The other night I had M13 centered and brought my wife and kid over. I still warn them that its going to look like a smudge to begin with, then you'll start to notice more details the longer you look. My wife looked it up using her phone and said "This is over 22000 light years away?!?!" Made my week.
I like those reactions. It's always a little disheartening when you have something cool in the eyepiece and show someone else and they're just like "Eh, it's a smudge. Boring."
Also don’t forget those beautiful images you see from the astrophotographers are usually done with thousands of dollars worth of very nice equipment, very long exposures, and hours of editing. The faint fuzzies still amaze me. You vids keep getting better Ed!
Greetings from the UK, I watch all your videos, some more than once, think you are fantastic at explaining things and very good knowledge/experience. Thanks Ed
1:40 Ed, thank you so much for that, I needed to hear that. Seriously, why do anything if (we think) we can't do it better than someone else? Not just as an astronomer but also as a pianist, as I'm sure you can relate..... it's about the journey and the personal growth, and not so much the destination.
19 Messier objects in one week is a fantastic accomplishment! Keep in mind that many, if not the majority, of these objects are not visible during only a one week period of observing from the Northern Hemisphere. As a purely visual astronomer, I really appreciate looking at the great images posted by astrophotographers. My most memorable observation was M-44, the Bee Hive cluster, in morning twilight. This was due to an atmospheric phenomena that made it appear as a backlit projection onto the atmosphere at 15X. through my mounted binoculars.
a hand air blower (bulb type) is so useful for cleaning optics. No touch or solution used, just air blown manually. I can personally vouch for the Giotto Rocket.
Fantastic answer to the "why are we taking pictures that have already been taken?". While I'm sure there wasn't any animosity in the question, it makes me realize that even my very first images of the Orion Nebula using my wife's Canon T1i, on my 150mm reflector (on the supplied, tiny dovetail, manually slewing every few shots because the motor couldn't handle the weight) even though they were very blurry...aside from alllll that, I was so over the moon that I actually got some images you could discerne some details. It seems to me, the one asking the question has no sense of adventure.
My daughter and I found the owl nebula the other night. Amazing how excited we got finding this dso together. It was fun star hopping and actually seeing what we were looking for. I tried hard to find a couple spiral galaxies to no avail.
It's nice to find a beginner who appreciates the view no matter how dim. A friend I took on a couple of expeditions cried :) Now that was nice. I always tell people - it doesn't matter how big the scope or how well made - the view in the eyepiece will never be much different than what your eye sees in a dark sky - it's just much, much larger and detailed (when you learn to see it). This was a sort of shock to realize when I was a youngster. I thought I would point my 3" refractor at Alnitak and there the Horsehead would be shimmering like a page from a book. I've still never seen it :) Hope springs eternal!
During the 2017 total solar eclipse, I didn't bother trying to take pics--totality was less than 2 1/2 minutes. I just drank it in by eye. There were plenty of pics to be seen online afterwards. As for cleaning optics--don't let them get dirty in the first place. Keep covers on when not in use!
To the question about mosquitoes I find that a couple hours after sunset they calm down. Plus not having any lights on near you helps. I also wear a couple layers for added protection. Yes, I layer up even in summer. To the last question. Small gray faint smudges is exactly what you're supposed to see. I do sketches to try and show off what you will be seeing at the eyepiece. It's helpful when people ask what to expect I can point them there to get an idea. Love these Q&A videos, and that 12" at the beginning is a beast. I'm actually ordering a 12" soon.
Its about the passion, being able to say- I took this. I worked and stacked the raw data. There's a sense of accomplishment & pride to astrophotography
I got so excited when I heard Ed mention the 8 inch Dob vs. Mak story. I emailed that question to him as well. But it isn’t me, I didn’t buy the Mak, took Ed’s advice. Now I am waiting for the 8 inch Dob to be delivered.
Lol! I have a Mak and wrote to Ed seeking his advise (but didn’t ignore his advice) and ended up buying an 8” dob. When I saw the Mak and Dob reference, I thought, aha, but it turned out to be someone else... 😂
Thank you Ed. "That's really what it's all about", a great summary. I am not even a full year into astronomy but have become fascinated by the night skies. Sometimes I don't even take the rig outside but just go out and look up in awe. I am sure I will never stop learning and finding something new. Thanks again.
One thing I find important is, that when you do things yourself, you get a better understanding about the professional science. In a time, where there are a lot of conspiracy theorists, it is important to learn how science works.
I think there is a unique kind of delicate, ethereal beauty in the images seen by the eye through telescopes that photographs, no matter how detailed and spectacular, just haven't been able to replicate. This is in addition to the satisfaction of seeing something for oneself with one's own eyes (albeit aided by a telescope), and the direct connection that one thereby makes with the wonders of the universe. I can't get that from looking at photographs, either.
Straight-thru finder - both eyes open. Right eye looking through the finder sees crosshairs, left eye sees desired object. Bring the two together. The object will appear in the finder as you get close.
I love that description "The water heater" for the big Celestron. If anyone is scared of cleaning their 'scope there's a great video by South African Willie Koorts on cleaning Scmidt Cassegrains which can be used for other types of scope as well and if followed eliminates the risk of scratching. Many thanks for another great video Ed.
Hey Mr. Ting, good day. I love hearing about the accomplishments of amature astronomers. I would like to mention, using the software Winjupos to process Jupiter, the data you enter actually helps researchers. Good stuff!
Thank you for sparking my interest in star gazing! I got a cheap mead telescope from my dad and have been looking to your advice since. I live in socal so I don't get much stars but I have really enjoyed your videos and they have helped me loads, thanks!
That was a great response to the final question. Whilst I'm "of the younger generation" which is used to vivid visuals from movies and video games, you should've seen my face the first time I imaged Andromeda back in Dec 2020. Seeing that galaxy appear on the screen from my first sub made my jaw hit the floor. I looked at the sky harder and realised I could make Andromeda out with the naked eye. A freaking galaxy! An amazing moment I'll never forget.
