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[dayzedankonfused]

I just recently acquired a Tasco 8V. This is an older scope from the mid 80's. It is in near mint cosmetic condition with the original polar axis mount. Which I do not even know how to use lol. I am not sure if it is adjusted correctly. Is there any way to find out. I can see the rings of Saturn here in Oak Lawn but they seem a little blurry or halo-ish you can say. I am not even sure on how to even begin to clean the mirrors as this is my second scope, (first one being when I was a kid and couldn't even zoom into the moon) LOL I did purchase a new eye piece off Ebay and it did get better. I don't know if this needs to be collimated? or cleaned. I am pretty new to this but have always been fascinated with astronomy. Now being older I have the time and patience to gaze the skies. Would love for some input or if possible I could bring it out to one of the star parties and a more advanced person could take a look at it for me. Just let me know. Any info would be grateful.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Jason

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Hey Dazed...

Your Tasco reflector is a decent starter scope.

Without pics of your scope and more details, it's difficut to ascertain it's condition and performance.

I would suggest bringing it to a Chicago Astronomer session and we will give it the once over and assist you in getting the best use of your scope.

Watch for the notices for our next session - or follow on Twitter/facebook/Google+.

[dayzedankonfused]

Hey thanks for the reply. I was out with it again tonight and really couldn't see much do to the haze in the atmosphere. the moon looked pretty sweet tho. I have the exact same one color and everything. I am sadly missing the front dust cap and the cap for the polaris mount. I did buy a 5.25 inch dust cap for a replacement and hope it will work. waiting for it to get here. There are no rattles and everything seems nice and tight. I am just not sure with this scope being from 1986 if it needs some sort of adjustment or cleaning. I have the .965 2x barlow, the .965 vixen 18mm and the .965 vixen 5mm. I purchased the .965 to 1.25 adapter and I bought a meade plossel 12.4mm and a 1.25 6mm celestron omni plossl . I am not sure on how to post pictures on the forum but I can post them to the facebook page if you would like. I will be checking for the next outing and for surely make it out to it. Hopefully you guys will do something for the meteor shower that is coming up in about a week!

[Paulie pchris00]

Dayzed, Joe is right; without pictures or seeing it up close, there's not much we can do. With no dust cap, I'd think it might very well need a cleaning, or maybe even collimation.

To post pictures, you'll need a photo sharing account (Photobucket, Flicker), and copy and paste the codes.

[dayzedankonfused]

Thanks Paulie. I do have a photo bucket account. Can you tell me what parts of the scope I should take pictures of to post? I am starting to think it might be the seeing conditions. Last night I did stay up late to catch Jupiter, I saw the cloud bands and the 4 moons were almost aligned in a straight line. Was pretty cool seeing that for the first time through a telescope, but the edges had a shimmering affect like a glow. Ill post some pictures now of the front lens and focuser, and mount.

[atomant]

Hey Jason,
I dreamt of that Tasco scope as a kid.
Those were the good ole days when Tasco and Celestron sold Vixen stuff in the US.

Tonight should be a decent night.
Go check out a star like Arcturus or Vega, and perform a star test.
This is a way to check your collimation.
Once you have your star located and centered in view, magnify the star with your 5mm ep.
Now rack the focuser in and out of focus.
If the scope is collimated, you should see concentric circles around the star.
Note: collimating a Bird-Jones type scope is not for the faint of heart.

You can also check the condition of the mirror coatings by shining a bright light behind the mirror. If you have voids or pits, the light will shine thru.

If I remember correctly, the 8V is nicely sealed in front to help keep dust bunnies at bay. But do keep an eye out for dew collecting on the front glass. This could be cause for halos around objects.

Look forward to seeing you and your classic in the near observing session.

