Unbelievably, there are people (like me) who need the basics laid out in this style. Now, I'm still interested and will watch another one of your clips. Thankyou, very helpful......
TriffidGrower - when we (myself and partner) were looking for our first telescope around 4 years ago we watched all of David's telescope basics videos as well as a lot of Astronomy and Nature's vids. They not only helped us to understand the basics (well me), but helped us to make a choice. We went for an 8 inch Celestron Schmidt Cassegrain with go-to and an alt azimuth mount and we love it. We had a gift of several hundred pounds towards the scope or we would've gone for a Dobsonian, as the Celestron 8SE is a bit pricey for a first scope IMO. I still return to these videos when I need a little refresher and always learn something new - I now understand AFOV and TFOV after today's re-watch. What we didn't take into enough consideration when buying was that too much magnification (without enough light gathering/aperture) can actually be a disadvantage when trying to find and view some deep sky objects - especially those that cover large areas but aren't bright: a focal reducer/field flattener can help with this and will be our next purchase. A good pair of binoculars and a tripod or p mount is a good alternative to a scope that many overlook - I actually prefer looking at the Pleides and Andromeda with my 20 X 80 binoculars - but then again - the Celestron gives views of the planets, or the trapezium in Orion, that are truly outstanding. Good luck with your first scope if you buy one - you won't regret it. Also check out Thunderfoot's vids on choosing a telescope.
@@honeychurchgipsy6 Thankyou. I'm still dithering of course. My first scope will probably be my last, as I'm now retired and have time to 'tinker' that i didn't have before. Truth be known, I'm very happy just looking up, but if I have a device I expect to learn much about the heavens, just in order to aim it. Any enhancement will be a huge thrill. Thanks for your advice.
@@triffidgrower - You sound like a true sky watcher who loves just sweeping the sky and trying to identify objects. I'm the same, and on a recent trip to Dartmoor (around 160 miles from home), where the skies are really dark, I had my best astronomy experiences with the naked eye. Standing out on the moor in the early hours of the morning - new moon - so really dark sky, when suddenly the sky cleared and everything jumped out at me. There was a three dimensional quality to the sky, and thousands of stars began to shine and twinkle, and the Milky Way was clearly visible: I felt quite overwhelmed. A good book or two on the sky might help you learn where things are - the late Sir Patrick Moore wrote a few, and also created the Moore Winter Marathon - a list of objects to find with the naked eye and binoculars (he lived at Selsey just up the road from me) Why not go for a good pair of binoculars as you still get the experience of sweeping the sky, that is lost with a powerful scope? You'll need a minimum of 10 X 50's to see the moons of Jupiter (and a steady hand or a tripod), and anything much larger than 10 X 50's will really requires a tripod or p mount. Good luck and sorry for the long post !!
Just now getting back to my lost love... astronomy... I am lown away by the quality of Eyes In The Sky episodes... but I refuse to think this is a non-professional production. The first episode I found explained in detail and pragmatic terms "the equatorial mount"; that was about two weeks ago, now I finally bought my scope (still putting it together) and using Mr. Fuller's videos to guide and prep me... need to catch the collimation episode. The point is: we (fledgelings) can be very thankful to have this guy host the web site and put these videos together. He obviously prepares, and cares deeply a out the quality of his products... which we benefit from... anyway enough brown-nosing. Awesome, cery educational. Thank You.
And no, dear readers, I did not pay Mr. Archer to say any of that, nor do I know him personally either. So thank you, kind sir, for the very kind and generous compliments. I need to get going on that collimation video here soon... (I did one "try" at it, but wasn't satisfied with how it looked, so I'll try again here soon, hopefully!)
Hey, thanks for the questions. I don't do a lot of astrophotography myself, mostly because I"m not very good at it, and it takes way more time (and patience!) than I have most nights. I'd suggest checking with some of the astronomy forums like Cloudy Nights or Stargazers Lounge and ask there. The people who do that more often will have great suggestions based on your needs and budget. Cats can do fine at visualizing faint/small objects, it's just a matter of working within it's limitations.
Hi David, I live in a city, with a terrific open roof. I bought and returned a 6SE which i was unhappy with for lack of contrast, difficulty getting sharp focus, and it would merger stars that I know are binary. I have decided to go in the refractor direction. I would like to start off with planetary astrophotography and also go for deeper objects when I can travel. I have been looking a 4 inch APOs. How much difference do you see APOs made in the US vs over seas? How big a difference is there between an 80mm and a 105mm in terms of performance? Do you have any thoughts on this scope which I am “eyeing”. Thank you! www.stellarvue.com/stellarvue-svq100-3ft-astrograph/
this is really great, and helpful, but i think it would be even better if you visually showed what the type of optical differences the telescopes had... for example--if there is less light, does that mean it's dimmer? if so, show me what that might look like
I like reflectors because they provide the most aperture for the money. I don't mind the cooling / diffraction issues, and I like that fact that they do not cause chromatic aberration. Coma can occur in shorter focal length ones, but it doesn't bother me, and better eyepieces can overcome that. My favorite telescope is a 6" f/5 reflector on an German equatorial mount, so if you have a $600 or $700 budget, that's my recommendation. If it's less, a 6" or 8" Dobsoninan is a good alternate.
