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telescopes and the night sky

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posted on Sep, 15 2011 @ 04:12 AM
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hello, i have 2 questions for someone kind enough to answer...
1. is there a way i can construct a homemade telescope relativley cheaply and easily?
2. what things can i see from the southern hemisphere at night without a telescope?

thanks people



posted on Sep, 15 2011 @ 04:21 AM
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reply to post by UniverSoul
 

No ,get binoculars
The southern cross and pleiades



posted on Sep, 15 2011 @ 04:24 AM
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reply to post by UniverSoul
 


1. You'd have to make your own mirror and lens, which...if you followed ancient practices, is entirely possible but it's easier to just browse the intertubez for a used 'scope.
2. You can see lots of things! You'll see Orion...but he'll be upside down. F/OSS called Stellarium is fun to play around with and give you an idea of what you can see.
edit on 15-9-2011 by links234 because: wrong software



posted on Sep, 15 2011 @ 04:29 AM
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reply to post by 12voltz
 


how much more can i see with binoculars..

also
how much would you have to pay to see anything decent with a telescope?



posted on Sep, 15 2011 @ 04:44 AM
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reply to post by UniverSoul
 


Something you need to remember, binoculars and telescopes will only magnify what you already see. It's amazing just to see the moons around Jupiter or Orion's nebula. You'll never get anything like you see from the Hubble, those are highly enhanced photographs that you'll only barely get close to by getting into astrophotography.

Beyond nebulae, galaxies and comets all you're going to get are points of light. Shop around the internet for prices, you don't need anything amazing for just quick viewing, no motors or computerized systems or anything like that. Two lenses and a couple mirrors is all you should need.



posted on Sep, 15 2011 @ 05:06 AM
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If one were to invest in a starter telescope, what do you suggest?



posted on Sep, 15 2011 @ 05:14 AM
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Originally posted by applebaum
If one were to invest in a starter telescope, what do you suggest?
www.abovetopsecret.com...
starting a thread here about first telescopes..tell me if you want me to add anything to the description



posted on Sep, 15 2011 @ 05:15 AM
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it is possible, but count on doing a lot of work, lookup dobson or dobsonians
biggest obstacle (pricewise) seems to be the coating if the mirror.

cheaper/easier just to buy a classic used newton reflector (they don't seem so popular these days?)

as for magnification, focal length of telescope / focal length of eyepiece = magnification

just bought a cheap 700mm newton (±30$) and a new 8-24mm zoom eyepiece plus a 2x barlow lens (±100$)

700/8 gives me a magnification of 87.5. the barlow doubles the magnification of a lens, so that gives us 175.

175 is pushing the telescope a bit too far (can't recall the formula for effective max magnification for a given focal length), still I can fill my view with the head of the rusty nail on the chimney on the house across the street. OR about a quarter of the moon. Nice texturing and cratering, especially in the shadowy areas. No anomalies yet though


edit: btw if you need to go deeper into space, light becomes of the essense. since light = size of aperture (diameter of the mirror), bigger is better here. There seems to be a consensus on that size of the aperture supersedes "max magnification", so watch out.

Personally I have a puny 3.5 inch (and dreaming of a 6"), but it has been a fun little beginners telescope so far.

edit on 15-9-2011 by khnumkhufu because: aperture addition



posted on Sep, 15 2011 @ 05:20 AM
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reply to post by applebaum
 


Celestron 21061 AstroMaster 70 AZ Refractor Telescope

No mirror so it's a lot more lightweight and will get you some good views for under $100.



posted on Sep, 15 2011 @ 05:30 AM
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reply to post by links234
 


hmm yeah that one looks good
ive made up my mind im gunna buy one..
whats the best stuff i can see with a telescope like that?



posted on Sep, 15 2011 @ 05:42 AM
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reply to post by UniverSoul
 


Download Stellarium and take a look around your sky, then pull out the 'scope and see what's out there yourself. Good luck!



posted on Sep, 15 2011 @ 05:43 AM
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reply to post by links234
 

thanks for the info..
yeah ive been looking at online pics for ages and its not enough anymore
i wish i had a telescope right now ahaha



posted on Sep, 15 2011 @ 05:50 AM
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Just search google for 'homemade dobsonians' there are loads of different ways to go about it, all though these days it's still going to be a bit pricey. You can make everything if you like but it would be much easier to know your dimensions and buy the mirrors and then build everything else.

Just an example.

As for what you will see well it depends on what your wanting too see really. Just think everytime you look up at the Southern Cross people in the Northern hemisphere will never see it.
edit on 15-9-2011 by pazcat because: (no reason given)




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