rwilkey

Hi Matt, it probably wouldn't work though in theory the thinking is correct (collimation would still be a nightmare), it's best to put the money to a new scope and write the other off to experience.

Hi there, never buy from a high street shop, always buy from a dedicated supplier who knows what they sell and can give good advice and service, like the forum sponsors, FLO. Good luck & clear skies!

Hi Honcho, I agree with you, that's a good scope you have there and for such a good price, that £45 will enrich your life immeasurably. Good luck and clear skies!

I currently have the four Kyson Orthos - 4.8mm, 7.7mm, 10.5mm, 16.8mm, which I bought as set some time ago but have used them very little, prefering the widefields such as TV or ExSc, the 5th Kson (24mm) was added to the series later, but I don't have that one as my 24mm Pan fills that gap with perfection.

Hi Christian, I live a mile from the town centre of Swindon, so light-polluted with that orange glow you see from a distance. A couple of nights last year I saw the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) from my back garden with the naked eye, so anything is possible if you look carefully.

Hi Christian, and a warm welcome from me way down south. Good luck and clear skies!

Hi Jamie, a warm welcome from me too way down south, my advice is to get more viewing time in before you start looking at other equipment. Often the problem with new telescope users is that you must 'learn how to see and manage your expectations', this is not easy and takes a little practice, be patient and 'the sky will reveal itself to you'. Good luck & clear skies!

Hi Katie and a warm welcome from me too, way down south. Good luck & clear skies!

Hi there, a warm welcome from me too, I am sure you will get some good advice here. You will need to decide budget, to give you an idea, take a look at the forum sponsors website here: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes.html Good luck & clear skies!

Hi Maggie_ first of all, welcome to the lounge. I would recommend you look at the forum sponsors website and 'Beginner telescopes' for more ideas found here: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes.html The 130P is a good start in my opinion.

Hi Tom, and a warm welcome from me too. Good luck & clear skies!

Hi Stu, I bought my wife the following for her birthday in March, it is very sturdy and perfect for both general and specialized viewing, the only caveat is that the pillar should not be used if you move the telescope around a lot (as my wife does inside/outside etc) - balance problems, if so. Here: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az5-deluxe/sky-watcher-startravel-102-az5-deluxe.html

Hi Neil, a warm welcome from me too. Good luck and clear skies!

Ken, a wise choice in the N31T5, a lovely ep, I got mine for half the price on this forum, as I did most of my Nags.

Hi Ken, I suspect you will see little or no benefit by owning the N31T5, stick with the E21, it will serve your needs.

Hi there, I thought you were a Scotsman from your obvious name, but welcome from me too, that sounds like a pretty good deal you got there. Good luck & clear skies!

Our speaker for November will be Ian Smith who will be giving a presentation on 'Narrow Band Imaging'. You will need to be a member to join this meeting.

Hi there, you might find it better to try out the stock eyepieces first and then you may be able to see where there are any shortcomings or desirable focal lengths, a Barlow is a good start. The BST StarGuiders recommended above are well worth a look at - stunning eyepieces. Good luck & clear skies!

Hi, I have always found Astro-babies guide the most help. Note in adjusting the secondary: About 90% of collimation errors are down solely to the primary mirror so don’t jump in and start meddling with the secondary unless you are sure that there is a problem. Here is the link: http://www.astro-baby.com/astrobaby/help/collimation-guide-newtonian-reflector/ Generally, for visual, I find near enough is good enough, in my opinion.

Hi there, and a warm welcome from me too. Good luck & clear skies!

Hi George, a warm welcome from me, don't rush to make an EQ platform, I don't like them and have swapped mine out for AZ mounts. Love the beard, my son (aka The Bearded Barber) had one like that a few months ago but it was all cut off for charity. Good luck & clear skies

Hi Braddow and a very warm welcome from me, the xt8 is an amazing scope and you will see new things and clearer detail. Good luck & clear skies!

Hi there, when stargazing always start with the 25mm eyepiece as that helps you find objects and once you have found something use the 9mm to view it better, this gives you 100x magnification, which is the optimum for this telescope. You will find the 4mm almost impossible to use, so don't worry about this one, it is not very good. I think the SR stands for 'Synchronized Ramsden', another early design of eyepiece like the Huygens. The Barlow Lens will be mostly of no use at all. Good luck and clear skies!

Hi Fil and a warm welcome from me. Good luck and clear skies!

Our next talk will be given by Dr James Fradgley MSc. FRAS on 'The Universe - A brief overview of what we know, or think we know'. The subject matter includes the big bang and the expanding universe and promises to be very interesting!