Thank you friend, I am new with this adiction, and looking for what telescopes is best for me, you help me a lot, my english is not good but I understood all because you speak very clearly. Thank you again , I'll be looking for more videos from you. Jaajaja now you have a new amateur astronomer fan with 52 years old. TKS
@@Eyesonthesky My pleasure, great intro series, i'll be sure to point beginners to it. I'm in the process of getting one of those P8079HP night vision tubes working with a scope, they amplify light by 100,000 times! I've tested it in the garden and it all works so the next step is to hook it up to the scope somehow. Obiously it makes faint stars very bright, although everything is green and has a bit of a shimmer to it, apparently that can be fixed with filters.
You're welcome - glad you enjoy them, and thanks for the nice comment! Be sure to check out my weekly videos where I show how to find objects in the sky too.
Your a natural teacher! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with all of us. I just got the Celestron Nextstar se8, WOW! is it ever impressive to an amateur like me! I am trying to figure out how to get my Canon d7 camera and video hooked up to it. I can't wait to see Saturn, Neptune, Mars and all the other wonderful stars and planets in our galaxy. I'm like a 45 year old kid...
You might want to mention in the Cons for Reflectors and Catadioptrics that collimation or alignment of the secondary and primary mirrors is required periodically for best performance. It is not too difficult but not usually required on the Refractor.
I've never heard of Omegon, so I can't comment on that brand. Skywatcher and Orion will both be comparable in quality (decent to good). I have personally had very good experiences with Orion's customer service, which for some people is a deciding factor, even if they never need to make use of it.
Hi David, Watched all your videos as intro. Thanks for the star chart and resources online. I am must starting out using a Celestron 15 X 70 set of binoculars. I am in Brooksville, FL which I believe is about 28 degrees north. Still having tough time seeing Andromeda but may be just training my eye. Tried using lines from Cassiopeia, etc. Last night, Feb 11 I was out at just after sunset. Tried Stellarium and a few resources to find out an answer before emailing. In my East and West sky just after the sun dropped down I saw objects one on top of the other on both the East and West horizons. Are these the planets since we are near the Ecliptic? Any help is appreciated. Tom Cannon Brooksville, FL
Refractors may be unobstructed, but you were working with a compromised 6" design. More aperture will allow you to push greater magnification without image breakdown. You will be limited to a max of about 175x with a 90mm telescope. A good 6" telescope with a high quality mirror at an f/8 focal ratio can easily net you 250x to 300x on "good" nights of seeing. If planetary viewing at high magnification for larger image size is what you want, a 90mm scope is not necessarily the best choice.
Hi David, Wondered if you `d give your opinion on this please, i`m considering on buying an above basic scope and mount mainly for astrophotography and whittled it down to this set up according to my budget...Skywatcher Evostar 80ED DS-Pro & HEQ5 PRO, what do you think? many thanks!!
Hey I'm thinking about buying a new telescope, and I have these two options: A 70mm refractor (f=900mm), that comes with 4, 10 and 25mm eyepieces and a 3x barlow And a 150mm reflector (f=1200mm), that comes with 10 and 25mm eyepieces. I think both of these have good prices, but wich one is better to see things like star clusters & nebulae?
@eyesontheskyDOTcom thanks but $600 is too much for my bodget i was thinkng something from 200 and less, what do you thinks about this telescope is called Celestron AstroMaster 114 EQ Reflector Telescope, here is the description about it, whats your opinion? thanks!
Not likely - that telescope design uses a very fast spherical mirror; the corrector lens (ideally) helps correct for some of the aberrations that occur in such a fast system (though because the lenses are inexpensive, they don't necessarily always do it well). The aberrations would be even worse without it, assuming it would even focus. I think you're better off leaving that system intact. Glad my videos helped! Clear and dark skies....
I'm not a fan of the Bird-Jones style of reflector. I'd rather you save up a bit more and get the Astromaster 130 EQ instead, as it is a true f/5 instrument with no "corrector" lens in it.
Hi David I am a beginner in astronomy so I bought 70mm eqiutorial mount telescope and lost my counterweight is it ok without it and 70mm good size for planets? and thank you :]
+InterJon1 Easy to make in larger sizes, so the light grasp is still good in that no one makes 2" or 3" catadioptrics.. However, because of the light loss through the lenses and mirrors, a larger aperture may be needed to get the same light throughput as other telescope types. Aperture is more than just about total light, it is also related to resolution.
I haven't seen in written anywhere, but from what I gather a faster model of reflector telescope is a shorter focal length and wider telescopic field of view. Is this correct? Faster as in faster to find the object in the main telescope's eye piece?
What's a good telescope for Astrophotography? Nothing too special, just normal moon/planetary or if possible bright galaxies/nebulaes pictures. I already have a DSLR and if I am not wrong I need T-ring and T-adapters to connect it to a telescope, right? Which telescope will suit this purpose the most?
+Vedant Pratap Singh Jadon Yes, you will need a T-ring and a T-adapter. Try calling companies like Celestron or Orion and ask what they would recommend. Generally, a refractor is better for viewing moons/planets, and reflectors are best for galaxies and nebulaes. Reflectors are also better for photography I believe.
The mount for that telescope is very small which will make it hard to track smoothly. Also the tripod looks very lightweight that will cause vibrations and wobble. A small tabletop style Dobsonian like this might be better for you: www.telescope.com/FunScope-76mm-TableTop-Reflector-Telescope/p/103112.uts
Hello sir...what would be batter to have between celestron 80 mm (f-900) & meade 102mm (f-600) for both view celestial & terrestrial. I'm also puzzled with both brands and puzzled also because meade 102 has bigger aperture then celestron 80mm but celestron 80mm has some more magnification then meade 102. is it possible to raise magnification of meade 102 ??...Actually I got this name 'MEADE' firstly while celestron, orion like names everyone knows. waiting for u with thanks.
