Basic Knowledge: Aligning the Finderscope

[chwillcutt]

Is that an old sky chief? I have a sky chief I from sometime in the 50s and a newer 120mm achromat. It's neat to see other of those old scopes. Great Video!

[truemartian]

@chwillcutt I'm not sure what you call it but I do think its an old Meade scope. It was given to me by a friend. It was his first scope. I keep it for the sentiment.

[hiracocoa12]

What is a finderscope used for? I just bought a telescope, and i can't figure it out what its used for

[truemartian]

@hiracocoa12 The finderscope helps you bridge the gap between naked eye observation and the view through the eyepiece. Its generally used to give you a wider view of the star patterns around your target object to make it easier to home in.

[WatchmenDrManhattan]

As a beginner wich telescope should I choice

Celestron FirstScope, reflector newtonian

Celestron Travel Scope 70, refractor

Celestron CLST-C70, Mini Mak Spotting Scope

Celestron PowerSeeker 114EQ, reflector newtonian

[truemartian]

@WatchmenDrManhattan If you can find a dobsonian it will serve you better. However, if these are your only choices I would definitely go with the PowerSeeker 114EQ. Its the largest of them all and that is important. It will also be the more complex to operate because it has an equatorial mount. But as long as you are persistent at learning how to use it properly it will show you what you want to see. They are all budget scopes and as such some sacrifices in design/quality have been made.

[sailcat9]

@WatchmenDrManhattan If I may be so bold as to offer another choice outside the range of possibilities you have listed, as a starter setup I always recommend a pair of good 10x50 binoculars, a planisphere, and a good book such as Binocular Astronomy by Crossen & Tirion. With this setup you will become accustomed to the night sky, you will learn how to observe, and you will see an amazing number of deep sky objects with the binoculars. Even now, I still enjoy going out with my binoculars.

[truemartian]

@sailcat9 That is an excellent suggestion! Thanks for sharing.

[nmidura]

Stupid question... My son, turning 7, is fascinated with all things science. My parents purchased an Edu Science 102mm(yes, the one toys r us sells) for his birthday. I am normally a fairly bright woman, but I just cannot figure it out. The instructions that came with it are incredibly vague... I can locate and focus with the finder, but through the eyepiece, nothing but black. Using the lowest power lense (20mm). There does not seem to be a lense cover to remove.

[truemartian]

@nmidura I know this may seem dumb but a few questions first to get a clearer picture of your situation: Is this a reflector or refractor, are you able to see a mirror or lens? Did you watch this video about aligning the finderscope? Did it help? What part if any lost you?

[nmidura]

@truemartian It is a reflector. I did watch the video, but I cannot align the finderscope if I cannot see anything out of the viewing eyepiece (sorry... lacking correct terminology). I see nothing but black. When I remove the20mm lens, I see a reflection of my own eye. Once I replace the 20mm lens, I see black again, as though my view is totally obstructed. I've been researching like mad. Found something about collimating.. Is that even something that I should attempt, being so green?

[nmidura]

@truemartian It is a reflector. I did watch the video, but I cannot align the finderscope if I cannot see anything out of the viewing eyepiece (sorry... lacking correct terminology). I see nothing but black. When I remove the20mm lens, I see a reflection of my own eye. Once I replace the 20mm lens, I see black again, as though my view is totally obstructed. I've been researching like mad. Found something about collimating.. Is that even something that I should attempt, being so green?

[truemartian]

@nmidura There should be a removable dust cap on the open end of the telescope located on the end of the scope closest to the eyepiece. You can remove the dust cap and look down inside to see the whole mirror. Once you have verified the dust cap is off you should be able to align the finderscope.

[truemartian]

@nmidura You shouldn't have to collimate a new small telescope. The factory setting usually does the trick and as long as you take care of it the scope shouldn't need collimated for a very long time. Small scopes rarely need it.

[Zenziba95]

Can i has the one on the left?

[truemartian]

@Zenziba95 lol Only if you buy me a new one. :D

[Zenziba95]

@truemartian I will buy you a new one, but I cannot gaurantee it will be as good. Is a $30 one from wallmart ok?

[truemartian]

@Zenziba95 lol Gee thanks!

[pchukhnov]

Very helpful video. Thanks very much!

[truemartian]

@pchukhnov Thanks! You're very welcome!

[BetaFett]

When polar aligning can you set the Right Ascension for Polaris at the same time, before moving onto another object--say the Orion nebula or something --accurately using just Ra and Dec? Most advice on YT suggests aligning first then visually finding an obvious target and setting your Ra to that in conjuction with the time. It just seems to me doing it while polar aligning would be a bit easier. Advisable?

