Just got a new scope...

For people new to astronomy who want to ask those questions that they were afraid to ask. Receive helpful answers here.
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chrisyeo
Posts: 1186
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2003 9:11 pm

Just got a new scope...

Post by chrisyeo »

Edwin just bought an ETX90, he asks
"hi...sorry...still a beginner...may i know whats the size of this telescope? and...what type of stuff can i see? cos i heard that diff focal length let you view diff stuff rite? "
First, congrats on getting your first scope! Hope you don’t mind that I share my answer here for the benefit of other beginners and also that others can help as well.

Size
The size, or aperture of this telescope is 90 mm. That is the size of its lens and indicative of its light gathering power.

Type
The design of the Meade ETX90 is known as a Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope (MCT). This type of design uses both lens and mirrors to achieve a large focal length in a short tube.

Focal length
The focal length is related to how much magnification you get in the eyepiece. For this scope it is about 1025 mm. The eyepiece that comes with the scope is a 27mm, so the magnification you get with this eyepiece is about 47x (1025 / 27). Different eyepieces will give you different magnifications.

What can I see?
With a 90mm aperture, the light gathering power allows you to see many of the brighter objects from Singapore. Easiest to start with are the moon and the planets. At the moment you can catch Jupiter and Saturn. At this magnification, the planets are rather tiny but some detail can be seen, while many other beautiful clusters will fit in to the field-of-view (FOV). Explore websites such as space.com and you can learn more about the sky and what things to see from them.

Cheers

Here is an example of some things I saw they first time out with this scope:
(Second) light, 24th December morning:
Condition – clear sky, no cloud, good transparency.
Mars - too small to make out features. Limited by eyepiece.
Saturn - ring and moons clear. too small to see division
Jupiter - two bands noticeable. Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto visible
M93,41,46,47,50,31(andromeda),36,37,38,44(beehive),67 - pretty.Limiting mag ~ 6
M42-Orion Neb - Shape distinct,able to split tight cluster of four stars in middle.
M45 - Pleiades - breathtaking
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Tachyon
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Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2005 11:40 am
Location: Bedok

Re: Just got a new scope...

Post by Tachyon »

chrisyeo wrote:That is the size of its lens and indicative of its light gathering power.
Or is it the size of the mirror? :?:
[80% Steve, 20% Alfred] ------- Probability of Clear Skies = (Age of newest equipment in days) / [(Number of observers) * (Total Aperture of all telescopes present in mm)]
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Airconvent
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Location: United Federation of the Planets

Post by Airconvent »

ha ha...yes...its the mirror. we all get confused between refractors and reflectors sometimes.
the etx90 is one of the best value-for-money 90mm Mak you can buy today.
the questar is better but you have to donate your arm and leg for that and the Celestron C90 just does not make it with its large central obstruction.

my recommendation for the etx is to dismantle the cumbersome forkmount as Chris and I did. it is much more portable to attach the OTA to a 410 head and 190d triopod....plus you can put the etx90 in a small camcorder bag too.
The Boldly Go Where No Meade Has Gone Before
Captain, RSS Enterprise NCC1701R
United Federation of the Planets
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