Is there any Exit Pupil Amplification in the Telescope or Binoculars market? Just like Digital camera has lense digital Amplification too. Is that u means, Bigger magnification Eyepieces 66deg/40x=1.65deg FOV. Also plus your Exit pupil will also drop down from 80mm Lense size/40x = 2mm Exit pupil left. Is that correct? 2mm Exit pupil + 1.65deg FOV left? "How to see it in that way?"
What would you say is a good first telescope/binoculars that would be about £100 or $110 ? Something with good magnification and not too hard to use I'm thinking.
Girlfriend bought me a starter scope for xmas, now my daughter is wanting to find stars to watch. Incredibly frustrating not to be able to see things from the start. Hoping this series helps.
Search my UA-cam channel for my Funscope/Firstscope review comparison. Should answer all your questions, since I'm limited on characters here. A Google search for "Funscope review" should probably bring up my website's review page pretty high in results as well.
+eyesonthesky i was wondering if the central obstruction would have any effects on the image focusing like would this make what you see blurred ? and if yes what is the best telescope for a detailed view with no blur in it i know this would not be possible but i appreciate any help you can provide
+Mohamed Elhamy The central obstruction does not blur the view. It simply can reduce contrast, but this is only noticeable if the obstruction is 20% or greater than the diameter of the aperture, and really isn't much of an issue until it is 30% of the aperture. So really, any telescope can provide detailed views, but there are many other issues that can cause a telescope to be blurry - thermals in the telescope, thermals in front of the telescope, unsteady atmosphere, body heat radiating into the line of sight, etc.
Eyes on the Sky thank you a lot for your help i thought the telescope i ordered (orion sky quest xt8) would have a blurred view as it has a central obstruction because its a reflector but that would only affect the contrast if in high precentage as you said. appreciate it :)
Hello, I'm looking to buy a amateur telescope, but being on a very limited budget I can't afford a real nice one. I'm looking into one that has a price that I can handle, But sense I'm new to all of this, I thought I would ask the experts what they think about the one I below. I'll give the specs so you'll know what I'm looking at. Please let me know what you think. Thank you very much for the help..... Optical design: Reflector Objective lens diameter: 114mm Focal length: 1000mm Highest practical power: 200x Eyepieces included: Super 10, Super 25, 2x Barlow & 6x30 finderscope Mount type: Equatorial
Hi Roger. I really have no idea what to suggest about the telescope you listed specs for - often the optical design of 1000mm reflectors is of the poor Bird-Jones design, and they can be put on wobbly mounts and inadequate tripods. But I don't know without seeing the scope (link?). In any case, what I would suggest is taking a look at the post I wrote in the r/telescopes sub-reddit of the website reddit.com - it will give you a good idea of the best options out there to consider in a variety of price ranges. You can find the post here: www.reddit.com/r/telescopes/comments/2f0goy/for_anyone_posting_what_telescope_should_i_get/
Here is a link so you can give it look. If think this one would be good enough to view some stars and such, please let me know. Thanks. I will use your link as well. I find all this very interesting.... www.amazon.com/Rokinon-114mm-Reflector-Telescope-Tripod/dp/B002ILOI0C
Roger Sayers Hi, unfortunately, that is a "Bird Jones" design. It uses an inexpensively produced, very-fast mirror and a cheap lens to "extend" the focal length. It is also undermounted, and the tripod is VERY thin and wobbly. These look like good ideas, but are often not made well, and done cheaply. I've looked through several designs like this, and I've never seen acceptable views through them (and I am far from the most discriminating observer). I think you would be disappointed with this type of telescope. If you do want a short telescope on an equatorial mount, I'd suggest a Celestron Astromaster 130EQ instead. I know it's more expensive than the Rokinon, but there's a reason for that (it's better). If your budget won't allow, look at the other options I posted on reddit. Hope that help!
Hello again, and thank you so very much for helping me here. I did look at the Celestron Astromaster 130EQ, and I like that one, so that one is the one I'm thinking I will purchase. If you don't mind, I would like to ask another question. I have seen that some people can take photo's through their scope. Is there some kind of mount that one has to have to mount the cam to the eye piece, or is the cam just held to the eye piece on the scope ? I did read all the features about the scope that you suggested above, but I didnt see anything regarding taking photos through it. So, have you any thought about this ?
Roger Sayers Hi Roger; good call on the scope. As for astrophotography, I got that question a lot, so I wrote a blog post about it. Check it out here: eyesonthesky.com/Blog/tabid/80/EntryId/52/Amateur-astronomer-beginners-and-astrophotography.aspx
I'd say the Orion XT4.5 is a solid choice. Easy to use, not too hard to collimate and is forgiving if slightly off, plus has decent wide field views and long enough focal length for good magnification up to 225x.
You can see almost everything I highlight in my videos with a telescope that size. Search through them to get an idea of what you can see. Remember darker skies help, but almost everything should be visible in some way. Photos... hmmm. The Moon, and perhaps Jupiter and Saturn, using your cell phone. For stars and nebula, you really need to invest well north of $1,000 for a bare bones astrophotography set up.
