AstroCurl

Bringing this thread back up. I am a newbie here and just got the Celestron DX 5 (effectively a Star Sense version of the C5). I'm looking to build it out as a grab-n-go scope and searching for advice on backpacks. I purchased the Vaguard R48 but i'm wondering if it is a bit too narrow. Any other suggestions of a bag you love. Also, any tips on how to store it in a bag: orientation, cushioning, etc? It's been rainy all days since i got it and havent gotten out under the sky yet!

That's exactly where I'm coming from! Thanks for the encouragement. I totally agree that the 130AZ is a great starter scope! And yes, my wife is the best. She's not a techie at ALL and when she started quoting me model names and astronomy terms...well that's love! I'm curious to see what the setup feels like in person and in my neighborhood. I'm curious about the mount and the focal length. But I'm sure all things will reveal themselves in time. Do you use a dew shield for your C5?

Thanks Cosmic Geoff, paulastro, and Dr Strange! I really appreciate the perspective and encouragement! I was in a "junior astronomer" program at the old Hayden Planetarium here in NYC when I was 4 and still have memories of the awe I felt in that planetarium. It was an old-school projector, not the fancy video systems they have now. Owning my own scope has been a long time coming and i'm looking forward to learning the skies in a new way. I decided to go for the SCT scope! Getting the whole setup into a large backpack will get me out under the stars much more often—double so with the family! It arrives on in a few days and I'm stoked to build and test it out (daytime first for operation)! I went down a rabbit hole on eye pieces but decided to hold off on that for now. Ed Ting's youtube video was encouraging to simplify that. Although it will take me a while to save up enough to buy an EP that is almost the same $$ as the scope! But i agree with the philosophy of buy well once. It works for dress shoes and winter coats, so why not this? One of the huge incentives of doing this is how generous the astronomy community online seems to be. And is a nice exception to how horrible the rest of the internet can be lol. Thanks for your replies. I'll send a report on my first outing!

Hey everyone! I’m new here. Been a stargazer since I was a kid but embarking on my first telescope, due to a gift and lots of research from my wife. I live in New York City and most of my stargazing will be city bound, with the occasional opportunistic family trip out of town where I can get some sky watching in. This is also going to be an activity I do with my kid, who’s almost 4. I’m super excited to join and hoping some of you might offer some perspective! I am deciding between 2 scopes by Celestron from their their StarSense line. After reading a lot and watching video reviews, I think the app approach is good for me and my kid since it will help us learn the sky with visual aids. Since we live in the city, and portability and storage are big concerns, we wont get a dobsonian. Even though, I know that they are the best bang for the buck out here (maybe later if we move into a house upstate!). My wife just bought me the StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ, which seems like a great telescope. With some additional research I’m considering returning it to get the StarSense Explorer DX 5 (Popular Science model) for the following reasons: - Much more portable, can get scope and mount onto a backpack for local park viewing - Erect image for daytime viewing of city views and nature (we live near a great park with cliff views), especially with the kid. - I found it for a very good price $500 w. mount From my understanding, the main potential drawbacks to a SCT are: - More expensive / complex. - Narrower field of view I’m wondering if any of you might have experience with the DX 5 or thoughts on any of the following questions! - Given my needs, are there any major or dealbreaker reasons to avoid a SCT over a Newtonian? - What do you think of the Celestron DX 5 mount? It seems like the same one as the DX 130AZ but I’m not sure. - I read that SCT are less good than Newtonian for DSOs, is this for light collecting or field of view reasons? I’d love to do a mix of planetary and deep space viewing. - Is it worth the $100 upgrade price from DX 130AZ to DX 5 It’s been cloudy here since Xmas but I’m chomping the bit to get outside! Thanks for the guidance!