[dayzedankonfused]

Thank you Atomant, I will perform a star test tonight and let you guys know the outcome of it. Faint of heart eh, sounds like it would be tough to collimate. I hope it doesn't need it. I have not taken it apart because I'm afraid I might break something. I look into the tube and see no dust bunnies. the main mirror looks super clean with no spots on it. I am not sure about the mirror that reflects into the eyepiece. The front glass has no scratches and looks good. I cleaned it with a micro-fiber cloth and I sprayed the cloth with light water and it cleaned up pretty nice. I bought this scope at a local estate sale for 70 bucks so hopefully I got a good deal. It beats buying a xbox 360 game that I will beat in a week LOL. The only thing I see wrong with it is the cross hairs are missing on the finder scope So far I have been satisfied seeing Jupiter and its moons and Saturn and its rings, I would love to look at different galaxies and nebula's but I am not sure if this scope is capable of that or if I need to invest in some filters. I really truly appreciate all this input guys. Thank you I will most definitely make the trip out to the next event.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

So far, it sounds like a sound scope.

The .096 eyepieces, although usable, will limit your observations. I grew up with a 60mm Tasco-like refractor and .096 eyepieces, (still have it), and it showed me a great deal. But 1.25" eyepieces are the way to go in a scope like yours...bringing much more comfortable and sharper views.

[patrickm]

And if you have that cover on the front, be sure to pop off the entire cover, not just one of the small ones.

If your scope will take them, spring for a few 1.25" Plossl eyepieces. As Joe says, they will make viewing much more pleasant.

Cool scope!

[dayzedankonfused]

That is the first thing I did. Bought a 12.4mm plossl 1.25 ep and a 6mm omni plossl 1.25 ep and am very happy with the turn out. I did the star test that atomant suggested I do. I focused on the bright Arcturus and went out of focus and I saw the circles, the edges of the circle were hazy or wavy but I am not sure if that is how it is suppose to look. Maybe someone can post a picture on how it is suppose to look in the ep so I can go off that.
Thanks

[patrickm]

Hi. You are looking at whether the circles are concentric or not. Here's a really great article about collimation/mirror alignment. Hope it helps.

legault.perso.sfr.fr/collim.html

I would recommend a couple of lower power eyepieces for general viewing. The higher you go, the dimmer you get and the more subject to poor seeing you become.

Hang in there!
patrick

[dayzedankonfused]

Thanks for the link Patrick, I checked it out and brought out the scope yesterday and it seems like it needs to be collimated.. It kinda looks like figure B on the link but not as bad as the picture shows. the circles pull ever so slightly to the left. I did notice a haze on the inside glass of the scope. So today I carefully took the front of the scope apart marking the screw spots with a pen to make sure I put them back in the right spot. I cleaned the back of the glass with a micro-fiber towel and a little bit of rubbing alcohol, I did not touch any of the 2 mirrors because I do not know what kind of cleaner to use so that I do not ruin the coating on them or scratch them, or make them unadjusted. The mirrors looked pretty clean still and i did not notice any scratches or pitting on them. I will test this again tonight to see if I messed this up or not lol Wish me luck.

[dayzedankonfused]

whelp it was super clear out Awesome night to go gazing and I have no clue. the circles are still off center and stars look hazy. i look at Saturn i see the rings then I put in the 1.25 6mm omni plossl and it is blurry then clear then hazy and it just wont stay a clear image le sigh...

[patrickm]

Hi. It likely looks hazy because of poor seeing conditions. Drop in the lower power eyepiece and see if that doesn't clear up.

For extremely high powered viewing with something like a 5 or 6mm eyepiece, you need near perfect seeing conditions, which is rare. Pop in your lowest power eyepiece and enjoy. Then gradually increase power until the object starts to look wavy and back off to your next lower power ep.

Seeing is also worse as the object gets lower in the sky. Way too much atmosphere to look through!

Aligning your mirrors will sharpen up the views a bit; however, I would recommend leaving the mirror surfaces alone for the time being. They are probably not the problem.

Try these ideas and let us know!

[Paulie pchris00]

With Saturn so low in the sky when it becomes visible, and sinking fast, the 6mm EP is probably just too much power to throw at it.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

What the others have said.

Even in my 11 inch scope, Saturn is mushy and soft by the time darkness falls. The sharp viewings are a couple of months behind us now and we will have to wait for early morning observations in a bit.

[dayzedankonfused]

Ok, Thanks guys. These are things I am trying to learn. lol I have been staying up late to catch Jupiter which has been rising earlier and earlier and when I view that I see the bands, and moons, I do not quite see the great red spot but I am sure it is because of positioning of it. Now should I invest in some nice filters? I eventually would be buying a newer scope, but would filters help out the views on this older one?