@eyesontheskyDOTcom hi i wanna buy a telescope thank you for the video, which of the 3 do you like the most and why, id like your opinion to for advice thanks!
is Celestron power seeker 127eq is a good buy or starblast 4.5 , I wanted to see both planets and nebulae.please give me some suggestions or tell me some good telescope between 150-200 dollars and the good focal ratio to view both planets and nebulae
If you want to get the Powerseeker, I would highly recommend to upgrade the eyepieces and not to use the 3x Barlow or get another higher quality Barlow. The eyepieces that come with the powerseeker ain't that good and I would recommend to upgrade them to a plossl or any other eyepiece. I have the powerseeker and I upgraded the eyepieces to plossls and they really did enhance to power of it.
i have celestron powerseeker 70az telescope.but when i look through Venus it appears to be a circle with a line on it.can you say why it is like that.reply fast pls
I bought a refractor because there is too much light around the house. I have to walk 5 minutes to a city park, so the weight matters. I don't want to strain my back and neck which are already fragile. I want a quick set up, and don't want to spend 20 minutes to adjust a reflector's mirrors in the dark. When viewing through the scope, I think wearing an eye patch on one of the eyes may make viewing easier. It becomes tiring to force an eye to close all night.
Pigeon Productions Maksutovs have a different type of corrector (front lens) and secondary mirror than a Schmidt Cassegrain. The difference lies in the optical design, and now they each bend/bounce the light so it focuses properly. Its easier for manufacturers to make smaller Maksutovs and larger Cassegrains.
Doesn't have to be all that costly! A really nice 6" f/8 Dobsonian telescope that will show you a LOT of the universe is under $300, and add two decent eyepieces for $60 to $80 each and you're still under $500 for a telescope that can last you for decades. It gets pricey when you want to start taking photos.... LOL.
So which is best ? if you live out side of a city [over 300mile] , just want the ‘ normal planets and star systems to photograph for hobby. Don’t care about weight or portability just focus quality!!! Thanks 🙏🏼 I
A Schmidt or Maksutov Cassegrain would be a good option. Need lots of aperture to get planets well though, because a Barlow lens is typically necessary to get the needed amplification of the image on the camera sensor.
I was tinking of 2 telescopes dobstan and a eq and for eyepieces mabey a kit but there so many types of telescopes and so many brands to choose from what do you recamend
Almost any 8" Dobsonian telescope from any manufacturer is likely going to be a decent telescope. I personally like Explore Scientific's eyepieces right now.
8 years later and this video is still very useful! Thanks for this series!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I was just thinking the same thing I probably first seen these videos a decade ago and I still come back to freshen up
i work with David in urban Astronomy and I must say...he has raised the bar and now the standard for all astro vids.
Don't ever stop man....!
ISRO
Unbelievably, there are people (like me) who need the basics laid out in this style. Now, I'm still interested and will watch another one of your clips. Thankyou, very helpful......
TriffidGrower - when we (myself and partner) were looking for our first telescope around 4 years ago we watched all of David's telescope basics videos as well as a lot of Astronomy and Nature's vids. They not only helped us to understand the basics (well me), but helped us to make a choice. We went for an 8 inch Celestron Schmidt Cassegrain with go-to and an alt azimuth mount and we love it. We had a gift of several hundred pounds towards the scope or we would've gone for a Dobsonian, as the Celestron 8SE is a bit pricey for a first scope IMO.
I still return to these videos when I need a little refresher and always learn something new - I now understand AFOV and TFOV after today's re-watch.
What we didn't take into enough consideration when buying was that too much magnification (without enough light gathering/aperture) can actually be a disadvantage when trying to find and view some deep sky objects - especially those that cover large areas but aren't bright: a focal reducer/field flattener can help with this and will be our next purchase.
A good pair of binoculars and a tripod or p mount is a good alternative to a scope that many overlook - I actually prefer looking at the Pleides and Andromeda with my 20 X 80 binoculars - but then again - the Celestron gives views of the planets, or the trapezium in Orion, that are truly outstanding. Good luck with your first scope if you buy one - you won't regret it.
Also check out Thunderfoot's vids on choosing a telescope.
@@honeychurchgipsy6 Thankyou. I'm still dithering of course. My first scope will probably be my last, as I'm now retired and have time to 'tinker' that i didn't have before. Truth be known, I'm very happy just looking up, but if I have a device I expect to learn much about the heavens, just in order to aim it. Any enhancement will be a huge thrill. Thanks for your advice.
@@triffidgrower - You sound like a true sky watcher who loves just sweeping the sky and trying to identify objects. I'm the same, and on a recent trip to Dartmoor (around 160 miles from home), where the skies are really dark, I had my best astronomy experiences with the naked eye.
Standing out on the moor in the early hours of the morning - new moon - so really dark sky, when suddenly the sky cleared and everything jumped out at me. There was a three dimensional quality to the sky, and thousands of stars began to shine and twinkle, and the Milky Way was clearly visible: I felt quite overwhelmed. A good book or two on the sky might help you learn where things are - the late Sir Patrick Moore wrote a few, and also created the Moore Winter Marathon - a list of objects to find with the naked eye and binoculars (he lived at Selsey just up the road from me)
Why not go for a good pair of binoculars as you still get the experience of sweeping the sky, that is lost with a powerful scope? You'll need a minimum of 10 X 50's to see the moons of Jupiter (and a steady hand or a tripod), and anything much larger than 10 X 50's will really requires a tripod or p mount. Good luck and sorry for the long post !!