That's so true. Hubble and Kepler gave spoiled us at the same time amazed us. I'm tickled anytime I find what I'm looking for, no matter the size or image. My first attempt at 'astrophotography' will be an IPhone clamped to my eyepiece!
@@carlstreet7095 Hah, that'll be better than my first attempt! I clamped my smartphone to a phone holder on a tripod (the Xperia 5ii has a raw camera mode with up to 30 second exposure, so is a lite version of a DSLR). Some nice wide field images but thought I could do with some zoom, which was the thin edge of this very expensive wedge haha! Good luck pal!
Hi Ed I am very happy you addressed visual astronomy and the expectation of what's possible to see through the eyepiece. Whenever someone new to the hobby requests advice on purchasing a telescope, I always start out asking what they expect to be able to see, and then give advice accordingly. Astrophotography is an amazing part of amateur astronomy, but the vivid colors and details that's possible to obtain fairly easily nowadays, do for some newbies set an unrealistically high standard of what's possible to see through an eyepiece. It certainly did for me when I opted for an ETX-90EC twenty years ago, browsing the accompanying colorful astrophotos in the Meade general catalog... I have never been unhappy with my purchase (my parents purchase that was) back then, but I must say my amazement with starring at the night sky deep into the universe was even bigger, when at younger age I would spent what felt like hours during late evenings/early nights looking through 10x50 binos on a homemade mount and tripod my father made for me. Now some 25 years later, a few months after acquiring a 16" Meade LightBridge Plus dobsonian, I'm blown away with DSO's I never thought possible to see. Even if galaxies still mostly look like fussy spots.. but it is the satisfaction of pointing the telescope at the sky looking through the red dot finder and the finder scope, and then the object of interest popping up in the eyepiece I really enjoy. And the immersion into the depth of space and the perspective of how small we are in the universe, really fills me with emotions of joy and awe. Playing the soundtrack from "Interstellar" or "Alien" through my small bluetooth speaker while observing also gives an extra dimension :)
Ive read that a typical table fan placed on the ground helps with mosquitos. They are weak, low level flyers and the breeze messes them up. Also the wind may help disperse the CO2 from your breath.
Hello, "J Barry"; Yes a fan can really help. A little 'trick' is to cover the inlet side w/ screen. It acts like a a trap because skeeters are such weak fliers & they can't escape. I keep a pair of 20" box fans on my porch to blow them away or trap them. (I live 42 mi north of Florida, so we have plenty.) Have a GREAT day, & a clear night, Neighbor!
New subscriber and just wanted to say, as I have been watching various videos, I really appreciate your style and approach, and your enthusiasm is contagious. Cheers!
I will say this. Watched a few of your videos and that intro got me to subscribe alone. I ordered a Apertura AD12. I know what you are thinking, 12 inch is bulky. But I am a young guy and I will most likely store this at the garage and move it to my front lawn when in use. Also, I kinda live near the city/suburb, so I am hoping the increase in aperture will help see more in light polluted sky. About the expectation, what you said gave me a better appreciation once I look through the eye piece. Hope to see more videos from you.
My suggestion for light-polluted sky would be to buy an O-III filter for observing nebulae. If the light pollution is heavy, use the one from Baader Planetarium, together with lower magnification to get the exit pupil large. The eyepiece has to have a good eye up to keep stray light away.
I don't agree that things in small telescopes can look boring or dull. the Orion nebula, open clusters, all look so beautiful through my 4.5" newtonian I got on craigslist. Even my old marine binoculars makes the sky looks amazing. All of this and I'm in bortle 6/7.
Whenever you put out a new video, I have to stop everything I'm doing and watch it. If I can find less than a handful of new object every year, I'm happy. I have a 6 inch SCT GOTO, but I'd rather use my 8" DOB and and take months to find an object. The journey is more exciting than the destination.
If necessary, I use mosquito coils for repelling mosquitoes. Placed on the ground between the legs of the tripod, they work well without affecting the image (or the optics) with too much smoke.
As to dim nebula in the eyepiece, I wonder if folks understand how important it is to let your eyes dark adapt. After 15-20 minutes there is quite a difference in what you see. And, of course, what are the seeing conditions at your location, how bad is the light pollution. Finally, I don’t hear much about averted vision, that can really help these things pop into view.
Great video! Another issue with maksutov-cassegrain is objects are dimmer because of the long focal length and center obstruction. I really like my 102mm mak for moon and planets double stars mostly but for deep sky I think my 80mm refractor does better. Course I usually use a bigger aperture telescope for dso.
On refractors and SCT I prefer a RA finder. On the dob, a straight through finder like a Rigel or Telerad. Odd how that works. Image expectation is a problem. In my experience, a bit larger scope (but 8" is fine) taken to a truly dark sky is a huge help. Just about any scope, in the city, will not knock your socks off (unless you're showing them Saturn :^) ). Many faint fuzzies take on more detail in dark skies and newbies don't appreciate that until they do it.
Straight through or right angle. I use both, a red dot finder and an Orion 9x50 right angle correct image finder. So much easier to point the telescope and then track down the object with the same orientation as star maps.
I use the 80 mm finder from TS with 330 mm focal length on my 190/1000 Mak-Newt. Some say it's a bit of an overkill, but I simply love a good finder that is like a small refractor-scope by its own right. And yes, the diagonal reverses the view in comparison with the star map, but my brains seem to be able to handle mirroring quite well. It's more about pattern recognition than exact correspondence. Show me the constellation pattern around the target, and I can recognise the mirrored view just as well. Kind of...
