Saturn through my telescope

[LiNuX]

As some of you may know, I love astronomy, recently picked up astrophotography as a hobby and this is one of my first shots through my scope. It's not the best (or even my best shot) but in this shot you can actually see three of Saturn's moons and what I believe to be an asteroid on the bottom right side. It's not a satellite, another planet, or a star for sure, and it shows up in almost every shot of Saturn.

The image dimensions are huge so I didn't embed it, here is the link:

Saturn Image 1 (http://www.naztronomy.com/oldsite/wp-content/gallery/saturn/img_6960.jpg)
Saturn Image 2 (http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/Saturn2.jpg)
Saturn Image 3 (http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/Saturn4.jpg)
http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/Saturn5.jpg

Moon:


Blue Moon (http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/BlueMoon1.jpg)
La Luna (http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/Moon1.jpg)
http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/Moon8.jpg
Crescent Moon (http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/crescent_moon1.png)

Stars:

http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/StarField1.jpg
http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/Arcturus1.jpg
http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/Altair1.jpg
http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/starfield3.png
http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/starfield2.png


Supermoon:

http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/supermoon1.jpg
http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/supermoon4.jpg
http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/supermoon5.jpg

Mars:

http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/mars1.png

Jupiter:

http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/jupiter8.png

Telescope:
http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/telescope6.jpg

[BlackEyedJester]

How... do you even take a picture through a telescope?
Noob question I know

[Jayhmmz]

That's amazing, nice picture! I love looking at space pictures, it's mind-bogglingly awesome. Crazy how you can make everything out.

[Jaykub]

I saw you posted this on Facebook a few hours ago, it's amazing to look at.

[LiNuX]

How... do you even take a picture through a telescope?
Noob question I know

Adapter for my DSLR. Goes right into where the Eyepiece goes.

Will take pics and videos of my set up later and post it. My setup is no where close to being good because I'm lacking filters and I only started, but eventually.


That's amazing, nice picture! I love looking at space pictures, it's mind-bogglingly awesome. Crazy how you can make everything out.

I actually have shots where you can see the spacing between the rings and Saturn, I don't have those up yet, trying to process them now to show some of the color. Saturn looks much better when viewing it through the telescope eyepiece, it loses some detail when you take a still shot.
I actually didn't think my stuff was good enough to pick up Saturn's moons but that part was awesome for me. I'm assuming they are moons because they were in every shot (that picked them up) at those exact positions around Saturn.


I saw you posted this on Facebook a few hours ago, it's amazing to look at.

Yeah it is. Trying to make it a weekly thing where I go to the beach about 30 miles from the City. Last night was the first time I took shots with my setup.

[Jayhmmz]

I actually have shots where you can see the spacing between the rings and Saturn

Oh my goodness, gief! :D

[LiNuX]

Oh my goodness, gief! :D

http://www.naztronomy.com/wp-content/gallery/saturn/img_6995.jpg

You can make out the spacing there. But you can't see the moons and the asteroid on the right is dim.

I need to figure out what to do to make it more colorful (besides getting filters).

[Jayhmmz]

http://www.naztronomy.com/wp-content/gallery/saturn/img_6995.jpg

You can make out the spacing there. But you can't see the moons and the asteroid on the right is dim.

I need to figure out what to do to make it more colorful (besides getting filters).

That's pretty damn cool! I'd be chuffed to bits with that shot. Nice!

[thedeparted]

This is very cool linux. How much your telescope cost?

[LiNuX]

This is very cool linux. How much your telescope cost?

Telescope was $800, $100 for the power tank, the camera is $700.

Not a cheap hobby, but I saved for a while to be able to get these things, and I'm still not done. I recently bought a zoom lens, set of 4 filters, and a barlow lens, which is another $150 total. I still need to get a Solar Filter for the June 5th Venus Transit.

And I have to travel about 30 miles out to be able to see properly because the light pollution in NYC is killer. I went to the roof last week, had a hard time looking at Saturn, couldn't take any pictures, and couldn't even properly align my telescope because it wasn't picking up too many bright stars in the sky. I had to get a Stargazing permit for $30 for the state parks in Long Island.


edit: Also forgot the Camera adapters, which is $50 more.

The camera was actually bought as a multi-purpose camera. I don't use it solely for Astrophotography, I wouldn't have spent almost the same amount as the telescope. I was thinking about picking up other forms of photography as another hobby.

