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TXlib Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 03:29 PM
Original message
Yay! We bought a telescope!
I've been wanting to get a nice telescope for several years now, and with Mars being the closest it's been in over 60,000 years, I finally had an excuse.

We got the Edmund Scientifics Astroscan, along with a tripod and a Barlow 2.5x lens.

It's supposed to be a very highly rated scope, especially for kids, who I hope will enjoy it when they're older.
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GOPisEvil Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 03:30 PM
Response to Original message
1. If you spot George W. Bush's brain, let us know!
:evilgrin:

May you be blessed with clear skies to star-gaze.
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commander bunnypants Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 03:31 PM
Response to Reply #1
4. Well first the Chimp needs a brain
or you would need a microscope.


DEMMAN
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XNASA Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 03:31 PM
Response to Reply #1
5. It's a telescope. Not a microscope.
:crazy:
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TXlib Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 03:33 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. If said brain exists, you'd need not only a microscope, but also...
a proctoscope.
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commander bunnypants Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 03:33 PM
Response to Reply #5
7. I know
I was making a point about the size of the Chimp's brain

DEMMAN
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commander bunnypants Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 03:30 PM
Response to Original message
2. Hey enjoy
The farthest I have seen is Jupiter. Astronomy is cool stuff

DEMMAN
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pmbryant Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 03:31 PM
Response to Original message
3. Congrats!
Let us know how Mars looks.

I've got a old, hand-built scope, but it's inoperational at the moment.

:-(

--Peter
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bif Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 03:38 PM
Response to Original message
8. Cool!
I'm jealous. As Jack Horkheimer says, "Keep on lookin' up!"
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BlueJazz Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 04:11 PM
Response to Reply #8
13. WOW ...I'd completely forgotton...
...about ol' Jack...is he still around?
I use to watch him years ago.
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bif Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-07-03 01:12 PM
Response to Reply #13
30. Here's his website
http://www.jackstargazer.com/
I'm not sure if he's still on tv. Haven't seen him in a while. I loved his 5 minute show. Wasn't it on after Mystery? Or was it after Masterpiece Theatre?
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TEXASYANKEE Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 03:43 PM
Response to Original message
9. Congrats!
I bought the new Nikon "earth/sky" scope last year. I use it primarily for bird watching, but have scoped the moon a time or two. I can't wait to see Mars -- when are the "optimal" viewing nights? What I mean is, I understand it won't appear over the eastern horizon until after 10:00pm. But I can't see anything in the eastern night sky until it is almost directly overhead. I want to see Mars, though, so I will be willing to set my alarm and get up at 3:00! :-)
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BiggJawn Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 04:41 PM
Response to Reply #9
18. Closer it comes....Closer....Closer......
Comes over the horizon at my place a little before 0300 UTC, and gets in the clear around 0400, which frankly, is a little too late to be staying up on a "school night"...I did see it last weekend, and took a peek through the 10X50's....Cool! Still a "dot", but what colours! Ruby red, and sparkly (OK, so sparkly is not sign of "Good Seeing", but...)VERY impressive!

The best view is towards the end of this month. It rises earlier in the evening, and is closest to Earht on August 27th...
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TEXASYANKEE Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-07-03 09:20 AM
Response to Reply #18
25. Thanks.
Thanks for the info, BiggJawn. I can't wait to see it!
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patdem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 03:48 PM
Response to Original message
10. Bought my grandkids a telescope a few years ago
and it was not a toy....but maybe a toy telescope would be easier for them to use? Anyway, my son usurped the telescope and now it resides in his bedroom till they REALLY care about it or NOT!....I always love to give gifts they will either cherish or eschew and not just use up and discard...what I call inappropriate gifts! I LOVE it!
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bif Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 04:04 PM
Response to Original message
11. Can you take pictures with it?
Just curious.
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jus_the_facts Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 04:07 PM
Response to Original message
12. Must be niiiiice......cosmic dust bunnies are incoming though.......
.......might obscure your view! :evilgrin:
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Kamika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 04:18 PM
Response to Original message
14. we have one but they arent all that
we can see the moon REALLY well i mean really well but if you look at another planet its just the same as with the eye some light only
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Birthmark Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 04:23 PM
Response to Reply #14
16. That shouldn't be the case.
What kind of telescope do you have?
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Kamika Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 04:46 PM
Response to Reply #16
21. im not sure
i bet it sucks badly and any new telescope can see the mars surface heh

But atleast we can look at the moon really well its really fascinating
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Birthmark Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 04:22 PM
Response to Original message
15. The Astroscan is nice little telescope.
Very easy to use and durable. Only use the barlow lens on planets, the Moon, or for terrestrial viewing. You'll find it more enjoyable to look at most things with a lower power.

