jonathan

Consider adding a moon filter and planisphere to that scope, links should be on the product page there.

One thing you might want to try is carbon paste (available from a bike shop), it's something used on bicycle seat posts to provide grip in the frame tube but also prevent the carbon from jamming.  It's sort of like a coarse toothpaste texture, so it might introduce very light scratches to paint work where the adaptor is screwed to the binoculars but if that doesn't bother you then worth a shot.  I have some already so might just give it a go, my binoculars do the same thing (there is already a neoprene / nylon washer).

Sorry to partially hijack a thread but I'm also trying to collimate my Skywatcher 150P reflector but having a hard time following AstroBaby's guide... it says to use the vanes to adjust the secondary so that it appears as a circle in the focuser, but in order to achieve this I find myself adjusting almost completely to one side (one vane is almost completely unscrewed, the opposite almost completely screwed in), that surely can't be correct as it's definitely not central to the main tube.  Perhaps I've misunderstood the process.  Initially my secondary mirror looked elongated.

Could get yourself some Baader solar film and try some white-light solar observing.  There are numerous objective filters and eyepiece accessories for solar observing that don't cost that much and can easily be added to most regular scopes.

Caveat: Must cap or remove the finder scope!  To find the sun use shadows or a dedicated solar finder, or add a solar film filter to the finder (always check for damage before use).

The main danger, once safe solar observing has been observed, is sunburn / sunstroke so sun cream and a floppy hat are also good things to use.

Just out with solar scope now, very nice!  Lots to see, including a couple of fillaments, something which I haven't observed on the sun for what feels like years.

Checked with my eclipse glasses - yes!  I could see the large sunspot with a bit of patience.  Looks to be a fair amount of scatter from thin cloud, not too intrusive but blocks a bit of the fine surface detail.

I wonder what the next surprise will be... solar observing on Christmas Day perhaps?

I agree with others, I understand the temptation to buy all of the kit first but really you need to be getting out and using the equipment, then you will find where there are gaps or room for improvement.  Fortunately astronomy kit tends to hold a decent value (especially when there's a shortage, and assuming it's properly looked after) so if you change your mind then you'll be able to recoup some of the cost, but it certainly sounds like you should have enough to get going and enjoy some cracking sights.

Learn to read into your local weather reports (the weather at your precise location might have localised peculiarities) and take opportunities to get out when they arise.  Give the kit eyepiece(s) a go, a Skywatcher 20/25mm is usually worth using as a starter eyepiece for locating targets regardless of what you may buy later.

More commonly known as a Dew Shield.  There are also dew heater tapes, dew heater tape controllers, or on some telescope designs a light shroud serves to prevent dew also.

It should be noted that all dew prevention equipment can only do so much, a heavy dew will usually defeat dew prevention measures eventually.

Generally, for a starter scope you're best sticking to the well-known brand names including Celestron, Sky Watcher, Orion to name the ones I know off the top of my head.  Many of these are built in the same factory (Celestron and Sky Watcher certainly are) but Celestron might be considered slightly more 'premium'.

A flight case with pluck foam is fairly standard for eyepieces, much easier than trying to cut out shapes for your eyepieces from solid foam.  I'd suggest going for one a step above the cheapest available, I paid about £25 for mine if I recall and it's served me well for over ten years with no sign of weakening.

I use an array of smaller metal cases, some are vanity cases, all in the 'flight case' style and solidly built, for mount accessories such as handset, cables, counterweight, red dot finder, etc.

For larger items I use a Curver plastic trunk with hinged / removable lid, it has wheels at one end so can be dragged if necessary.

Decided to give my 15x70 Revelation bins a go (with Baader white light solar film filters) on the current sunspots - the large one just leaving the disc on the right is clearly visible, what I was really curious about was the new group of much smaller spots just coming around from the left.

While I wasn't able to discern the spots themselves, I was able to make out the lighter surrounding area against the faint texture visible through the Baader solar film.  It was quite a challenge as the bins were heavy and even with a pole mounting it was impossible to hold them perfectly steady - a tripod would have been better of course but I wanted to try out the pole with ball head as a binocular steadying device, it turned out quite well - however being able to see the new group was a very satisfying result.