[-=CROMAN=-]

Filters help to tease out the details a bit but from my experience it's really not going to make all that much difference. Your optics make or break your viewing experience. Don't forget about atmospheric conditions as well. Make sure your optics are clean, collimated and choose a nice moonless night with excellent seeing. easier said than done. =)

[patrickm]

I rarely use filters beyond my ND50 moon filter. Colored filters help with some details, but I rarely leave them in for very long. For best seeing, catch Jupiter (or any of the planets) as close to its apex as you can, which unfortunately will be early morning right now.

The Great Red Spot is really more like the Great Salmon Spot these days. Here's a GRS transit calculator:
www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/planets/3304091.html

We bandy about terms like Seeing and Transparency a lot around here.

Seeing is a function of the amount of turbulence & temperature differential in the atmosphere between you and space. It mostly affects solar system viewing.

Transparency is a function of the amount of moisture in the atmosphere between you and space. It mostly affects viewing deep sky objects like galaxies & nebulae.

You can learn more about these terms and get a clear sky chart astronomy forecast for your location here:
cleardarksky.com/csk/

Dark blue rules!

Hope that helps,
patrick

[Paulie pchris00]

If you're going to observe the Moon often, you should look into neutral density filters. Filtering helps, but it helps best with big aperture. Wait to pick up colored filters until you get a new scope.

[dayzedankonfused]

Thank you guys for all the input. Patrick thank you for the links. You all are outstanding gentleman. I have not looked at any star charts. I have been using the google sky map on my phone which seems pretty accurate. Seeing the planets is cool. Mars just looks like a tiny red ball when i look at it. Cant see any of the polar caps. I would like to see some nebula's but i read online that in order to see the colors you have to take a picture of them through the scope. Have not seen any galaxies but would love to eventually get to that point. Lots more reading I shall do and if anyone one has some more good links that I can check out, then please post. If anyone is doing anything for the Perseids this weekend let me know. If no one has plans me and a buddy of mine are going to go to his parents house all the way out in Bonfield IL. It is like 20mins south of Kankakee. I am sure if someone wanted to tag along you guys are more than welcome. Just let me know.

[patrickm]

Jason,
Mars is also dropping like a rock, so getting any detail of it will be rough until its next apparition in the morning. It's been a less than great pass for Mars this time anyway. I have seen the polar ice caps a few times, but more often than not had no luck. It's just really freaking far away right now and drastically smaller than either Saturn or Jupiter. Until it disappears, the best you'll get is a maroonish disk, and if you are lucky, maybe a lightening of that color near the pole.

Nebulae need a very dark sky, but you can see them. We just don't get any color on deep sky objects--you need The Hubble for that, but that doesn't mean that they can't be seen. For emission nebulae, you need a very dark sky and probably also an OIII filter that will dim everything else but the light from the nebula. The most famous nebula is the Great Nebula in Orion, M42. It's visible with the naked eye and is coming up just before sunrise right now.

You can see planetary nebulae without any filter at all. M57, The Ring Nebula, is up high in the sky right now in Lyra, near the bright star Vega. It's very easy to track down and will appear as a faint smoke ring. You can also track down the Dumbbell Nebula, M27. Planetary nebulae are the remains of a star blowing off its outer shell after it burns up most of its hydrogen and helium. They are very cool and you can see both of these objects even under the light polluted skies of Chicago.

I LOVE www.skymaps.com. Not only do you get a star chart but you get a neat list of viewable objects broken down by naked eye, binocular, and telescope. I always print one out when I head out of town for any length of time.

The absolute best advice I got from the Chicago Astronomer crew when I first showed up was to get a pair of binocs. I have a pair of 15x70 Celestron binos that I would never, ever give up. They travel light and can picks out galaxies like nobody's business in a dark sky.

For galaxies, track down Andromeda and Bode's Nebula. I've seen both even in Chicago so you should have no problem out in the country a bit. Andromeda is so big that in a dark sky, it's a binocular object anyway.

