Telescope Definition and 517 Threads

Can I use a shaving mirror on reflecting telescope as a primary mirror??

Hi. I am wondering what kind of light sources are used if one is using a fiber to do a single point source or artificial star calibration on a telescope? Any commercial ones can do if anyone knows one.

I've had a Meade DS 114 for a while. My kids dismantled it and apparently a piece is missing. The focuser tube is 2"; my eye pieces are 1.25" Meade says there was a piece which adapted the 1.25" eye pieces for use in the 2" hole (which also allowed for use of 2" eye pieces I guess). My...

...and it was INCREDIBLE! Here in Gilbert, AZ (basically on the outskirt of Phoenix) by the bird riparium there's a small observatory with a 16" telescope. We went up there and looked at Jupiter, Saturn, the moon, some stars, and the moons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn. I was stunned to actually...

Hi I had posted here for some advice a couple of months ago in the past, and it was very helpful. I have yet to buy a scope; however, I am on the presently on the verge and wanted a little more advice. I have basically come down to a decision that I will bet getting one of two dobsonian...

Hello, I'm looking to build my first telescope from http://www.apogeeinc.com/product.asp?itemid=766 (PDF file). My question is this, is this a suitable guide in doing so? If not what steps should i take to successfully complete this task?

So what do you guys think of this software? Do you use it often? Like it? Hate it? By some strange chance haven't heard of it or downloaded it? Here's a link to the website: http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/ I was astronomically challenged before using the software, but it's been...

Use Kepler’s laws to determine the period of the Hubble Space Telescope which orbits the Earth at an altitude of 610 km. I'm using the equation i know to find the period of an object revolving around another object T^2=Kr^3 T^2=(4pi^2/GM)*r^3 G=6.67 x 10^-11 M=5.98× 10^24 (Mass of...

Hi, I need to build a telescope for my physics class. I need to use any 3 lenses(converging or diverging) and 1 mirror. I was thinking of using an achromatic telescope design for that. However I am not sure what kind of lenses to use and whether I should make the eyepiece from two lenses or just...

Microsoft is launching a new online virtual telescope project called Worldwide Telescope. It is an evolutionary step above Google Sky, and is located at http://www.worldwidetelescope.org. Both Google Sky and Worldwide Telescope have great potential for exploration and education in astronomy...

Hey everyone, I am thinking about buying my first scope and I am not really sure what I should be looking for and what a good deal is. I am trying to get a decent scope for not much money; I would not like to spend over 350. However if you could get significantly better images with a little...

Homework Statement Saturn is viewed through the Lick Observatory refracting telescope (objective focal length 18 m). If the diameter of the image produced by the objective is 1.7 mm, what angle does Saturn subtend when viewed from earth? Homework Equations \theta = -y'/f1, where...

Test TOMORROW PLEASE HELP ME! Telescope! Homework Statement I need serious help! I have a test tomorrow and I am having trouble with microscope/telescope questions... A person is designing a 10X telescope is limited to a length of 20 cm, what is the approximate focal length of the...

I'll take any information, I just know that Russ and Turbo have helped me before. Okay, here is the rundown: I have a really inexpensive ($150) Meade reflector telescope. Here are the specs: 114 mm primary, F=1000mm, f/8.8 I am not quite sure what the F=1000mm, f/8.8 means. Now...

[SOLVED] Telescope Resolution Homework Statement An Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) is fueled by gas and dust in a rotating accretion disk that is streaming onto a supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy. These accretion disks are typically a few pc in diameter and are best detected...

I Am Looking At A Meade Ds-2130at Goto I Don't Know Anything About Telescopes It Will Be My First Please Help If This Is Not A Good One What Should I Look For

Homework Statement On one of the shelves in your physics lab is displayed an antique telescope. A sign underneath the instrument says that the telescope has a magnification of 20 and consists of two converging lenses, the objective and the eyepiece, fixed at either end of a tube 60.0 cm...

Hi all, Do you know why the lense (or mirror) of telescope often requires that the focal lengh be rather long? What is different between a backyard telescope and a normal camera? Thanx.

hi i am completely naive when it comes to astronomy, telescopes and all that stuff. I'm looking forward to buy a telescope. What would you suggest ? I'd like to keep it under 150$. oh and ya, i just got a copy of "deepsky astronomy software" ! so i'd like to get a telescope that's compatible...

Viewing Saturn from a 6" telescope Hello I am not quite sure what resolution i am suppose to see if i look through saturn in my Orion 6" Newtonian reflector at 300X. Can anyone show me a picture of saturn from a 6" telescope that is not editted? Thank You Scott

In the same way every time we look at the stars we see the past of the universe. Can we see our history placing a extremely powerful telescope pointing towards the Earth an arbitrary number of light years away? I know that would require faster than light travel, but maybe we could shortcut...

can i use a watch glass as a primary mirror of dobsonian telescope?

how can i get the magnification of dobsonian telescope i made??

can i use a concave aluminum mirror as an objective mirror of a dobsonian telescope??

