lvan

On a manual mount I prefer EQ for moon and planets due to higher mags. I believe you can convert an EQ5 style mount to Alt Az so you’d have the benefit of both.

I wonder how many newcomers we’ve lost from the hobby due to a misaligned newtonian as a first scope.

A pipe is less maintenance than a bong, and will get used more, so it stands to reason: frac > newt

Frac would make a better pipe though…

A 4” evostar costs less than a 150p

Refractor > Reflector

All good, I’ll shut up now!

You seem set on a 4” frac but as your observing time is limited, once the initial excitement has worn off, are you certain a mid sized frac on a mid sized / future proofed mount will get more use than your dob? You already have a light bucket, why not something a bit more grab and go?

Hi there, to answer your question, an inexpensive 2x Barlow will serve you well. You can find them new for £20+. With your 10mm you will see what 150x mag is like. You can also back off a bit by removing the Barlow lens and screwing it on your 10mm eyepiece to give you around 112x mag. Likewise you can do the same with your 25mm to see what results you get on different targets. Take it slow and use what you have. When you work out what you like, and what your conditions allow, you can make a better informed decision about eyepieces to get further down the line.

Goto/tracking neither here nor there. Heavy mounts get used less. Whichever way you go, don’t get an EQ6 for a 4” frac!

I find my ED80 the ideal companion to my 10” dob. It’s excellent on lunar and planetary and comfortably rides a lightweight goto mount for tracking. When the skies clear up on a school night I never think twice about observing. I often consider upgrading to a 4inch but the additional mounting requirements limit me to my heavier non tracking mounts…currently gathering dust in the shed. YMMV but going lightweight with tracking was the best decision for me. Then I bring out the big dog for DSO’s on special occasions.

For me, it’s an ED (at least a 72mm). If not I’d consider a Mak. I have a couple of F10 achro’s laying about. You’d have to pay me to use them but I’ve been doing mostly planetary of late. YMMV.

I use this Velcro’d to my mount. Highly recommended as long as it’s within your power requirements. It powers my mount, monitor and camera with ease https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B06Y5G3C8Z#Ask

An ed80 is an excellent all rounder.

You might find this useful: You could probably skip the raspberry build and get an asiair plus if you wanted to simplify the process.

Would love to see an example of how this fits via a finder shoe. Would you mind sharing a pic of your mod please?

For your needs the closed tube table top Z130 is a good choice. With the heritage, kids (and some adults, not me of course!) could unscrew the focuser too much that the eyepiece falls out. On grass it's ok, not so hot on concrete. Also, the open tube nature will invite fingers and breath onto the secondary. Yes you could make a shroud but it's not something you'll likely do within the first few weeks/months of purchase. 5" vs 6" is not huge. I would look at it like this, get the 130 and use it. Later, when you decide you want a bit more, you can upgrade to an 8inch, or bigger, but you have the choice. Getting the 6 may make the 8inch seem not as viable in future, which could cost you in the long run.

Found this link, not sure it'll help... https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/253608-cheapest-ed-apo-yet-barska-magnus/

What's wrong with the focuser? Sometimes crayfords just need a little tightening to accommodate the extra weight of a DSLR. For balance, one would mount the foot on a longer standard dovetail plate like this: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astro-essentials/astro-essentials-dovetail-bars.html

If you value comfort and ease of use i'd steer well clear of an equatorially mounted 8" newt.

An 8” dob will give you good aperture at a comfortable eyepiece height and should be light enough for you. Kinder on the wallet too. When you want to dabble with AP, consider a light weight goto mount coupled with an ed80 or something similar. Also a good visual combo. Maybe you don’t even need the 8” cause you already have a 6”. Either way, one scope’s not gonna do it all, so consider one for one and one for the other.

Should’ve checked power requirements! Sorry, have deleted posts so as to not misinform others

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