[LiNuX]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8143/7331119728_ec55d48256_b.jpg

Here is the Sun through my scope using a homemade solar filter. It's a bit fuzzy because I took the shot through cloud cover. The sun peeked out for about 10 minutes and I took about 4 dozen shots, this is one of my better ones.

I was testing this out before the Venus Transit on Tuesday. Can't miss that one because the next one is in 2117.

Here is another just before the clouds came back and covered it up:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7073/7331123582_fdd55ac23c_b.jpg

[Trunks]

Very cool stuff, looking forward to the pictures of Venus. Astronomy has always interested me too, was thinking about majoring in it, but the job field is basically nothing.

[Mizel]

Wow, that's amazing. I'm actually surprised at the cost of everything. I expected it to be way more.

[LiNuX]

Saturn Image 2 (http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/Saturn2.jpg)

There is another Saturn picture I took. Took that one last night, it was my third time out going for astrophotography at night, this time I was on my roof.

Getting better but still need more practice. I know my set up time has improved greatly since my first time out.

[Mizel]

Gorgeous. That is an *amazing* shot Linux! :}

[Trunks]

nice, how come no stars are showing?

<-- knows nothing about photos in space

[LiNuX]

nice, how come no stars are showing?

<-- knows nothing about photos in space

I have to take planets with a fairly quick shutter speed, for stars you need longer shutter speeds to catch their light. They actually show in that image but since Saturn is so prominent, you can't see the small dots of light.

The actual size of the image is 5100x4800 pixels, at a 100%, you can actually make out stars in the background but they're still dim.

I didn't upload the full size cuz it's a huge image and I only have so much space on that account. And you can actually make out stars in the first image I linked to in the opening post when you open it as a full image. As a result you can see 3 of Saturn's moons, an asteroid, and Saturn itself looks really bright and blurry.

Still working on my technique in astrophotography, will definitely share more.

[LiNuX]

Here are some shots of the Moon I took earlier tonight:

Blue Moon (http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/BlueMoon1.jpg)
La Luna (http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/Moon1.jpg)

Have a few more in my Lunar Gallery: Naztronomy :: Lunar Astrophotography (http://www.naztronomy.com/lunar.php)

Going through more of the pictures that I took.

[LemonRising]

Lovin them moon pictures.
Amazinggg pictures

[LiNuX]

My best shot of Saturn so far: Saturn Image 3 (http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/Saturn4.jpg)

Can actually see some color, I wonder what it would look like if my sky wasn't glowing from the city's light pollution.

[Mizel]

Is it really hard to find the planets?

[thedeparted]

My best shot of Saturn so far: Saturn Image 3 (http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/Saturn4.jpg)

Can actually see some color, I wonder what it would look like if my sky wasn't glowing from the city's light pollution.

thats really amazing

[LiNuX]

Is it really hard to find the planets?

Not really. I mean, at first could take some getting used to but you just look for the brightest dots in the sky.

The telescope I use is a computerized telescope, so once I align it, it can find everything for me. It has a database of about 40,000 objects which is nuts.

I can find the 5 inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) without using the telescope's computer because they stick out quite nicely in the light polluted city. They are one of the very few objects that get through all the lights so they're easy to spot.


thats really amazing

Thanks :) I have more filters coming to help with all the noise and excess light. Wonder how it's gonna look then.

[Mizel]

Not really. I mean, at first could take some getting used to but you just look for the brightest dots in the sky.

The telescope I use is a computerized telescope, so once I align it, it can find everything for me. It has a database of about 40,000 objects which is nuts.

I can find the 5 inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) without using the telescope's computer because they stick out quite nicely in the light polluted city. They are one of the very few objects that get through all the lights so they're easy to spot.



Ah, ok. I figured it had something to help you find everything. Very nifty :]

[LiNuX]

I haven't been out stargazing in some time but went back this past Sunday and it was amazing. Great weather and went with great friends, here are a few shots that I took.

General Star Field, the night sky was littered with stars like this, probably had the most visibility of any night that I've been out:
http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/StarField1.jpg

The 4th Brightest Star in the Sky, Arcturus. This was about a 10 second exposure and you can see that a lot more light was collected from Arcturus compared to all the stars in its direction:
http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/Arcturus1.jpg

My next goal is to capture a shot of the Andromeda Galaxy, it has finally come out since I got my telescope and I need to capture it!

[TheGateKeeper]

Wow that's amazing man. Have you seen any aliens yet? XD

Always wondered how they take those photos, thanks for clearing up for me.

