Astronomical Refractor Telescope
astronomical telescope advice plz!?
I got a star 70060 starter astronomical telescope from telescopeplanet.co.uk for christmas and i need some advice on how to get the best results from it, it’s a
60mm Refractor Telescope with
3 Eyepieces (SR4mm, H12.5mm, H20mm, 1.5X erecting eyepiece & 3x barlow Lens)
which is the best lens combination to view the planets in the night sky? all i’ve managed so far is a view of the crescent moon and the REALLY bright star that’s visible beside it just after dusk, anything else is blurry and impossible to get in focus any kind of help would be ace as i really want to get some use out of this wonderful present!
any advice on things to look out for too would be great! 
many thanks in advance
Your scope will ideally support a maximum magnification of around 120x; that would depend on the quality of the optic and the prevailing conditions.
We should begin by losing your barlow lens and your erecting eyepiece. They are useless and the quality on these (provided with cheap starter scopes) is usually so low that they would be useless on any scope, of any size.
Then you should adjust your finder scope so that it is aligned with your main scope. Just aim the main scope at some conspicuous target (like a sign or tower in the distance, and adjust the finder until it points at exactly the same spot. You have a very poor excuse for a finder; but, if you align it correctly you should be able to get some help from it. The finder serves as a wide angle targeting device; the idea is to get it close enough so that you can see the object in the main tube.
Once you get that done, insert your diagonal into the focuser, and then your 20mm eyepiece. This should yield around 35x which is plenty to make out the brighter planets. Also, be aware that objects which are higher up in the sky will look much clearer then those near the horizon; you have to cut through more atmosphere when looking at the lower angle.
Today, both Jupiter and Mercury were very low on the Western Horizon at dusk; the season for Jupiter has passed and we will not be seeing much of it again until again until late spring. Mercury is Always an elusive target; it is never more then 15 degrees or so from the Sun. So, unless you have installed a full aperture solar filter, you are limited to catching periodic glimpses of Mercury at dusk or dawn.
Venus was that very bright star like object that you saw near the Moon, it will be back again tommorow, so you will have another chance to look at it. At 35x you should be able to make out what looks like a tiny version of our Moon during first quarter. If you look closely, both mercury and Venus go through phases.
Saturn comes up from the due east at around midnight. The ring alignment right now is at a right angle to us so they are edge-on to us. At 35x you should be able to see a small sphere with a line through it; if not, switch to the 12.5mm eyepiece and try it again at 56x. If the conditions are right you will see Satirn’s giant moon Titan as a small point of light out beyond the end of the rings.
As you wait for Saturn to climb to a good position, you can turn your scope toward Orion. The Nebula is bright enough to be seen as a dim grey cloud with a 60mm; you should also be able to make out Trapesium, the four bright stars that sit as a tight little square right in the middle of the nebula.
Clear Skies!
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