what makes my telescope view shaky , i hav everything tihhtened up that supposed to be tightened up?

Question

here's my scope..

http://www.meade.com/starterscopes/ds_series.html

second one down.

Answer 1

Be careful where you set up, and learn to handle the mount gently. All telescopes can be shaky if you're too rough with them. Give yourself time to learn to handle the mount smoothly.

Be realistic in your expectations. These are low-cost scopes, their mounts aren't models of stability in the first place.

Answer 2

Lightweight telescopes like this will shake for a while after being touched, so you have to allow it a few seconds to settle down after focusing or other adjustments. If there's a bit of wind blowing, it may cause the telescope to vibrate continuously. Shaky mounts are sometimes improved by hanging a few pounds of weight from underneath the telescope. Setting up on a wooden floor or deck is not a good idea, because it will transmit every little movement anyone makes to the telescope.

There are also optical causes of instability that will make your view flutter or wave. If the telescope is at a different temperature from the surrounding air, you can get a blurry view for a while due to thermal air currents; you have to allow time for the telescope to come up or down to air temperature. Also, instability in the air itself can cause continuous movement in the view. Sometimes it's from local heat sources, like a warm building, or a chimney or AC vent, in which case moving to a slightly different spot can cure the problem. Other times it's in the upper atmosphere and there's not much you can do about it.

Answer 3

From the picture, it appears to have an even more flimsy tripod than the typical department store scope. Unless you're prepared to spend a lot of money, tripod mounted scopes are usually very shaky. That's why I always recommend that beginners buy a Dobsonian scope, because the mount is very solid. The best optics in the world are useless on a shaky tripod!

Answer 4

If you have a 500 power telescope every tremor that affects the stability of the instrument will be magnified 500 times, the result is dancing images on your retina. You must be certain that the tripod is well placed on a solid surface, don't touch the eyepiece with your head and keep your hands behind your back, you can do nothing more if you in an area shielded from air currents.

Answer 5

When telescope manufacturers make cheap telescopes (even reputable brands) they skimp on all the parts that make the telescope stable.

A good telescope will have a sturdy wooden or heavy metal tripod, and a solid metal mount. This helps dampen vibrations which occur regardless of how tight screws are.

Answer 6

It could also be the atmosphere itself causing the shakes. If you are in an urban environment, like most people, the thermal radiation of the city will heat the air, causing the light passing through it to be very, very distorted.
This is one of many reasons that major observatories are located on mountain tops, and solar observatories tend to be near large bodies of water.
The technical term for this phenomenon is "seeing".
Try using your telescope late at night, or just before dawn, and your observations will be a lot better.

Answer 7

Usually its the wind..Get in an area that blocks the wind or use only on a still night ...and don't touch the scope when viewing.

Eventually you are going to want a scope with a clock drive so you can keep your hands off while it continues to track.

Answer 8

where do you put it on the roof?most buildings shake when cars or trucks go near them or you are in a crowded place put it on the ground.