[Mizel]

Love your pics. Im jelly of your scope :P

[LemonRising]

You definitely have to let us know if you see any little green men running around ;p

Your pictures continue to amaze me Linux.

[LiNuX]

Thanks Lemon :)

My Next outing is planned for Oct 28th, hopefully weather complies.

I've been trying to expose more people to the wonders of the universe and so far I've taken about a dozen different people. From this forum, I believe only Blackleo has gone. If anyone lives in NYC or is Visiting, feel free to let me know if you're interested in going to one of my stargazing parties (more like a nerd night out under the stars).

[LiNuX]

Haven't updated this thread in a while but I did go back out stargazing a few more times. I updated the first post with a few more pics:

Supermoon:

http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/supermoon1.jpg
http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/supermoon4.jpg
http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/supermoon5.jpg - This one caught a random Airplane trying to pass by the moon, I took the shot a second too early, it's right on the edge.

If you were wondering what my Telescope looked like:
http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/telescope6.jpg

[mmoraven]

Amazing Pictures Linux!!
I love how you can see the impact craters of the moon.

[LiNuX]

Here are some shots that I took last night, not my best work:

Saturn: http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/Saturn5.jpg
Altair: http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/Altair1.jpg
Moon: http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/Moon8.jpg

[JukeboxRoxy]

That's really cool! I didn't realize 'astrophotography' existed for non-scientists. LOVE your picture of the Blue Moon. Intense!

[LiNuX]

Just adding a couple more shots to my collection:

Mars, my first shot of Mars! It's not super awesome but I'm happy, you can see the polar ice caps.

http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/mars1.png

Best shot of Jupiter I've made so far:

http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/jupiter8.png

[Trunks]

It's pretty cool that you can see the ice caps.

I wish I had the money for a decent telescope.

I' surprised you didn't get any pictures of the Lunar Eclipse last night. I couldn't see it because of the cloud cover though, was pretty disappointed.

[Mizel]

Love the picture Jupiter! :)

[LiNuX]

It's pretty cool that you can see the ice caps.

I wish I had the money for a decent telescope.

I' surprised you didn't get any pictures of the Lunar Eclipse last night. I couldn't see it because of the cloud cover though, was pretty disappointed.

My first telescope was an $80 from walmart which I sold on Ebay for $80 about a year later to help pay for my current scope. You just need something to get started with and with enough motivation, it's a downhill roll.

It was cloudy here too. No chance of the eclipse, it was actually very foggy, then it started to rain. The next one is in October.


Love the picture Jupiter! :)

Thanks :D I was surprised at the quality, but randomly found it in my 1000 or so other blurry pictures I took. This jupiter shot is actually 3 frames stacked on top of one another.

[LiNuX]

Adding a few more, first time out in 6 months, life doesn't give me much free time anymore:

http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/starfield2.png
http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/starfield3.png

http://www.naztronomy.com/images/portfolio/fullscreen/crescent_moon1.png

[Trunks]

Very cool picture of the Moon, that's it. I'm getting a telescope for myself during Christmas time.

[LiNuX]

Very cool picture of the Moon, that's it. I'm getting a telescope for myself during Christmas time.

Someone else I know bought a telescope 2 weeks ago because of this lol. He was supposed to go stargazing with me on Saturday (the day I took the moon pic) but he canceled.

I helped someone from work buy one a few months ago.

My first telescope was this $80 one from Walmart. And they have really decent ones for around $200. Let me know if you need help finding one!

[Trunks]

Yeah, I probably better start with around 100ish just in case I hate it. Would you suggest I get a reflector or a refactor telescope for that price range? I'd prefer one that would fit in my car, 3 feet at max probably (sports car probs.) I'd like to take pictures too, so maybe 200 if I could get a decent one able to capture some images of the closer planets; Plus star constellations as well, but I use to do that with a pair of binoculars and an atlas. That would keep me happy for now. Keep in mind I live in the country, so I could definitely find some really low lit areas to use it. Does that sound doable for 100-200 dollars?

Also curious, can you see actual galaxies or star clusters with your telescope? Also how much is the one you currently have now.

[LiNuX]

Yeah, I probably better start with around 100ish just in case I hate it. Would you suggest I get a reflector or a refactor telescope for that price range? I'd prefer one that would fit in my car, 3 feet at max probably (sports car probs.) I'd like to take pictures too, so maybe 200 if I could get a decent one able to capture some images of the closer planets; Plus star constellations as well, but I use to do that with a pair of binoculars and an atlas. That would keep me happy for now. Keep in mind I live in the country, so I could definitely find some really low lit areas to use it. Does that sound doable for 100-200 dollars?

