SoulRebel

Hi all, Wow, thank you so much for the responses. It feels great to know I'm not alone and (likely) not an idiot and simply messing something up. Is something like this a good one? NexStar 4SE Computerized Telescope | Celestron Thank you for suggestions, I certainly don't want to exceed this one above in price.

Hi Ed, Thank you for the reply. The telescope cannot be returned as it was purchased too long ago. Having sunk about $150-200 into this telescope and all other accessories, I really don't know what to do. Is there a telescope in the $200 range that can be somewhat more reliable? Or am I looking at $500 or more for a telescope that makes viewing the planets, moon, and hopefully other astronomical items a bit less miserable? I hate to think I wasted all this money on a lemon, but WOW this has been a bad experience. I also have another oddity that just occurred. I was outside for the last 45 minutes or so and spent all that time trying to view Saturn (I did confirm that the dot I was looking at was indeed Saturn). I managed, after an excruciating sighting in process, to see a white-ish circle through the eyepiece. However...in the middle of the circle was a three-pronged symbol. Basically, think the Mercedes logo. I'm dumbfounded of course, until I realize its the exact shape of the internal component of the telescope (I don't know the proper term). How is that visible? Is it some sort of reflection? When I zoom in on a regular object (corner of a house, street light, etc.), it the three prongs are not visible. But when I view a very faraway object, there it is?

Hi all, Thank you in advance for your assistance/advice. My five year old is obsessed with space and I got her a basic telescope for her birthday. I have never had a telescope before and am extremely new to the hobby, so I did some research and settled on this one as a "basic" model: Orion 21100 SpaceProbe II 76mm AZ Beginner Telescope Kit. Link: Amazon.com : Orion SpaceProbe II 76mm Altazimuth Reflector Telescope for Beginners - Ideal Telescope Astronomy Gift Includes Eyepieces & MoonMap : Electronics In addition, I bought an Orion brand 2x Barlow Lens, a moon filter, and some other accessories. So far, it has been an extreme frustration to use, with a few glimmers of hope mixed in: Positives: * When I can actually get an image lined up, it is really exceptionally cool. I managed to see the 4 largest moons of Jupiter quite clearly on the first time I tried it. Negatives: * The "red-dot reflex sight" is kind of a joke or I'm using it very wrong. I aim the telescope at a faraway point and center the image through the eyepiece; then I adjust the knobs on the laser so the red dot is exactly where the telescope's eyepiece is showing. However, the slightest movement of the telescope, etc., can completely throw off the red dot sight, as its SO loosely connected to the telescope. Surely something like this is not normal? Would the solution be a better red dot reflex site that connects w/ more stability? Recommendations? * Insanely shaky image. I have tried the telescope on concrete, asphalt, grass, dirt, etc., and ensured the tripod legs are firmly locked in. No matter what I do, it seems like when I look into the eyepiece, the image is incredibly shaky, as if the whole telescope is moving. I have no idea what could be causing this. I am not near enough to roads, etc., where the vibrations could affect it, but it just doesn't make sense to me. Again, normal? * Perhaps the most frustrating: When adjusting the azimuth knob at the top of the tripod in an attempt to lock the telescope's left-right motion, when the knob gets tightened, the altitude of the telescope goes up and the telescope moves slightly to the right. This is frustrating because you can line something up perfectly, but when the knob gets tightened, it throws off vertical *and* horizontal alignment. Did I get a bunk telescope? Is this just a case of bad build quality on the exact telescope I received? Is this a bad model? Am I doing something wrong? Thanks again for your advice!