Just picked up on this group today, probably the best I've seen for a few years, a lot of detail visible in Ha.  There's also a much smaller spot closer to the centre of the disc and what looks like a vertical filament further across (difficult to describe).  Had a nice hour with it in the warm November sunshine before the clouds rolled in.

Did you miss out the picture?

Usually a focuser will come with a focus locking screw, maybe ask the vendor if it's supposed to come with one, if it isn't then check with the manufacturer to see if it's a feature that can be made use of.

Could it be an incompatibility between the Prolific serial drivers and the other software?  Maybe there's something in that driver version that the software doesn't like, see if there's a different (perhaps older) version available.

I have an Optics UHC filter which is said to be great for nebulae, it did improve the contrast for me but I think it will depend on seeing conditions and the telescope as to by how much.  It's been quite a while since I used mine (mostly because I've been in the astro doldrums in recent years) but this year I'll definitely be giving it a go now that my interest in the hobby has returned.  Note that this filter will turn stars green, and from memory gives the nebula a faint greenish tint.  Definitely worth a go at the price.

3 hours ago, stringB said:

I seemed to make a big deal about the 2" visual. Yes, Id sure prefer it. However, In my price range I don't want to rule out choices like the C6 because they have a 1.25" visual. I like some of the choices already mentioned here for the money. I love the Astro Tech stuff considering the price.  I'm adding an Astro Tech 1.25 dielectric diagonal to my visual kit so I now can go either way

2" diagonals are easily converted to 1.25" with a simple insert, in fact I think most 2" diagonals probably come with such an adaptor (mine certainly did) or they are readily available and cheap.  I would advise trying to buy such things that have a brass compression ring as this will be nicer for your eyepieces and other equipment that slots into them.

In my experience there are actually not that many 2" eyepieces, usually it's ultra-wide field or highly specialised ones that probably require a specialised scope to make proper use of them.  I think I only own one 2" eyepiece.

I think my advice would be not to get too hung up on observing the planets just at the moment, Mars is very good right now but Jupiter and Saturn are low to the horizon, they are definitely not at their best.  Catch Jupiter and Saturn as soon as it turns to twilight outside, Venus is currently a morning object I think but you should aim to reduce the brightness (same for Mars at the moment), if your telescope front cap has a smaller cap that you can remove then make use of that feature - leave the big cap on the telescope and the smaller aperture should reduce the brightness nicely; use a neutral density or 'moon' filter if you have one, or try the colour filters one at a time, see what effect they have when viewing the planets.

The planets will be favourable some years and not others, if you stick with the hobby even if it takes a few years then the wait should be well worth it to get those great views when the planets rise high in the sky.  There are plenty of other fantastic sights to get distracted by in the mean time, for inspiration check out the various astronomy websites or seasonal observing guide books (I'd say yours counts as a small telescope, there are plenty of great views to be had through it), if you're in the UK then The Works has the 2020 and 2021 monthly observing guide books in at the moment, well worth grabbing at a mere £3, or invest in one of the monthly astronomy mags (I tend to only buy one if it has something I'm interested in).

Perhaps a simple refractor could be an option, something like the Skywatcher Evostar 120.  Minimal maintenance, 2" focuser, easy to handle.

On the reflector side perhapse the Skywatcher 150P, it's probably the biggest you could reasonably manage already attached to a mount.  No diagonal required, easy to collimate, forgiving.

Some people use a portable hair dryer to keep their mirrors and other optical surfaces clear, never bothered with it myself though, I use a dew shield and dew heater equipment with my SCT.  If it gets really bad with dew then I just call it a night, my fingers are usually freezing by that time anyway.  Easy way to check for local dew conditions is look at your car windscreen.

26 minutes ago, Mick_1960 said:

I would like to be able to see close planets with some detail and galaxies.  Am I asking too much?