[truemartian]

@BetaFett Polaris' declination is so small relative to the celestial pole that setting its right ascension would be futile. In fact, basic polar alignment procedures simply assume Polaris' to be the celestial pole which is where all lines of right ascension meet at a point on a celestial map.

[shittyfuck]

my finder scope is upside is it alright ?

[truemartian]

@shittyfuck Are you saying that what you see through it is upside down?

[shittyfuck]

@truemartian yes,is it alright or what,becoz i m a beginner on telescope

[truemartian]

@shittyfuck This is normal for a refracting telescope like your finderscope. It wont matter when you're looking at the star.

[meyarz]

Hey 4:21 is identical to what i have mine set at now while i try to find a vid show me how to use the thing so that A, i see something other than twigs and B, so that i can see somthing without getting a head ache from squinting for so long looking for a bloody star!

[truemartian]

@meyarz You'll want to be sure to learn the constellations so you'll be able to recognize planets and use the star patterns to navigate to deep space objects. A book about the Messier Catalogue and the free sky chart from skymaps com are also good resources.

[jonniesimpsons]

@tenorpan go on to the NASA website and see when the international space station goes over you

[SuperDoonie]

wish i watchd this vid before goin in tha horrors and puttin my scope over my neighbours head

[truemartian]

@SpanishForFree A 10 inch dob is typically in the $500-$600 US range these days.

[Tenorpan]

Hi just pick up a Celestron Powerseeker 127 eq, the moon looks great but I want to see more. I am in south florida do you have any pointers

[truemartian]

@Tenorpan Download the free star chart from skymaps com and use it to learn constellations. Identifying the star patterns in constellations helps you star hop to deep space objects like nebula and star clusters. It also helps you spot bright planets.

[disturbedshawn]

speak louder and get to the point please

[nstoner111]

How much did that big telescope cost?

[truemartian]

@nstoner111 A large 10 inch dobsonian runs about $600 these days.

[teamwinkle]

dude...make a long story short.

[int3rc3pter]

if your worried about those smaller scopes moving like refractors....put some T-Tape on the threads of the screws then.. they will be fairly tighter.. its better than nothing if you use it alot .. and also it will protect the threads from wear and damage ... i also put them on my eyelens pieces and 90 degree angle mirror b4 screwing it in... it helps a great deal, you need to go around the threads at least 2.5 to 3 times.

[mastainventa]

what about going right down to 4 or 6 mm thats what i do then i know its right and mine hasn't moved in a year although it took me an hour to get it absolutely bang on its worth the effort

[truemartian]

@mastainventa Its all about how far you want to take it.

[dvamateur]

How about the TeleVue 60mm refractor with 360mm focal lenght? It's a very small scope, about 10 inches long, very easy to transport. Is it good for a beginner, say with a 24mm Panoptic eye-piece giving 15x magnification, and say 6mm eyepiece for 60x magnification. I wonder if I could see Saturn's rings with 6mm eyepiece. Oh yeah, I have a camera tripod with ball head, is that okay for that kind of little scope?

[truemartian]

I recommend nothing less than either a 4.5 inch reflector or 80-90mm refractor. Hands down my choice for beginner scopes are the Orion Starquest XT dobsonians without the intelliscope computer.

[ArnoldKlein]

Is it good the Meade Etx-60 for a beginner? Thanks.-

[truemartian]

I have a video in which I recommend a specific kind of telescope for beginners. There are no other telescopes I recommend other than the ones in my video: What Kind Of Telescope Should I Buy?

[hejjagheterpal]

nice videos, really helpful :)

[crxracer420]

thanks

[rayunseitig]

Yyour set this demo up great.

I see what you mean about the value of mounts. One would have to be an acrobat and an atheleteto keep from knoking the scope all around while doing the alignmets. How about affixing the scope to one of those set ups that are use on machine shop tools like lathes and mills? The you could nail it down and use the wheeley dials to move it. Perhaps look for a sale on old machines sold by the pound. LOL.

Your lens on the video camera is fantastic. Zoom in on lil twig.

[Saggmos95]

when you look threw the finderscope, shuld it be upside down cuz my did . so i took it apart and then all the lenses flew out and i culdind get it to gather..... =(

[iw2mln]

Jesus what a wind noise ! It's quite strange to have such wind and not branches are moving :-)

[gaz52]

I have a 40mm eyepiece. That is my lowest power one.

[packlakedm]

When I look through my 6" Reflector i can see the cross and center circle of the secondary mirror. Im using a 25mm eyepiece and my focal lenght is 1400mm. Is it just because the magnification is too much?? I just got it for x-mas...

[truemartian]

If you are seeing the secondary mirror's shadow its because you havnt focused it properly. Keep focusing it in or out until the shadow goes away and the object you are looking at comes into focus.