@@Guido_XL I haven't heard of that one. I often wanted to change the eyepiece in my 9x50 to get rid of the cross hairs. I looked it up but it is currently unavailable. I have an 80mm f5 which is a very nice scope for a lot of objects. I don't even think about the mirrored or reversed image in the eyepiece and use pattern recognition all the time there to find faint variable and double stars. But enjoy not thinking about it when locating th field. Thanks for the info.
Apex 127 review: Very sharp, same focal length as a C6 but lacking 30mm of aperture. If aperture is important to you, get the C6. I sold mine for a C6. The best thing about a Mak is it shouldn’t ever need collimation. If that is important to you, get the Mak. /review.
I found the best cleaning solution for optics. Go to an Oakley store and buy one of their cleaning kits for $15. The microfiber cloth and their cleaning solution is absolutely amazing. It will not scratch the glass and the cleaning solution will not leave any residue. I have cleaned several SCT's with this (both front and back side of the corrector) with amazing results.
I want to thank you Ed. A couple months in an I am in the fuzzy blob time frame just like the one you discussed except I haven't been counting. I am sure I am nowhere near his count however. I didn't expect to see things as well as published astrophotography results but was wondering if something is wrong. I have a small entry level doublet but have been finding things. The finder scope is pretty much useless so I check Stellarium then sight down the tube. I bought a 100 dollar alt/az tripod/mount with slewing knobs so when I know I am close I can search without it shaking all over. That in its self helped a bunch. I am finding the fuzzy things right where Stellarium says they are, and the bright objects as well. I get a thrill when a satellite photo bombs my observation. The ISS did once and my wife thought I had lost it when I ran in to tell her. She was happy for me but didn't care. By the end of next month I should be able to up my game as my new CPC 800 deluxe will be here. Thank you.
OMG a CN-212! Hope you are going to test both modes! My lust scope as a kid was a 10" Cave Classical Cassegrain. I always wanted to make a convertible.
"Really good telescope..." Hahahaha! I have an Apex 127mm in the mix and it's impressive for dual use with terrestrial and visual astronomy. As you note AP requires a steady mount and it can go to task with enough time on object and stacking frames.
You wouldn't need a more substantial mount for a mak just because it has a longer focal length. In fact the mount requirements are less because the mak weighs so little AND is short. I've had no problems using a light alt az mount with my small maks.
Oh wow, first view. Probably not first comment by the time I'm done with it, but there are none yet as I type this. My thought is, a finderscope has a different job to a pointer like a red dot finder. A finderscope shows you a low power, wide field to help you navigate a finder-chart or deep star chart, and for actually seeing the object you're looking for in many cases where it's bright enough. A pointer's job is to make sure your telescope is aimed where you want it compared to the sky. Straight thru finders can have their crosshairs aligned with what you see in your other eye, thus working as pointers, but they end up being pretty bad at actually seeing the stars and objects within them comfortably. So I feel that red dot finders (or other unit power solutions) should work together with RACI finderscopes whenever possible. You get a comfortable rich field refractor view at a nice angle, and it's important to be comfortable at the eyepiece when trying to see stuff, but with a unit power pointer you also don't have the annoying difficulty of sighting down the tube and hoping you're pointed in roughly the right starting place. In places where having two finders just doesn't make sense, I think I'd rather have only a pointer--either a straight-thru finderscope or if the focal length is short enough, a red dot finder or telrad or rigel or whatever.
Have you seen a good solution for mounting a finderscope and red-dot finder together? I have not looked hard, but I am not aware of any ready-made ones. Last week I was trying to get the Markarian Chain, which is not very near any bright stars, and my red-dot finder was not particularly helpful. But my finder scope was on a shelf inside.
Hello, "GregroxMun"; I think I understand you. I think I had a similar issue.collimated A reddot finder came w/ my 'scope, I couldn't do much w/ it. I bought a nice 9x 50mm rt-angle finder. An Orion 07212 9x50 Right-Angle Correct-Image Finder, it cost $80 + tax. It works pretty good. Then I bought a green laser pointer & a bracket. The pointer was ~$10 (ebay) & the bracket was $30 at amazon. Now that WORKS! When I turn on my laser it literally 'points' to where my 'scope looks. (Assuming it is aligned & collimated to the 'scope. ) A bright green up into the dark night sky AND I can actually see where it 'points'. I can even see it thru the 'scope, tho it isn't very useful that way. Have a GREAT day, & a clear night, Neighbor!
The white dot hitting the moon reminded me of a little while ago, I was taking pictures of Jupiter and a strong dot appeared above Ganymede, then it was gone. I discovered this when going back through the many frames
. Should of seen me when I found the Omega Centauri Globular Cluster or C80. I called my son to drive over before it set as it doesn't get very high up, but I live at 32 degrees latitude so it is easier to see than further North. It is only visible for three months May, June and July it is the largest known Globular Cluster, they think it may have been a dwarf galaxy trapped by the Milky Way. It certainly looks like an elliptical galaxy.
Hey Ed, I'm a big fan of your videos. I have an XT12G on order despite your suggestion. I recently bought Sky Safari and the narration sounds like you. Is it you?
Doing your own astrophotography is so that you can experience it for yourself. Just like climbing a mountain or building a table for amateur woodworking. The person who posed the question may not appreciate that - It's different strokes for different folks.
Thanks Ed! I just upgraded from my first telescope (a 70mm Celestron AstroMaster refractor) to a 130mm Zhumell dobsonian reflector. I absolutely love it so far. I’d like to upgrade the eye pieces next, but I am a newb still, so not sure I want to spend the $300+ for a good Televue. I read that the eyepiece kits from Orion and Celestron are decent, but not great. Do you have any recommendation for which 1.25” eyepiece would be best to view planets and some larger deep space items without busting the bank?
