alfabet

An 8" reflector and an 80mm apochromatic refractor.

I thought I'd post a quick update, after all your helpful advice. I actually decided to get some binoculars first, as a next step before buying a telescope. I now have a pair of Celestron UpClose G2 10x50s, and have been taking advantage of the cold clear nights we've had this last week. I saw the Orion Nebula and Andromeda galaxy for the first time (knowingly) - amazing. And got a fantastic view of the Pleiades. I tried to find the Beehive Cluster but got lost - went from Castor, past Pollox, then went awry in a sea of stars. All good fun though. I also discovered that a friend of mine is a keen astronomer, and he's offered to let me look through his fancy telescopes. That should be very helpful. Lots to learn!

Hmm, goto adds significantly to cost, and I guess technology is moving so fast in that area that things become "last year's tech" and lose value more quickly? I read about AstroHopper, a smartphone based push-to system which I thought looked fun to try.

I think <=£250. My aversion to used equipment is my inexperience and the risk of not spotting a lemon.

Thank you, I hadn't realised this. I think our next steps beyond the moon might be planetary, so perhaps getting something with a shorter focal length isn't a great idea.

I don't really have the space to store a large Dobsonian. Table-top would be fine but I'm not quite sure what I'd put it on on the patio that would be stable enough... Our patio table wobbles a lot! A tripod appeals from a storage and portability point of view.. Also we are going on holiday to Lundy Island (Bortle 2) in a few months and I would like to be able to take it with us.

Or for another £50 I could get the 150p... 😆

You mean like a Sky-Watcher Heritage P130?

The Maksy 60 has a standard photographic screw thread on the bottom - I think it's 1/4-20 UNC. So if I got the AZ3 tripod I think I'd need this adapter as well?

Yes, this video gives it a good review too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cVid9aXkD8 For the 85 GBP that I paid we have been very happy and it has made us want to explore more.

I bought my 7 year old daughter an Acuter Maksy 60 telescope for her birthday, and we have been having great fun viewing the moon from our back garden. I am now wondering 'what next?' as we both have an interest in the night sky. The main frustration so far has been with the basic tabletop tripod it comes with. I have tried it on a cheap photography tripod but this is no better. Lots of wobble and difficult to track the sky. I was thinking about buying a better alt-az mount and attaching the Maksy 60 to it. Is this a good idea? If I did buy a better mount, what would be a good recommendation, bearing in mind the low cost of the telescope? Longer term I was wondering about getting a SkyWatcher StarTravel 80 and putting that on the new mount. Is that a good idea and would it be a noticeable upgrade over the Maksy 60? Many thanks for your help!