Hi I am slightly confused... Many books and website says that your telescope's useful magnification ranges from 20X per inch to 100X per inch according to the optic quality. How do i find out the optic quality and useful magnification for my own telescope? (p.s. i am using a Orion Skyview Pro 6")

Man you guys make me want to run out and buy a better telescope. Don't laugh, but I thought I was doing good with a Baytronix Newtonian. (You know the ones on ebay for a few hundred bux) I regret it now, I didn't know any better back then. What would you recommend for a budget of around...

is there anyone know how to make a parabolic mirror at home?

I am very new to this forum and even to any astronomy discussion. I have been just fascinated by it and always wanted to learn more. Just never got time. But now I feel I have to manage time otherwise I will never be able to. Anyways, I want to buy a telescope. How should I go about it. I am...

http://cgi.ebay.com/MEADE-10-STARFINDER-EQUATORIAL-TELESCOPE_W0QQitemZ250200702977QQihZ015QQcategoryZ28181QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Is this a good deal? I'm not too familiar with older telescope models such as Starfinder... now if only that was a LX200R for $350 :(

while dealing with radio telescopes how can we remove the noise and other disturbances like microwave radiation etc.

My friend has a telescope that I think is controlled with a motor. Does this kind of telescope have to be hooked up to a computer or something. Were going out to look at Mars and I don't really know anything about setting up telescopes or anything. What kind of computer program would I need...

I am plan on building a small refractor telescope about 20 cm long, i need your guys help ! 1. What len is use for Objective len and what len is use for Eyepiece len ? (how is it look like) 2. How far should i place objective len and eyepiece len apart ? 3. If i make a 20 cm long refractor...

How to make a telescope using simple steps?

I was wondering why the magnification of a telescope is not considered negative since it is inverted. I know it doesn't really matter much since all you are trying to do is get a larger image but the sign convention should still be followed I think. The book I am using is Giancoli Physics for...

A Huygens ocular is constructed of two thin lenses of focal lengths 10cm and 5cm respectively, separated by 7.5cm. The ocular is used in an astronomical telescope whose objective is 30cm to the left of the front lens of the ocular. I need to find the position of the exit pupil, and then find...

I am trying to work out the solid angle acceptance of a muon telescope. The telescope is comprised of two aligned square detector panels (of size x squared metres) set at a distance apart of L metres. The way I was initially working it out (by using the solid angle of a pyramid of base x...

I'm looking to buy a telescope for casual viewing of planets and galaxies. One I saw is an 8inch *1000mm focal length reflector type on a motorised equatorial mount with an 8*50 finder scope. Does this sound like something suitable for seeing a decent amount of lunar surface detail and the rings...

The components of a telescope are essentially two convex lenses? Out of curiosity (boredom) I am trying to figure out if the addition of another lens could make the image non-magnified. For instance, what type of lens/other would you add in order to make the image look as if you were...

Hi all, I know some men, who are amater astronomers. They made themseves reflective telescopes which can see the crescent Venus and many others in the sky. They say they make the mirrors parapolic shape although the depth of the mirror is very thin (about 1 - 2 mm). The diameters are often...

Please say me how...telescope I want to make a telescope with the magnification of more than 20 times. I want to make it in my own home. I tried to make one using two convex lenses one og focal length 100cm(objective) and other of focal length 10cm(eye piece). So according to theoritical...

Hello everyone. Giant astronomy newb here. Some background: My sons 5th birthday was a few weeks ago and I told my wife I wanted to get him a telescope about a week or so before. I did some research and basically got the "dont buy at a department store" message. My wife however was out...

Homework Statement I've been stuck on this problem for a while now, and have tried it several different ways, but with no results. I'm sure I'm missing something obvious or simply approaching it from the wrong direction. The moon subtends an angle of 0.5 degrees at the objective lens of a...

Step 1:take telescope out of box and assemble according to instructions. 2. Install Crayford focuser. 3. Collimate to the best of my ability/knowledge 4. Take scope outside and point at Jupiter 5. Become enfuriated because for the 2nd night in a row, all I have been able to see is a...

I recently read about a proposed liquid mirror telescope to be constructed on the moon. My question is one of mechanics, hence this not being in the astronomy section. My question is regarding the shape of the surface of a rotating liquid. The design will have a dish containing a thin layer...

I have been talking on this forum with some folks about telescopes and it seems that this is where I have been getting the best info. I have been looking to purchase a new scope for a couple of months now. After some research, it seems that buying something under $400 is almost garaunteed to...

AP News Tests begin on Canaries telescope http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6897293.stm

I have been looking through websites with the intent to build a telescope. I have been looking at mirrors today and there are many to choose from including prefabricated ones which I will use for my first scope. But my question is with regards to the the other non prefabricated glass...

Hey there, I am new to this particular forum. I recently picked up a Meade starting level telescope (nothing electric). I caught a glimpse of my first planet last night and it was rad! I do not know which planet it was, but I assume it was Jupiter as it had some dots around it...they were...

(ah, sorry I was not 100% sure were i should post this in the homework help or here, =/) I am building a telescope for a physics project and was wondering if anyone would be willing to help. I'm not sure were to begin but i do know (or think that I know) that I should build a refracting...

A telescope has lenses with focal lengths f1 = +25.7 cm and f2 = +5.5 cm. (a) What distance between the two lenses will allow the telescope to focus on an infinitely distant object and produce an infinitely distant image? (b) What distance between the lenses will allow the telescope to focus...