I'm re-watching these short videos as a refresher to telescopes and astronomy . I find them entertaining and easy to follow along to.
This really helped me understand how a reflector and refractor telescope works for my physics test tomorrow! Thank you! Fingers crossed I do well!!
Did you do well?
Just now getting back to my lost love... astronomy... I am lown away by the quality of Eyes In The Sky episodes... but I refuse to think this is a non-professional production. The first episode I found explained in detail and pragmatic terms "the equatorial mount"; that was about two weeks ago, now I finally bought my scope (still putting it together) and using Mr. Fuller's videos to guide and prep me... need to catch the collimation episode.
The point is: we (fledgelings) can be very thankful to have this guy host the web site and put these videos together. He obviously prepares, and cares deeply a out the quality of his products... which we benefit from... anyway enough brown-nosing. Awesome, cery educational. Thank You.
And no, dear readers, I did not pay Mr. Archer to say any of that, nor do I know him personally either. So thank you, kind sir, for the very kind and generous compliments.
I need to get going on that collimation video here soon... (I did one "try" at it, but wasn't satisfied with how it looked, so I'll try again here soon, hopefully!)
Hey, thanks for the questions. I don't do a lot of astrophotography myself, mostly because I"m not very good at it, and it takes way more time (and patience!) than I have most nights. I'd suggest checking with some of the astronomy forums like Cloudy Nights or Stargazers Lounge and ask there. The people who do that more often will have great suggestions based on your needs and budget. Cats can do fine at visualizing faint/small objects, it's just a matter of working within it's limitations.
Hi David Fuller - I want to say your basics videos are really excellent short and to the point. Thank you for taking the time to do them.
pipe-organ thank you!
Eyes on the Sky good good stuff
Hi David, I live in a city, with a terrific open roof. I bought and returned a 6SE which i was unhappy with for lack of contrast, difficulty getting sharp focus, and it would merger stars that I know are binary. I have decided to go in the refractor direction. I would like to start off with planetary astrophotography and also go for deeper objects when I can travel. I have been looking a 4 inch APOs. How much difference do you see APOs made in the US vs over seas? How big a difference is there between an 80mm and a 105mm in terms of performance? Do you have any thoughts on this scope which I am “eyeing”. Thank you! www.stellarvue.com/stellarvue-svq100-3ft-astrograph/
THANKS MAN! you have inspired me to look into a lost hobby i had as a child, and understanding the basics of telescopes makes it all more simple
well that sure explains a lot. i've mounted a Tasco binocular on a wooden with C clamps. crude, but effective enough to see jupiter fairly ok.
this is really great, and helpful, but i think it would be even better if you visually showed what the type of optical differences the telescopes had... for example--if there is less light, does that mean it's dimmer? if so, show me what that might look like
I like reflectors because they provide the most aperture for the money. I don't mind the cooling / diffraction issues, and I like that fact that they do not cause chromatic aberration. Coma can occur in shorter focal length ones, but it doesn't bother me, and better eyepieces can overcome that. My favorite telescope is a 6" f/5 reflector on an German equatorial mount, so if you have a $600 or $700 budget, that's my recommendation. If it's less, a 6" or 8" Dobsoninan is a good alternate.
Thank you friend, I am new with this adiction, and looking for what telescopes is best for me, you help me a lot, my english is not good but I understood all because you speak very clearly. Thank you again , I'll be looking for more videos from you. Jaajaja now you have a new amateur astronomer fan with 52 years old. TKS
Very helpful, thanks. It's Sunday so i'm going to watch these all in a row :) Liked and subbed.
Thank you Gary!
@@Eyesonthesky My pleasure, great intro series, i'll be sure to point beginners to it. I'm in the process of getting one of those P8079HP night vision tubes working with a scope, they amplify light by 100,000 times! I've tested it in the garden and it all works so the next step is to hook it up to the scope somehow. Obiously it makes faint stars very bright, although everything is green and has a bit of a shimmer to it, apparently that can be fixed with filters.
a GREAT series!
You're welcome - glad you enjoy them, and thanks for the nice comment! Be sure to check out my weekly videos where I show how to find objects in the sky too.
Your a natural teacher! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with all of us. I just got the Celestron Nextstar se8, WOW! is it ever impressive to an amateur like me! I am trying to figure out how to get my Canon d7 camera and video hooked up to it. I can't wait to see Saturn, Neptune, Mars and all the other wonderful stars and planets in our galaxy. I'm like a 45 year old kid...
Bought a used reflector. Thanks for providing me details of its advantages and disadvantages.
You might want to mention in the Cons for Reflectors and Catadioptrics that collimation or alignment of the secondary and primary mirrors is required periodically for best performance. It is not too difficult but not usually required on the Refractor.
Michael Ryzner I beg your pardon?
I've never heard of Omegon, so I can't comment on that brand. Skywatcher and Orion will both be comparable in quality (decent to good). I have personally had very good experiences with Orion's customer service, which for some people is a deciding factor, even if they never need to make use of it.
Very helpful concise video for a newbie like me! Thank you!
You're very welcome!
Hi David,
Watched all your videos as intro.
Thanks for the star chart and resources online. I am must starting out using a Celestron 15 X 70 set of binoculars. I am in Brooksville, FL which I believe is about 28 degrees north. Still having tough time seeing Andromeda but may be just training my eye. Tried using lines from Cassiopeia, etc.
