Vinnyvent84

I can’t thank you enough for all the above posts. You helped put my mind at ease and what a phenomenal explanation regarding the alignment. I will do that first thing tomorrow. Much thanks!

Thank you GrumpiusMaximus! I apologize if I’m being a pest, but due to me being a newbie can you clarify the above? I have both the red dot and the StarSense auto align on my scope but I thought I couldn’t use either until nighttime. How would I perform an alignment in the day (assuming clearer skies / no rain)? You can the StarSense auto align during daylight hours? How would I align with the red dot to make go-to functions easier and more efficient? Thanks for any clarification you can provide!

Appreciate the Feedback! Thank you!

Good Evening Everyone! I live in Brooklyn NY (Bortle 8 Zone) and just purchased a Celestron Nexstar 6SE to use with my wife and 4 year old son for Christmas. Of Course, I set the whole thing up, ready to go and nothing but intermittent rain with 85% or more cloud cover since Christmas Eve and probably another 3-4 days 🙄. Needless to say I have been itching to use it but also have now had the time to doubt myself. Should I have spent some more purchased the 8SE? It honestly wasn’t out of the money for the most part, I read the mount is really not capable for the scope with attachments and subject to vibration more then the 6SE, longer time to acclimate to weather, and not nearly as portable ( I will be taking it in and out of yard after each use) and many times I’ve read the difference for visual is extremely minor. But now I’m afraid I should have just got the 8SE, is it just me torturing myself while I wait to use scope? I tried to buy quality eyepieces and equipment to hopefully increase the detail of what I can see. I bought the StarSense auto align and the following eyepieces / Accessories: 1. Baader 1.25 Prism Diagonal 2. Baader Mark IV 8-24mm Zoom 3. Explore Scientific 2x Focal Extender 4. Celestron X-Cel 7mm (only got it because the store threw it in for free) 5. Televue Plossl 32mm 6. Baader Moon and Skyglow Filter 7. Celestron WiFi Module 8. Celestron Solar Filter 9. Celestron Aluminum Dew Shield I really am hoping to do mostly Planetary, Lunar and Star viewing the family. It was very important to me for my son to get some good views of Saturn and Jupiter with its belts. Did I totally drop the ball and nothing I have will fit that bill? I even was debating switching out the ES Focal Extender 2x for the Televue PowerMate 2.5x or the Carl Zeiss 2x Abbe Barlow if people here thought it would make a difference? I wanted to get a high quality 7mm eyepiece like the Televue Delite but I don’t even know if that’s overpowered for my scope and location and would just provide me blurry images of the planets and moon? Guess my impatience and frustration with the weather is getting the best of me. Any feedback, help or advice on my concerns and thoughts on my equipment (and possible purchases) would be GREATLY appreciated while I impatiently wait for clearer skies. Thank you!

Can someone give me some advice / insight? I have a Nexstar 6SE living in a Bortle 8 zone in NYC. Would upgrading from a ES 2x Focal Extender to a Televue Powermate 2.5x show a worthy difference for lunar and planetary visuals?

Hey all! I hope I’m putting this in right section as I’m new here! Im new to astronomy and purchased a Nexstar 6SE and some equipment for it. I was informed (here and through online reading) that my location of Brooklyn NY (Bortle 8) would provide some serious limitations to my scope. It was suggested that getting a SeeStar S50 would be a good compliment to my scope for observation / images so I took the leap of faith and was able to order one being delivered on Jan 2nd. I looked for samples / YouTube videos specifically on its use in high Bortle zones like mine (8 or 9) and I ran into videos from Cuiv which although informative did not really help in my situation. He admits he “cheated” by adding additional filters through 3D printer mods that cost the same price of the unit itself. In addition he uses software to further enhance. Both these “cheats” are out of reach for me right now and I was just looking for some samples and experience with the unit “out of the box” in high Bortle zones. Any assistance is greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

Thank so much for the detailed response. I have both Stellarium and Sky Safari Pro 7 so I’m working through both of those as we speak!

And I just realized by looking at your name I made a purchase on your site just the other day for the Televue Eyecup Extender for my 32mm Plossl - so cool!

Wow thank you very much for the detailed information. So based on your info (maybe I’m being optimistic) it seems like a 9mm Televue Delite wouldn’t be a bad investment? Mind if I ask what Bortle Zone you are? Mine is 8 and I’m terrified that once I get my scope setup I will have spent close to 2k between scope and equipment to look at smudges and blurs lol

I really appreciate the feedback. Thanks for the advice about the heat ring and acclimating to temps! I read about using Reflectix wrapped around the scope. Is this something I should do? Or is more of a choice. Use reflectix for immediate use from indoor to outdoor or let it sit outside for some time prior to use and no need for reflectix?

Thanks will read tonight!

I just ordered a SeeStar S50. It seems like for 500 bucks I’m not in to much deeper then trying to outfit my Celestron. Plus from what I have read it shines in high bortle / urban settings like mine

Thank you so much for the info!

I appreciate the insight I actually picked up a SeeStar S50 to compliment my scope due to where I live. Sadly comes shortly after Christmas but it’s tough to get. I appreciate the honest insight!

Hi all, I have seen plenty of threads regarding this scope but I was wondering if anyone had specific photos and/or experience with the S50 in a high Bortle Zone like 8-9 as I live in Brooklyn, NY. I have no expectations of National Geographic level details but wanted to know if I could expect more and/or noticeable better results on DSO's compared to my Celestron Nexstar 6SE ?

lol 😂 should I take that as even though I’m in a Bortle 8-9 and my scope is a 6SE it would still do a worthy job?

Wow that’s great! My only fear is my main viewing location is a Bortle 8-9 so I fear the Televue may be a big purchase that shows little or no result in my area

No I appreciate the insight that’s great to know and I will consider it! Do you think this is something that would be better suited if I bought a cheap windows based laptop rather then my Mac? I noticed many Astro programs aren’t Mac friendly so far other then direct iPad and iPhone apps

I actually have Sky Safari Pro 7 and Stellarium paid versions for both! They where gifted to me

At the risk of sounding stupid. I believe I read (at least with filters) somewhere that even in my location I could see Nebula but only certain types? It’s possible I am wrong. I’m going to look into the scope you stated here. Is that scope primarily for DSO?

Thanks for the insight! When you use that piece mentioned for Astrophotography I’m guessing you cannot visual observe at the same time? It replaces the eyepiece?

Thank you! Funny story my parents and sister knew I was getting the scope and one gifted me Safari Pro 7 and the other Stellarium so I have paid versions of both. I don’t have a windows PC only Mac but it seems I can do everything on my iPad Pro 12inch if I’m not mistaken? In addition I also have the WiFi module for the scope.

Thanks. The eyepiece game I can already see easily goes down a rabbit hole!

Thank you! Everyone here has been great so far, looking forward to continuing this hobby for years to come!