Lidl "Computer Telescope" forum

Dave L - the Skylux is 700mm, the ETX is 350. So a 25mm eyepiece should give mags of 28 and 14 respectively. But this isn't what I saw in the eyepiece... Note - no Barlow.

Am I missing something here? At the mo I think I'm coming down with something so my brain is fried - I can't even summon the strength to get outside :shock:

Dave

I know how you feel, I had a cold there for a while.
As for the magnifications, it might be only noticable at high mags, after all if you have a tiny image and double it, what do you get, another tiny image

Sharon, I mis-read your post thinking you were using a camera, its one thing trying to describe something here on the forums, its quite another been actually shown it.

Dave-
not to worry-I just want to see Saturn and I'll be happy -to begin with anyway!Its just gonna take time and practice on my part.

Hello

I'm a newbie to the astronomy scene, I was planning on getting a telescope as a christmas present for myself and could'nt believe it when lidl had the Meade ETX-70 in their brochure, anyway I was extremely happy to get the etx, it was close in the end, 3 mins later and I wouldn't have got one. I've been reading as much as I can in the last week to find out about everything but there's just so much so I just have a few questions: Is the Alignmate bubble compass and level useful to have and if so where's the best(cheapest: I'm a student) place to get it? Is north down telescopes the only place in Ireland? From what I've read here the flexi-mate focus knob is a must. Is a view finder worth getting for the ETX-70? I'm from Meath/North Dublin and was wondering where the closest astronomy club would be? Would a lunar filter get rid of the chromatic abberation? Can you use a digital camera for astrophotography?

Kind Regards
Joe

Joe - there's a level bubble on the ETX tripod (well, there is on mine...). I doubt if you need another. Just make sure the tripod is levelled off so you can get accurate tracking.

Actually, thinking of it, I'm not sure yuou can see the level bubble with the ETX base installed :oops:

The flexi focus know seems to be a must, especially if you are viewing high up in the sky. Other folks here can give you the low down on dealers here in Ireland, but I recommend you look at US sites too - the $ v € is in our favour and something like the flexifocus will be cheap and easy to ship.

Nothing will get rid of chromatic abberation completely - it is inherent in the optics of the scope and/or the eyepiece. A filter may reduce the effects but the filter itslef is yet another path for light to travel down before reaching your eye and will itself have some effect on what you see. By all means give it a go - filters can be cheap and some are decidely unpleasant quality wise - so be careful what you buy.

A digital camara can be used for astrophotography - there are a number different techniques. Have a browse through the posts here - some of these are explained very well, especially for the ETX.

Joining a club is the best move you can make - once again I'll let the folks here do their sales pitch!!

And by the way, welcome aboard! I hope you enjoy your time here and get the most from your new scope!

Cheers

Dave

Hi Joe,
Daves post above says pretty much all there is to say,

If you use a yellow filter then the whole moon will look yellow and you wont see the chromatic abbertation , most "lunar" filters are green, so it wont be as obvious with it.
I would not bother with a finderscope, the low power eyepiece is bordering on the view through a medium power single "binocular, so I wouldnt bother.
As for the flexicord, scopetronix.com do a good price and the dollar euro conversion rate at the moment is excellent, and incase some might be starting to think I'm a sales man for them, I'm not.
I did and am getting a number of parts off them, and I've always found them to be good value for money. The cost of postage is not exhorborant.
You can use a digital camera and webcams with a scope, you might need to get adapters and so on, again scopetronix is your man for that

I wouldnt bother buying any other leveling equipment for this cope, the bubble in the mount is good enough and if you do the 2 star allign, its not that critical. Do not run the 1 star allign, it seriously depends on a level mount to work properly.

The other good shop here in Ireland in Andromeda optics.
www.andromedaoptics.com

The best thing I ever did in this hobby was join the local astronomy club, I gaurantee you wont regret it.

I hope you enjoy the boards.