Last night, Feb 11 I was out at just after sunset. Tried Stellarium and a few resources to find out an answer before emailing. In my East and West sky just after the sun dropped down I saw objects one on top of the other on both the East and West horizons. Are these the planets since we are near the Ecliptic? Any help is appreciated.
Tom Cannon
Brooksville, FL
You're welcome - thank you for the nice comment!
Wonderful video. Thanks David! New follower here.
Thank you Gary! Enjoy the Celestron scope - you should be able to see a lifetime's worth of objects with it.
Refractors may be unobstructed, but you were working with a compromised 6" design. More aperture will allow you to push greater magnification without image breakdown. You will be limited to a max of about 175x with a 90mm telescope. A good 6" telescope with a high quality mirror at an f/8 focal ratio can easily net you 250x to 300x on "good" nights of seeing. If planetary viewing at high magnification for larger image size is what you want, a 90mm scope is not necessarily the best choice.
Hi David,
Wondered if you `d give your opinion on this please, i`m considering on buying an above basic scope and mount mainly for astrophotography and whittled it down to this set up according to my budget...Skywatcher Evostar 80ED DS-Pro & HEQ5 PRO, what do you think? many thanks!!
Really well presented and informative video. Thank you!
Great help, I can see big difference from earlier work
Hey I'm thinking about buying a new telescope, and I have these two options:
A 70mm refractor (f=900mm), that comes with 4, 10 and 25mm eyepieces and a 3x barlow
And a 150mm reflector (f=1200mm), that comes with 10 and 25mm eyepieces.
I think both of these have good prices, but wich one is better to see things like star clusters & nebulae?
Most definitely the 150mm reflector.
What is best for looking at planets, stars, and objects that are closer to earth and will provide the best resolution & contrast?
Thank You
your videos are very helpful in my physics class! Thank you so much
David, I recently bought my first telescope, the Celestron 127EQ telescope, within my budget like 91Lifetime23, is this considered a GOOD telescope?
Hi David,im thinking of buying a orion funscope telescope.What do you think about it?Could i see planets and even deep-sky objects,not only the moon?
Thank you so much - that's very kind of you to say!
Excellent video! I am using this in my astronomy class today.
Yay! Thanks so much! Just out of curiosity, where?
Eyes on the Sky I teach high school astronomy in Southern CA.
Great to know - thanks again!
Excellent Video! Thanks!
@eyesontheskyDOTcom thanks but $600 is too much for my bodget i was thinkng something from 200 and less, what do you thinks about this telescope is called Celestron AstroMaster 114 EQ Reflector Telescope, here is the description about it, whats your opinion? thanks!
Not likely - that telescope design uses a very fast spherical mirror; the corrector lens (ideally) helps correct for some of the aberrations that occur in such a fast system (though because the lenses are inexpensive, they don't necessarily always do it well). The aberrations would be even worse without it, assuming it would even focus. I think you're better off leaving that system intact. Glad my videos helped! Clear and dark skies....
Great videos! Really helped me out
Which one would b best for beginners?
Yes, different magnifications are achieved by using different focal length eyepieces.
Thanks best guide yet
greatly apretiated
Thanks now I want all three
I'm not a fan of the Bird-Jones style of reflector. I'd rather you save up a bit more and get the Astromaster 130 EQ instead, as it is a true f/5 instrument with no "corrector" lens in it.
Very useful thanks ☺️
Hi David I am a beginner in astronomy so I bought 70mm eqiutorial mount telescope and lost my counterweight is it ok without it and 70mm good size for planets? and thank you :]
Catadioptrics: Pro: Good light grasp, Con: Greatest light loss... I'm confused
+InterJon1 Easy to make in larger sizes, so the light grasp is still good in that no one makes 2" or 3" catadioptrics.. However, because of the light loss through the lenses and mirrors, a larger aperture may be needed to get the same light throughput as other telescope types. Aperture is more than just about total light, it is also related to resolution.
I haven't seen in written anywhere, but from what I gather a faster model of reflector telescope is a shorter focal length and wider telescopic field of view. Is this correct? Faster as in faster to find the object in the main telescope's eye piece?
What's a good telescope for Astrophotography? Nothing too special, just normal moon/planetary or if possible bright galaxies/nebulaes pictures. I already have a DSLR and if I am not wrong I need T-ring and T-adapters to connect it to a telescope, right? Which telescope will suit this purpose the most?
+Vedant Pratap Singh Jadon Yes, you will need a T-ring and a T-adapter. Try calling companies like Celestron or Orion and ask what they would recommend. Generally, a refractor is better for viewing moons/planets, and reflectors are best for galaxies and nebulaes. Reflectors are also better for photography I believe.
Check out videos on digiscoping, you won't regret it, use the SLR for terrestrial photos.
A lot. Somewhere north of a dozen right now, but I have owned many more in the past.
Im planning to buy my first telescope Sky Tracker 76mm reflector.. Would u recommend it.
The mount for that telescope is very small which will make it hard to track smoothly. Also the tripod looks very lightweight that will cause vibrations and wobble. A small tabletop style Dobsonian like this might be better for you: www.telescope.com/FunScope-76mm-TableTop-Reflector-Telescope/p/103112.uts
You're welcome; I am glad that you were able to understand my English! Keep your eyes on the sky. :-)
Thank you for the nice words; I appreciate you taking the time to post a comment. :-)
Hello sir...what would be batter to have between celestron 80 mm (f-900) & meade 102mm (f-600) for both view celestial & terrestrial. I'm also puzzled with both brands and puzzled also because meade 102 has bigger aperture then celestron 80mm but celestron 80mm has some more magnification then meade 102. is it possible to raise magnification of meade 102 ??...Actually I got this name 'MEADE' firstly while celestron, orion like names everyone knows. waiting for u with thanks.