Have fun and keep reporting back!
Patrick

[dayzedankonfused]

So tonight I saw the dumbbell Nebula through the 12.4mm ep. I then tried the 6mm and it got blurry. So i was thinking about picking up a 10mm EP does anyone have any good suggestions on what kind to buy? I would like to be able to use it on this 8V and on possibly a future scope. I was looking at this one on EBAY www.ebay.com/itm/Vixen-Optics-1-25-10mm-NPL-Plossl-Eyepiece-Sharp-FREE-WORLD-WIDE-SHIPPING-/350583739127?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51a06b52f7 If anyone has a preferred site they shop please let me know. Local stores would be better and don't know of any in the area.

[patrickm]

I would go way lower, I spend most of my time observing with eyepieces in the 30's, 20's and mid to upper teens. It is easy to get obsessed with the most magnification, but that's not what astronomy is all about. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but it's true. It's fun to push magnification every once in a while on objects that will take it--planets, moon, planetary nebulae, but honestly you want to hang out much lower on most objects on most nights. I've spend entire nights with just a 32 and a 17.5 or a 25 and a 2x Barlow (=12.5).

I would seriously recommend not trying to fill every mm higher and go much lower power. I went through the same thing when I started out. I can count on one hand the times my 6 and 4mm pieces have left my case since. (4mm never and 6mm about three.)

Remember, the lower you go, the brighter stuff will be. Think of a camera lens and how it works the same way. Looking at a distant object through a soda cup vs. a toilet paper roll vs. a Bic pen...which will let more photons through? And that's not even considering atmospheric conditions.

Stuff is gonna look smaller in the scope than you want it to. We are spoiled to live in an age with the Hubble and crazy, high powered ground-based scopes, but we're just not going to get those views with our small, personal telescopes (or binoculars!).

My 6.5 cents.
Patrick

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

You can achieve high magnification and double your eyepiece collection with a simple addition of a Barlow lens.

This short tube will convert your magnification power of a particular eyepiece by 2x. Making a 25mm into a 12.5mm eyepiece for example.

Every eyepiece case should have one.

[patrickm]

But you gotta have something to Barlow first! Barlow-ing a 6mm gets you...a headache.

[dayzedankonfused]

I have figured this out Pat. I have a 2x barlow but it is a .965 one that originally came with the scope. I have not bought one that is 1.25. That will probably be next on the list. But my question is since this scope uses the .965 eyepieces and I have the adapter to use the 1.25's would a barlow work with the 1.25 adapter? Also I have seen barlows that are longer and some are shorter. Which one would be better? I would like to try and start building a 1.25 ep collection. Any thoughts on what brands are good and which ones to stay away from?

[patrickm]

A 1.25" Barlow will work with your 1.25 adapter & eyepieces. I would go with that.

I would also recommend sticking with Plossl eyepieces for a while. They are good and not expensive. I don't see much reason to spend hundreds on an eyepiece until you are really comfy. Just no need.

You can use the Barlow to basically double your eyepiece collection so you don't need to double up. If you have a 36mm eyepiece, if you put it into a Barlow lens, it will turn it into the equivalent of an 18mm, thus no need to go buy an 18mm eyepiece. Dig?

If I had only a 12 and 6, I will beat the wounded horse and say that I would look at eyepieces in the lower power end. You can get a 40mm, 30mm and a Barlow and have 40, 30, 20, & 15. If you buy Celestron Plossls, that will run you about $150. If you buy the Celestron Accessory Kit, you will get 5 Plossl eyepieces, a Barlow, 5 filters, and a metal carrying case for $159.

I have this kit and it's a great place to start.
www.celestron.com/astronomy/accessories/celestron-eyepiece-and-filter-kit-1-25-in.html

If you decide to go for that, I'd recommend you shop around and maybe you can find a better price.

Hope that helps,
Patrick

PS: Some stuff doesn't even completely fit into the field of view of a 40mm eyepiece, like Pleiades and Andromeda for example.

[dayzedankonfused]

Just an update and I did pick up that celestron kit for 115 bucks off ebay...the views are much better with these eyepieces and am very thankful for the advice. I still think it needs some minor adjusting or collimating and I have no clue on how to do it..

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

That Celestron eyepiece kit is a solid investment and will serve you for many years. Congrats...!

If you make it to a Chicago Astronomer Star Party soon, we will attempt to help collimate and adjust for good observation, but in-between visitors...and the cold isn't helping numb fingers....