It's hard to go wrong with the TeleVue Plossls. If you have the money, go for a 19mm or 24mm Panoptic. Eyepieces will stay with you, so I like to buy the best and just hang on to them.
how do you think about super telephoto lenses from big camera companys? Some of them are like 150mm 2.8 or 4 Telescopes. (400mm or 600mm focal length 150mm lens) Where are the diffrences between telephoto lenses and refractor telescopes?
Those usually don't work well. Visually, camera lenses have a fixed focal plane a few inches behind the last element, which makes focusing with a diagonal impossible. For astrophotography it's a mixed bag. Most camera lenses don't perform well (this includes some of the expensive stuff). But some photographers have gotten good results with camera lenses.
@@edting Because I own a canon 200mm f/2. (it's like a 100mm telescope with a 200mm focal length) I want to try it for astrophotography. But I'm missing the mount. I only have a normal photo tripod. Maybe I'll go to an astronomy club to try it out.
Ed, I'm in Jersey and am trying to find someone to help me allign a Meade MTS SN-8. I've reached out to a few clubs but no one really has experience with a Schmidt Newtonian. I've got a few documents from posts with instructions. Any suggestions? Thanks
Hi: Schmidt/Newts are tough to collimate. I asked the local Scope Wizard to do it for me. Look up Weasner's article (YT doesn't like links in comments so I won't put it here). You can try collimating it like a conventional Newtonian and it will get you close though.
So in my second viewing a few weeks ago I found Mars but was rather disappointed that it was a tiny red blur. I didn't realise until half of cloudynights reminded me that the distance between Mars and Earth was big enough to make viewing poor. 2D thinking by me. It's a journey of discovery.
I got lucky and saw Mars last October at one of its closest oppositions. It had an apparent diameter of over 22.5 arc seconds. Today it’s size is a mere 4.72 arc seconds. It looked impressively big through my 8” scope last October, now it’s a tiny orange-red blob!! Next opposition is December 8,, 2022. It’s not as close as the last one but much closer than it is now.
25 years ago, a local astronomy club had an outreach event on a mountaintop. I looked through a 12" or 14" Dobsonian at the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules (M13). I was disappointed, and decided that amateur astronomy wasn't for me. That changed last summer when I learned the amazing images a person can produce with a modest astrophotography rig. Astrophotography requires time, skill and effort after you take the picture to get a good image, though, and that part of the game isn't big fun for me - but for other people that's the best part. My point is that there are different facets to the amateur astronomy hobby, and if one doesn't turn you on, there might be another that does.
Neither. I use a 45 degree correct image finder. For me it's much easier to see things as they are. This way I don't have to reverse things or flip them around in my head in order to line things up with the star map. Also, I think the single biggest reason for disappointment at the eyepiece by beginners in only the last 30 years is....the Hubble Space Telescope! I can't count the number of times people point out how incredible the Hubble images are and how my little $1000 scope isn't even CLOSE to the Hubble images.😆
6:26 I saw some dude say that Maks are the best telescopes and anything else should be disregarded. That different scopes being slightly better at different things is a lie, and both reflectors and refractors are complete garbage.
Be suspicious of anyone making blanket statements like that. As yourself if you would trust anyone who says "Fords are the best cars and anything else should be disregarded."
I've viewed several of these videos, and always catch the part where you explain your club "tricks out" a telescope you donate to libraries. I work for the city of Santa Fe in NM, and would love for our libraries to be considered for that donation. We have beautiful skies devoid of light pollution, and I know we would spark so much interest with a donation like that. Please let me know what I can do!!! Please feel free to contact me for my personal contact information!
![ฮักเทื่อสุดท้าย - บอย ศิริชัย [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-1PoPoQ-B-k/mqdefault.jpg)
The other night I had M13 centered and brought my wife and kid over. I still warn them that its going to look like a smudge to begin with, then you'll start to notice more details the longer you look. My wife looked it up using her phone and said "This is over 22000 light years away?!?!" Made my week.
I like those reactions. It's always a little disheartening when you have something cool in the eyepiece and show someone else and they're just like "Eh, it's a smudge. Boring."
Always a good day when Ed drops a new video!
Also don’t forget those beautiful images you see from the astrophotographers are usually done with thousands of dollars worth of very nice equipment, very long exposures, and hours of editing. The faint fuzzies still amaze me. You vids keep getting better Ed!
Greetings from the UK, I watch all your videos, some more than once, think you are fantastic at explaining things and very good knowledge/experience.
Thanks Ed
Thank you for the nice comments!
I'm still using my binoculars. And I'm still enjoying your videos. Thank you. Cheers!
1:40 Ed, thank you so much for that, I needed to hear that. Seriously, why do anything if (we think) we can't do it better than someone else? Not just as an astronomer but also as a pianist, as I'm sure you can relate..... it's about the journey and the personal growth, and not so much the destination.
19 Messier objects in one week is a fantastic accomplishment! Keep in mind that many, if not the majority, of these objects are not visible during only a one week period of observing from the Northern Hemisphere. As a purely visual astronomer, I really appreciate looking at the great images posted by astrophotographers. My most memorable observation was M-44, the Bee Hive cluster, in morning twilight. This was due to an atmospheric phenomena that made it appear as a backlit projection onto the atmosphere at 15X. through my mounted binoculars.
a hand air blower (bulb type) is so useful for cleaning optics. No touch or solution used, just air blown manually. I can personally vouch for the Giotto Rocket.
Fantastic answer to the "why are we taking pictures that have already been taken?". While I'm sure there wasn't any animosity in the question, it makes me realize that even my very first images of the Orion Nebula using my wife's Canon T1i, on my 150mm reflector (on the supplied, tiny dovetail, manually slewing every few shots because the motor couldn't handle the weight) even though they were very blurry...aside from alllll that, I was so over the moon that I actually got some images you could discerne some details. It seems to me, the one asking the question has no sense of adventure.