Also curious, can you see actual galaxies or star clusters with your telescope? Also how much is the one you currently have now.

The higher the aperture, the more expensive the telescope. Aperture is the opening which the light goes through, refractors offer a MUCH better quality when viewing, but is much more expensive for the same aperture as a refractor. Refractors have very good quality, don't get me wrong, but you'll notice that at the edges, it's not as clear as the center.

Bigger the aperture, the more light it lets in, the more stars you can see. So there are pros and cons of both. Bigger aperture is generally better for photographs, if you don't mind blurry edges, then a refractor may be a better choice (just crop them out).

I have the best of both worlds, something called a Catadioptric telescope (also called a Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope), it uses the long body idea of a refractor as well as a mirror of a reflector. And these are pretty expensive. The one I have is a NexStart 6SE. Right now the price is $800 for one of these, I think I paid the same amount almost 3 years ago, the price of these things don't go change often. This is a computerized telescope, and once aligned, it finds stuff for me without effort. Here is a set of pictures of mine: Naztronomy :: My Telescope Setup (http://www.naztronomy.com/telescope.php)

I don't use the base tripod and computerized mount that came with that thing. I actually have a separate mount that I bought because it offers a different type of alignment, making it easier to track objects easily. (Alignment of a telescope is a whole different lesson in itself, if you want to know more, I can say more). The mount I have is called Advanced VX. Also another $800.

I haven't been out enough to hunt for too many galaxies, but I can see Andromeda pretty well, but I suck at taking pictures of it, one day, I will take a nice one and post! I can also see star clusters. But living in (and around) NYC is terrible, the quality is so bad, especially when taking pictures.

Now the taking pictures part. There are two ways. First is if you're using a point-and-shoot camera, you'll need a special mount that pretty much holds the lens in front of the eyepiece and focuses. I've seen people make it at home easily, a premade/professional one costs about $50: Orion SteadyPix Deluxe Camera Mount | Orion Telescopes (http://www.telescope.com/Astrophotography/Camera-Adapters-T-Rings/Orion-SteadyPix-Deluxe-Camera-Mount/pc/-1/c/4/sc/62/p/5338.uts)

I use a DSLR (another $800 at the time, it seems to be my magic number). I have a ring and an adapter that lets me easily mount the camera into my telescope. The ring and adapter is fairly cheap (less than $10 total). But you need a DSLR for this.

Third way to take pics is a DIY camera made out of a web cam. Believe it or not, webcams are pretty good for this, you just have to remove the focusing lens and find some way to mount it into the telescope's eyepiece area. I made two of these before I could afford by DSLR. Very shoddy quality but I took some of my first pictures of the moon using it (they are not found on my website because of the poor quality. Web Cams with CCD chips work best. I bought one for around $10 on eBay years ago for my old refractor. I was so happy when I was able to see craters on the moon with it. Beyond the moon, it takes a lot of processing and steps to take pics of further objects. I don't have pictures of anything other than the moon with the webcam. Of course for this, you'll need a laptop too, to take the pics, unlike a point and shoot or DSLR camera which works by itself.

I wrote a lot even though you didn't ask for this information, but to sum up, here are my recommendations for around $200:

- Reflector telescope (since you live in the country, the bigger aperture will do wonders, the blurry edges aren't a big problem imo).

- Reflectors are also more compact so less worries about fitting them into your car. Although refractors are skinny, they can get pretty long. I used to take all my stuff in my old Corolla trunk, didn't have a lot of room, but these things usually come apart pretty easily (tripod, scope, eyepieces, etc.) so storage shouldn't be too much of an issue, even with low trunk space. Right now, I have 2 luggage that I use to store my scope and the mount. The tripod is by itself, I have a camera bag, a bag with all the accessories (Lens, filters, etc.), and a tripod just for my camera for pictures without the telescope. Altogether my stuff weighs over a hundred pounds. Since I live in an apartment (11th floor), it's hard going places with them.

- I'd recommend getting a reflector with a tripod/mount that does Polar Aligning, it's generally called a German Equatorial mount. If your scope isn't computerized, tracking will be done manually, Equatorial mounts mean that if you align properly, you'll only have to track the star on one axis (x-axis just for reference), as opposed to two axis which can get difficult. That's why I bought another $800 computerized mount, the original mount didn't come with a German Equatorial, I needed something that can track better.

