Daniel_J

For sure, here in Liverpool it's been really cloudy for a week or so causing me to be impatient and looking at the moon during the day. I think its the asphalt radiating heat during the day causing turbulence making the moon appear relatively blurry.

Thank you, that guide looks amazing so I’ll definitely try it tomorrow when i get the chance. The moon definitely looked a lot sharper today when I was viewing it. Possibly due to better viewing conditions.

Thank you! I’ve been meaning to do a star test but it’s been cloudy for a week now and I’m very impatient so I’ve just been viewing the moon in the day when it’s mostly clear. I did do a star test a while ago and it looked similar to that picture so I think it was just my viewing conditions. I think through the collimation cap the mirrors seem aligned but I do need to do a star test asap.

Yup. Of the ep’s are stock from the skywatcher 200p. The 25mm view is just slightly blurry but the 10mm view is pretty blurry. I see wayyy more detail in the 25mm than the 10mm because the 10mm just looks too blurry when I’m viewing.

Hi, thanks for your reply. I don’t have a Cheshire, only a collimating cap. Everything appears circular and concentric through the eye piece but it’s hard to look through a pinhole so I don’t see very much. I am using a 25mm eye piece. I gave my telescope an hour to reach equilibrium to the temperature outside. My telescope was on concrete looking straight above. (The moon is quite high in orbit currently). I did see less more detail the more I looked. I got a couple pictures of the moon through the telescope through my phone by just holding it up to the ep which I think don’t really do it justice and I also drew on some circles to my previous image.

Hi, I’ve been observing the moon in the day and no matter what I do it feels like I just can’t find that perfect focus. I’ve researched and people say it’s mainly down to collimation. Here is the view I see through my collimation cap, my focuser is backed all the way out:

This is where I was when looking through my telescope, I will definitely try again when the sky clears up now that I have a better understanding. Thank you!

Thank you so much! They are some very helpful diagrams. Looking at them, I was very very close to finding it. I think what threw me off was the fact that the image through my finder scope is inverted so I was moving the scope the wrong way. I’ll have another go when the skies clear up here. I can’t wait to find it! Sombero galaxy is definitely up there with one of my favourites, a long with the whirlpool galaxy that is very good for viewing right now here in the UK.

Thank you all for the replies! Very helpful, pretty sure it’s just one of those seeds that likes to fly around. Was just a little concerned because I know pollen can really damage a mirror if left there for a long period of time. Completely of topic here: how do I locate sombrero galaxy and will I be able to see it with an 8inch Dob in bortle 5/6 skies? I got very close to locating it yesterday but just couldn’t pinpoint it disappointingly. Any tips from observers that have managed to locate it before?

Will keep it in mind, just love my things to be in tiptop shape. Convinced it’s not a scratch because of its weird pattern. Almost looks like a toddler drew a very wobbly “x” on the mirror. Pretty sure it’s just a seed.

Thank you very much! I decided to repost because the other one had bad grammar and lacked detail. Thank you so much though!

Hi, I have an 8inch sky watcher telescope I bought a few days ago. I love it! I’m very happy I picked it. however when observing yesterday night I did a flash light test on the mirror stupidly revealing all of the mirrors dirt. Well unsurprisingly I saw a little. I love to keep my stuff pristine, phone, Mac everything. when looking down the tube I noticed a scratch like thing that reflected different colours of light. Initially I thought it was a scratch but looking at it closely it looks like a dandelion seed. The white little seed that you see flying around occasionally. It’s stuck to the mirror as I tried rotating it round and it wouldn’t move. I’m just wondering if it’ll cause any harm. You can clearly see it below the primary mirror centre circle. Any answers would be most appreciated. Thank you.

Bought my newtonian reflector a few days ago. First scope. Below the primary mirror seems to be a hair/ scratch just below the primary mirror. I am anxious it is a scratch and want to know if it'll effect viewing. Its visible in varieties of light.