Yeah, there's a joy of discovery and accomplishment that can't be described.
My daughter and I found the owl nebula the other night.
Amazing how excited we got finding this dso together.
It was fun star hopping and actually seeing what we were looking for.
I tried hard to find a couple spiral galaxies to no avail.
Nice find! The Owl is not that easy. I hope you caught nearby M108 as well.
Congrats, the Owl is kind of tough.
It's nice to find a beginner who appreciates the view no matter how dim. A friend I took on a couple of expeditions cried :) Now that was nice. I always tell people - it doesn't matter how big the scope or how well made - the view in the eyepiece will never be much different than what your eye sees in a dark sky - it's just much, much larger and detailed (when you learn to see it). This was a sort of shock to realize when I was a youngster. I thought I would point my 3" refractor at Alnitak and there the Horsehead would be shimmering like a page from a book. I've still never seen it :) Hope springs eternal!
During the 2017 total solar eclipse, I didn't bother trying to take pics--totality was less than 2 1/2 minutes. I just drank it in by eye. There were plenty of pics to be seen online afterwards.
As for cleaning optics--don't let them get dirty in the first place. Keep covers on when not in use!
I plan to see two total solar eclipses from my country in the next ten years. I absolutely do not plan on photographing them.
Great answers, Ed, as always. Particularly that last one. I hope your viewer is reassured!
Good to see you here, Jeff!
Glad someone asked about the mosquitoes, I'm going to give those a try! As always, great video!
To the question about mosquitoes I find that a couple hours after sunset they calm down. Plus not having any lights on near you helps. I also wear a couple layers for added protection. Yes, I layer up even in summer.
To the last question. Small gray faint smudges is exactly what you're supposed to see. I do sketches to try and show off what you will be seeing at the eyepiece. It's helpful when people ask what to expect I can point them there to get an idea.
Love these Q&A videos, and that 12" at the beginning is a beast. I'm actually ordering a 12" soon.
Its about the passion, being able to say- I took this. I worked and stacked the raw data. There's a sense of accomplishment & pride to astrophotography
I got so excited when I heard Ed mention the 8 inch Dob vs. Mak story. I emailed that question to him as well. But it isn’t me, I didn’t buy the Mak, took Ed’s advice. Now I am waiting for the 8 inch Dob to be delivered.
Lol! I have a Mak and wrote to Ed seeking his advise (but didn’t ignore his advice) and ended up buying an 8” dob. When I saw the Mak and Dob reference, I thought, aha, but it turned out to be someone else... 😂
An Orion 8 inch dob was my first "real" telescope, I got years of enjoyment out of it and I also recommend it as a good scope.
Thank you Ed. "That's really what it's all about", a great summary. I am not even a full year into astronomy but have become fascinated by the night skies. Sometimes I don't even take the rig outside but just go out and look up in awe. I am sure I will never stop learning and finding something new.
Thanks again.
I LOVE my water heater.
"You sir", are a stud! I almost spit my coffee out of my mouth when you said that! High-five! 😁
One thing I find important is, that when you do things yourself, you get a better understanding about the professional science. In a time, where there are a lot of conspiracy theorists, it is important to learn how science works.
I think there is a unique kind of delicate, ethereal beauty in the images seen by the eye through telescopes that photographs, no matter how detailed and spectacular, just haven't been able to replicate. This is in addition to the satisfaction of seeing something for oneself with one's own eyes (albeit aided by a telescope), and the direct connection that one thereby makes with the wonders of the universe. I can't get that from looking at photographs, either.
Straight-thru finder - both eyes open. Right eye looking through the finder sees crosshairs, left eye sees desired object. Bring the two together. The object will appear in the finder as you get close.
I love that description "The water heater" for the big Celestron. If anyone is scared of cleaning their 'scope there's a great video by South African Willie Koorts on cleaning Scmidt Cassegrains which can be used for other types of scope as well and if followed eliminates the risk of scratching. Many thanks for another great video Ed.
Hey Mr. Ting, good day. I love hearing about the accomplishments of amature astronomers. I would like to mention, using the software Winjupos to process Jupiter, the data you enter actually helps researchers. Good stuff!
Thank you for sparking my interest in star gazing! I got a cheap mead telescope from my dad and have been looking to your advice since. I live in socal so I don't get much stars but I have really enjoyed your videos and they have helped me loads, thanks!
Great info Ed. Loved the final comments. It sums it all up. It's the explorer in all of us.
That was a great response to the final question. Whilst I'm "of the younger generation" which is used to vivid visuals from movies and video games, you should've seen my face the first time I imaged Andromeda back in Dec 2020. Seeing that galaxy appear on the screen from my first sub made my jaw hit the floor. I looked at the sky harder and realised I could make Andromeda out with the naked eye. A freaking galaxy! An amazing moment I'll never forget.
That's so true. Hubble and Kepler gave spoiled us at the same time amazed us. I'm tickled anytime I find what I'm looking for, no matter the size or image. My first attempt at 'astrophotography' will be an IPhone clamped to my eyepiece!
@@carlstreet7095 Hah, that'll be better than my first attempt! I clamped my smartphone to a phone holder on a tripod (the Xperia 5ii has a raw camera mode with up to 30 second exposure, so is a lite version of a DSLR). Some nice wide field images but thought I could do with some zoom, which was the thin edge of this very expensive wedge haha! Good luck pal!
Coffo
Hi Ed
I am very happy you addressed visual astronomy and the expectation of what's possible to see through the eyepiece.
Whenever someone new to the hobby requests advice on purchasing a telescope, I always start out asking what they expect to be able to see, and then give advice accordingly.
Astrophotography is an amazing part of amateur astronomy, but the vivid colors and details that's possible to obtain fairly easily nowadays, do for some newbies set an unrealistically high standard of what's possible to see through an eyepiece.
It certainly did for me when I opted for an ETX-90EC twenty years ago, browsing the accompanying colorful astrophotos in the Meade general catalog...
I have never been unhappy with my purchase (my parents purchase that was) back then, but I must say my amazement with starring at the night sky deep into the universe was even bigger, when at younger age I would spent what felt like hours during late evenings/early nights looking through 10x50 binos on a homemade mount and tripod my father made for me.
Now some 25 years later, a few months after acquiring a 16" Meade LightBridge Plus dobsonian, I'm blown away with DSO's I never thought possible to see. Even if galaxies still mostly look like fussy spots.. but it is the satisfaction of pointing the telescope at the sky looking through the red dot finder and the finder scope, and then the object of interest popping up in the eyepiece I really enjoy.
And the immersion into the depth of space and the perspective of how small we are in the universe, really fills me with emotions of joy and awe.
Playing the soundtrack from "Interstellar" or "Alien" through my small bluetooth speaker while observing also gives an extra dimension :)
Ive read that a typical table fan placed on the ground helps with mosquitos. They are weak, low level flyers and the breeze messes them up. Also the wind may help disperse the CO2 from your breath.
I haven't tried that one! Interesting!
Hello, "J Barry";
Yes a fan can really help.
A little 'trick' is to cover the inlet side w/ screen.
It acts like a a trap because skeeters are such weak fliers & they can't escape.
I keep a pair of 20" box fans on my porch to blow them away or trap them.
(I live 42 mi north of Florida, so we have plenty.)
Have a GREAT day, & a clear night, Neighbor!
@@jons2447 I do the same thing. I have it blowing on me/rig with a screen on the back side. Works wonders and helps keep me cool.
New subscriber and just wanted to say, as I have been watching various videos, I really appreciate your style and approach, and your enthusiasm is contagious. Cheers!
Hey Ted! awesome video, please bring more of Q&As.
Great Q&A. All while my dream scope (CN-212) taunts me in the background.
The intro kills me everytime 🤣🤣
I love my Skywatcher 127 Maksutov and it has served me very well and still produces pin sharp images.
I will say this. Watched a few of your videos and that intro got me to subscribe alone. I ordered a Apertura AD12. I know what you are thinking, 12 inch is bulky. But I am a young guy and I will most likely store this at the garage and move it to my front lawn when in use. Also, I kinda live near the city/suburb, so I am hoping the increase in aperture will help see more in light polluted sky.
About the expectation, what you said gave me a better appreciation once I look through the eye piece. Hope to see more videos from you.
Good to hear from you, Neftali!
My suggestion for light-polluted sky would be to buy an O-III filter for observing nebulae. If the light pollution is heavy, use the one from Baader Planetarium, together with lower magnification to get the exit pupil large. The eyepiece has to have a good eye up to keep stray light away.
Thanks Ed for sharing your knowledge
I don't agree that things in small telescopes can look boring or dull. the Orion nebula, open clusters, all look so beautiful through my 4.5" newtonian I got on craigslist. Even my old marine binoculars makes the sky looks amazing. All of this and I'm in bortle 6/7.
There is a saying: Every telescope has its sky.
Whenever you put out a new video, I have to stop everything I'm doing and watch it. If I can find less than a handful of new object every year, I'm happy. I have a 6 inch SCT GOTO, but I'd rather use my 8" DOB and and take months to find an object. The journey is more exciting than the destination.
Haha, nice comment, thanks!
If necessary, I use mosquito coils for repelling mosquitoes. Placed on the ground between the legs of the tripod, they work well without affecting the image (or the optics) with too much smoke.
As to dim nebula in the eyepiece, I wonder if folks understand how important it is to let your eyes dark adapt. After 15-20 minutes there is quite a difference in what you see. And, of course, what are the seeing conditions at your location, how bad is the light pollution.
Finally, I don’t hear much about averted vision, that can really help these things pop into view.
I love that it is called the hot water heater lol
I 2 like my favorite technician Scotty Kilmer ,now that funny LOL, please continue with today lesson.
Great video! Another issue with maksutov-cassegrain is objects are dimmer because of the long focal length and center obstruction. I really like my 102mm mak for moon and planets double stars mostly but for deep sky I think my 80mm refractor does better. Course I usually use a bigger aperture telescope for dso.
Agree with the Thermacel. Works great for me 👍
On refractors and SCT I prefer a RA finder. On the dob, a straight through finder like a Rigel or Telerad. Odd how that works.
Image expectation is a problem. In my experience, a bit larger scope (but 8" is fine) taken to a truly dark sky is a huge help. Just about any scope, in the city, will not knock your socks off (unless you're showing them Saturn :^) ). Many faint fuzzies take on more detail in dark skies and newbies don't appreciate that until they do it.
Straight through or right angle. I use both, a red dot finder and an Orion 9x50 right angle correct image finder. So much easier to point the telescope and then track down the object with the same orientation as star maps.
I use the 80 mm finder from TS with 330 mm focal length on my 190/1000 Mak-Newt. Some say it's a bit of an overkill, but I simply love a good finder that is like a small refractor-scope by its own right. And yes, the diagonal reverses the view in comparison with the star map, but my brains seem to be able to handle mirroring quite well. It's more about pattern recognition than exact correspondence. Show me the constellation pattern around the target, and I can recognise the mirrored view just as well. Kind of...
@@Guido_XL I haven't heard of that one. I often wanted to change the eyepiece in my 9x50 to get rid of the cross hairs. I looked it up but it is currently unavailable. I have an 80mm f5 which is a very nice scope for a lot of objects.
I don't even think about the mirrored or reversed image in the eyepiece and use pattern recognition all the time there to find faint variable and double stars. But enjoy not thinking about it when locating th field. Thanks for the info.
Apex 127 review:
Very sharp, same focal length as a C6 but lacking 30mm of aperture. If aperture is important to you, get the C6. I sold mine for a C6. The best thing about a Mak is it shouldn’t ever need collimation. If that is important to you, get the Mak.
/review.
I like to use a red dot finder and a right angle sometimes. At high angles use the right angel and the red dot to get in the area I want to see.
I do that too!
I found the best cleaning solution for optics. Go to an Oakley store and buy one of their cleaning kits for $15. The microfiber cloth and their cleaning solution is absolutely amazing. It will not scratch the glass and the cleaning solution will not leave any residue. I have cleaned several SCT's with this (both front and back side of the corrector) with amazing results.
Thanks for the tip. I've also had luck with the Zeiss wipes found in the eyewear section of Wal-Marat.
I want to thank you Ed. A couple months in an I am in the fuzzy blob time frame just like the one you discussed except I haven't been counting. I am sure I am nowhere near his count however. I didn't expect to see things as well as published astrophotography results but was wondering if something is wrong. I have a small entry level doublet but have been finding things. The finder scope is pretty much useless so I check Stellarium then sight down the tube. I bought a 100 dollar alt/az tripod/mount with slewing knobs so when I know I am close I can search without it shaking all over. That in its self helped a bunch. I am finding the fuzzy things right where Stellarium says they are, and the bright objects as well. I get a thrill when a satellite photo bombs my observation. The ISS did once and my wife thought I had lost it when I ran in to tell her. She was happy for me but didn't care. By the end of next month I should be able to up my game as my new CPC 800 deluxe will be here. Thank you.
A CPC800, nice! I'm starting to see the backlog on some of this stuff clearing up. Hope that continues!
If your finderscope is 30 mm, I highly recommend replacing it with a 50 mm one. It made an enormous difference to me.
I dont own a telescope but love watching your videos. Great work as always Ed!
No need to own a telescope, glad to have you here!
OMG a CN-212! Hope you are going to test both modes! My lust scope as a kid was a 10" Cave Classical Cassegrain. I always wanted to make a convertible.
Yes, the CN212 review is in the works!
I had my old Coulter 13.1 dob sitting in my house (off the mount) and company was over and someone asked if it was a water heater!
Nice!(?)
@@edtingWell, when I explained it was a telescope, they acted like I was joking.
Hook up the “water heater” and let it do it’s job! 😂
Great video like always Ed
Every now and then some amateur finds something that no one has seen before.
"Really good telescope..." Hahahaha! I have an Apex 127mm in the mix and it's impressive for dual use with terrestrial and visual astronomy. As you note AP requires a steady mount and it can go to task with enough time on object and stacking frames.
Ed, enjoy your videos and wisdom. Can you recommend where to get a 10 mirror recoated. Thanks, GOD Bless. ken
You wouldn't need a more substantial mount for a mak just because it has a longer focal length. In fact the mount requirements are less because the mak weighs so little AND is short. I've had no problems using a light alt az mount with my small maks.
Oh wow, first view. Probably not first comment by the time I'm done with it, but there are none yet as I type this. My thought is, a finderscope has a different job to a pointer like a red dot finder. A finderscope shows you a low power, wide field to help you navigate a finder-chart or deep star chart, and for actually seeing the object you're looking for in many cases where it's bright enough. A pointer's job is to make sure your telescope is aimed where you want it compared to the sky. Straight thru finders can have their crosshairs aligned with what you see in your other eye, thus working as pointers, but they end up being pretty bad at actually seeing the stars and objects within them comfortably. So I feel that red dot finders (or other unit power solutions) should work together with RACI finderscopes whenever possible. You get a comfortable rich field refractor view at a nice angle, and it's important to be comfortable at the eyepiece when trying to see stuff, but with a unit power pointer you also don't have the annoying difficulty of sighting down the tube and hoping you're pointed in roughly the right starting place.
In places where having two finders just doesn't make sense, I think I'd rather have only a pointer--either a straight-thru finderscope or if the focal length is short enough, a red dot finder or telrad or rigel or whatever.
Have you seen a good solution for mounting a finderscope and red-dot finder together? I have not looked hard, but I am not aware of any ready-made ones. Last week I was trying to get the Markarian Chain, which is not very near any bright stars, and my red-dot finder was not particularly helpful. But my finder scope was on a shelf inside.
Hello, "GregroxMun";
I think I understand you.
I think I had a similar issue.collimated
A reddot finder came w/ my 'scope, I couldn't do much w/ it.
I bought a nice 9x 50mm rt-angle finder.
An Orion 07212 9x50 Right-Angle Correct-Image Finder, it cost $80 + tax.
It works pretty good.
Then I bought a green laser pointer & a bracket.
The pointer was ~$10 (ebay) & the bracket was $30 at amazon.
Now that WORKS!
When I turn on my laser it literally 'points' to where my 'scope looks.
(Assuming it is aligned & collimated to the 'scope. )
A bright green up into the dark night sky AND I can actually see where it 'points'.
I can even see it thru the 'scope, tho it isn't very useful that way.
Have a GREAT day, & a clear night, Neighbor!
The white dot hitting the moon reminded me of a little while ago, I was taking pictures of Jupiter and a strong dot appeared above Ganymede, then it was gone. I discovered this when going back through the many frames
That's great. I'm still waiting for my own discovery!
Amazing!
Thank you
. Should of seen me when I found the Omega Centauri Globular Cluster or C80. I called my son to drive over before it set as it doesn't get very high up, but I live at 32 degrees latitude so it is easier to see than further North. It is only visible for three months May, June and July it is the largest known Globular Cluster, they think it may have been a dwarf galaxy trapped by the Milky Way. It certainly looks like an elliptical galaxy.
Ed , whats your preferred method of cleaning the corrective glass on any Schmidt cassegrain
Now I am curious has anyone identified the crater on the moon that was caused by that impact?
Hey Ed, I'm a big fan of your videos. I have an XT12G on order despite your suggestion. I recently bought Sky Safari and the narration sounds like you. Is it you?
Haha! No, that's not me.
I bet most of the 6000 professional astronomers would be proud to be on a first name basis with Ed Ting.
One of the most important things amateurs can do is counting meteors - and it only needs cheap equipment.
How to know when it's time to clean the scope
Thank you for insights. could you provide a link to the thermacell that you use to repel mosquitos
Hi, I just added a link in the comments. Thanks for the tip, I should have done that earlier.
Doing your own astrophotography is so that you can experience it for yourself. Just like climbing a mountain or building a table for amateur woodworking. The person who posed the question may not appreciate that - It's different strokes for different folks.
Thanks Ed! I just upgraded from my first telescope (a 70mm Celestron AstroMaster refractor) to a 130mm Zhumell dobsonian reflector. I absolutely love it so far. I’d like to upgrade the eye pieces next, but I am a newb still, so not sure I want to spend the $300+ for a good Televue. I read that the eyepiece kits from Orion and Celestron are decent, but not great. Do you have any recommendation for which 1.25” eyepiece would be best to view planets and some larger deep space items without busting the bank?
It's hard to go wrong with the TeleVue Plossls. If you have the money, go for a 19mm or 24mm Panoptic. Eyepieces will stay with you, so I like to buy the best and just hang on to them.
how do you think about super telephoto lenses from big camera companys? Some of them are like 150mm 2.8 or 4 Telescopes. (400mm or 600mm focal length 150mm lens) Where are the diffrences between telephoto lenses and refractor telescopes?
Those usually don't work well. Visually, camera lenses have a fixed focal plane a few inches behind the last element, which makes focusing with a diagonal impossible. For astrophotography it's a mixed bag. Most camera lenses don't perform well (this includes some of the expensive stuff). But some photographers have gotten good results with camera lenses.
@@edting Because I own a canon 200mm f/2. (it's like a 100mm telescope with a 200mm focal length) I want to try it for astrophotography. But I'm missing the mount. I only have a normal photo tripod. Maybe I'll go to an astronomy club to try it out.
RA finder all the way.😎
Mosquites here int he south would fly off with your thermacell while laughing at you :)
I believe that! I believe that!!
Ed, I'm in Jersey and am trying to find someone to help me allign a Meade MTS SN-8. I've reached out to a few clubs but no one really has experience with a Schmidt Newtonian. I've got a few documents from posts with instructions. Any suggestions? Thanks
Hi: Schmidt/Newts are tough to collimate. I asked the local Scope Wizard to do it for me. Look up Weasner's article (YT doesn't like links in comments so I won't put it here). You can try collimating it like a conventional Newtonian and it will get you close though.
@@edting Thanks
Regarding the expectations with a 8" dobsonian, in a dark sky even the faint fuzzies take my breath away. Just saying 🤔.
So when will you do an article on the Water Heater.
The water heater is featured in the "All the Dobs" video and will appear again in an upcoming video.
@@edting But I need one where you get out in the dark with that thing and show us what it can do.
So in my second viewing a few weeks ago I found Mars but was rather disappointed that it was a tiny red blur. I didn't realise until half of cloudynights reminded me that the distance between Mars and Earth was big enough to make viewing poor. 2D thinking by me. It's a journey of discovery.
I got lucky and saw Mars last October at one of its closest oppositions. It had an apparent diameter of over 22.5 arc seconds. Today it’s size is a mere 4.72 arc seconds. It looked impressively big through my 8” scope last October, now it’s a tiny orange-red blob!! Next opposition is December 8,, 2022. It’s not as close as the last one but much closer than it is now.
25 years ago, a local astronomy club had an outreach event on a mountaintop. I looked through a 12" or 14" Dobsonian at the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules (M13). I was disappointed, and decided that amateur astronomy wasn't for me. That changed last summer when I learned the amazing images a person can produce with a modest astrophotography rig. Astrophotography requires time, skill and effort after you take the picture to get a good image, though, and that part of the game isn't big fun for me - but for other people that's the best part. My point is that there are different facets to the amateur astronomy hobby, and if one doesn't turn you on, there might be another that does.
Oh... That CN212! Please tell me your are going to review that.
Review in progress!
@@edting YES! I love this idea. I dreamed about this scope and a Parks H.I.T. system. I guess I could just go buy a Celestron EdgeHD and Hyperstar.
Neither. I use a 45 degree correct image finder. For me it's much easier to see things as they are. This way I don't have to reverse things or flip them around in my head in order to line things up with the star map.
Also, I think the single biggest reason for disappointment at the eyepiece by beginners in only the last 30 years is....the Hubble Space Telescope! I can't count the number of times people point out how incredible the Hubble images are and how my little $1000 scope isn't even CLOSE to the Hubble images.😆
Why do we do anything write it down
Sometimes student Drs. find things, same thing right ?
Ed smoke a big cigar we're not going to live forever anyway 😅
👍
19 M objects?! Messier Marathons... I'm happy with a participation prize. Oh just some fuzzy stuff in the sky a few light years away, that's all.
6:26
I saw some dude say that Maks are the best telescopes and anything else should be disregarded. That different scopes being slightly better at different things is a lie, and both reflectors and refractors are complete garbage.
Be suspicious of anyone making blanket statements like that. As yourself if you would trust anyone who says "Fords are the best cars and anything else should be disregarded."
I've viewed several of these videos, and always catch the part where you explain your club "tricks out" a telescope you donate to libraries. I work for the city of Santa Fe in NM, and would love for our libraries to be considered for that donation. We have beautiful skies devoid of light pollution, and I know we would spark so much interest with a donation like that. Please let me know what I can do!!! Please feel free to contact me for my personal contact information!
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