dweller25

This is the latest review i can find.... astromart.com/reviews-and-articles/reviews/telescopes/cats/show/gso-8-inch-true-cassegrainian

@PhoTenix Hello and welcome to SGL. Having read through this thread and considering your situation I would point you towards the already mentioned Skywatcher 130mm Dobsonian, as long as you can view from the side of the telescope..... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html Here’s a review.... http://telescopes-for-sale.co.uk/reviews/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube-dobsonian-telescope-review/ It is very light and compact, easy to move but will show you the major bands on Jupiter, the great red spot and 4 of Jupiters moons. Saturn and it’s rings will also be visible. Next year you will be able to catch Mars - some surface detail may be seen along with a polar ice cap. The Moon will reveal a lot of detail. The Orion nebula and the great Andromeda galaxy will also be visible in this scope. And that’s just for starters..... It’s within your budget too - New 🙂 Also as already mentioned - download Stellarium - a free planetarium. “Turn left at Orion” is a very good book that may interest you. Good luck with your choices.

Personally I think I would prefer the DC/DF over the DZ as they are a little lighter. On the other hand the DZ sliding dew shield makes it a little easier to transport. Don’t think there is much in it though either way ?

Rutger Hauer - Bladerunner

@Ags You have summed it up nicely. I would add that I wrapped my C6 with 2 layers of reflectix, the views are now much more stable and the corrector takes significantly longer to dew up.

I think it’s great that imaging has grown, I really enjoy seeing the results. I started off purely visual then moved to planetary imaging but after a while felt a bit detached so moved back to visual but tried to draw what I saw.....

My precioussss 😜

Hello Karen and welcome to SGL If you can find one of these they are very good all rounders..... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html Or you could just pop along to your local astronomy club ? Binoculars are good too

I have also found the Baader T2 Zeiss prism gives me the best views 👍

Thats a good range of eyepieces 👍

Yes, another vote for the heritage.... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/heritage/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html

Brilliant solution - My only experience is with a C6 which has a much smaller secondary so my hand would not fit through.

The fastar unit can only be tightened up by taking the corrector off but you need to be VERY careful. Hopefully you have a serial number on the fastar which needs to be parallel with the dovetail. If you do that make sure you mark the correctors orientation as it must go back in exactly the same position and make sure any shims holding the correctors edge go back in exactly the same way too. I’m assuming something like a tree was in the way when you took that video as the flat edge should not be there ?

👍👍👍

Another vote for the 5” reflector on an easy to use and setup altaz mount that will break down for portability...... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az5-deluxe/sky-watcher-explorer-130ps-az5-deluxe.html

Fantastic image 👍

That is superb 👍👍

I would discuss this with the supplier as it sounds like something may be wrong.

Good find - I have not seen that before 👍

You must make sure the Mak is very well cooled or the images will be poor. Once cooled do check collimation and for best results adjust if required. Even with a perfectly cooled and collimated scope Jupiter and Saturn are very low at the moment so will not show much detail. Mars is back next year and will be quite high......

You are right - I deliberately try to observe the planets in twilight as the sky seems steadier and contrast is a little better than when it gets dark 👍

That all sounds normal to me. As you have found, it is better to use the 26mm for deep sky objects as they are large and diffuse. The Moon and and planets will allow higher magnifications as they are brighter. Enjoy your telescope.

Tak quick release bracket....Standard Skywatcher finder shoe with feet filed off and small semi circle filed in to fit the Tak bracket. Standard Skywatcher finder and holder

Here's what I did.....

I would also suggest an 8” Dobsonian. They cool quickly are easy to set up and give great views of the planets, Moon and deepsky objects too. They are also the best value for money telescope you can buy. First Light Optics are a good supplier. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html Also download Stellarium for your computer - a very good planetarium program - and it’s free