astrocard has to be held in the position relative to the constellation as it appears in the sky, then turned upside down and you have to star-hop in that manner. There *is* a special lens available for telescopes which uprights the field of vision, and would make "star hopping" easier...unfortunately, the name of that special lens slips my mind right now; you could ask the salesperson you're doing business with.

I've not worked with an 8 inch telescope, so can't provide helpful hints as to eyepieces you might want to use and their respective power. Usually 1 eyepiece comes with the telescope; I'd suggest buying 2 more. Assuming the 1st eyepiece has 15 power, I'd suggest the additional eyepieces be at least 25 and 35 power, respectively. You can also purchase a Barlow lens; this little beauty automatically *doubles* the magnification power of each eyepiece. Thus, with the addition of a Barlow lens, you'd have 6 choices of magnification power if you have 3 eyepieces. Keep in mind, however, that the higher the magnification, the narrower your field of vision will be.

Hopefully my suggestions aren't "antequated". I've known a few other people who got acquainted with amateur astronomy in like fashion to me; the suggestions I've given have worked great for me, anyway. Those "Astrocards" might also now be available on CD-ROM.

--Cindy

Canth · 2002-07-06 22:40:52

The best veiwing in my telescope is at 50 X magnification. This lets you see a wide field and get a lot of light in your eye. My favorite object is the Orion nebula which is a beautiful green gray cloud which has all sorts of interesting things in and around it. They include a parellelogram of stars called the trapezium in the middle of the nebula and a loose star cluster nearby. The moon, jupiter, and saturn also number among some of the most awe inspiring sights I have ever seen. I have three eye peices two of which came with my telescope and one which I bought later. They provide about 50, 150, and 200(which I bought seperate) X magnification. I have found that in general I prefer the lower magnifications. I use the 50 and 150 X eyepeices most frequently and the 200 X one least of all. In fact if I bought another eyepeice now I would buy one which provides less magnification. One of the most annoying things which has happened to me while using my telescope was when I went to look at the pleadies and couldn't see the whole thing. What I saw was great but I really wanted to see it all at once, and I couldn't do so at 50 X.

Colmination can be nerve wracking as such a big deal is made of it but it really isn't that hard. Anyway you will get more demanding in precision as you use your telescope more and get more practice colminating. You shouldn't have a problem.

Phobos · 2002-07-07 03:00:29

If you're able to locate them, and if they're still being published [I bought my pack 20 years ago, from the company advertising in "Sky & Telescope"...and I'm sorry, I forgot the name of the company which published them], try to purchase "Astrocards." They are [or were] sold in packs, solid 5 x 3 inch cards, with deep-sky objects catalogued on each, including the respective constellation the deep-sky object is "in" [or near], and includes information on how to "star hop" from one star to the next, and scan slowly over, in order to get the object you want in view.

Sounds like a handy pack of cards. I wonder if Amazon would carry something like that. I like the idea of using stellar guideposts to try find the object your looking at. The other night I was looking near the east half the sky fairly close to the horizon with my binoculars and actually managed to see a very faint nebulous object. I have no idea what object it was but it's the first thing I plan on scoping out. Just out of curiosity how do you go about finding objects in the sky? Do you prefer to just plug in the coordinates so to speak or do you find things the old fashioned way?

The best veiwing in my telescope is at 50 X magnification. This lets you see a wide field and get a lot of light in your eye. My favorite object is the Orion nebula which is a beautiful green gray cloud which has all sorts of interesting things in and around it. They include a parellelogram of stars called the trapezium in the middle of the nebula and a loose star cluster nearby. The moon, jupiter, and saturn also number among some of the most awe inspiring sights I have ever seen. I have three eye peices two of which came with my telescope and one which I bought later. They provide about 50, 150, and 200(which I bought seperate) X magnification. I have found that in general I prefer the lower magnifications. I use the 50 and 150 X eyepeices most frequently and the 200 X one least of all.

Can you see the polar icecaps of Mars and perhaps the moons also through your telescope? Do you ever just scan the sky in random places and take a look? I love doing that with my binoculars, especially right into the milky way, I love all those colorful stars that show up, billions and billions of 'em. Good point about the eyepieces. I want to be sure I can get a wide field of view at times so I might invest in a real low magnification eyepiece like a 20x or something like that. It would be a shame not to see what all that light gathering power can do at low magnifications.

Palomar · 2002-07-07 10:18:33

Sounds like a handy pack of cards. I wonder if Amazon would carry something like that. I like the idea of using stellar guideposts to try find the object your looking at.
Just out of curiosity how do you go about finding objects in the sky? Do you prefer to just plug in the coordinates so to speak or do you find things the old fashioned way?

*Amazon might. The "Astrocards" -- or their updated version -- might still be advertised in astronomy magazines.

As to your 2nd question: I locate deep-sky objects the old-fashioned way -- star hopping. <!--emo&:)

--Cindy

Canth · 2002-07-07 12:10:54

I star hop to find objects, partially because I can't just plug in the coordinates on my telescope and partially because the trip is about as good as the destination. I do scan the sky randomly with my telescope sometimes, it is not as rewarding as when using binoculars as you are seeing so much less of the sky. I remember very fondly all the loose star clusters I have found with my telescope just by accident. I also found a globular cluster by mistake when I was looking for mars once, it was at least as worth looking at as mars was. I still randomly scan the sky with binoculars sometimes, I love finding interesting faint fuzzies. I think the lowest magnification I can achieve with my telescope is about 25, at least without some minor modifications.

I have seen mars with my telescope. It is not an easy target to find or veiw. I have seen surface features including the icecaps and it was very interesting to observe. It did not have the same awe inspiring detail and beauty of jupiter and saturn, still it was a very interesting target. You can see mars' moons in my telescope. They are very faint and the problem is not seeing them but in telling them from a faint background star, after all they are basically asteroids, you aren't gonna get any spectacular veiws of them. Overall mars is a challenging target, if you want to see any surface features.

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Re: New Discoveries - Extraplanetary, deep space, etc.

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Re: New Discoveries - Extraplanetary, deep space, etc.

#16 2002-07-05 15:03:37

Re: New Discoveries - Extraplanetary, deep space, etc.

#17 2002-07-06 10:18:01

Re: New Discoveries - Extraplanetary, deep space, etc.

#18 2002-07-06 10:27:34

Re: New Discoveries - Extraplanetary, deep space, etc.

#19 2002-07-06 15:52:34

Re: New Discoveries - Extraplanetary, deep space, etc.

#20 2002-07-06 19:17:19

Re: New Discoveries - Extraplanetary, deep space, etc.

#21 2002-07-06 19:34:57

Re: New Discoveries - Extraplanetary, deep space, etc.

#22 2002-07-06 22:40:52

Re: New Discoveries - Extraplanetary, deep space, etc.

#23 2002-07-07 03:00:29

Re: New Discoveries - Extraplanetary, deep space, etc.

#24 2002-07-07 10:18:33

Re: New Discoveries - Extraplanetary, deep space, etc.

#25 2002-07-07 12:10:54

Re: New Discoveries - Extraplanetary, deep space, etc.

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