Super Blood Wolf Moon

[/dev/null]

https://amp.livescience.com/64550-super-blood-wolf-moon-eclipse.html

[RaoulDuke79]

I had an amateur telescope I got for Christmas a few years back. It wasn't great, but it was cool to check stuff out once in while on occasions like this. Unfortunately my son broke it. I'd like to get a good one some day because I enjoy staring out at the stars and such.

[sherpa]

12 hours ago, RaoulDuke79 said:

I had an amateur telescope I got for Christmas a few years back. It wasn't great, but it was cool to check stuff out once in while on occasions like this. Unfortunately my son broke it. I'd like to get a good one some day because I enjoy staring out at the stars and such.

 

I've got two telescopes and I use them frequently, an 8" Dobsonian mount that wasn't too expensive, and a 10" Schmidt Cassegrain on an equatorial mount that was kind of pricey.

You can pick one up fairly cheaply with the advances in optics, but it really helps if you know what to look for.

My wife got me Celestron binoculars  and I use those as well. They are great for basic planet stuff, or sighting something before putting the t'scope on it.

There is a great free website that will show the night sky from your exact location and time. You can slew the view around 360 degrees and vertically as well. You can also change the time if you wish.

https://stellarium.org/

 

At the bottom there is a taskbar that allows you to display all kinds of things. I often use the option that draws the constellation lines and the option that labels them. It's quite nice.

[LeGOATski]

34 minutes ago, sherpa said:

 

I've got two telescopes and I use them frequently, an 8" Dobsonian mount that wasn't too expensive, and a 10" Schmidt Cassegrain on an equatorial mount that was kind of pricey.

You can pick one up fairly cheaply with the advances in optics, but it really helps if you know what to look for.

My wife got me Celestron binoculars  and I use those as well. They are great for basic planet stuff, or sighting something before putting the t'scope on it.

There is a great free website that will show the night sky from your exact location and time. You can slew the view around 360 degrees and vertically as well. You can also change the time if you wish.

https://stellarium.org/

 

At the bottom there is a taskbar that allows you to display all kinds of things. I often use the option that draws the constellation lines and the option that labels them. It's quite nice.

I use the SkyView Free app when I'm out and about at night, which is often enough to notice when there's something out of place in celestial dome.

 

Pull out the app and it tells you what planet it is.

[Nextmanup]

6 hours ago, sherpa said:

 

I've got two telescopes and I use them frequently, an 8" Dobsonian mount that wasn't too expensive, and a 10" Schmidt Cassegrain on an equatorial mount that was kind of pricey.

You can pick one up fairly cheaply with the advances in optics, but it really helps if you know what to look for.

My wife got me Celestron binoculars  and I use those as well. They are great for basic planet stuff, or sighting something before putting the t'scope on it.

There is a great free website that will show the night sky from your exact location and time. You can slew the view around 360 degrees and vertically as well. You can also change the time if you wish.

https://stellarium.org/

 

At the bottom there is a taskbar that allows you to display all kinds of things. I often use the option that draws the constellation lines and the option that labels them. It's quite nice.

You seem like you know what you're doing.

 

Let me ask you a question.  My views of the night sky out of various windows of my house are all rather limited, I have noticed.  Where do you place your telescope so that you can see whatever it is you want to look at in the sky?

 

It seems to me that you would want to take the thing outside and plop it in the driveway or something, where you have room/access to see what you need to see.  But it seems like amateur astronomers always have their fancy telescopes parked in front of some window.

 

 

[sherpa]

It must be outside.

People have them inside their houses because they don't use them, but like the way they look.

The concept of spending the money needed for a decent telescope, and using it in the house is crazy.

You would have no night vision and the window glass would screw it up.

 

I keep mine on the porch, covered. When I need to use them, and cannot spot what I want from the porch, I move them down on the lawn, usually in the afternoon when I know it will be a good night for viewing.

 

It must be done early to accomodate for the temp issue of causing condensation on the optics.

 

You can get a decent telescope for $300+, something that will easily spot the rings of Saturn.

Nowhere near what they used to cost, but where you live re light pollution and access to the night sky not obscured by trees are important issues before spending money. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 20, 2019 by sherpa

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

2 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

But it seems like amateur astronomers always have their fancy telescopes parked in front of some window.

You’re mistaking the amateur astronomers with the amateur voyeurs in Brian DiPalma movies.

[ExiledInIllinois]

6 hours ago, sherpa said:

It must be outside.

People have them inside their houses because they don't use them, but like the way they look.

The concept of spending the money needed for a decent telescope, and using it in the house is crazy.

You would have no night vision and the window glass would screw it up.

 

I keep mine on the porch, covered. When I need to use them, and cannot spot what I want from the porch, I move them down on the lawn, usually in the afternoon when I know it will be a good night for viewing.

 

It must be done early to accomodate for the temp issue of causing condensation on the optics.

 

You can get a decent telescope for $300+, something that will easily spot the rings of Saturn.

Nowhere near what they used to cost, but where you live re light pollution and access to the night sky not obscured by trees are important issues before spending money. 

 

 

 

 

 

Just as with an expensive camera... You can take it outside, like right now in the cold (8°F)... But just put it in a bag... Plastic, or fleece insulated, etc... Before you bring it back in.  Then slowly let the bag warm up.

[row_33]

I don’t want to get within 10 feet of my windows in this cold and heavy wind

[mead107]

Does it make you want hot women ?

[Nextmanup]

7 hours ago, sherpa said:

It must be outside.

People have them inside their houses because they don't use them, but like the way they look.

The concept of spending the money needed for a decent telescope, and using it in the house is crazy.

You would have no night vision and the window glass would screw it up.

 

I keep mine on the porch, covered. When I need to use them, and cannot spot what I want from the porch, I move them down on the lawn, usually in the afternoon when I know it will be a good night for viewing.

 

It must be done early to accomodate for the temp issue of causing condensation on the optics.

 

You can get a decent telescope for $300+, something that will easily spot the rings of Saturn.

Nowhere near what they used to cost, but where you live re light pollution and access to the night sky not obscured by trees are important issues before spending money. 

 

 

 

 

 

OK, thanks.  Just went out and looked at the moon at about 10:50pm ET.

 

Starting to look interesting.

 

 

[/dev/null]

 

 

[WhoTom]

20 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

You seem like you know what you're doing.

 

Let me ask you a question.  My views of the night sky out of various windows of my house are all rather limited, I have noticed.  Where do you place your telescope so that you can see whatever it is you want to look at in the sky?

 

It seems to me that you would want to take the thing outside and plop it in the driveway or something, where you have room/access to see what you need to see.  But it seems like amateur astronomers always have their fancy telescopes parked in front of some window.

 

 

 

Outside is where you need to be.

If you have light-polluted skies, then a telescope is good for viewing the planets and lunar details, but not much else. In that case, a 3" or 4" diameter scope is all you need, and you can get a nice one for under $500. Don't waste money on a super-high magnification lens - around 30x is good for amateur scopes.

If you have dark skies and you want to see galaxies and nebulae (e.g., the Messier objects), then something in the 6" to 8" range is good. The motorized tracking mounts are nice, especially if they have the on-board computer that automatically points at the object, but they're more difficult to set up because the mount has to be precisely aligned with true north.

 

The best way to get started in amateur astronomy is to learn the constellations. Check out "The Stars," a book by H.A. Rey. Do a lot of naked-eye observing before spending money on a telescope.