[mazack00]

I'm not sure why you advertise poor quality telescopes when a beginner could pay the same for a decent quality scope that's slightly smaller but produces better views.

[truemartian]

Which telescope are you refering to? Keep in mind this video is not an advertising tool. It is purely instructional in nature.

[mazack00]

120mm Celestron.

[truemartian]

I do not own any Celestrons thus I cannot and do not make any recommendations for OR against them.

[mazack00]

Time and time again, I'll continue to say:

For anyone who is TRULY looking to get into astronomy, the best scope you could hope to start with is a 80 - 120mm refractor on an equatorial mount. The views are superb and it opens up possibilities for imaging.

Water-heater Meades should only be used for stepping stones for much much larger/higher quality reflectors, such as a 16 -24 inch.

[truemartian]

Again, as superb as they are, not everyone can afford to pay for an advanced 80-120mm refractor. This is clearly not the scope for the casual amateur. These scopes are well above and beyond the scope of the budget amateur. Depending on the quality, an 80mm refractor can cost up to five times that of a simple 6 inch dob. It is not a good idea to recommend such a spending spree to anyone who may not even be sure they like the hobby. This series of videos is not for the advanced amateur.

[chuananrock]

hi

i was tinking of getting a 8 or 10inch meade lightbridge telescope. im a beginner, so is it a gd buy? thks! :

)

[truemartian]

Ive no experience with a lightbridge but a dob design like the lightbridge should be relatively easy to use for a beginner. Ten inches may get kind of heavy but if you are up to it i say go for it. The view of the great orion nebula is great through a 10.

[whiteboyjimmy20]

wow you rule x2!

[whiteboyjimmy20]

Hey Truemartian, what do you do for a living? Are you an Astronomer? Sorry if its a little personal. YOU RULE!

[truemartian]

I work for a grocery retail chain. I keep your pantry stocked. :-)

[huntercross14]

hello why aint this video playing? its stuck

[truemartian]

Works for me. Maybe its your connection or network traffic? dunno.

[monsterboy1985]

your the man martian!

[mcstarr25]

martian,

I know probably half of the constellations. I would recommend getting a good star chart book, like night watch or similar. Stellrium software is also very good, and its opensource(freeware) probably the best software besides starry night, which isnt free. The numbers for exmaple 25mm is the focal length of the optics in the Eyepeice. Larger numbers mean less power, smaller number is more magnification. divide tube focal by ep focal. Tube=900mmx 25mm ep =36x magnification.

[pajamaninja367]

Stellarium is an awesome program, espeacially because its free

[jjlatch76]

Great videos! I just purchased a telestar DS-114 with the autostar computer. I have been trying to use it but i get frustrated. I do not knoow what lenses to use and when i try to look through i cant see anything! If you could give me some pointers i would greatly appreciate it!

[truemartian]

A few questions: Do you know your constellations? What are the mm numbers printed on the side of your eyepieces?

[mcstarr25]

haha never mind man i was confused with the reply=D

Nice videos by  the way

[softwarelibre]

Good videos. Just purchased an Orion Astroview 6 EQ on craigslist for $200, (brand new condition) I like the EQ, I'm used to satellite gear, and once worked at Edmund Scientific grinding and polishing primaries. After 20 years I'm getting back into it. Keep up your series!

[Surfelix]

thanks great videoss!!!!! can you put another one explain how to find planets in the sky?

[truemartian]

Once you learn your constellations a planet will stick out like a sore thumb! :)

[Surfelix]

hi! great videoss!!=) it is possible to see M31 with astromaster 130 EQ?? thanks

[truemartian]

Yes it is. Actualy you can see M31 with no telescope at all, if you know where to look! You probably have a better quality telescope than Charles Messier ever had, given the advances in the technology since his time. You should be able to see the entire Messier catalogue, but ONLY IF you have pristine clear dark skies. It all depends on the seeing condtions at the time and the nature of the object you are observing.

[mallamoozoo]

Imagine if the world gets so polluted we can no longer see anything but the moon with our scopes - Bummer!

[truemartian]

Dont be disappointed if it dosent look like its pictures. The human eye just isnt as sensitive as a camera.

[joefranjoe]

Thanks for the videos, there really useful. Not sure if this is a silly question, I have a new 4" reflector, haven't had a chance to look at the night sky yet, as its been cloudy for the last few days, here in the UK. When looking through the telescope and the finder scope, everything is upside down, and left and right is reversed, is this right ?

[truemartian]

You're telescope is normal. Image orientation is dependant on the design of the optics.

[rideatv1]

Thanks for passing on the information. It's sure a help for the rank beginners like myself. I have a 4.5" reflector and its sure been fun to go out at night and actually find something good to look at.

