How do I store my telescope?
It is unnecessary to separate the optical tube and the mount when storing the telescope. It can be stored in one unit in a clean, dry, and dust-free environment. If it has to be stored outdoors, cover it with a heavy-duty plastic cover to prevent it from getting wet. Make sure that the dust cap for the front of the telescope and the cover for the rear opening are on. Accessories should be stored separately in a box, with all their caps on. Some people do store the reflecting telescope in two parts, leaving the telescope tube up side down on the ground to prevent dust from settling down on the primary mirror. However, it is not proven that it really helps.
How do I safely transport my telescope?
The telescope can be transported in 2 main parts--telescope tube and mount. Loosen the thumbscrews on the tube rings and remove the telescope tube from the mount. We suggest removing the accessories (finderscope and bracket, and the eyepiece) from the optical tube. Cover the telescope tube and the eyepiece with their caps. It is also convenient to remove the fine-adjustment control cables and counterweight rod/counterweights. Accessory tray should be removed in order to transport with the 3 tripod legs closed. The telescope can be transported in a vehicle without a problem. Padded insulation can prevent scratches on the tube but it is not necessary. The mirrors may go out of collimation after a bumpy ride but collimation would be required after transportation anyway, with or without padding.
Should I use colour filters?
Colour filters, which usually thread into the eyepiece barrel, are almost a necessity for viewing planetary detail. By using an appropriate colour, you can highlight a specific planetary feature. This often allows you see two to three times as much detail as in an unfiltered view.
Should I get a motor drive with my equatorial mount?
A motor drive is necessary for many types of astrophotography, but it is more than just a convenience for visual observation as well. At 200x magnification, the Earth's rotation will move an object out of your field of view in about two seconds. A Right Ascension motor drive will keep an object in the centre of the field where the image is the best without producing the objectionable vibrations experienced with manual tracking. Adding a Declination motor drive and a hand controller allows you to guide for astrophotography.
What is the advantage of a large aperture telescope?
The larger the aperture, the higher the practical magnification limit. Since more light is collected and brought to focus by a larger aperture telescope, fainter objects can be seen with it than with smaller apertures. Under good seeing conditions when air is not turbulent, a larger aperture objective gives higher resolution, letting you see finer details.
I’m trying to collimate my reflector but all I see at the back of my telescope is 3 Phillip’s-head screws. Where are the 2 sets of screws?
Your optical tube is probably covered with a metal back plate. The 3 Phillip’s-head screws are there to hold the metal plate in place. Loosen them and remove the metal plate. You should be able to see the back of the primary mirror and 2 sets of screws around it.
Which mount should I buy for my telescope?
If your instrument is for land use only, select the alt-azimuth mounting, but if its for astronomical or dual use, the equatorial mounting is the best choice. Make sure that the mounting you select is strong enough to carry the telescope you've chosen. Heavier or longer telescopes need stronger mounts to be stable at high magnifications. When in doubt, over-mount the instrument; choose the mount one size up if you want extra stability.
The image with my low power eyepiece is clear, but my high power is fuzzy. What's wrong with it?
There's probably nothing wrong with the eyepiece: you have probably exceeded the resolving power of your telescope. A television set looks clear 10 metres away, but up close you can see the imperfections.
Which eyepiece design is best?
This often asked question is quite irrelevant, as different design's performance varies with different telescopes. Different eyepiece designs have various characteristics. For example, and expensive widefield design is not required for planetary viewing, where the only important thing is maximum contrast. A Plossl or Orthoscopic would probably be best, but almost all design s are good performers on-axis for any f/ratio. Telescopes with F/ratios>10 are quite tolerant of simple low element eyepieces up to 55 deg. A.F., but telescopes <6 are a different matter. Off-axis performance requires powerful correction to properly image the highly convergent beam. Each eyepiece and telescope performs as a system, and their image can only be evaluated as much.
How much power does my telescope have?
A telescope has three types of power and they are measured against the performance of a normal human eye. They are magnifying power, light gathering power and resolving power. All three are important but the most important is resolving power. The longer the focal length of a telescope, the more a particular eyepiece will magnify the image. However, there is a practical magnification limit of 2x per mm of telescope aperture. Using an eyepiece which gives a magnification beyond that limit is normally of little use. The amount of light that a telescope can gather depends on size of the aperture and the more light that can be gathered, the better the resolution. What you will see through your telescope will then depend on these three powers. For example, compared to the human eye, and using the 2x per mm rule, a 150mm aperture telescope will have a maximum practical magnifying power of 300x, a light gathering power of 600x and a resolving power of 0.8 arc-seconds.
Where can I find prices for Sky-Watcher telescopes?