The thing about planets is that they change from season to season, Mars can be subject to dust storms that can last for weeks or months so surface features can be obscured or faint when this happens.  Jupiter is very low to the horizon at the moment so the cloud bands and Great Red Spot are less visible than when it's riding high in the sky; anything close to the horizon is going to be wobbly due to the earth's atmosphere and any thermals rising from nearby houses, light pollution from nearby population centres or motorways etc.

That said, planets are great things to observe.  When the 'seeing' is good and the planets are favourable, the views are breathtaking.  The main difference between scope types and size is not just the size of the image you see at the eyepiece but also the 'resolution' or amount of fine detail you're able to see.  The difference between an 8" SCT and a 12" SCT is in my experience negligible when viewing planets, the view through a 102 refractor is comparable to that of an 8" SCT, perhaps a fraction smaller (I can only go by my own experience and equipment in this matter), but often a smaller and sharper image is preferable to a larger and fuzzy image.  An SCT is probably the more suitable design for viewing planets, but perhaps not the most suitable for imaging, there's no reason not to own two scopes but when starting out I'd probably just stick to one - if you think visual is going to be the initial focus then perhaps the SCT, but a good refractor (which is more suitable for imaging) won't be far behind for visual.  Each scope design has it's advantages and drawbacks both when it comes to visual and also imaging.

When it comes to eyepieces you could certainly do worse than a decent Zoom eyepiece, I have the Baader Hyperion Planetarium Zoom 8-24, works surprisingly well in my 8SE and also in my solar scope (a dedicated 60mm Lunt refractor), I haven't actually tried it in my 102 refractor, I have other eyepieces that I normally use with that (down to a 3.5mm Pentax).

I think to visually view detail in galaxies, e.g. dust lanes, then you may need to use a scope (e.g. reflector) 10" or larger and observe from a dark site.  Otherwise, most galaxies will be grey blobs.  Some dust lanes might be discernable in the Andromeda Galaxy and perhaps one or two others in an 8" SCT, given good eye sight, dark adapted eyes, ideal conditions, and a dark site.

Scope bundles tend to put a big scope on a medium mount, if you intend to do imaging then I'd recommend buying the mount and scope separately, that means you can overspec the mount for very steady viewing and reliable imaging. 

If looking at an SCT then remember that you'll need a dew shield and dew heater + controller, and a suitable power supply.  Being a slower scope means that eyepieces designed for faster scopes (.e.g. f5 reflector or refractor) won't perform to their potential, so no need to go for the most expensive there.

A refractor should be more 'maintenance and caveat free' if you're looking for something to get imaging with quickly and can also perform well for visual, perhaps 102 or 120mm.  A fast refractor should enable you to get the most out of the upper end of eyepiece ranges, and refractors are popular with imagers not least because they are usually smaller and lighter than SCT / reflector options, thus less demanding on the mount.

I'd say just buy eyepieces that you need or fancy as your viewing habits demand, don't go out and spend a fortune straight away, and steer clear of eyepiece sets.

Reserve some of your budget for imaging equipment - a dedicated camera (or two) depending on what you want to image, guiding equipment, and filters.

26 minutes ago, nephilim said:

Also FLO told me that the Celestron power cable on the expensive one will fit my ES mount so im assuming it will also fit on the cheaper unit

I'd say it's extremely likely that the power plug will be the same but it would definitely be worth checking both the width of the plug and the tip polarity (usually they are tip positive).

Personally I use a big old fashioned 12v leisure battery, it may be heavy but it's got a lot of ooomph!  75Ah to be precise.

3 hours ago, Pixies said:

The 114 AZ is a Bird-Jones design, with a focal length (1000mm) longer than the actual tube itself. This is achieved by using a spherical (not parabolic) mirror and an associated correcting lens placed in the focuser.

The one I found on the Celestron website didn't seem to match the OP's focal length of 1000 and kit eyepieces, it was called Cometron and stated that it had a parabolic mirror.  So I wasn't exactly sure of the telescope specs.  Do you have a link to the correct telescope, just out of interest?