I have no idea what you know about this stuff, so just to be on the safe side: DO NOT EVER POINT IT AT THE SUN! Sorry to shout, but serious eye damage is, well, serious. If you have one of those little sun filters that screws into the eyepiece, throw it out. The only safe sun filter is one that goes over the front of the telescope. My apologies if my concern is presumptuous. :)
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TXlib Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 04:41 PM
Response to Reply #15
19. When I taught physics labs
we had a lab on diffraction that used a He-Ne laser. There was a sign posted that read "DO NOT STARE INTO LASER BEAM (with your remaining eye)".

Your concern is appreciated. I think you can buy a projection screen for solar viewing for the Astroscan. I might pick one up someday.
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Birthmark Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 04:49 PM
Response to Reply #19
22. Eeeep!
LOL at the laser sign. :)

The only thing you may have a problem with in projecting with an Astroscan is heat buildup in the scope. Use an old eyepiece! :)
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NewYorkerfromMass Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 04:31 PM
Response to Original message
17. COOL!!!!
I've got a Meade 5" with a Barlow. As soon as the sky clears we'll look for Mars. I've seen Saturn's rings with this thing. My favorite thing is looking at our moon's mountains. HAVE FUN!!!!
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BiggJawn Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 04:45 PM
Response to Reply #17
20. Saturn IS cool!
I have a a 60mm long FL Meade refractor that I had been looking at Jupiter quite a bit with, but Saturn was always at an awkward angle (no, I'm NOT laying on my back in 10-degree snow!) so I passed on the other planets for a while.
First time I saw Saturn...WOW! Saw the rings. Saw the bands on the planet, saw the shadow on the rings...Everything but the Cassini division..Very Cool!

Love to watch Jupiter, though, The moons go around so fast you can almost see them in motion!
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Birthmark Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 04:54 PM
Response to Reply #20
23. You have a flourite refractor?!
Meet your new best friend! Beautiful scope you have there. Absolutely the best images possible. I have an 8-inch Newtonian (keep it clean you perverts) which is nice, but it can't yours for image crispness. I'm sitting here envying the views you're gonna have of Mars over the next few weeks. Enjoy! :)
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BiggJawn Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-07-03 10:53 AM
Response to Reply #23
26. My bad, should have been F/L, not FL...
it's one of the LONG small refractors, which lifts it our of the "Toys 'R' Us Telescope" catagory...
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Birthmark Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-07-03 12:10 PM
Response to Reply #26
27. Ack!
Edited on Thu Aug-07-03 12:11 PM by Birthmark
I peed my pants for nothing?! Oh well, there's a first time for everything. lol
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FireHeart Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-06-03 05:20 PM
Response to Original message
24. It's a good entry level scope.
Edited on Wed Aug-06-03 05:24 PM by FireHeart
For casual viewing, it's great.

I had a 10" Dobsonian mounted reflector (homebuilt) for awhile. It was marvelous and I got some incredible deep-sky views. I wish I still had it today--the Mars viewing is going to be outstanding!

On edit:

I would advise not bothering with the Barlow. Use the widest eyepiece you have and take the results. Using a Barlow, while increasing your power, often blurs and fuzzes up the image--the light gathering capability of a 4 inch mirror simply doesn't do all that well with a Barlow over a certain point.

Just my opinion. Your milage may vary :)
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tsakshaug Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-07-03 12:24 PM
Response to Original message
28. yard sale
found a 4" meade relfector at a yard sale for $20 last month. Very good condition. Waiting until it stops raining this month to use it
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BiggJawn Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-07-03 01:09 PM
Response to Reply #28
29. Great Find!
Yeah, you got your money's worth, even if it does need to be collimated (not hard to do)
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TXlib Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Aug-08-03 01:28 AM
Response to Original message
31. Telescope came today
Using the 15 mm objective, I get beautiful views of the moon.

Coupled with the 2.5x Barlow, I can see amazing detail of the moon; even though I have downloaded images which are better, somehow it looks more "real" through a telescope.

I could see Mars today, too, but although I could easily resolve the planetary disk, I really couldn't see any detail.

One problem is that the focus control is a little sticky, and it's really hard to do fine-tune focusing.
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