65 replies to this topic

[NicasDream]

I have a manual dob and I have trouble finding things just the other day I was looking for M13 and I couldn't find it I was around the left shoulder of hercules but nothing

I tried using my phone but that was just annoying because the app would keep asking to be calibrated constantly

I also tried putting my phone near the finder scope to see if that would aid me a little and nothing

The most luck I had was Googleing
pictures of constellations and hopping around,I would get lost though if the hop was too large
And just fall through space XD

Any tips that would aid me? Without it doing it for me because that would take the fun out of it

[Silent_Light]

Use a planisphere for finding your constellation, then use an actual chart oriented to your sky at that time, and use a telrad. It doesn't get simpler on a dob. There are planetarium programs that will superimpose a telrad reticle right on the map. Nothing is better than your own eyes and brain.

[Tangerman]

I paid for SkySafari Plus because it gave me a lot of objects in their database and because I could plug in my equipment (like my finder scope or a telescope and eyepiece pair), and I can generate circles with crosshairs showing how large that view will be. That's how I learned to star hop. There are other apps that are comparable, and of course printed charts work well too (when read by a dim red light). 

A telrad or red-dot finder, really anything that doesn't magnify, is also great for getting you in the right area of the sky. And of course, all of your finders need to be lined up properly, pointing at the same area of the sky as your telescope.

[vikings1989]

+1 for Skysafari. I have also used Stellarium, but on my phone, I found Skysafari the best. Great way to learn the night sky at any time of the day.

[NicasDream]

I'm going to order a telrad where should I aim my dob at though?

Say I didn't have a 9x50 finder scope where would I point my dob right now I bend over and aim from like the primary mirror location or can I make a DIY telrad until I order it

[Avgvstvs]

In the good old days there were no mobile phones or apps. How did we find anything? Its a simple finding chart.....  "left a bit, up from that triangle, half way to ..."

 

It just requires a bit of planning and preparation first.

Learn the skies, don't become a GOTO junkie!

[NicasDream]

I'm also going to get a cheap tablet and purchase either stellarium or safari to learn where everything is at

[havasman]

I'm also going to get a cheap tablet and purchase either stellarium or safari to learn where everything is at

Enthusiasm is GREAT but there is a place for patience and persistence. I had the best success starting out when I used a Sky & Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas with a Telrad because that atlas' scale matches the calibrated rings in a Telrad, making it much easier to see the distances and proportional relationships in the sky that you saw on paper. That combo, adding a 16" KenPress Guide to the Stars planisphere, was a great start toward learning the sky. For me the sliding scales of the apps are much less helpful than the coordinated ones of charts matched to your finders.

 

After all, finding objects won't necessarily cause you to learn the sky but learning the sky will make it much easier to find objects all over it.

[CarolinaBanker]

Try Turn Left at Orion, it’s a wonderful book and offers a great approach to star hopping well suited to your dob.

[Slip]

I have a manual dob and I have trouble finding things just the other day I was looking for M13 and I couldn't find it I was around the left shoulder of hercules but nothing

I tried using my phone but that was just annoying because the app would keep asking to be calibrated constantly

I also tried putting my phone near the finder scope to see if that would aid me a little and nothing

The most luck I had was Googleing
pictures of constellations and hopping around,I would get lost though if the hop was too large
And just fall through space XD

Any tips that would aid me? Without it doing it for me because that would take the fun out of it

I just started 4 months ago myself. I wouldn't get anything new yet. You just started. Start with something easier. A target close to an easy object.  I would go for the Globular Cluster M4 in Scorpious.  

 

Find Antares, it's a bright red star that is worth some time all by itself. From there it is a short slew to M4.

 

 

 

https://www.galactic.../m4-and-antares

 

Once you find one it will give you confidence to find more and you will know more what to expect with each object. Keep an eye on how bright each object is. They get harder as they get dimmer.

 

If I can do it, you can do it.

 

Aloha and Clear Skies. 

Edited by Slip, 31 July 2023 - 05:19 PM.

[Dynan]

Sky View works wonderfully on my i13.

[Chad7531]

An AZ setting circle, a digital angle finder, and an app like Stellarium to give you coordinates. Game changer.

[NicasDream]

Cool I'll look for M4 tonight I found the ring nebula the other day

And I'll take another stab at M13

And hopefully some stuff in Ursa major

[DuncanM]

I have a manual dob and I have trouble finding things just the other day I was looking for M13 and I couldn't find it I was around the left shoulder of hercules but nothing

I tried using my phone but that was just annoying because the app would keep asking to be calibrated constantly

I also tried putting my phone near the finder scope to see if that would aid me a little and nothing

The most luck I had was Googleing
pictures of constellations and hopping around,I would get lost though if the hop was too large
And just fall through space XD

Any tips that would aid me? Without it doing it for me because that would take the fun out of it

 

Use a planisphere for finding your constellation, then use an actual chart oriented to your sky at that time, and use a telrad. It doesn't get simpler on a dob. There are planetarium programs that will superimpose a telrad reticle right on the map. Nothing is better than your own eyes and brain.

 

A good redlight flashlight is mandatory as is a good star chart, in addition to a planisphere. 

