What have you seen with your telescope?

Question

It's my husband's birthday and he got himself a telescope. The user's manual says we can see saturn's rings and the moons of venus .... It has a diameter of 12 cm, I think. We havent's tryed it yet as the sky is cloudy here.
Whatever, I know there are bigger ones if your willing to invest a few more bucks.
Here's my question: What kind of telescope do you have and what have you seen with it? (How far away was the object?)

Answer 1

Hello -
I own an 11 inch Schmidt -Cassegrain. Objects that I look for frequently that you could probably see on a clear dark night include:
1. The Moon - This is worth hours, but is easier on the eyes with a blue filter - it's pretty bright!
2. All the planets except Mercury and Pluto - Neptune and Uranus will be tough to find. Saturn is gorgeous.
3. Most of the Messier objects (these include nebulae, clusters and some of the brighter galaxies); my favorites are M4, M8, M11, M13, M15, M17, M27, M42, M51, M57, M81, M82, M92, and M104. Also the Double Cluster.
4. The Virgo Galaxy Supercluster - You can see several of the hundreds of galaxies that are out there in the Spring.

You would benefit greatly from 2 things:

1. A good set of charts showing you where to find these objects - some of them are dim, but still breathtaking. I recommend the book Nightwatch by Dickinson. - very easy to use.
2. A visit or two to the local astronomy club observing sessions. You will feel welcome and will learn a LOT.

Good luck - have fun...

Added: the objects listed above range from a few light minutes to over 50 million light years distant.

Added(2) - Hey campbel - great photos!!

Added(3) - one more thing - what you see at the eyepiece won't look like the photos - but it's still the real photons.

Answer 2

I have an 8" telescope (Um... about 20Cm, I think), and the rings of Saturn are clearly visible, as are the Galilean satellites around Jupiter, and I've seen Venus as crescent-shaped (it has no moons).

My favorite object is the moon. You can see the craters crystal clear, and even the contrast of the mountains when the phase is just right.

I've seen stars, and a few nebula - but stars all basically look like points, and nebula (at least to the casual observer) have very little color to them. Sometimes, I'll just train it to an 'empty' spot in the Milkyway - and try to count the number of stars in the patch I can see.

Answer 3

As others have said, Venus has no moons, but a 120mm telescope will easily show four of Jupiter's moons and at least two of Saturn's. It will also show detail on Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

I currently own 10 telescopes ranging from 40mm to 280mm in aperture. I've seen all the planets plus Pluto (now a dwarf planet), plus the Sun, Moon, and many comets and asteroids, all within the solar system, so close by, astronomically speaking. I've also seen many double and multiple stars, hundreds of star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies, and one quasar, which was 3 billion light years away, the farthest object I've ever observed. That was with a 254mm Newtonian reflector.

Answer 4

My most frequently used scope is a 9CM refractor; although, I have a variety up to 25 CM. It is not always about a bigger scope; it helps to have something that can be set up quickly and taken down just as quickly - especially when there is something too see (like a comet) and the weather is marginal. Even, my lowly 6CM scope shows the rings of Saturn, the moons of Jupiter, and the changing phases of Venus. With your 12CM you should have no problem seeing all 8 planets, and thousands of other fantastic objects.

However, it helps to know where to find things. Here is an excellent free shareware that can help you to do just that:

http://stellarium.org/

Answer 5

Planets from Mercury to Neptune. Significant detail on Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.

Moons of Earth, Jupiter and Saturn. Venus has no moons!

Lots of multiple stars, both pretty ones and close together ones.

Lots of nebulae, mostly emission, a few reflection.

Lots of star clusters, open and globular.

Galaxies as far out as the Virgo Cluster.

Telescopes: Celestron 8" SCT (now defunct), Synta 12" Dob, Takahashi TOA-130 refractor.

Answer 6

Telescopes are becoming very inexpensive. These days you can get one with an objective lens that's about 2 in across for about $20.00. (I"m sure these are not terribly high quality, but they're good enough for a back yard amateur)

With one of these you can see Jupiter and its major satellites very well. You can easily see the movement of these satellites from day to day or, if you're the type who sticks with it, from Jupiter rise to set.

You can see Saturn's rings easily.

And I once looked at the Andromeda galaxy through a telescope of about that size. It was nothing more than an oval of light, but it was my view. I found it with help of a star map, of course, but I found it. It wasn't a photograph. And there's satisfaction in that.

Answer 7

I tool all the photographs in the source with my telescope, which is a 15 cm reflector.

By the way, Venus has no moon.

Answer 8

I have a telescope I bought at Walmart and I was able to see the rings of Saturn. It was awesome!

Answer 9

I recommend a 4.5 inch reflector telescope. Not too big, and not too expensive. You get all of that and more.
Check it out.

www.oriontelescopes.com
They provide good quaility and good customer service.
They also give a one year warrenty with their service as well.

Answer 10

WELL, ONE THING YOU NEED TO LOOK AT IS THE ORION NEBULA. IT'S WHERE THE 3 STARS LINE UP AND HAVE WHAT LOOKS LIKE 3 SMALLER ONES DOWN BELOW. THE 3 BELOW ARE WHAT YOU WANT. THE CENTER ONE LOOKS LIKE A STAR, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK CLOSE YOU WILL SEE IT'S ACTUALLY A GAS CLOUD FULL OF STARS. THE STARS INSIDE ARE NEW STARS AND ILLUMINATE THE SURROUNDING GAS CLOUD FROM WHICH THEY ARE MADE OF. THE CLOUD IS THOUSANDS OF LIGHT YEARS ACROSS. THE HORSE HEAD NEBULA IS IN THIS CLOUD, BUT I DOUBT IF YOU CAN MAGNIFY ENOUGH TO SEE IT.