Cosmic Geoff

I bought a C8 SE because it had a GoTo mount. But each to their own...🙂 If you just want to look at Jupiter you can simplify things by using the Solar System Align with Jupiter as the target aligning object.

Assuming that one telescope can do everything is a fundamental error. Even on the visual side,one has to choose whether one wants a portable or semi-portable instrument, GoTo or manual, and on the imaging side, what kind of object you want to image. Hardware for imaging planets will be different from that for imaging deep space objects. And a setup that can image the whole of M31 or a large nebula won't do for imaging a small distant galaxy or a small planetary nebula. You should assume that unless you want to concentrate on one particular aspect of amateur astronomy, you will eventually be owning more than one telescope and camera.

I have one of these and it is best suited for two things: as a visual widefield scope for comet hunting, star clusters etc As an instrument for EVAA (electronically assisted astronomy) and basic dabbling with imaging. If you want "good quality images" you should look at getting an ED or APO refractor. It is not suited for anything to do with planets - it has too much chromatic aberration etc.

I remember it had a 4mm eyepiece and the vibration was annoying with that eyepiece in use (x175). If you pushed the C90 to its maximum usable magnification I imagine the result would be almost as bad.

This is the scope and mount in my signature pic. I am surprised that anyone would actually want one. The objective in mine was poor and the mount was rathewr wobbly.

Since you appear to have the latest handset, there should not be a problem. ( Generally speaking, you may or may not be able to skip the intermediate upgrades, and the latest version may not install on old hardware. ) Also note there is no "must" about firmware upgrades, unless you have an issue and the small print for the upgrade says that it will fix it. Most household appliances now contain firmware. When did you last upgrade any of them? 🙂

Check out the base of the mount and the flat-topped Skywatcher tripod available from FLO. I understand that one or two people have fitted the SLT mount head onto this tripod with a small amount of DIY.

The heaviest scope you cam put on a SLT mount is one like the 127Mak mentioned above, and that's for visual use. I have done EVAA imaging with a smaller scope on a SLT mount but I had to be careful not to touch it or move a muscle while it was operating. For a 150mm OTA of any description you really want a mount in the EQ3-2 class for visual or HEQ5 or EQ6 for serious imaging. Yes they cost a lot but that's just how it is. You do not need aperture for imaging, just expensive kit.

While the printed instructions could be better drafted, what they actually mean is : enter the required parameters, get the desired object somewhere in the eyepiece field, press ENTER, centre the object in the eyepiece field, press ALIGN. Note that a CPC800 has negligible backlash, apparently because of spring-loaded worms etc, but a SE mount has quite a lot. If the slew speed is accidentally set to a low rate, nothing will appear to be happening if you press the slew buttons. The slew speed should initially default to a high rate, and then change to a lower rate for the final aligning on ENTER being pressed. If you think Nexstar is hard to use, try getting a Skywatcher Synscan to work. 🙁 As mentioned above, there is a big change of focus between near terrestrial objects, and astro objects.

The 6SE and 8SE actually have the same mount, so the 8SE has a larger aperture, is more expensive, and is putting more load on a mount which is better suited to the smaller telescope. (The 8SE is clearly much more popular than the 6SE.) Note that these setups are intended for visual use only. Even the 8SE can be picked up as a complete assembly of OTA/mount/tripod and carried through a standard doorway. As for the focal reducer, these are intended for imaging, and if you think you need one, maybe you should have bought a wider field scope in the first place. 🙂 A visual alternative is to fit the lowest power/widest field eyepiece possible, maybe with a 2" visual back and diagonal. With a 25mm eyepiece, the C8 SE just gets the full moon in field. Note that if you are interested in the 6" Celestron SCT, it actually comes bundled with a wide range of mounts from the wobbly (SLT), the SE, through to the Evolution (better than the SE) and the AVX (for imagers) Some of the prices are now rather high, but if you are shopping for a second-hand SCT there are some bargains to be had. Mine cost about half the price of a new one, and just as good, and even better bargains are possible. One forum menber recently paid £650 for a 10" Meade LX200 that would have cost thousands of pounds when new.

My Celestron 127mm Mak OTA weighs in at 4.5Kg or 10 lbs, including finder. The SLT mount is barely sufficient and quite wobbly. A AZ4-2 or EQ-5 mount does a good job of mounting it stably.

A little patience before you send it back. I doubt very much that the mount is at fault. Solar System alighn should be a doddle if you enter the right parameters. If the focus is out, several turns of the focus knob may be required to get it in focus. If you see a 'donut', the trick is to wind the knob till the donut shrinks to a dot. If you have a dot, that's nearly as good as it will get, and if it is not sharp, the atmospheric conditions may be to blame. Two more tips: Get a proper +12v power pack and don't rely on the internal battery. Buy or make a dew shield - it is a required accessory.