Man you really helped me
Thanks
My favorite part: 2:23 - briliant!
Excellent... Thank you.
How to add magnification the telescope?is changed the eye piece with smaller lense?or ??
Is there any Exit Pupil Amplification in the Telescope or Binoculars market? Just like Digital camera has lense digital Amplification too.
Is that u means, Bigger magnification Eyepieces 66deg/40x=1.65deg FOV. Also plus
your Exit pupil will also drop down from 80mm Lense size/40x = 2mm Exit pupil left.
Is that correct? 2mm Exit pupil + 1.65deg FOV left? "How to see it in that way?"
What would you say is a good first telescope/binoculars that would be about £100 or $110 ? Something with good magnification and not too hard to use I'm thinking.
Orion Telescopes Funscope and add a 3x barlow.
@@Eyesonthesky Thank you Sir
Yes, both left to right and up/down.
all my respect for you Eyes on the sky
Love it! Thank you!
Girlfriend bought me a starter scope for xmas, now my daughter is wanting to find stars to watch. Incredibly frustrating not to be able to see things from the start. Hoping this series helps.
Please let me know if you have any questions. The series isn't intended to answer every possible question, just a lot of the most commonly-asked ones.
I'm ordering a Orion 8-inch dobsonian telescope today. Is there anything I should know?
DeathNote 7 everything in these Telescopes Basics videos is going to give you a good base of knowledge for such a scope.
Search my UA-cam channel for my Funscope/Firstscope review comparison. Should answer all your questions, since I'm limited on characters here. A Google search for "Funscope review" should probably bring up my website's review page pretty high in results as well.
Thank you.
Great video, thanks for the 411.
+eyesonthesky i was wondering if the central obstruction would have any effects on the image focusing like would this make what you see blurred ? and if yes what is the best telescope for a detailed view with no blur in it i know this would not be possible but i appreciate any help you can provide
+Mohamed Elhamy The central obstruction does not blur the view. It simply can reduce contrast, but this is only noticeable if the obstruction is 20% or greater than the diameter of the aperture, and really isn't much of an issue until it is 30% of the aperture. So really, any telescope can provide detailed views, but there are many other issues that can cause a telescope to be blurry - thermals in the telescope, thermals in front of the telescope, unsteady atmosphere, body heat radiating into the line of sight, etc.
Eyes on the Sky thank you a lot for your help i thought the telescope i ordered (orion sky quest xt8) would have a blurred view as it has a central obstruction because its a reflector but that would only affect the contrast if in high precentage as you said.
appreciate it :)
Great videos!
Do the Dec and R.A. clutch need to be lock down on an equatorial mount before using thehand control to slew the telescope. Thanks
Yes.
Thanks dude! 👍🏼
Thanks Man! You are great!
Hello, I'm looking to buy a amateur telescope, but being on a very limited budget I can't afford a real nice one. I'm looking into one that has a price that I can handle, But sense I'm new to all of this, I thought I would ask the experts what they think about the one I below. I'll give the specs so you'll know what I'm looking at. Please let me know what you think. Thank you very much for the help.....
Optical design: Reflector
Objective lens diameter: 114mm
Focal length: 1000mm
Highest practical power: 200x
Eyepieces included: Super 10, Super 25, 2x Barlow & 6x30 finderscope
Mount type: Equatorial
Hi Roger. I really have no idea what to suggest about the telescope you listed specs for - often the optical design of 1000mm reflectors is of the poor Bird-Jones design, and they can be put on wobbly mounts and inadequate tripods. But I don't know without seeing the scope (link?). In any case, what I would suggest is taking a look at the post I wrote in the r/telescopes sub-reddit of the website reddit.com - it will give you a good idea of the best options out there to consider in a variety of price ranges. You can find the post here: www.reddit.com/r/telescopes/comments/2f0goy/for_anyone_posting_what_telescope_should_i_get/
Here is a link so you can give it look. If think this one would be good enough to view some stars and such, please let me know. Thanks. I will use your link as well. I find all this very interesting....
www.amazon.com/Rokinon-114mm-Reflector-Telescope-Tripod/dp/B002ILOI0C
Roger Sayers Hi, unfortunately, that is a "Bird Jones" design. It uses an inexpensively produced, very-fast mirror and a cheap lens to "extend" the focal length. It is also undermounted, and the tripod is VERY thin and wobbly. These look like good ideas, but are often not made well, and done cheaply. I've looked through several designs like this, and I've never seen acceptable views through them (and I am far from the most discriminating observer). I think you would be disappointed with this type of telescope. If you do want a short telescope on an equatorial mount, I'd suggest a Celestron Astromaster 130EQ instead. I know it's more expensive than the Rokinon, but there's a reason for that (it's better). If your budget won't allow, look at the other options I posted on reddit. Hope that help!
