Advice for beginners? (somewhat handicapped temporarily)

Got a new telescope for an early Christmas present from my wife. Really excited because I always wanted one. I'm going to have to start slow though (very slow) because I'm having shoulder surgery in early January.

Any tips for a noob, on just some fun things to do with a new telescope? I'm going to be kind of hampered without the use of my right arm and shoulder, but I can still use my right hand. I figured out a crazy way to move my telescope from inside to outside, and fortunately I live in an area with zero light pollution. At night it's pitch black like the inside of a cow and the stars are everywhere.

Scope is a equatorial mount non-powered telescope. FWIW.

Already have it adjusted for Latitude, and set for polar alignment. Got the sighting scope lined up. Have it balanced, both RA and Dec. Haven't tied the declination to a known equatorial star yet though so I can't find something with coordinates alone. But I do have this pretty neat piece of software that gives me a lot of star info.

I'm just a complete noob. So, any advice is appreciated.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

What type?

Refractor
Reflector
Dobsonian
Cassegrain

On a side note; I will probably be pretty much without the use of my right arm for about 6 months or so. I will be able to do things with my hand, but I won't be able to move my shoulder that much. Reaching, pushing and pulling are off limits.

a reply to: Bluntone22

It's a reflector (I'm pretty sure).

Orion 130ST EQ.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Yep reflector.
That should be a good starter telescope.
I usually recommend a refractor for beginners because you can use them in daylight and its easier to get used to its functions but this one is fine.

The best advice I can give is watch you tube videos. I wish I had that when I got my first scope in the early 80s.

Also, many beginners try to get the highest magnification and it's not the best idea. Stick with the lower mags and have a bigger field of view.
It's not about magnification, it's about light gathering. Work up to higher magnification.

You should have awesome viewing out there in the boondocks away from light pollution.

Right now Saturn, Jupiter and mars are easy to find.

a reply to: Bluntone22

Thanks. Yes, I've been into photography (heavily) for many years, so I understand well about FOV and lenses, glass quality, etc.

Already saw there are better objective lenses which I can buy, but I'm just happy with what I have for right now. Just learning.

Honestly, I don't remember who it was, but it might have been BFT who said I could get just as good of pictures with my digital camera. So I followed his instructions and went out and took some wicked pictures of the Moon. (300mm lens with a 2x adapter).

So, really, I probably won't be able to do much better than that with my telescope. It's 600mm, and then a 10x eye piece, so what, it's about 650x. I have a 25x eyepiece, but I haven't tried that.

It's crystal clear at 2 miles. Now I need to try it at night. Oh, and I lined up the spotting scope to dead-on. Hopefully I can get close!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

You just missed the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction. D'oh!



However, Jupiter and Saturn are always go-to sights for beginners.

When you get a bit more into astrophotography, a motorized mount is great for long exposures following faint and often more interesting objects.

a reply to: chr0naut

We did actually watch it, just through binoculars though.

I also have some pretty decent glass for my cameras as well.

You could actually see the rings of Saturn also from where we were. It was a crystal clear cold night with no light pollution at all.

These days, unless you want to get into it really seriously, you dont need a telescope. There is a massive range of binoculars that are pretty good and some people do prefer using them for easiness.

I would only go back to a telescope if i had big money to spend on one and could set it up properly in a place with a good dark sky...... only because there are easier, cheaper options.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Not sure if it had a red dot finder but I highly recommend them, they are super easy for star hoping and you can use an app like Stelarium (also highly recommend) to match what you see to your phone screen.

I use this app on my PC to plan all my astrophotography targets, also if you move on to a go-to scope it can be used to control it.

You'll see sniffy reviews of this kind of thing:

www.celestron.co.uk...

from 'serious' astronomers, but I love mine. Even something as big as the moon can be surprisingly difficult to find, so the ability to zoom out, get your bearings, then zoom back is invaluable. You can get them much cheaper than the price on that page, as well as imitations. You get what you pay for.

Also consider getting some sort of video camera attachment - you can pay silly money and sensible money, and again you get what you pay for, but it's a lot less eyestrain than bending over to view through the eyepiece, and the recorded footage can be processed into high quality stills.

Look into things like Barlow lenses to magnify the view from the eyepieces and filters to reduce the glare from the moon and planets.

It's very easy to get sucked into the idea of getting the perfect photo, remember to just look and be amazed at times.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Start with the moon. It's big.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: chr0naut

We did actually watch it, just through binoculars though.

I also have some pretty decent glass for my cameras as well.

You could actually see the rings of Saturn also from where we were. It was a crystal clear cold night with no light pollution at all.

It was a bit overcast here.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Maybe buy a solar filter and view the sun as you convalesce??

You and your Scope (got a nerdy name yet?? Besides Tele McTellyface??) can roll out onto the deck and you can tan while you captcha solar flares!!

We are coming out of a solar minimum... just suggesting.

Cool gift! You are both literally and figuratively broadening your ‘pitifully narrow horizons’ (Northrop Frye reference. Another kind of nerd here in addition to the math stuff!)

Hey! Genius idea here! Get an endoscope and share your shoulder surgery!!

Maybe that star in Orion has gone supernova and you are experiencing sympathetic pains!!

You know, “As above, so below”!!

Have a Happy Merry Jolly KwanzaChanukahChristmasFestivus with your new scope! Hope that you mend as well as you fell apart (hey, 2020 has been a hell of a year... it can only get better!!)

🎄