unkabin

14 minutes ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

Sounds very like the Starsense smartphone app, currently only available bundled with various manually mounted Starsense telescopes.  (Not to be confused with the Starsense camera/handset system).

VX=AVX?

Yes, something like the StarSense phone app, with mount sold as an accessory is what I would like. This would leave my lovely C8 (yes, okay, I do adore it) in its original condition including tripod and mount, and would leave most of my $ in my pocket.

And yes, I meant the AVX, but, as I cool down, I think for my use in the near future, barring StarSense or similar available as a simple accessory, I’ll hold off and maybe buy a focal reducer since I seem dead set on treating myself to something now that I’ve been using my scope more often again.

And now I have to check out for a while. I do have a job! And a wife. And kids…😄

Barring a solution that doesn't (yet?) exist, I think I may eventually be looking at the VX equatorial mount. It seems to be highly regarded for quality and portability, which is what I want. I live in town and always have to go somewhere to view decent skies.

Edit: Or maybe not now that I see that it weighs 50lbs. Why not just a phone attached to the OTA? Easy peezy, done.

Ideally, I would like to keep the mount I have, connect my phone to the OTA as a viewfinder, and have an app that guides me to push to what I want to see. Starsense seems something like this, but it interfaces with a computerized mount. And I see something like this on Orion Dobsonians with Skyquest. Why not just a cell phone with its own camera, compass, and a "push to" mode for an app such as SkySafari?

16 hours ago, Stu said:

Just one word of caution if planning on disassembling the scope. I believe the corrector and primary were orientated with respect to each other so as to optimise performance. It’s best to mark the position of the corrector so as to get it back in the same position. Same with the primary depending on how far you strip it down.

Someone with better knowledge may say this is not necessary, but until then I would certainly proceed like this.

Thanks for this. I will definitely be watching videos and reading, because other than a reasonable mechanical inclination, I have nothing.

That said, I wouldn’t turn my nose up at an equatorial mount with goto…

36 minutes ago, SthBohemia said:

Agreed 100%, 🙂 Goto is for those 2 lazy to suffer the joys of searching!! Some want mounts with so many bells and whistles, plus an array of electrical cables that would drive me suicidal... Electric focusers, strange cameras that cost a fortune connected to computers and heaven knows what else! I am obviously not into the 'imaging' craze... 🙂 Playing Picasso with computer graphics, that's what it seems to me (then again I am computer illiterate) 🙂 

Maybe a max of 3 EP's 10-20-30mm which can be thrown in ya pocket, a star diagonal, a dozen or so cans o' beer and the old faithful scope on its original fork mounting 🙂 

What more do ya need? 🙂 

We’ll, you are obviously a man after my own heart. I’ve been in your neck of the woods, too, by the way. I spent about 6 weeks in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia. A few Pilsners around a scope in the high Tatras would put a smile on my face.

31 minutes ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

The Nexstar 6/8 mount requires a Vixen (a.k.a 43mm) rail, same as that on the C5.  It's now a universal pattern used for mounting almost all smaller scopes. If that is not what is attached to the side of your C8, you will have to source another bar.  A guy in the same position of you, who de-forked his old C8, and posted about it on this forum,  managed to source a bar kit that screwed straight on.   An alternative is to buy a length of Vixen bar and use the other bar as a pattern to drill holes in it (hopefully the old bar is not too wide.)  My own C8 is attached to its bar by 3 screws - one at front and two at back.

If you end up going down a different route for the mount, larger scopes mount with a wider bar called the 'Losmandy' about 70mm wide, and some C8 OTAs are now offered with this bar as an option, which fits various of the heavier duty mounts.

Thanks for this good information. I’m increasingly leaning toward putting the nexstar mount out of my mind for now for the C8. If one fell into my lap for a good price, and I could just stick on the OTA I have, I’d still be inclined, but maybe one new good eyepiece, zoom or otherwise, and doing something with the paint issue would satisfy my GAS.