Hello again, and thank you so very much for helping me here. I did look at the Celestron Astromaster 130EQ, and I like that one, so that one is the one I'm thinking I will purchase. If you don't mind, I would like to ask another question. I have seen that some people can take photo's through their scope. Is there some kind of mount that one has to have to mount the cam to the eye piece, or is the cam just held to the eye piece on the scope ? I did read all the features about the scope that you suggested above, but I didnt see anything regarding taking photos through it. So, have you any thought about this ?
Roger Sayers Hi Roger; good call on the scope. As for astrophotography, I got that question a lot, so I wrote a blog post about it. Check it out here: eyesonthesky.com/Blog/tabid/80/EntryId/52/Amateur-astronomer-beginners-and-astrophotography.aspx
Any advice on an Orion reflector? I don’t know which one to buy there’s so many. I’m looking for one anywhere between 150-250 dollars.
I'd say the Orion XT4.5 is a solid choice. Easy to use, not too hard to collimate and is forgiving if slightly off, plus has decent wide field views and long enough focal length for good magnification up to 225x.
Eyes on the Sky I’m really trying to shoot for a nebula of some sort, good pictures of the moons craters, and stars. Is that out of its range?
You can see almost everything I highlight in my videos with a telescope that size. Search through them to get an idea of what you can see. Remember darker skies help, but almost everything should be visible in some way.
Photos... hmmm. The Moon, and perhaps Jupiter and Saturn, using your cell phone. For stars and nebula, you really need to invest well north of $1,000 for a bare bones astrophotography set up.
Eyes on the Sky thank you once again. Man I love this channel
You're welcome!
awesome..new to the hobby, will be following you..thanks..
Thanks
@eyesontheskyDOTcom hi i wanna buy a telescope thank you for the video, which of the 3 do you like the most and why, id like your opinion to for advice thanks!
is Celestron power seeker 127eq is a good buy or starblast 4.5 , I wanted to see both planets and nebulae.please give me some suggestions or tell me some good telescope between 150-200 dollars and the good focal ratio to view both planets and nebulae
If you want to get the Powerseeker, I would highly recommend to upgrade the eyepieces and not to use the 3x Barlow or get another higher quality Barlow. The eyepieces that come with the powerseeker ain't that good and I would recommend to upgrade them to a plossl or any other eyepiece. I have the powerseeker and I upgraded the eyepieces to plossls and they really did enhance to power of it.
i have celestron powerseeker 70az telescope.but when i look through Venus it appears to be a circle with a line on it.can you say why it is like that.reply fast pls
Wat about FL-1100 and D102 Reflector for watching moon and galaxies.
I bought a refractor because there is too much light around the house. I have to walk 5 minutes to a city park, so the weight matters. I don't want to strain my back and neck which are already fragile. I want a quick set up, and don't want to spend 20 minutes to adjust a reflector's mirrors in the dark.
When viewing through the scope, I think wearing an eye patch on one of the eyes may make viewing easier. It becomes tiring to force an eye to close all night.
What is the difference between Maksutov and Schmidt cassegrains?
Pigeon Productions Maksutovs have a different type of corrector (front lens) and secondary mirror than a Schmidt Cassegrain. The difference lies in the optical design, and now they each bend/bounce the light so it focuses properly. Its easier for manufacturers to make smaller Maksutovs and larger Cassegrains.
Thanks!
Oh no, I feel a new, costly hobby about to begin..I better do some heavy research before buying my first telescope
Doesn't have to be all that costly! A really nice 6" f/8 Dobsonian telescope that will show you a LOT of the universe is under $300, and add two decent eyepieces for $60 to $80 each and you're still under $500 for a telescope that can last you for decades. It gets pricey when you want to start taking photos.... LOL.
OH NO!!
anyways
@@seany621 geez
Yes.
what telescopes do you own?
Is a celestron powerseeker 70az good for looking at planets?
Most likely, I haven't used it so I can't be sure,but Celestron doesn't make shitty products
in terrestrial viewing doesn't good , but in astronomical viewing doesn't change much
So which is best ? if you live out side of a city [over 300mile] , just want the ‘ normal planets and star systems to photograph for hobby. Don’t care about weight or portability just focus quality!!! Thanks 🙏🏼 I
A Schmidt or Maksutov Cassegrain would be a good option. Need lots of aperture to get planets well though, because a Barlow lens is typically necessary to get the needed amplification of the image on the camera sensor.
Do you guys think celestron astromaster 70mm is a good telescope?
No.
Until 200 what do u advise?
@@Diogom1917 ua-cam.com/video/eZt6eepJNac/v-deo.html
What type of image a Newtonian telescope create
Reversed left to right and inverted up and down.
Is your brother or dad Calhoun Fuller????
My future wrk.... If I have luck, definitely I ll meet u ✨
Cool
THUMBS UP!
I was wondering what is the best telescope and eyepeces for 1000$
There are so many variables and options in that price range, it is really hard to say.
I was tinking of 2 telescopes dobstan and a eq
and for eyepieces mabey a kit but there so many types of telescopes and so many brands to choose from what do you recamend
Almost any 8" Dobsonian telescope from any manufacturer is likely going to be a decent telescope. I personally like Explore Scientific's eyepieces right now.
ok thanks
The Catadioptric telescope is not the most expensive per inch. That accolade falls to the apochromatic refractor
Well I hope you'll forgive me as this video was made about 10 years ago when there was a different market.
@@Eyesonthesky I just noticed that! Sorry 😞
@@Astronurd it's ok, no worries. Most of what is included in the video is still accurate. But it is old and there's a thing or two that's out of date.