We at Pacific Telescope are only able to provide the MSRP (manufacturer suggested retail price) to the public. E-mail our customer service with the telescope units you are interested in to obtain the suggested retail prices. To receive more accurate pricing information, or prices on parts and accessories, we suggest that you contact our dealers directly.
Where can I buy Sky-Watcher telescopes in the U.S.?
Please contact Sky-Watcher USA:
United States of America
Sky-Watcher USA
475 Alaska Avenue, Torrance, CA 90503
phone: +1 310-803-5953 x 306
fax: +1 310-803-5953 x 306
website: http://www.skywatcherusa.com/
e-mail: [email protected]
Can I buy direct from you?
We at Pacific Telescope do not sell direct to the public with only one exception--the floor model sale. The floor model sales are not held often and will be announced on our web site.
What can I see with my telescope?
Astronomically, you can see the Moon, the Sun if correctly filtered, all of the planets except perhaps Pluto, some surface details on Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, multiple stars, globular and open clusters, bright nebulae, galaxies and nearby galaxy clusters. Terrestrially, there are wildlife, sports, etc., but remember that daytime viewing is often over areas which may radiate heat so that very distant subjects may shimmer.
Will I see objects as they appear in photographs?
Yes and no. Bright objects like the Moon, some planets and some star clusters will show colours and features just like photographs, but faint objects are more difficult. The eye is not sensitive enough to detect colour at low light levels so even bright nebulae appear as shades of gray in small telescopes. Colour films can be exposed long enough to collect light across the visible spectrum so photographs show colours than you don't see visually.
Will a telescope work without an eyepiece?
Not for visual purposes, as the eye cannot process the real image made by the objective. The telescope may be used without an eyepiece for camera and other instruments.
How much magnification can I use with my telescope?
Every telescope is different, but a rough rule of thumb is 30-50X per inch diameter of the objective. A good refractor may, however, use 100X/inch on bright objects, so this is not a hard rule. You can always increase the magnification above these limits, but it is pointless if you're not seeing more. This rule breaks down for larger instruments, as the distortion of the atmosphere limits practical magnification to 300X. See Usable Magnifications.
How do I choose the alignment stars for Two Star Alignment?
Generally speaking, choose an object close to the meridian line as the first alignment star. If you have performed manual mount calibration and are sure that your mount is free of cone error, select any star the SkyScan recommends to you as the second star. Otherwise choose two stars located at the same side of the sky which you will be doing the most observing. This improves the pointing accuracy on this particular side of the sky.
How do I choose the alignment star for One Star Alignment?
Objects with smaller DEC are better suited for One Star Alignment. With the same apparent movement in the eyepiece view, objects with larger DEC move in larger angle in R.A., resulting in less accurate measurement in R.A.
How do I find objects using the setting circles?
Periodicals like "SkyNews", "Sky&Telescope" and "Astronomy" will tell you where the moon and planets are, and the location of all other objects can be found in Star Charts. The quickest way to find objects is to learn the Constellations and use the finderscope, but if the object is too faint you may want to use setting circles. Download the PDF file to find out how to use the setting circles on your Sky-Watcher
EQ3-2 (EQ3) and EQ5 (EQ4) mounts, or
EQ1 and EQ2 mounts. (You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open the file.)
How do I find objects in the sky?
The sky is mapped out in a spherical coordinate system similar to the system of Latitude and Longitude on the surface of the Earth. On the imaginary celestial sphere, the coordinates are Declination, which is equivalent to Latitude and measured in degrees, and Right Ascension, which is equivalent to Longitude, but measured in hours. The celestial equator is a projection of the Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere. Because the positions of stars and other distant celestial objects, as plotted on this celestial sphere, change very slowly with time, their listed coordinates and star charts are only updated every fifty years. On the other hand, planets change position so rapidly that their coordinates must be obtained from current astronomy periodicals. The setting circles on your equatorial mount can be aligned with the celestial sphere to aid in finding astronomical objects.
How do I polar align my telescope?
For visual use, only a rudimentary alignment of the polar axis of your equatorial mount is required. First, the finderscope should already have been aligned to the telescope by centring a distant fixed object in the telescope's field and then adjusting the finderscope with its adjusting screws until the object is at the centre of the crosshairs. The angle of the polar axis should also be set equal to your Latitude. Now, with the mount approximately level, align the telescope parallel to the polar axis (ie set the Declination axis to 90 degrees), and then adjust the polar axis until the star Polaris (the "North star") appears in the centre of the field of your finderscope. This alignment is good enough for visual observation. If you are trying astrophotography, a more accurate alignment is required, and you will need a polarscope if your mount is equipped for it. For longer exposure times, the mount is usually adjusted using a very accurate star-movement measurement technique called "drift alignment."
Download the detailed information on Polar Alignment.
Download the detailed information on Polar Alignment for EQ1 and EQ2 mounts.
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