rwilkey

John, you mean the ND96 filter, the best one is the ND96 (0.9) also knlown as ND13 as it gives 13% light transmission. Miles, I have found this one the best all-round filter.

Yes, the Pan24 is a lovely ep, but so is the ExSc 82 series 4.7, you will love them both. Not tried the APM but have read good reports about them.

Hi Paul, great to have you aboard and hope you enjoy your stay. Clear skies!

Hi there Vicki, a very warm welcome from me too, sounds like you are off to a good start, have fun!

Hi Kronos, a 8" scope will collect more light, so the difference is quite marked, if you look at Saturn with with the 3" you will see one moon (Titan), with the 8" you will see up to seven moons (Titan, Enceladus, Rhea, Iapetus, Tethys, Dione & Mimas), that is the difference! I shouldn't worry about filters yet, there are none that help you see planets better, however, a Neutral Density (ND96 09 or an ND13, both give 13% light transmission) filter will reduce the brightness of Saturn and Jupiter (as well as the Moon). There are no filters that will help you see galaxies better, you need non-polluted skies for that. UHC & OIII filters help with various nebulae. Considering 2" filters is a good choice as you can use these with 2" or 1.25" eps.

Hi Deb, a warm welcome from me too, there is so much you can see with that telescope. I wish we had a southerly view but we bought our house 14 years ago, before we were interested in astonomy and so instead we have a westerly view from the back garden, which is not great, but easterly from the front so quite a bit better. Have fun!

Hi Mat, and a very warm welcome from me too, great pictures BTW!

Hi Pete, yes, the same applies to reflector scopes, but you usually have to get/make bigger ones, and as John mentions make sure they fit securely. I also check for damage, pinprick holes and that sort of thing before I use it just to be absolutely safe.

Hi Pete, you might find this webpage useful: https://astrosolar.com/en/information/how-to/how-to-make-your-own-objective-solar-filter-for-your-camera-or-telescope/ Myself, I preferred to buy the ready made ones as in my mind they attach and fit better, and are not all that expensive:

Some great links there, thanks for sharing!

What you need to do is what's called the 'meridian flip', which is to turn the telesope over on its head to face the southerly direction. This is the only pain with EQ (equatorial) mounts, you will also need to reposition the telescope in its tube rings by turning it round, this is the only pain with EQ mounts if you want to keep it polar aligned. This is why I only use alt-azimuth (AZ) mounts as EQ's are too much of a faff, but good luck with your viewing.

The advert mentions a max magnification of 675x, this is not possible with this scope, the max will be around 100x, besides most viewing is done at low power. Start off with viewing the Moon and take it from there, good luck!

Mike, I note that the Seben zooms are sold out everywhere, they come in several incarnations, here is the Meade version, which is identical: https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/meade-series-4000-8-24mm-zoom-eyepiece-125.html

Generally, yes they are good, the 8-24mm zoom eyepieces are the best, avoid 7-21mm. This one is one of the best of the cheaper ones: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seben-31-7mm-8-24mm-Telescope-Eyepiece/dp/B00663XV8S But if you want to spend a bit more, this one is highly recommended: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/baader-planetarium/baader-hyperion-zoom-eyepiece.html I prefer to use individual ep's myself, but have tried the cheaper zooms and they 'do what it says on the tin'.

Well done Chris, I think that's great, all things considered!