First viewing through LX90

Hi all just thought I would let you know how my first viewing went before the clouds moved in. First off, my head throbs trying to colminate(?) the viewing scope, I gave up! I can't get used to things being back to front and upside down, it's torturing my brain. Result was I couldn't get polaris in the scope to algn it and use the goto. Being worried about putting myself off with frustration, I abandoned that part of it and just went searching. all I could find were these huge floodlit mountains and craters. Spectacular! OK, what next I thought. I came up with a brainwave, probably the same ones all you experts already employ. I noticed near the rear of the scope and at the front of the scope on the top are two little screw heads which I assume hold important things together in the scope, but I used them as sights to get a rough bearing. I chose a bright point of light in orion and sighted along the two screws and light until the hree were in line, then slowly moved the scope up while looking through the eyepiece until I found it - where did all those stars come from all of a sudden! - then had a good look around that area. Nothings sacred! Some idiots lit a fire up there. That bright point of light became four close-together-points of light surrounded by great streaks of smoke. brilliant! next I did the same with the comet (I hope), I'm certain it was the comet this time, certainly looked good, a big fuzzy ball. Back to the floodlit mountains and craters again for a bit, but I'm afraid I just couldn't stay away from that nebula, I just had to go back. Then the clouds moved in
All in all, it was great. I know a lot of what I was looking at was lost due to moonlight, but what the hell, I think it looked great and my fingers are crossed for clear skies tomorrow night.
Sorry to go on so much, but I bet you can all remember your first night with your new scope
Anyone with sugestions for what I should look for the next clear night, and how to find it without the goto, it's actually fun not using the goto, plus I suppose it's good practice. I can use the goto later for more difficult objects.
Bill H

Hi Bill,
Its great to read that you're getting places with the scope.

It sounds like to me that your viewfinder and main scope are not alligned, next time you're out looking at the moon or a distant object, try and get it centered in the main scope and then adjust the screws on the finder so its also centered.
You'll be able to find things in the sky and setup the goto much faster with this corrected.

As for collimation, its a somewhat tricky business, and is absolutely critical in a SCT, remember the primary mirror is a F2, which makes it very suseptable to miscollimation (all SCTs are like this).
The 3 screws on the secondary mirror is what you adjust for this, nothing else, when you turn a screw here you actually move the image in the eyepiece, so its much easier to have a second person up at the front of the scope, while you look through it to see if the image is getting better or not, its basically about getting the doughnut shaped out of focus star perfectly symetrical.

I have a scope similar to yours, and it took me a while to get the collimation dead on, I use a webcam for this, as its easier to measure the symetry on a screen.

It sounds like to me that your viewfinder and main scope are not alligned, next time you're out looking at the moon or a distant object, try and get it centered in the main scope and then adjust the screws on the finder so its also centered.

Just a minor note lads, try NOT to choose a moving object Bill - it might take longer than a few minutes to get used to maneouvering those screws on the finder for the first time!
Try getting your eyepiece centered on a distant porch light a couple fields away or something like that, or even a pylon in the daytime. Then turn the finderscope screws in turn to get the finder centered on the same object.



Seanie.

Thanks for the tips Dave and Seanie. Unfortunately I shall have to wait until i have a day at home to set up the finderscope as there are no houses in view here being out in the wilds. Perhaps Santy will bring me a dry day for Christmas to let me do that. I was trying to use the moon last night but the damn thing wouldn't stay still long enough, doesn't look like I will get viewing tonight with all this snow falling now.
Have a great Christmas everyone.
Bill H