Post by Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe on Mar 16, 2005 9:04:07 GMT -6
I received this nice email from Dave who stopped by the mini star party gathering of the Chicago Astronomers Last Sunday, the 13th of March. Perhaps some of our members have some insight on his scope.
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Hi Joe, my wife and I met you Sunday night over by the planetarium in Chicago. Thanks for the view!
I have a Meade etx90 that I received for Christmas '03. Since I met you Sunday, I've been doing a lot of searching/ reading on the internet. I get the impression from some websites that the ETX90 is not the best instrument out there- or maybe the money could have been spent on a different telescope that would give better results.
Any who, I've been trying to find Saturn. Should I be able to see the rings with the etx90? Or will it just look like a star? Tonight it was kind of hazy, but I think I located it just south of due west, about half way between the horizon and zenith? Maybe in some stars with Gemini? I thought I read some where that it will be yellowish brown to the naked eye? Any tips would be appreciated!
Thanks!
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Dave,
Thanks for stopping by the Chicago Astronomers last Sunday evening and peeking through our scopes.
In astronomy, the rule of thumb is bigger is always better, but not in all cases. Bigger aperture does not neccessarily mean bigger images, but "Brighter" images, and with that, more details to be seen. Your ETX 90 is a sound scope, and is able to show you various objects, some evident like the planets and moon, but even some star clusters and nebulas. The optics are good and is quite portable, which is it's main attribute.
I recall as a young kid, spending countless hours in my backyard exploring the skies with my simple 60mm refractor. And even with that small scope, I was able to observe the objects mentioned. With your scope you can most certainly see Saturn's rings, Jupiters belts and moons & The Orion Nebula quite easily.
Saturn is located in Gemini, (has been for a couple of years), and has a yellowish hue to it, as compared to the surrounding stars. In the graphic below, one can easily pick out Saturn...
In this snapshot of the night sky on the 18th of March 2005, you can catch various objects in one direction. Saturn and the Moon will be close together, so locating it will be simple. Also in Orion is M42, the Orion nebula...just below the three stars that make up the belt. To the right by Aldebaran, will be Hyades open star cluster.
I invite you Dave, to join us in a star party, where we can assist you in getting the best views from your scope. If you ever want to upgrade, (we all do), then we can also help out with that as well. I'm often by my usual spot at the Adler Planetarium with my equipment and would be glad to have you stop by with your scope.
Thanks for your note, your interest in astronomy and hope to see you on the forum often.
----------------
Hi Joe, my wife and I met you Sunday night over by the planetarium in Chicago. Thanks for the view!
I have a Meade etx90 that I received for Christmas '03. Since I met you Sunday, I've been doing a lot of searching/ reading on the internet. I get the impression from some websites that the ETX90 is not the best instrument out there- or maybe the money could have been spent on a different telescope that would give better results.
Any who, I've been trying to find Saturn. Should I be able to see the rings with the etx90? Or will it just look like a star? Tonight it was kind of hazy, but I think I located it just south of due west, about half way between the horizon and zenith? Maybe in some stars with Gemini? I thought I read some where that it will be yellowish brown to the naked eye? Any tips would be appreciated!
Thanks!
-----------
Dave,
Thanks for stopping by the Chicago Astronomers last Sunday evening and peeking through our scopes.
In astronomy, the rule of thumb is bigger is always better, but not in all cases. Bigger aperture does not neccessarily mean bigger images, but "Brighter" images, and with that, more details to be seen. Your ETX 90 is a sound scope, and is able to show you various objects, some evident like the planets and moon, but even some star clusters and nebulas. The optics are good and is quite portable, which is it's main attribute.
I recall as a young kid, spending countless hours in my backyard exploring the skies with my simple 60mm refractor. And even with that small scope, I was able to observe the objects mentioned. With your scope you can most certainly see Saturn's rings, Jupiters belts and moons & The Orion Nebula quite easily.
Saturn is located in Gemini, (has been for a couple of years), and has a yellowish hue to it, as compared to the surrounding stars. In the graphic below, one can easily pick out Saturn...
In this snapshot of the night sky on the 18th of March 2005, you can catch various objects in one direction. Saturn and the Moon will be close together, so locating it will be simple. Also in Orion is M42, the Orion nebula...just below the three stars that make up the belt. To the right by Aldebaran, will be Hyades open star cluster.
I invite you Dave, to join us in a star party, where we can assist you in getting the best views from your scope. If you ever want to upgrade, (we all do), then we can also help out with that as well. I'm often by my usual spot at the Adler Planetarium with my equipment and would be glad to have you stop by with your scope.
Thanks for your note, your interest in astronomy and hope to see you on the forum often.