Right now outside everyone. :P

reply to post by Manhater

Did the image look triangulated or was it like a keilidoscope?

Originally posted by Techata
reply to post by Manhater

 

Did the image look triangulated or was it like a keilidoscope?

keilidoscope

reply to post by Manhater


kay, what kind of scope are you using?

Originally posted by football6
What is a reasonable price to pay for a telescope?

Not an easy answer I'm afraid - depends what you want out of the hobby, are you are a patient person (non-goto) or not so patient (goto). Goto scopes are computerized and take you to the objects or can tour the sky for you. imo takes out some of the job of learning the night sky but having recently upgraded my mount to a goto I can see the appeal for begineers.
I'd suggest visiting some astronomy forums as they have membership that have probably already answered the question thousands of time and can pitch the answers to suit.
If you can tolerate the solitude and the potential frustration of the weather (in unpredictable climates) coupled with the patience to learn it's a very rewarding hobby indeed.

edit - my whole philosophy on life changed the first time I saw a galaxy through my scope, it can have the impact to put planet earth and our occupation of it into perspective.

reply to post by Techata



A cheap one


I won't get the good one till next month.

reply to post by Manhater


ok. Either you didn't acclimatize it properly, your objective lens is dirty, you scratched the lenses cleaning them, or there is a fine cloud layer. Those are my suggestions for you. What type of scope are you getting?

Venus is above the horizon to the west, due to set in little over an hour here in Houston CST.

Jupiter is the next brightest 'star', about 4 o'clock from the Moon, not too far off from directly over head at zenith.

If you follow the path from the moon, over to Jupiter, and sweep across the sky toward the horizon, the brighter star will/should be Venus.


*nice to hear you now have a telescope!*
(everything in the sky moves if you watch it long enough. Aim at the moon and you can watch it scoot along. Same will apply to Venus, Jupiter, and pretty much everything else you aim at)

reply to post by Techata


Wow. I was looking online at Wal-Mart.com.

Found one for 50 dollars, since I am a beginner

www.walmart.com...

Yes, No?

reply to post by Manhater

A cheap one is good to get you going.
When I had my $100 scope,I could see the moon s around Jupiter.

One day,and I didn't get it for Christmas,I will update with one of those "goto" high powered scopes.

Originally posted by nineix
Venus is above the horizon to the west, due to set in little over an hour here in Houston CST.

Jupiter is the next brightest 'star', about 4 o'clock from the Moon, not too far off from directly over head at zenith.

If you follow the path from the moon, over to Jupiter, and sweep across the sky toward the horizon, the brighter star will/should be Venus.

Venus looks amazing tonight. I was just outside, looking at the bright yellowness of it. Bigger and brighter than Jupiter tonight. I guess it's showing up as big and yellow, because the sun just went down under it less than an hour ago?
It's usually blueish looking..

Originally posted by football6
reply to post by Techata

 

Wow. I was looking online at Wal-Mart.com.

Found one for 50 dollars, since I am a beginner

www.walmart.com...

Yes, No?

Just my advice, but you'd be better served by a good pair of binoculars at that price. It can be very frustrating to try to use an excessively cheap telescope. It can also be rewarding if you can manage to get it aimed at Jupiter and Saturn, but just a warning, expect much frustration along the way.

Originally posted by football6
reply to post by Techata

 

Wow. I was looking online at Wal-Mart.com.

Found one for 50 dollars, since I am a beginner

www.walmart.com...

Yes, No?

Meade is the better brand (and you get a microscope thrown in as well !) - www.walmart.com...

reply to post by digitalf



Wow, thank you!

reply to post by football6


Try this,

www.walmart.com...

the objective lens on the other was too small, wouldn't be able to see the moons of Jupiter very well. This will give you a "taste" if you will for the skies. Planets will be clearly visible, although not that big, The moon will be such a crisp image u'll drool if you haven't seen it before, Keep in mind, in this industry, cash on hand is everything, I have tried cheap and expensive lenses and if budget provides, spend the extra. SkyandTelescope. com has a lot of resources and is a great place for you to start.

reply to post by Techata


Great find, I like it. Can't wait for that check Friday!

reply to post by football6
[more

I took this photo leaving work tonight... I know it is the moon.. and next to it I believe is Jupiter
I apologize I don't see a place to upload the photo.. so I will link to where I put it on my facebook page - I hope this is acceptable.. If not please let me know how to do this correctly
www.facebook.com...

Originally posted by Phage
Some directions would be helpful, as would your general location.

Yes, Jupiter is close to the Moon.
Venus is in the western sky, after sunset, fairly low in the sky, and very bright.

edit on 1/3/2012 by Phage because: (no reason given)

Thanks Phage!!

I always got them confused. So Venus will always be in the western sky, or does it change location as the seasons change? (For some reason, I thought Venus was only west in the summer....)

Originally posted by football6
reply to post by Techata

 

Wow. I was looking online at Wal-Mart.com.

Found one for 50 dollars, since I am a beginner

www.walmart.com...

Yes, No?

That's the one I got but I picked it up for 14 bucks.

You should ask for your money back.

Originally posted by ButterCookie

Originally posted by Phage
Some directions would be helpful, as would your general location.

Yes, Jupiter is close to the Moon.
Venus is in the western sky, after sunset, fairly low in the sky, and very bright.

edit on 1/3/2012 by Phage because: (no reason given)

Thanks Phage!!

I always got them confused. So Venus will always be in the western sky, or does it change location as the seasons change? (For some reason, I thought Venus was only west in the summer....)

Depends on where Venus is in its orbit and where we are in ours. It has its own cycle independent of annual seasons (it overtakes us in our orbit around the sun every 584 days). Venus will appear in the west when it's visible in the evening as it is now, and it will appear in the east a little while before sunrise when it's visible in the mornings. It never strays more than about 47 degrees from the sun in the sky, so it will always be seen in the hemisphere of the sky that either the sun had just set in, or is about to rise in (unless you cheat like me and observe it in broad daylight).