Yeah, I get it. I’m not ready or in a position to spend much right now, though, so just about any other goto mount is out of reach or just too big an investment for how much I actually get out with my scope. My choice is, either forget about a goto mount and continue with what I have, or spend $350 for a used nexstar mount. I should probably just use this C5 with its nexstar mount when I want the convenience, but I know that every time I do, I’ll wish I was looking through the C8. So I think about buying the 6/8 inch nexstar mount and maybe selling the C5. It’s a rough life…🙂

Maybe now that I’ve committed to doing something about the paint job and doing some cleaning and maintenance my desire for a shiny new object will fade.

Just to be clear, if I were to buy a used Nexstar SE 6/8 mount, it will allow me to mount this with the existing rail?

Another question now that I look more closely. My rail is 1 3/4 inches wide, but now I'm seeing that the rail on the SE is much thinner. Can I mount this with a 1 3/4 inch rail?

12 minutes ago, SthBohemia said:

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/402734-celestron-c8-registry/#entry5161309

Gives a good idea ^^ of the date of manufacture...

Yes, thanks. I did look this up, and mine appears to be 1980.

4 minutes ago, SthBohemia said:

It is actually uncommon! Ya repaint as close to original as possible 🙂  I guess you will totally disassemble the scope before the repainting? May as well give all the optics a clean when it's apart and flock the inside of the tube? With a grease and oil change it will endup good as new 🙂 

Yes, that's my plan. And this will be a learning experience so you may see more posts from me with questions about DIY maintenance. I bought the scope 15 years ago, used of course, when eBay was fairly young and buying online was a bit like the wild west. Bought it from a guy in Alaska, and it arrived with the flaking paint. I got an extra $50 refunded, but that wasn't the point. I wanted a collector's item as well as a telescope to use. Hopefully, I can get it back into good shape, but I'm a bit sad that it will no longer be in original condition. I'm already thinking about how I can preserve the "special coatings" label and reattach it after painting!🙂

28 minutes ago, SthBohemia said:

Is there some fault with the original fork mount? I adore the old Celestron fork mounts 🙂 The modified Celestron Ultima I use, stability wise, leaves the Skywatcher HEQ6 P for dead!

EP's (nobody will probably agree) but grab a Gary Russell 65mm 2"EP (I wish he still posted to overseas). They are inexpensive and are great performers.

🙂 Just love the old Celestron Orange tube scopes  🙂  I have been trying to buy one of 'em within EU just to tinker with, if nothing else they make nice ornaments!

I agree wholeheartedly. The tripod is very stable, and other than the difficulty leveling, which is by design not a defect, there is no problem with the tripod or fork mounts. And, yes, it's beautiful to my eyes, too, and I like having it set up in the corner of the living room. I enjoy using it in the same way I enjoy sailing and working with nautical charts. But using the C5SE was also a bit of an eye opener. Pretty fun to just click and go.

In another matter, I'm also dealing with a cosmetic issue. The scope is beautifully preserved internally, but the paint is flaking off. I don't know if there was a problem during manufacture, or if this is common, or if the previous owner cleaned it with something that affected the paint, but here's a photo of the other side of the tube from the one I picture above. I have it off the forks now and in flaking off the bad paint, almost all the paint is coming off. My plan is to prime and find a flat orange that matches the original as well as I can and repaint.

Okay, I took the OTA off the forks and weighed it.

With 8x50 scope and rail, it is 12.2lbs. With that and  1 1/4 diagonal and 32mm Plossl eyepiece, it is 13.2lbs.

So weight seems on par with modern C8.

I think I may buy this used SE mount. I understand they’re not great for photography, but given my budget and lack of current interest in photography, this may work for me.

I’m a touch hesitant because I like finding objects with coordinates and dialing it in. That’s always been part of the fun for me — like birdwatching, I suppose. However, I don’t like the frustration that sometimes comes in when I can’t find something. In particular, the legs on the original tripod don’t adjust beyond small screws near the head that allow slight variation to level by splaying the legs more or less (however, the legs are connected at the base with rods that interlock for stability, so movement is limited). If the surface is not nearly level, then it’s very trying to get the tripod level. And if it’s a bit off, then things can get frustrating.

Edit: to say that the tripod screws don’t really splay the legs but instead allow the head to decenter a bit as the screws are adjusted, kind of like on some Christmas tree stands, such that the head ends up sitting slightly askew. Still, adjustment is quite limited and the process isn’t fun.