[Maxsapd]

My finderscope mount has only 2 screws and it is a pain in the butt to ajust it. :P

[pajamaninja367]

That 10 inch dob is sweet

[truemartian]

It sure is but im married to my 6 inch refractor ;-) You aint seen nothin till u seen saturn at 315X through it.

[saiyaneer]

i boght a cstar 50 x 450 telescope is this a good telescope (i am only 12 andand its my 1st telescope reply please

[truemartian]

I have never used a cstar 50X450 so you will have to evaluate it and let me know how you like it. Try for the moon first then maybe some bright stars. If you have any trouble let me know. I'll do my best to advise you.

[EnergyKI]

Thanx Martian!

[MrAdamIsa]

An excellent video. Thanks for taking the time out to show us amateurs the basic. Keep up the brilliant work!

[truemartian]

Thanks so much. From one amateur to another. Just passing down the knowledge.

[naykon1]

thanks for taking the time, found this very useful ;)

[johnnyrinsma]

Thank you sir to share your and our passion trough youtube. Im a beginner and i i just got my first telescope its the etx-90 RA.. The problem is: i dont know how to polar alinging the telescope. My telescope have got a motor. But dont know how to use.. maybe you can explain me our us! :)

Regards big fan Johnny

[truemartian]

Johnny, Unfortunatly I have only one experience using an ETX-90. It wasnt mine so I dont have the experience necessary to be able to instruct you on how to use it. I am hoping that an ETX owner out there might read your message and respond.

[johnnyrinsma]

Allright sir.

Thank you for the massage! You are a great man!...Good job my friend

[HPATDH1]

ty so much! im realy new to this but i got into it from some people in our apartments they had a 15in mirror telescope that they MADE then for christmas they made me a realy realy nice 11in which i have and the finderscope recently got off so ty for posting this i think im gonna go do this right now again ty cant wait till the 5th

[Maxsapd]

Thank you very much!

[Ufovideos2007]

Nicely showing Enjoed watching.

[mrbuster123]

miss teen USA's brother

[mrbuster123]

south carolina

[truemartian]

...and such as and South Africa and Iraq and such....

[Arlekean]

Is there any chance you take pics of things you observe using your different telescopes?

[truemartian]

Yes. The video "Im Alive" has some moon shots taken through the refractor.

[Arlekean]

Cool, thanx. Im gonna watch it now =)

[westernhemisphere]

Do you have a part 5 amateur astronomy video?

[truemartian]

Working on it ;-) Thanks for watching. Do you have a topic you would like addressed?

[westernhemisphere]

I would like you to talk about how amateur astronomers can become real astronomers. THe steps what you should study to become one what classes should you take at middle school, high school, and college

[Neueregel]

thanks for the video! One more video with night observation info would be great

[thetool96]

excellent! very useful thanks!

[Steveb971]

To the people that are new to astronomy and want to take astronomy as a new hobby. When buying your first scope you will have to think if you want a dob or a EQ mount. Some of us just like to look at objects which means dob telescope. But if your veiws of astronomy are more into astrophotography then you would be better off in getting the eq . I started off with a 5.1" f/7.7 newton on a EQ3 mount . And now i upgraded to a 8" f/5 newton with an EQ5 now i am in the market for 2" eyepices.

[grakbulrug]

Thanks!!! I really needed this video, it was alot of help. Thankyou very much! :)

[truemartian]

Im so glad I could help! Thanks for the positive feedback!

[bankeh]

I love how theres still grass where you are, sadly its all snow now here :-p

[truemartian]

Sadly we actually had rain instead of snow for Christmas this year. Unusually warm here for the time of year. Snow actually made it in the forcast this week.

[bankeh]

We had -30 and 3 feet dropped 1 week ago, then it was +3 this week, this is the most messed up weather we've had up here in winnipeg in a while

[runibl]

Good video.

I got a Department store telescope for christmas, which has brought back my interest in astronomy. I am learning a lot with this telescope and your videos. And one of the first things i learned was aligning the scope.

I'm about to order my first real telescope with an Equatorial mount, so i'm looking forward for that.

Would be great to see a video about aligning the mount to the celestrial pole. I have read quite a few articles about it, but seing it in action would be great.

[truemartian]

Wow, yes, well... A video on polar alignment. As soon as I perfect it myself I'll see about it! :D Until then I recommend buying a dob! lol

[runibl]

lol, yea i was thinking a dob at first, but the equatorial sort of appeals to me, so i'm gonna go for that.

Looking forward for the next video.

[clockworkhorrorshow]

thNks. very helpful.

[zkjerpen]

Thanks.

[cateyesTV]

i was here

[truemartian]

Hey! There you are!

[cateyesTV]

i was here

[JaalaJ]

Perhaps I should get rid of my crappy mount. My telescope is almost never stable. Der der Jaala. Thanks, Truemartian!