Help needed...New User

Hi Rosie
You'll get good views of Jupiter and Saturn at the moment. You'll be able to see Jupiter's four bright moons and the ring around Saturn.

You can also get views of M42 (the Orion Nebula) and the Trapezium (new-born stars) relatively easily and also some clusters (Beehive, Pleiades).

There's a ton more you could look at but these one's are easy to find just using your eyes.

As far as tracking goes, unless you have motors on your mount, you'll need to re-adjust position manually as these objects 'move' across the sky.

Try and get your hands on an astromag - Sky and Telescope, Astronomy Now or Astronomy - Eason's usually have them. They have printed star charts which are easy to use and point you in the right direction for these objects. Or ask here - I'm sure we could rummage around and come up with graphics showing where you can look.

All the best

Dave McD

Hi Rosie!
I like your description of your interests in your profile by the way - very descriptive!

Rosie, one thing I would also suggest to compliment what has been advised to you already, is to get yourself and your scope to an amateurs meeting. Be it with Astronomy & Space, a local club, or finding enthusiasts in your area (Leitrim Astronomical Society, LAS, perhaps?!?!), and then bounce ideas, questions, tips, and techniques off each other! Thats pretty much how any of the clubs here started, and its great that there are so many (and not just within IFAS).

Now, I could suggest coming down to Tullamore some time to one of our meetings, but I don't think you are going to for some reason - unless you get a B&B somewhere! Other than that, I think you are the only person here from Co. Leitrim, but you might think of posting a notice somewhere for someone to meet up with and share the splendours of the night sky in your area??

In the meantime, I know there are an awful lot of posts on these boards to do with getting started in the hobby, and you probably want to go for the "I want to know NOW" approach - thats fine, just ask! But, you might check up the Astronomical Equipment forum here, and see the other posts through the years on similar refractors like yours - namely the SKYLUX from Lidl.

And I am glad you got to see the Moon with your scope - it was pretty hard to miss the last 2 nights!

Welcome to the Boards,

Seanie.

Rosie

See <<HERE>> fro a sky-map for Leitrim. It will be correct for the time you click so if your checking this in work adjust the time to later and print. btw change to Black on White to save ink

This will give the locations of the planets and hope you get to see them.

Please post your thoughts on Saturn when you see it for the first time.

Conor

Thanks again Everybody for your advise,
Bart?? No such thing as a stupid question??..it wasn't YOU that told my 6 year old that ..was it??? :lol:
Seanie.. Have we met?? you seem to have sussed me out quite well.. Did you ever watch Just William? I WANT IT NOW!! :roll:

But I do think that I'll start by Examinig the sky in more detail by eyes!! Spotted the Conjuct on Friday night just couldn't get the bloody scope to zoom in on the lively bright Star :oops:
Thanks for all the photos Lads!!..it is predominately Lads ISN'T IT?? NOW I WONDER WHY THAT IS!!! :lol:
Cheers again