bingevader

Thanks Steve, but I am being an awkward so and so and would like pneumatic (on grass) and something that didn't increase the height too much. Which is why I am still looking!

On 04/01/2021 at 17:35, Tiny Clanger said:

Oh dear, I apologize for the rather antediluvian assumptions by some

Nice.   had to look it up.

13 hours ago, eclenic said:

Alas, I’m quite a small woman with a bad back so no ‘man-up juice’, as you put it, to be had. The Dob on its base weighs about 25kg and is the size and shape of a water heater, I can just barely lift it and move it about by myself.

WOW! No 'man-up juice' required! I'm not a small man and I very rarely lift my 8" dob and base in one piece.

Wheels maybe? I'm looking to add some to mine, but haven't quite found what I am looking for yet.

I'd keep the dob and buy something smaller.

As people have said, an equivalent setup probably won't be much lighter.

A smaller setup would be one you could use more often with the dob for the "dob" nights.

I suppose that this is how I function at the moment.

Life, family and work mean that I don't get out as often as I'd like to.

However, some nights I just go out and look up, some I take out the binos, some I use the etx90, but then if I go out and it looks like a "dob" night, then I get out the dob!

Hello Again.

As people have suggested, try it outside first, in the day time, pointing away from the sun.

Use the 20mm eyepiece and point at something in the distance, a chimney pot or aerial or church steeple.

Turn the focuser slowly through the whole length, all the way in to all the way out, until the object is in focus.

If the draw tube is moving, the eyepiece is in place and all dust caps are removed, then you should be able to focus on something.

3 minutes ago, Zermelo said:

One idea would be to practise in daytime first

Just not on the sun!

We have a 'scope with the same spec in school.

It's lovely on the moon.

With the 20mm inserted and nothing else, it should be fine.

The finderscope is a pit poop, (best set up in the day, by focusing the 'scope on a distant object and the adjusting the finder) but on the moon, with the 20mm, you should be able to find it by just moving the telescope around until the moon is in the field of view.

Best not to try observing from inside the house!

Try turning the focus knob so the eyepiece moves all the way in and then turn it slowly out until the moon comes into focus.

Just seen a few crackers!

Went to put the rubbish out and there was a big break in the clouds.

Saw half a dozen with a couple of really long slow burners.

Fantastic!

Congratulations!

From small sparks, neutron stars are created!

If Starry Nights came with the 'scope, it would be worth a look, it's not cheap otherwise.

Stellarium in free.

It's what I use, mostly.

I do have Celestron's Sky Portal on my phone, which is good.

Depends on the condition of the 1° and 2° mirrors and how much money is being asked for it!

All of my EPs work very well with an 8" dob.  

2 hours ago, Puffafish said:

Indeed they do a 7 and 4mm version

I have both and there are very good in my 'scope if your budget will stretch that far.

If you look at the plossl ranges on the various websites, you can see that the top glass element reduces in size as the focal length reduces.

I struggle below an 8mm in that sort of EP as the eye relief is too tight for me.

You may not have a problem though, and the Baader and Vixen plossls will give excellent views (no experience of the Orion).

Yes, more magnification might help, but the limiting factor (along with the size of the 'scope) will be the weather.

My views of Mars have been fairly limited atm. and the best view the other night was at around 100x magnification.

Do you have a budget in mind, because it depends what you mean by 'good'!?

A lot of the middle of the road eyepieces are actually rather decent these days.

With the shorter focal length eyepieces, the eye relief can get a little tight.

I have the Williams Optics 6mm EP which is very decent with good eye relief.

I have the OVL Nirvana ES 82° 7mm EP and that also provides a wider field. The advantage of that is that it gives a longer drift time to observe, before the object disappears off the edge.

I've also used the 8mm BST which is very decent and very reasonably priced.

Had you considered a 2x Barlow? it effectively doubles the focal length of the 'scope and so doubles the magnification. It has the advantage that the eye relief is maintained.

9 hours ago, steve wiz said:

Hi, 

Thanks for the reply, whats your take on the Nexstar se 6 in over all comparison?  

 

It's 2" smaller in mirror size.

However, it is considerably lighter.

At f10 it will be even less picky than the SW with eyepieces.

I've never used the goto system with either, so can't comment on that, sorry.

Just as a little aside, I've always wondered if anyone has tried to hold Explore Scientific to some of the prices they quote on their website.

There are always misplaces decimal points all over the place!

At the moment in the New Offers section, there're deep sky astro cameras for 1 and 2 Euros.

2 hours ago, Louis D said:

Anyone using an 8" scope is going to have to have tempered expectations.

Maybe not 'Anyone'. Or is it that I am just easily pleased? 😆

I'm still loving the views and am always amazed at what I can see from my own back garden.

3 hours ago, semitte said:

but it's just a small image that I feel I could get using binoculars.

Imagine a pair of 8" binos!

I think the problem maybe be one of expectation.

I have been observing the planets through binoculars recently and have been amazed. Jupiter is unmistakably a planet with moons (I'm not expecting any detail though)! And Saturn is very definitely oval.

I have an 8" 'scope and can see plenty of detail.

However, the seeing conditions will have a great impact.

Just remember how far away they are and the relative size of the implement you are using from your back garden. It always amazes me!

4 minutes ago, Jiggy 67 said:

@dweller25 ....surely you would point the scope up, not down to cool it as warm air rises so will escape quicker??

There's glass at the front of the 8se.

On 10/04/2020 at 06:32, daslolo said:

what's the field stop mm on the 16mm?

Sorry, only just caught up with your post, but I am afraid I don't have the 16mm and so I am unable to answer your question.

R.I.P.

A splendid age! Got to call that a good innings and life well lived!

I have looked through one of these a couple of times and they are very decent indeed.

Dismantles into OTA, mount and tripod which would go into two kit bags relatively easily.

Comes in at 7.65kg.

However, the 1° mirror is fixed.

Or how about this!

This gives you some idea.

18 hours ago, callisto said:

So correct me if I'm wrong.......The advice would be to spend more on the Astronomik/Lumicon filters etc, and stay away from the likes of the OVL/SW ones?

If your budget doesn't stretch that far and 'staying away' would mean not having one, then I would say no, get the others.

5 hours ago, merlin100 said:

I'm using a cheap SW 28mm 2" LET eyepiece with my 200P.  I'll look into the various suggestions, but can't promise getting one given the prices for 2" versions...

I have the 2" ES UHC filter and use it successfully! I intend putting the 2" ES Olll filter on the Christmas list at some point in the future.

I'm such a light weight!

20 ish years since the etx90 and I still only have two!