3 hours ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

Could be a good deal if you trust the seller. The implied value of a new SE mount and tripod is about twice that.  Hard to price these mounts as they rarely come up.  For regular items in good condition, over here we reckon around 66% of the new price as being a fair asking price for used astro items.

Would it handle the weight of an older C8 of this vintage? I’ve never removed the OTA from the arms to know how much it weighs alone. It looks heavier than modern C8s, but I don’t know in reality. 

18 hours ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

…but the Celestron SE or Evolution mounts commonly bundled with a C8 nowadays occasionally come up for sale.

I’m seeing an SE mount and tripod for $350 on a classified. That’s in my price range. Does that seem like an appropriate price? Then there’s shipping, cost not listed in the ad.

5 hours ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

You mention you have a cheap Celestron eyepiece set. What is in it and why do you not use it? At f10 the C8 is quite tolerant of eyepieces, and a Celestron Omni Plossl eyepiece will work well.  With a decent mount you can use higher powers with a C8 and a 8mm eyepiece will be quite usable in good seeing conditions.

I would say don't buy a focal reducer. They are not cheap and are really intended for imaging.  (I have found that the Celestron f6.3 focal reducer works great with the C8 for imaging certain objects, but you don't express any interest in imaging).

Your first step should be to sort out the eyepiece question.  You really want a set of various focal lengths (but you already have a set?)

If you are looking to get an even wider field than the 32mm eyepiece gives, maybe you should just buy a widefield scope.  The alternative, if you insist, is to buy a 2" visual back, 2" diagonal, and one or more low-power 2" eyepieces, and the cost of these items adds up.

I have a further suggestion which you probably won't like. 🙂  Retire the original mount and buy the C8 the modern GoTo mount that it deserves.  It would go on any mount such as the AVX or the EQ-5 Synscan, but the Celestron SE or Evolution mounts commonly bundled with a C8 nowadays occasionally come up for sale.

Thanks for the reply. The few times I used them, my experience with the other eye pieces was probably affected by bad skies and my own unclear expectations, since I have almost exclusively used the 32mm.

Yes, a mount. Using the Nexstar caused me to look at goto mounts. The price, and to a certain extent moving away from the manual experience, caused me to wonder if there were something else I could add to my C8 that would enhance or broaden the experience. I’ll happily rule out eyepieces for now and learn to better use what I have.

1 hour ago, Peter Drew said:

A few worthwhile additions.  A dew shield (essential),  a binoviewer (not essential but great for Moon and planets), a zoom eyepiece, a fine focus adapter for the focus knob.    🙂  

Thanks for the reply. I should have mentioned that I have a dew shield. I had thought about a zoom eyepiece but wasn't sure how the image quality compares to fixed eyepieces.

New here, first post. Please forgive me if this is one of those questions that new people ask ad infinitum.

I have a C8 (1979 or '80 build) mounted on its original tripod (not shown in photo) with the original equatorial wedge. I have seldom used it for the past decade or so, but now that my son is old enough (9) and has become interested, I have found myself really enjoying it. It has an 8x50 finder scope, and I have a 32mm eyepiece, a 2x barlow, and a (cheap) Celestron eyepiece set that I've almost never used.

My question is, what would people recommend I buy next to enhance my experience?

My enjoyment is pretty simple. I like to choose what to look at from SkySafari or elsewhere and to learn about the object (deep sky, double stars, etc.). Then I try to find it using RA/dec coordinates, and then gaze at it. I enjoy the planning and learning, the search, and the reward of discovery. I also like to just look at whatever planets happen to be out or the moon (especially with my son and his friends). I don't have astrophotography aspirations.

Recommendations I've often seen as step-up purchases are:

• focal reducer
• another quality eyepiece to complement my 32mm (but what power?)
• a 2" diagonal and eyepiece?

Any recommendations are highly appreciated!

Edit: I forgot to mention that I was also recently gifted a Nexstar C5, (whose tripod the C8 is sitting shakily on in the photo), so I have a computerized scope. However, my C8 does have a rail, and I might one day be interested in mounts with goto capability.