- For pictures, if you want to use just a point and shoot, I'm sure you can find cheaper versions of the attachment I linked above, or if you're handy, build it yourself. I tried building myself an equatorial mount piece for my old tripod, but lack of time and laziness just motivated me to save some money and get a whole different mount.

- When buying a telescope, NEVER buy one that advertises how much "zoom" power it has. Never buy based on that, they're usually low quality that focuses on its "zoom" rather than actual viewing quality. Most don't telescopes don't zoom in and out. The zooming is done usually by changing eyepieces (I have multiple eyepieces, including one that changes the zoom on the eyepiece, cost me about $60).

I think I answered everything lol. Let me know if you want to know more.

I was actually thinking about driving out to Ohio (or somewhere in that area of States) in a couple of weeks, I have a 4 day weekend, I just wanted to get in my car and head west and just set up somewhere for a couple of nights. Know any places that'll let me stay overnight? I currently have permit that lets me stay in any of the NY State Parks.

[Trunks]

The higher the aperture, the more expensive the telescope. Aperture is the opening which the light goes through, refractors offer a MUCH better quality when viewing, but is much more expensive for the same aperture as a refractor. Refractors have very good quality, don't get me wrong, but you'll notice that at the edges, it's not as clear as the center.

Bigger the aperture, the more light it lets in, the more stars you can see. So there are pros and cons of both. Bigger aperture is generally better for photographs, if you don't mind blurry edges, then a refractor may be a better choice (just crop them out).

I have the best of both worlds, something called a Catadioptric telescope (also called a Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope), it uses the long body idea of a refractor as well as a mirror of a reflector. And these are pretty expensive. The one I have is a NexStart 6SE. Right now the price is $800 for one of these, I think I paid the same amount almost 3 years ago, the price of these things don't go change often. This is a computerized telescope, and once aligned, it finds stuff for me without effort. Here is a set of pictures of mine: Naztronomy :: My Telescope Setup (http://www.naztronomy.com/telescope.php)

I don't use the base tripod and computerized mount that came with that thing. I actually have a separate mount that I bought because it offers a different type of alignment, making it easier to track objects easily. (Alignment of a telescope is a whole different lesson in itself, if you want to know more, I can say more). The mount I have is called Advanced VX. Also another $800.

I haven't been out enough to hunt for too many galaxies, but I can see Andromeda pretty well, but I suck at taking pictures of it, one day, I will take a nice one and post! I can also see star clusters. But living in (and around) NYC is terrible, the quality is so bad, especially when taking pictures.

Now the taking pictures part. There are two ways. First is if you're using a point-and-shoot camera, you'll need a special mount that pretty much holds the lens in front of the eyepiece and focuses. I've seen people make it at home easily, a premade/professional one costs about $50: Orion SteadyPix Deluxe Camera Mount | Orion Telescopes (http://www.telescope.com/Astrophotography/Camera-Adapters-T-Rings/Orion-SteadyPix-Deluxe-Camera-Mount/pc/-1/c/4/sc/62/p/5338.uts)

I use a DSLR (another $800 at the time, it seems to be my magic number). I have a ring and an adapter that lets me easily mount the camera into my telescope. The ring and adapter is fairly cheap (less than $10 total). But you need a DSLR for this.

Third way to take pics is a DIY camera made out of a web cam. Believe it or not, webcams are pretty good for this, you just have to remove the focusing lens and find some way to mount it into the telescope's eyepiece area. I made two of these before I could afford by DSLR. Very shoddy quality but I took some of my first pictures of the moon using it (they are not found on my website because of the poor quality. Web Cams with CCD chips work best. I bought one for around $10 on eBay years ago for my old refractor. I was so happy when I was able to see craters on the moon with it. Beyond the moon, it takes a lot of processing and steps to take pics of further objects. I don't have pictures of anything other than the moon with the webcam. Of course for this, you'll need a laptop too, to take the pics, unlike a point and shoot or DSLR camera which works by itself.

I wrote a lot even though you didn't ask for this information, but to sum up, here are my recommendations for around $200:

- Reflector telescope (since you live in the country, the bigger aperture will do wonders, the blurry edges aren't a big problem imo).

