At 9:56 AM -0700 4/14/98, Antonio Otero wrote:
>...
> 3. did a quick tour of Messier objects up in the sky right now...all
>disappointing

As others have said, don't expect them to look like the pictures from Keck.
The trick is to see as much detail as you can with your instrument. Be
patient; you can see a lot more than you might think initially.

>...
>How do I
> know if they are double stars gravitationally bound together

You don't. It takes careful measurement over many years with professional
equipment. But if you just want to know the answer, check Burnham's
Celestial Handbook.

> 6. no planets up now...when is a good time? When do I see Jupiter, Saturn,
>& Mars?

You can see Jupiter and Venus if you look just before sunrise. But it will
be better in the Summer.

> 7. moon partly ruined my night vision even with a moon filter (Meade's)
>just made
> my eyes feel like I was looking into the sun

That's normal. But don't let it turn you off to lunar observing. Most
amateur astronomers seem to think the Moon is just light pollution. But
especially if you live in a bright sky location the Moon is a wonderful
object to explore with your scope. It is different every night. And full
of fabulous detail. Get a copy of Rukl's Atlas of the Moon. And see
http://www.seds.org/billa/psc/lunam.html
and http://www.best.com/~akkana/moon/hitchhiker.html

> 8. Bought the Lumicon UHC filter for nebulas but it just seems to darken
>things

You need a really dark site for the UHC filter to be useful.

>... rough knowledge of the sky.

You will learn the sky. Study and be patient. Learn the major
constellations and the brighter stars. When your scope has found something
for you look along the tube to see about where it is pointed. After a
while you'll get to know where things are.

>10. The Alignment charts on the manual are POOR. Where can I get better ones
> outside of star charts and PC programs which are very difficult to match
> up to the metro area NYC sky? Perhaps some charts that just reflect the
> alignment stars...

You could use Starry Night
http://www.seds.org/billa/StarryNight/sn.html
and its database of LX200 alignment stars.

>...
>13. What's the double star in the handle of the Big Dipper?

Mizar (zeta Uma). The dimmer companion is known as Alcor. Mizar itself is
actually a double, too. Check it out!

>... Couldn't get the
>field command
> to give me an idea

The field command works only on non-stellar objects :-(

>14. How much do I affect collimation with every time I move the scope from
>my room
> to my deck (have to disassemble and reassmeble)?

Probably not at all. LX200s stay collimated very well. You probably ought
to check your collimation every once in a while, though, just to make sure.

>...

I strongly recommend you get in touch with your local amateur astronomy
club. You will find lots of friendly people willing to help you. The Net
is great, but personal interaction is better :-)

---
Bill Arnett "Science is a way of trying
San Jose, CA USA not to fool yourself." -- Feynman

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