10 hours ago, johninderby said:

Space seems to be a popular theme for masks. 🤔

https://www.etsy.com/market/outer_space_mask

Silly prices though. 🙀

Are they asking the earth? 

I'll get me coat.

The erecting prism 20mm is probably really intended for daytime use, for astronomy you need to get the maximum light transmission possible, and that means the minimum of surfaces for the light to bounce off en-route to your eye.  I'd reserve that 20mm for daytime use as pretty much any decent eyepiece you buy will not be an erecting one, swapping from one to the other will just confuse matters (the view will be back to front and/or upside down).

The barlow can only do so much, and if it's a cheap kit one then it'll probably give quite poor results for astronomy purposes compared to one you might buy separately.  I'd forget the barlow for now, put it away in the box.  Try it with the new eyepieces you buy but don't be too disappointed if it doesn't give great results.

You could spend around £100 on two or three decent eyepieces and they might just transform your viewing through that telescope, assuming the telescope is in good collimation (mirrors are aligned correctly, it's not hard to do).  I'd advise getting your eyepieces first and try them out, if it's obvious there's something not quite right then look up how to collimate, decide whether it's necessary in the first place before you start adjusting anything.  The basic collimation tool can be as simple as a film cannister with a tiny hole drilled in the centre, or pre-made tools do the same job.

You'll probably want an eyepiece around 20 or 25mm as a starter when finding objects or looking at wide field objects such as the Pleiades, the Orion nebula, or Andromeda galaxy.  The BST StarGuider eyepieces are popular and very reasonably priced, the 25mm would probably be a good eyepiece to have from this range, they should be good for using while wearing glasses (according to the description) however I've taken to removing my glasses when looking through the eyepiece as I find I get a much better look; if you have good close-up vision then I'd recommend giving this method a go.

You could stick with the BST StarGuider range and get maybe a 12mm or 8mm, I'm not sure how far one could potentially push that telescope but it should be able to use the 12mm at least and give good views.  Other forum members may be able to give advice on what should be possible, it may even work well with a 5mm eyepiece but I wouldn't like to advise that as I don't know enough about the StarGuiders when combined with a 114mm reflector.

Plus there's a 10% off promotion on 2 or more BST StarGuider eyepieces.

Note that Mars is particularly bright at the moment due to it's recent close approach, it should dim and return to it's usual reddish colour over the next few weeks.  You may find that a simple moon filter will help to reduce the bright glare.  As the name suggests, this filter is very useful when observing the moon, but can also be used when observing other bright objects such as Venus and Jupiter.

If you wanted to increase your recently purchased eyepiece collection's potential then a decent barlow lens could be the answer, you'll notice there's quite a range but you should probably stick to the StarGuider if you buy those eyepieces as it will be optimised with those in mind. 

Others may be able to provide more detailed opinions (or tell me I'm talking rubbish!), but in general a couple of good eyepieces to have will be around the 25mm and 12mm marks.

If you wanted to keep the price right down then have a look at the Skywatcher Plossl range, you could get the 25mm and maybe 10mm from this range for a mere £42, probably wouldn't be as nice as the StarGuiders (the field of view is less, might not be quite as bright an image), but cheap and cheerful and should definitely be a noticeable upgrade from the kit eyepieces.

As for the weirdness viewed through the 20mm eyepiece, that could be light refractions bouncing off the internal surfaces, especially if you're viewing a bright object such as Mars.  Bright objects do tend to introduce unwanted artifacts and this is where expensive eyepieces and telescopes come in, they will have all sort of tricks up their sleeves to reduce or eliminate that kind of thing.  I'm sure the erecting prism in that 20mm eyepiece won't be helping matters.

From your description it does sound like there may be some slack somewhere that slow speeds don't 'activate' and fast speeds overcome.  If the motors are identical then you could try swapping them over and seeing if the noise follows the motor, or if it's possible to do so then swap gears over one at a time.  It could be the motor spindle that has some play, not sure what you could do if that was the case.