كما أنني مصور فلكي هواة في ستوكهولم، اشتريت مؤخرًا تلسكوب NexStar 127SLT مستعملًا لمواصلة شغفي بمراقبة النجوم. جاء التلسكوب مع عينات بطول 25 مم و 9 مم، والتي قدمت رؤى ممتازة لبقع القمر وشكله الجبلي. ومع ذلك، أقوم الآن باستكشاف ما إذا كان من الممكن رؤية كائنات سماوية أخرى من خلال هذا الأداة.
مع وجود تلوث ضوئي كبير في ستوكهولم، أتساءل إن كنت قادرًا على ملاحظة كائنات سماوية عميقة مثل ضباب أوريون مباشرة من خلال العينات، أو ما إذا كانت هذه الرؤى ممكنة فقط من خلال التصوير الفلكي. كما قرأت أن قمم الثلج على المريخ يجب أن تكون مرئية باستخدام هذا التلسكوب، لكن محاولاتي حتى الآن قد أظهرت فقط نقطة ضوء صغيرة بدون أي تفاصيل. تشعر العينات المضمنة بأنها محدودة في مجال الرؤية، مما يجعلني أتساءل إن كان من الممكن تحسين تجربتي المرصودة من خلال إضافة عينات إضافية ورؤية المزيد من التفاصيل في هذه الأهداف السماوية.
أتفهم تحديات التلوث الضوئي في ستوكهولم جيداً، حيث واجهت صعوبة مماثلة في رصد سديم الجبار من مدينة مضيئة. نصيحة من تجربتي: حاول استخدام عدسة عينية ذات مجال رؤية أوسع (مثل 32mm) لالتقاط أجرام السماء العميقة الباهتة بشكل أفضل، فقد ساعدني ذلك على تمييز السديم بشكل مباشر دون حاجة للتصوير الفلكي. هل جربت تعديل فتحة العدسة أو استخدام مرشحات ضوئية لتحسين رؤية المريخ؟
As a fellow amateur astronomer with the same telescope, I find its high focal length and relatively small aperture make it surprisingly good for observing faint, distant objects in detail.
After purchasing the scope, I added an inexpensive set of eyepieces, including a 40mm Plössl that lowers magnification and widens the field of view. This makes it easier to view larger objects like the Andromeda Galaxy and helps keep them centered in the frame.
I’m also experimenting with astrophotography using a camera and stacking software. While I haven’t had much success yet, I’m enjoying the learning process. I plan to add a focal reducer to reduce magnification and minimize guiding errors. Using the scope on a friend’s equatorial mount made a noticeable difference in stability compared to the original mount, so an EQ mount is my next planned upgrade. This should allow for longer exposures and help compensate for the challenging focal ratio.
Despite its limitations, I really enjoy using this telescope. From my light-polluted backyard, I’ve spent time observing the Hercules cluster, watching more stars gradually come into view. It’s even more impressive at a dark site, so I’d recommend looking for a local star party if possible.
While I haven’t seen Mars’ ice caps, I have clearly observed Saturn’s rings and, on nights with excellent seeing, even the stripes on Jupiter.
This telescope is a Maksutov-Cassegrain design with a long focal length—1500mm in this case. That makes it excellent for viewing the Moon and planets with high magnification. As you noted, the field of view will be quite narrow, but online tools can help you calculate it with different eyepieces.
You can also observe double stars, which appear as single points of light but split into two or even three stars through the telescope. Globular clusters are visible as well, provided you’re in an area with minimal light pollution.
Galaxies will likely be difficult or impossible to see, as they’re extremely faint and this telescope’s F/18 focal ratio isn’t sensitive enough to capture them. Telescopes always involve a trade-off between focal length and focal ratio.
A few bright deep-sky objects, such as the Orion Nebula or Andromeda Galaxy, may be visible depending on your local light pollution levels.
I have this telescope among others. You can see the Orion Nebula with it, as it’s the brightest nebula, but it won’t look like photos. The Ring Nebula is another easy-to-find bright nebula, though it’s much smaller than Orion.
Mars is only close to Earth for about two months every two years. Right now, it’s about five times farther away and appears five times smaller than at its closest, so there isn’t much to see currently. When it’s close, you can make out ice caps and surface variations. Saturn and many of its moons are visible now, and Jupiter will be in a few months.
Double stars are great targets for this scope. Start with Albireo, which is well-positioned and one of the most famous. There are thousands of double stars if you enjoy them.
Open clusters are viewable, but many brighter ones are large enough that you’ll only see parts at a time. Globular clusters are visible too, though they may appear as gray smudges under moderate light pollution. You can also see the core of the Andromeda Galaxy, but it will look like a gray fuzz.
Thank you for all the suggestions! I’ll look into them and try observing other objects besides the moon. I did manage to get a nice photo of it yesterday using my iPhone through the eyepiece.
Do you have any recommendations for mounting a camera on the telescope? Holding it by hand wasn’t ideal.
Also, should I invest in additional eyepieces now, or is it better to get more familiar with the telescope first?
Thank you for the detailed list!