I hve a Celestron C8 SE configured for quick setup with the Starsense (camera and handset) accessory. I can carry it all outside through a doorway as one lump, set it down on a flat hard surface (levelling not essential) and have it working in a few minutes. Or I can set it outside half an hour earlier to cool down. With many outfits the setup time will cover the cooling time.🙂

A GoTo would indeed be helpful in not-dark skies. The Nexstar GoTo system from Celestron, as used in the 4SE etc is easy to use. The Skymax 150 Pro will be heavier and have a somewhat narrower field of view than a SCT of the same aperture. What is your budget? Meade have had some financial difficulties lately.

I read somewhere very recently that the recommended voltage is 12 to 13 volts, for longer life. Any sort of power bank with adequate capacity should do (e.g. a car engine starter or an astro power tank). There would be no mains voltage or trailing lead to trip over. It sounds like you got an absolute bargain. Unless a dew shield was included you should get one, as this really should be a standard accessory with every SCT.

If you bought the EQ5 Synscan GoTo or the HEQ5 Synscan GoTo mount, that would stably support any of your choices of scope and leave some headroom for upgrades. As these are complete mount/tripods, you would not need the AZ GTi as well (unless you want to mount it on a light tripod for a grab'n go). I should point out that even the EQ5 Synscan would use up all your £600 budget on its own. 🙁

Good luck. I have seen a 16" Meade LX200 in an observatory, which must be two or three decades old by now. They had some trouble with the mount a couple of years ago but the optics are still fine.

The mirrors are not exposed and the only communication to atmosphere is through the eyepiece hole, so the most you can do is look in the corrector plate and see they look shiny. If the outside looks in good condition, the mirrors should be fine. If they clearly ar not, dismantling, re-coating and re-assembling will be expensive.

Check for general condition. Does it look clean and cared for? Any missing or damaged screws? The corrector plate should be undamaged. A bit of dust and dots of tree sap can be cleaned off. And if you are concerned about its size and weight, try lifting it. Could be 61 lbs excluding tripod & wedge. Get it powered, see the handset light up and run the RA and Dec drives.

That should be put in context, for your future reference. I suspect that a 10" LX200 would weigh something like 30KGs for the OTA and mount unit. (You can look up the details yourself if you are interested). The 10" SCT OTA on its own would be bulky and weigh around 10Kg, but ANY OTHER KIND OF 10" SCOPE WILL BE LONGER AND HEAVIER. As a beginner, I suggest you go back to basics and decide on a budget, and what degree of portability, whether basic (manual) mount or GoTo would suit your needs. On the whole, it would be wise to start with something small and simple and scale up later. Yes, we do have a buy/sell section but the rules have just changed which may affect you.

The general opinion of Meade instruments are that the optics are very good, but the mounts are not so good or unreliable. I assume this is a SCT. £650 is not a lot for a 10" SCT, even without the mount, and you should not worry too much about the age of the optical tube assembly. (For comparison, a new 10" SCT tube assembly only might cost around £2000.) The complete setup will be big, heavy and not ultra-portable. Other than that, if it works, fine. Should the mount fail however, you could be looking at a large amount of money to re-mount the optical tube on a modern GoTo mount (e.g. from Skywatcher.) Definitely have the mount powered up and put through its paces before you buy. Once you have confirmed that the mount is working , it's your choice 🙂

The Mak is an excellent smaller scope that can be put on various mounts. Good for most tasks unless you want a wide field. The Celestron Astro Fi 6 is another excellent scope, again good for most tasks unless you want a very wide field. The Star Discovery by most reports is made down to a budget. The main mirror has no collimation adjustment, but this is not necessarily a disadvantage... As for the mounts, I learnt to distrust WiFi when it was installed for the laptops at work and we had to take it all out again because of electrical interference. AFAIK these mounts can be used with a handset (at extra cost). Take a critical look at the weight rating and stability of these mounts, which all seem to be of the limited weight/portable variety. Some people are tolerant of wobblemounts, but I am not.

Check the manufacturer's spec sheets. A 8" Celestron SCT is not heavy at all.

Check whether the mount can be used with an optional cabled handset. I learned to distrust WiFi when they installed it for the laptops at my last place of work and then had to rip it out and cable them because of electrical interference. A scope will last a very long time (many decades), while electric or electronic mounts have a limited life before they break down or become so obsolete nobody wants to use them. Just like cars or computers.

You do not need to table mount a small GoTo scope. I have tripod mounted Celestron Nexstar GoTo scopes, a 127mm Mak and a 8" SCT and I mostly observe sitting down. The eyepiece position on these does not move a lot and you can get to it while sitting, particularly if you have a chair of variable height (which some observers use but I don't). It is actually much easier to see if you sit rather than stand while trying to stay in position and not bump the eyepiece.