I'm just about to start.

Hello all,

I am about to by mu first telescope details below. I just would like your thoughts on some stuff.

1. is the telescope good enough to see some galaxies and the like?

2. Is there like a guide to knowing how to find specific things in the sky?

* Powerful reflector telescope

* Adjustable Aluminium Tripod

* Precise rack & pinion focussing

* Spherical aluminised mirror

* Micro altitude control

* Optimum magnification x 175

* Focus length of the object mirror : 700mm

* Focus length of the eyepiece : 4mm



:twisted:

sorry also.

* 20mm-1.25in (x35) Eyepiece

* 12.5mm-1.25in (x55) Eyepiece

* 4mm-1.25in (x175) Eyepiece

* Barlow Lens (2 x-1.25in) giving 70 x when used with the 20mm eyepiece, 110 x when used with the 12.5mm eyepiece, and 350 x when used with the 4mm eyepiece

* Erecting Eyepiece (1.5 x-1.25) giving 52.5 x when used with the 20mm eyepiece, 82.5 x when used with the 12.5mm eyepiece, and 262.5 x when used with the 4mm eyepiece

* Sighting scope

* Foldable Aluminium Tripod

* Accessory dish

1. is the telescope good enough to see some galaxies and the like?

You don't mention the aperture (the most important thing for faint fuzzies), but I'm going to guess 100mm or 114mm based on the focal length. That would show you galaxies at a dark site, but not from within 50 miles of Dublin. There is other good stuff to look at, mind you (planets, some of the brighter nebula, double stars and star clusters).

2. Is there like a guide to knowing how to find specific things in the sky?

Yes, there are many guides. I'm a GoTo guy myself, though, so I'm not familiar with which are the best ones. I'm sure someone else will chime in....

Oh, and welcome to the forums!

-- Jeff.

What size is the actual mirror? That's the most important thing of all appart from the quality of the actual optics.

From the blurb posted there I'd be very sucpicious, it sounds like one of the very low quality scopes sold in camera shops by people like Tasco or in suprtmarkets.

Can you give us a make and model?

It sounds to me like Ryan perhaps has a 74 to 80mm reflector.

Ryan,
with this kind of scope, you won't be seeing many galaxies at all. Only the brighter more well-known ones, like Andromeda, as it is bright enough (even though it will still appear faint in such a sized scope!).

You will however, enjoy nice, albeit, small views of Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Mars, and brighter celestial objects like The Orion Nebula (M42), Perseus Double Cluster, Dumbell Nebula, and many more.

If you have some model information on what you have, that will be a big help. There are already some FAQ threads on the Skylux 70mm, and ETX-70 AT scopes, on these forums, which are similar sized scopes.

Enjoy!

Seanie.

the description didn't mention the aperture or mirror size. You guys say this is the most import stuff. In which case I feel that may be I was about to be ripped off, plus I though it was very cheap too cheap even. I'll have a look on the other posts, get more information on telescopes. I'm just getting my 1st one, it's weird i'm 22 and been in to space and physics for a long time and have never bothered getting my self one. Stupid really I lived 7 miles outside of Enniskillen for a long time.

Thanks for all your information it will help me, of that I have no doubts. However, I'm a real amature :roll:

Also, the pictures that I have seen here. Is the special equipment I need to capture and image? I mean I can just place the lens of my camera to the telescope :lol: