I have a Meade 114 EQ Reflector telescope. I cant find Jupiter, Saturn, or Uranus getting frustrated!?

Question

Does anyone know where to find them?

Answer 1

do a search at zdnet dot com for some free astronomy software, of course check for viruses, then use it to locate where the planets are in relation to the constellations. do you know your constellations? if you don't, a good book to start with is Audubon's guide to the night sky. the software will tell you where to look and show you charts, but looking at a chart and looking at the sky are very different. these direstions apply if you live in the northern hemisphere---(i live in the northeast U.S so this applies to my night sky)
you will have a hard time finding URANUS, it is very dim and small, gleams a greenish blue and is in the constellation of Aquarius just after dark-which should be in the south west (i'm not sure just now),

SATURN rises about 8pm and should be almost over head around midnight---it gleams a yellowish white and

JUPITER is visible just before dawn in the eastern sky--it will be the brightest object you see--with a telescope you will be able to see the four brightest moons.

here is a good tip--stars always twinkle, but planets shine with a steady gleam--no twinkling. google the words 'the night sky'---or get a good astronomy magazine like sky and telescope---they have monthly sky charts. get a good guide on how to use your telescope--look it up on google also---it will help! don't give up, once you get used to the night sky and your telescope, you will spend many hours in wonder and awe of the night sky. it took me a while to get used to my telescope and to learn the stars, but now i can name any star you see and enjoy seeing things like galaxies and nebulas. you surely will not forget your first look at the rings of saturn.

Answer 2

Jupiter isn't up this time of year but Venus is currently visible in the west at sunset and Saturn rises in the East with the constellation Leo and can be found near the star Regulus. Uranus is currently in the constellation Aquarius and is very very close to a star called Lamda Aquarii right now. Uranus is visible to the naked eyes under dark skies and is visible in binoculars from fairly light polluted suburbs. If you have trouble finding it it's because it will look similar to stars in the region. It has a slightly blue tint.

Saturn will be bright and have a yellow tint. You should get an astronomy program. That will greatly help you find things.

Answer 3

Jupiter and Saturn are bright naked-eye objects and should be easy to find, assuming you know where to look. Go to http://www.space.com/ or http://www.skytonight.com/ and use their interactive star charts to see where the planets are. Saturn rises a bit before 8:00 pm right now and is in the constellation Leo. Look for Jupiter low in the east before dawn.

Uranus is in the west in the evening, but is too dim to find without optical aid. You'll definitely need a good chart to find that one. I suggest you wait on Uranus until you've had some success finding more obvious objects.

You also need to make sure your finder is aligned with your telescope. The best way to do this is to use a distant object in the daytime. Once you get the object centered in the telescope, adjust the finder so it's centered there too. It often helps to use a lower power eyepiece, if you have one, to locate the object, and then switch to a higher power once you've got the object in the center of the field.

Good luck!

Answer 4

You have a very nice Newtonian. Good for you! You will find this site really helpful for planet watching:

http://www.skytonight.com

To help get you started:

Venus (magnitude –3.8, in Capricornus) is low in the bright afterglow of sunset. Look for it just above the southwest horizon shortly after sundown — and then, with binoculars, use it as your starting point for hunting Comet McNaught!

Mars (a dim magnitude +1.5, in Ophiuchus) is well to the lower left of bright Jupiter in the dawn.

Jupiter (magnitude –1.8, in Ophiuchus) is rather low in the southeast during dawn. Look for fainter, Mars-like Antares twinkling 5° to its lower right.

The Moon shines above Saturn Friday night, then passes roughly 1° north of Regulus around midnight EST Saturday night, as seen from North America.

Saturn (magnitude +0.2, in Leo) rises around 7:30 or 8 p.m. and is well up in the east for good telescopic viewing after 10. Regulus, less bright, twinkles 6° below Saturn. Here's a good chance to check the old adage that stars twinkle and planets don't. By dawn the pair have moved far over to the west, with Regulus now to Saturn's left.

HTH

Charles

Answer 5

Uranus is tough for beginners, and not favorably situated right now. Saturn is in the eastern sky near the star Regulus and Jupiter rises shortly before sunrise. Right now isn't a particularly great time for planet watching.

Enjoy!

Answer 6

Jupiter is the fourth brightest thing in the sky after the sun, moon and Venus.

If you can't find that, you are in trouble.

You should join an astronomy club and get someone to help you. using a telescope is a skill, and needs working at.

If you don't, your telescope will end up gathering dust in the store room.

Answer 7

You could more than likely be having a problem with your mount. The equilateral mount is very difficult to use, and takes a bit of practice. If you already are proficient in mount use, it could be your star charts are wrong or your just looking in the wrong place.

Answer 8

look online or the Nasa website. i dont know much about telescopes or space but i like space

Answer 9

i bet you can get a hell of a shot at the next door neighbor