AndyM001

Thanks for the replies, definitely put my mind to rest. I did look at the StellaLyra, and it does look very tempting, but I'm on a budget at the moment. If I can resist buying for a few more months and it's in stock, I may well go for it. As I said, I've seen a couple of second hand ones that look okay, so may look in to getting one of those and possibly upgrading.

Thanks for the replies, forgot to mention I live in Bortle 5, not sure if that makes a difference. I've seen a couple of second hand Dobs for sale at reasonable prices, so if I purchased one of them I could potentially upgrade the focuser if needed.

Hi, hopefully someone will be able to answer a question that I've struggled to find on searches. I'm currently looking to purchase a Dobsonian soon, something like a Sky-Watcher Classic 200P Dobsonian or the Ursa Major 8" Dobsonian. After a fair bit of research, I've noticed that some people carry out various modifications, like a mask to hide the primary mirror clips to get rid of diffraction errors, and some people have stated that anything in the light path causes diffraction. After looking at pictures of the 2 scopes, the focuser appears to protrude in to the tube a bit on the Sky-Watcher, but not apparently on the Ursa Major. How much of a difference does this actually make to the image in real world viewing? I'm going to concentrate on the Moon and planets initially, but will move on to DSO's later. Thanks.

Up until recently, I used them in a 100mm Mak, but currently in a Refractor.

I find them okay, but I'm over 60 and although my eyesight is still relatively good, it isn't what it used to be. My biggest problem was trying to get used to the 'black edges' on the higher power eyepieces as you move you eye around, but after some perseverance I managed to get my eye in the right position. For the price I'm really happy with them, they produce some nice crisp images. I'm guessing that people with different eyesight conditions, and different equipment, see things differently. For some they work, others not, for me, they are really good especially at the price point.

I purchased the 6mm, 9mm, and 15mm SVbony 68 Degree Eyepieces a few month ago and I think they are quite good for the price, so much so I've just ordered the 20mm. They come in at around £20 each direct from China.

Thanks, just watched it. Narrator sounded just like Brian Johnson.

Ouch. It's possible that it may be a little stiff still as it's effectively new, and may loosen up a little with use.

Thanks, I found their auction listing, but it's only for the lower part.

Hi, that would probably be mine off eBay then 😉 I only used the scope about 6-8 times, and never really noticed if was too stiff or not as I've had nothing else to compare it to. I got it directly from Bresser via their Amazon store, so I don't think there is anything wrong with it.

I've also just seen this on another forum that would be ideal, that way I could swap the unit from scope to scope without unscrewing the mount., just need to find somewhere that can print it out.

Thanks Rob, the mount definitely looks more stable than the current one, and I like the fact that it looks fairly simple and quick to move the scope. I was looking at a couple of cheap AZ and AZ telescopes on Marketplace today that may be an option, but I will still need rings and a dovetail for the LT. I've noticed that the 80 and 90 use the same tube, so it looks like I may be able to get something sorted out. Thanks again.

Hi , I recently managed to get a Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80 AZ cheap on eBay just for the Starsense unit which I was planning on using on a dobsonian, and maybe selling the scope on. I took the LT 80 outside the last couple of nights, and have to say I'm suitably impressed with the optics, the images of Jupiter were very good. I didn't use the supplied diagonal or eyepieces, and the mount, although useable, has a lot to be desired. I'm now looking at keeping the scope, but ditching the mount/tripod for something a bit more stable. I've seen that I could possibly get some rings and a dovetail for it, but I'm unsure what mount to go for, an AZ or an EQ. I don't want to go overboard and spend a huge amount on a new mount/tripod as the scope itself doesn't warrant it, just something that will make it more stable and easier to aim the scope and adjust. I've done a quick search on the forum and found where people have transferred the Starsense unit to other scopes, but not used the Scope on other mounts. Anyone have any suggestions or have done something like this themselves? Thanks, Andy.

I was also looking at getting a 8-inch StarSense Dobsonian from Celestron. A StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ recently came up on eBay really cheap, so purchased that, and with an adaptor I'm now looking at getting a StellaLyra 8" Dobsonian and mounting the StarSense unit on that, just have to wait for them to come back in to stock. I believe the StellaLyra is a better scope (someone please correct me if I'm wrong), and it will end up working out a little cheaper.

Ah, looks like I need 50 posts to view / buy from the classifieds, and 250 posts to actually sell. I'll look at eBay, hopefully I'll get a reasonable price.