- Reflectors are also more compact so less worries about fitting them into your car. Although refractors are skinny, they can get pretty long. I used to take all my stuff in my old Corolla trunk, didn't have a lot of room, but these things usually come apart pretty easily (tripod, scope, eyepieces, etc.) so storage shouldn't be too much of an issue, even with low trunk space. Right now, I have 2 luggage that I use to store my scope and the mount. The tripod is by itself, I have a camera bag, a bag with all the accessories (Lens, filters, etc.), and a tripod just for my camera for pictures without the telescope. Altogether my stuff weighs over a hundred pounds. Since I live in an apartment (11th floor), it's hard going places with them.

- I'd recommend getting a reflector with a tripod/mount that does Polar Aligning, it's generally called a German Equatorial mount. If your scope isn't computerized, tracking will be done manually, Equatorial mounts mean that if you align properly, you'll only have to track the star on one axis (x-axis just for reference), as opposed to two axis which can get difficult. That's why I bought another $800 computerized mount, the original mount didn't come with a German Equatorial, I needed something that can track better.

- For pictures, if you want to use just a point and shoot, I'm sure you can find cheaper versions of the attachment I linked above, or if you're handy, build it yourself. I tried building myself an equatorial mount piece for my old tripod, but lack of time and laziness just motivated me to save some money and get a whole different mount.

- When buying a telescope, NEVER buy one that advertises how much "zoom" power it has. Never buy based on that, they're usually low quality that focuses on its "zoom" rather than actual viewing quality. Most don't telescopes don't zoom in and out. The zooming is done usually by changing eyepieces (I have multiple eyepieces, including one that changes the zoom on the eyepiece, cost me about $60).

I think I answered everything lol. Let me know if you want to know more.

I was actually thinking about driving out to Ohio (or somewhere in that area of States) in a couple of weeks, I have a 4 day weekend, I just wanted to get in my car and head west and just set up somewhere for a couple of nights. Know any places that'll let me stay overnight? I currently have permit that lets me stay in any of the NY State Parks.

Wow, there are so much more to telescopes than I originally thought, I appreciate taking the time to type this, infidelity helped my understanding of everything. but glad I asked because I didn't even think about needing an equatorial mount or anything. Guess I forgot the earth moved/spun lol, but definitely sounds like a necessity for a beginner.

Taking pictures seems a lot more difficult then I originally imagined, so that will be something to think about after I get a telescope. Not very good with picturing things in my head, have to see what I'm looking at first. Will probably go the Webcam route with a laptop at first just until I get the hang of everything.

Your telescope looks nice, weird how it's diameter is almost longer than it's length. Using the information use gave, definitely narrowed down on my search for what I'm looking for. For now I'm settled on this one, little higher than my price range but I think it's worth it. Orion SpaceProbe 130 EQ Reflector Telescope | Orion Telescopes (http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/Reflector-Telescopes/Reflector-Telescopes-with-Equatorial-Mounts/Orion-SpaceProbe-130-EQ-Reflector-Telescope/pc/1/c/11/sc/341/p/9851.uts)

It's definitely nice that telescopes don't drop in value much, makes selling and upgrading seem more worth it. As for locations around here, I would have no idea. I mean there are some camp sites, but don't know of any places that would let you for free. I didn't even know you could buy such a permit, that is pretty neat though.

Thanks for all the help though, it really helped.

[LiNuX]

My scope's length is small because it uses internal mirrors that pretty much doubles the length of the light traveling. The diameter is more important because it lets more light in. Length has to do with how far it can see but that can usually be controlled using the eyepieces.

That Orion scope is pretty nice. One of the guys I helped bought this one: Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ (http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-31045-AstroMaster-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B000MLL6RS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412487884&sr=8-1&keywords=celestron+reflector)

It's cheaper, also a German Equatorial mount, and he's pretty happy with it so far. The Orion one is 250mm longer in length, so it allows you to see a bit further, but the Celestron lets you see a wider field which makes manual tracking easier. To be honest, I don't know how much of a difference the 250mm would make in terms of the field width. But it's something to consider because that's pretty much what the price difference is.

I actually looked up some camp sites around Columbus that'll let me in for a pretty cheap price. The permit I get in NY is $30 yearly, so it's not bad at all. And I have access to 6 or 7 state parks in Long Island.

Taking pictures is pretty difficult, I'm still learning. I still haven't been able to take good pictures of deep sky objects yet because it's more about technique than the actual equipment. But Equipment does help. If I find one of my webcam modifications, I'll show you how I set it up so you can have an idea. Definitely one of the cheaper ways to do it and it actually works.

Glad I could help! I could talk about this stuff for hours. So feel free to ask more. I'm no where close to being an expert at this stuff, these are just things that I slowly picked up over the years through research and curiosity.