 

The first thing that you should do, is to leave the dobsonian alone, sit outside in a comfy lawn-chair and then use the planisphere and identify the constellations by eye. Start with Ursa MInor and Ursa Major and then identify the brightest stars and the brightest constellations. If you have some binoculars use those next. Don't hurry as the time taken to do this will pay off when you start using your dobby. Identifying the constellation Hercules and the keystone is the key to finding M13. If you're youngish and have dark skies you can find and see M13 by eye, but it's an easy binocular object. The binoculars and an optical finder will have a similar field. Even a 6x30 finderscope is a great aid, but make sure to align it carefully so it's centred on the telescope's field of view.

 

Use a very low power eyepiece in your dobsonian when searching for objects; something in the ~30mm focal length.

Edited by DuncanM, 31 July 2023 - 05:38 PM.

[tom77]

SkySafari is a great program, but I'm going to offer a low tech (and cheaper) solution.  Here's what worked for me when I got started in this hobby.  Buy a Telrad finder and print some star charts with the Telrad rings on them. 

 

Check out this website: http://www.astro-tom...essier_maps.htm

 

There are Telrad maps you can buy, but I did a quick search and found a bunch of free maps.  Find one you like and print some maps. 

 

Print map 8 if you use the website I referenced above.  Next, rotate your printed copy exactly as you see Hercules in the sky.  Notice how that outer Telrad ring is almost touching the right shoulder of Hercules.  Now, push your dob (with the Telrad attached) so that the red outer ring almost touches that star as you see it on the map.  Make sure you have a wide field eyepiece in your dob, and it should be there.  Recenter, and increase your magnification.  That's what worked for me until I got really good at pointing my telescope.  Good luck.

Edited by tom77, 01 August 2023 - 11:40 AM.

[Slip]

Cool I'll look for M4 tonight I found the ring nebula the other day

And I'll take another stab at M13

And hopefully some stuff in Ursa major

I forgot to mention, make sure you are using a low power eyepiece.  I start with my 27mm. After you find the object, then you can increase the power. 

 

You didn't mention which eyepieces you were using so I thought I should mention it.

[Bob4BVM]

Do you have a pair of binoculars ?  Any pair will do, the common 7x35 is fine.

Get some form of star chart, locate the constellation where the object is, and take a look. The binos will make many objects pop out for you. M13 is easy in binos

This way you get a wide view of the sky so it;s easier to star hop to objects

[NicasDream]

I have a 30mm and a 8.5mm
And have a 12.5mm in some ups truck somewhere

So I have
x50 x100 with Barlow
x178 x357 with Barlow

I'll try taking the Barlow lens off and putting it in a extension tube to see if it knocks down some magnification

[TheChosen]

What DOB is that? Does it have a 2" focuser?

 

A friend of mine started with astronomy couple of months ago and got a second hand DOB 10". He spent several nights with zero found DSOs.

 

I told him to get an RDF/Laser combo (at least one works well), a 2" 32mm eyepiece (a cheap one like Orion Q70 will do).. 40mm works even better, and a digital inclinometer.

 

We observed together 2 weeks ago. He clocked 10 Messier objects in 3 hours with NO help from my side. It is literally just point and shoot in the general direction and it is there in the eyepiece.. if it is not a bit of fine tuning with the inclinometer will do.

[jmillsbss]

I don't mean to blow up your thread but this usually does it... A green laser pointer. I see someone beat me to it!!!

 

Like any telrad or red dot finder, you'll want to align on a distant object, usually around dusk.  You could do the alignment with Polaris but how do you know that the Polaris in the finder is the Polaris in the scope? Use a cell tower or something recognizable.

 

GLPs shouldn't be used at star parties, near airports/planes or wherever else you shouldn't have them, but once I learned the constellations, (and picking up a 10x50 pair of binoculars is very helpful) simply swinging the laser to the point in the sky that the skychart says, and BOOM! the target is almost always in the FOV of a medium power eyepiece.

 

That's the best thing I can say for what I did.  I observe alone, in a rural area, out of the line of much air traffic.  These are a few of the reasons I CAN use a laser and not have issues.  It made the searching a LOT simpler.  Other finders work as well, but maybe this will help you as much as it did me!

[Keith Rivich]

Much like driving to that new restaurant one has to have an idea where to find stuff. That new restaurant is on W street between X and Y avenue a little closer to Y avenue, it will be on your right. 

 

M13 is in Hercules between the stars Eta and Zeta, a little closer to Eta. 

 

For that restaurant you might use a map. For M13 you might use a planisphere. Same concept. Same part of the brain. Once you have been to either a few times you won't need that map anymore (for that object). 

[Slip]

I have a 30mm and a 8.5mm
And have a 12.5mm in some ups truck somewhere

So I have
x50 x100 with Barlow
x178 x357 with Barlow

I'll try taking the Barlow lens off and putting it in a extension tube to see if it knocks down some magnification

Don't use any Barlows until after you find the object. You would be narrowing you field of view too much. Use the 30mm only to find your object.

Edited by Slip, 01 August 2023 - 12:47 PM.

[Daveatvt01]

M4 might not be the best recommendation for tonight. It gets pretty dim or becomes downright invisible with enough light pollution/haze/humidity/etc. Tonight the 99% full moon will be interfering. 

[NicasDream]

Going to start taking my 12 inch dob out hopefully I see something new

[Chad7531]

Going to start taking my 12 inch dob out hopefully I see something new

https://www.blocklay...ractor-printeng Make one of these the appropriate diameter, have office max print and laminate it. Glue it to your ground board. Get a digital angle finder. Download Stellarium on your phone. Done. You now find anything your telescope can see.

Edited by Chad7531, 31 July 2023 - 07:03 PM.