CraigT82

I've not really done anything else to it since then, it works absolutely fine. With a 32mm 70 degree eyepicee it is stunning to just cruise up and down the milky way under a dark sky, picking off globs left right and centre! Since then I have spent a fair bit of time making sure the focuser was square to the tube using washers, but other than that haven't done anything else! I think one day I might send the mirrors off to get new Hilux coatings to squeeze every last drop of light throughput available but not just yet as the original coatings are fine.

I did this mod to mine, works well. The tube is still collapsible but it's now a bit of a longer process to collapse it.

Plenty of god tips from Sky-searcher there! That tripod base looks great, and I also see that the secondary mirror collimation screws have been swapped out for thumbscrews to make it easier and tool-less to collimate. Very handy. The heritage 130 was my first scope in 2011 and I still have it now (after owning about probably 10-12 other scopes of all types since, most of which have been and gone). It really can hold its own against more expensive kit. If you get the modding bug you can actually graft on a 2" focuser which really turns it into a proper rich field travel scope.

A general rule of thumb is that a scope will be usable up to x50 per inch of aperture, so a 5 inch scope should be ok up to x250 magnification. However this is a very rough guide and lots of other factors will determine how high you can push your magnification. The 5mm ep plus Barlow will give you x260, you may get some good results viewing the moon like that (the moon will tend to take higher mags than other targets). Also tracking an object will become tricky with high magnifications like that. You want to keep the target in the centre of the field for the sharpest views but that van be hard when using high powers on the H130. I have never used the short BST Barlow but I'm almost certain it will be better than the plasticky units often shipped with scopes.

Yes the BSTs are well regarded eyepieces, I have owned a few and all were good in my heritage 130p... there was one focal length that wasn't as good as the others but I cant remember which one that was! BSTs can generally be has for around 35 second hand. keep an eye on out on the classifieds here and on uk astro buy and sell website. I'd probably start of with a decent barlow and the 25mm, 18mm and the 5mm BSTs. That would give you magnifications of x26, x36 x52, x72 x130, and x260 (which would be really pushing the scope!) For the heritage 130i use a short version cheshire/sight tube eyepice like this... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kalttoy-Collimating-Eyepiece-Newtonian-Telescopes/dp/B07K54BZXS/ref=asc_df_B07K54BZXS/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309904628344&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10885492928286515814&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006756&hvtargid=pla-697641300706&psc=1

Some shots from yesterday evening at approx 9pm: Piccolomini, Posidonius, Theophilius and Jansen. Using my galaxy S8 afocally through a barlowed 8mm BST in 8.5" F7.5 newt, giving x405. Using celestron NeXYZ holder. Cropped and tweaked on phone in snapseed.

Well if you can get scope and mount for 200 and then sell the newt for 100 you're laughing really. It's an EQ5 class mount but I think I read somehwere that it has better bearings than the EQ5... I might be wrong though. However the motor kit for the Exos-2 is over £200 I think, and I'm not sure if the cheaper EQ5 motors can be fitted? I'd be more inclined to buy a used EQ5 with motors already fitted, should be able to pick one up for less than £200, wont have the faff of selling the newt either.

Nice job! Could use a flap wheel in a drill to smooth out the top hand hold?

I really like the design which puts the motors on the dec axis opposite the scope which means much less C/W to lug around.... also less cables too. Really well thought out mount I think. Only slightly bigger than a GP but feels like it could take longer/bulkier scopes than a GP could

Have just taken ownership of a used sphinx sxw, bought by previous owner 4 years a ago who then never used it..... the mount was in it's original packaging and the controller, c/w, cables etc were are still in their sealed cellophane wrapping. Great build quality and so far I really like the starbook though not used in anger yet. Think I might need to get the half pillar though (it ain't cheap!)

Well, not strictly delivered by the postman but delivered by a nice chap called Lee.... a Vixen Sphinx SXW mount in unused as new condition. Bought as my AZ4 proved to bit a bit to feeble to hold the long frac still at higher power, and also because I fancied something which will track nicely and allow me to concentrate properly on the view. The Goto is a welcome bonus via the starbook controller (AKA the gameboy) which is really nice and intuitive to use.

Here's mine, cut from 18mm birch ply

I'm also a little bit in love with my new 102mm f11(starwave). Only had it out once so far and it served up lovely crisp views of Mars in less than ideal conditions. Yesterday I checked focuser alignment with a laser and it was dead on using my HG parallizer (though slightly skewed with standard adaptor). Also checked objective alignment with Cheshire and again dead on. Very well made these scopes are! The AR coatings are first rate too. How do you find it on the AYO without counterweights? I've got it on an AZ4 which is fine in still conditions but a bit of wind makes the image tremble. Will be upgrading to giro type mount I think.

For my upcoming refractor pyrchase..... Brand new 1.25" Takahasi prism. Irritantingly didn't come supplied with caps

It really blows my mind actually! It's funny how sometimes the most underwhelming views in the eyepiece give you the most satisfaction... just the thought of just what it is you're looking at with your very own eyes.

I've got no chance of spotting Triton unfortunately, I can get down to about mag 11 under my skies but triton at mag 13.8 is just too dim. I'm thinking of a little trip out to darker skies on Friday for the conjunction

My first successful star hop to Neptune tonight, tried it a few times before but in my city skies I always had trouble. Using my 8.5" F7.5 newt, First centred mars in the quickfinder then moved up to the star Hydor just above it. Switching to the 9x50 raci I could make out the grouping of three stars in an almost vertical line about 2 deg to the west.... with 81 and 82 acqui top and middle and at the bottom is Neptune according to sky safari. Centred the crosshairs on this bottom "star" and then looked through the 18mm BCO, a dark blue star, switching to the 10mm BCO giving 160x and it reveals itself as defintely not a star... Neptune at last! More power does nothing as I'm looking low over a load of houses with their heating on, so I stay with the 10mm and just watch the blue giant as it drifts along. Very pleased!

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astronomy-cables-leads-accessories/skywatcher-auto-focuser.html I also needed to buy a toothed belt and pulley for this fitment but they're easily found online

I bought my mak 150 new and the factory focuser was stiff at first but loosened up over time. There are a couple of screws on the side which are redundant and I attached the motor bracket using these, not sure if they are present on the smaller maks though

Is this the mirror moving focuser (knob on the back of the scope) or an aftermarket crayford/R&P focuser? The skywatcher motor focus unit is cheap and can be fitted to all sorts of scopes with a little imagination, reduces vibration to nothing. This is how I fitted one to a Skymax 150 I used to have...

Very interesting project.... How would you focus the camera? I guess that the faststar system in SCTs uses a camera in front of the OTA and the cabling/thermals don't seem to present a problem there so there is no real reason why you can't do this with a newt? I wonder if there is a way of using the spider vanes as a heatsink for the camera?!

Shorter threads may be suitable to hold a camera but not for a mount and scope. Anyway it would still be too long... trust me I've been down this route with my eq5 and SA.

If you're thinking of these type ones (image) they don't work.... add too much length to the bolt. At least, that was the problem when I was trying to fit my star adventure to an eq5 tripod. Ended up buying the bullet and buying the berlebach one.

The EQ5 tripod uses an M10 bolt to attach the mount, whilst the AZ5 head takes a 3/8" bolt that you normally get on photo tripods. You an get a really nice M10 to 3/8 adaptor from Berlebach but it aint cheap.

Sounds like a plan. Tough to do it by eye though... Don't suppose you could substitute in a colour camera to set the Adc (using the Adc tool in firecapture or similar) then switch over to mono for capture?