Cosmic Geoff

Don't buy in haste. Do your research first. If you want to take spiffing colour images of deep sky objects you will need one of those GoTo mounts you say you don't like - they are needed for precise guiding and tracking. Be warned - astrophotograpy is an expensive and time-consuming hobby. If you want to take great images of planets the hardware requirements are quite different, but not necessarily any cheaper. If you want to do widefield images of the sky you can probably do it with your existing camera gear, plus a simple tracking mount. Place the camera directly on the tracking mount. I used to own the very outfit you cite - a 203mm Newtonian on a motorised EQ-5 mount. It was the most user-unfriendly and awkward outfit I ever owned and within months I stopped using it, and later sold the OTA and upgraded the mount to GoTo. I suggest you buy and read the book "Making Every Photon Count" available from FLO. It will cost you about 20 UKP and take a few hours to read, but could save you from wasting a lot of time and money.

You might find a 32mm eyepiece useful. Whether you get a zoom is up to you. I have a budget one and while it is quite good optically, the field of view at 24mm fl is very small (never used) and the action is so stiff I cannot adjust it while it is in the scope. I have a permanently sited wooden tripod for some of my scopes.

I tried using my 102mm f5 Startravel as a solar scope during a transit of one of the inner planets a few years ago, to project the image. It would not resolve it and I had to switch rapidly to projecting with my 127mm Mak in order to view this unique event. Nowadays I use the Mak with a full-aperture Baader film filter. I put a bit of spare film over the 2 inch hole in the 102mm scope's dustcap - very easy to do. I will probably use this to try imaging the upcoming partial eclipse (wider field).

I think you will find it difficult to take images of the planets with a manual Dob - you really need a tracking mount, or a GoTo mount. If your camera does not have 'live view' you will find it even more difficult.

The 4SE is unusual in having a built-in flip mirror - a handy device for imaging planets and similar objects. Find them in the eyepiece view and then flip the mirror to engage a planetary video camera fitted on the other port. Better eyepieces - the 9 or 10mm one in particular needs an upgrade. You will need a dew shield, but it is easy to make one. An external +12v power pack if you are still using primary cells to power the mount.

I saw Venus yesterday (29th) at about 9.30 pm with the naked eye, though it was not conspicuous. I knew Mercury was supposed to be very close but could not see it with binoculars or even with a 102mm refractor. But Mercury is about 6 magnitudes fainter. I saw Venus again this evening (30th) but again no Mercury visible with binoculars.

Few people make their own telescopes these days. It is unlikely to save you much money, and only worth it if you have an irresistible urge to create one with your own hands. The Dobsonian design has become a commercial product, available from various branded manufacturers. Second hand telescopes are readily available, and if bought from an enthusiast should be in good condition and save you significant money compared with a new one. The Newtonian design is still popular, especially mounted as a Dobsonian. You can put them on an equatorial mount, but the mount becomes a significant investment and the eyepiece can get into awkward positions.

If you decide to go the astrophotography route for DSOs, then its doable in the ~£1000 budget. My setup is a classic example. - Celestron 130EQ Newtonion ~£150 including EQ2 mount+RA motor (you should be able to get something similar second hand) - Skywatcher HEQ5 mount second hand ~ £500-(£700 for Pro goto version). I bought the HEQ5 Pro as I wanted a GOTO - ZWO ASI224MC camera ~£200 - PC (old win7 laptop converted to run Linux as Win wasnt supported ) you can get pretty decent images of DSO with this combination...See my post here https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/375208-imaging-with-a-celestron-130/ I'd second this: For looking at galaxies I can use a 102mm f5 refractor and an ASI224MC on a SLT or EQ5 Synscan mount. This is a electronically-assisted rather than a true astrophotography setup, and gives a better view than a C8 from the same site.

Unless you have dark skies, views of galaxies and nebulae will be disappointing regardless of what size scope you have. You could look up the Bortle value for your location which would give us a clue. You have not said whether you want manual or GoTo. £500-£700 would enable you to buy a new, manual Dobsonian-mounted Newtonian of substantial size. However for £700+ you could look for a used 8" SCT, e.g. a Celestron C8SE (with GoTo). I did, and have not regretted it. 🙂 Advantages: the SCT is lighter and more compact than a Newt, and the eyepiece remains in a more convenient position. The GoTo makes the setup more versatile (find planets in daytime, image planets) as well as enabling you to find faint elusive objects. All GoTo mounts track. New or second hand: that's up to you. There is a risk in buying second hand, especially if you don't know what defects to look for, but if you buy a well-cared for instrument from another astronomer here, there should be little risk, and you can save a lot of momey.

One only has a choice of Schmidt Cass (SCT) or Mak-Cass (Mak) over a small range of apertures. I have examples of both, and would say that unless you are an expert observer or have exacting requirements you may not notice a lot of difference at 6" aperture. The typical f10 focal ratio of a SCT makes it a little more general-purpose than a Mak, as the latter have longer focal ratios. There is a saying that 'nobody ever complained of having a bad Mak' and the one I have performs very well, but anecdotally there seems to be more variation in the optical performance of SCTs. If your interest is planetary viewing, that means aperture, which means a SCT, or Classic Cassegrain (CC) or perhaps a large Mak, and the latter will be heavy, have a long focal lengtth & ratio, and take longer to cool down.

What kind of basic telescope do you have? Having had it for a year, what features of it don't you like and wish to avoid when buying a replacement? What are the skies like where you live? What is your budget? Do you want a basic device, or high-tech? How portable does it need to be? If you want more specific advice than "buy a bigger one" you really need to give us more detail.

I was aware of the high infrared sensitivity of the ASI224MC when I bought it, and accordingly bought ZWO IR-cut and IR-pass filters at the same time. I always use the camera with one or the other filter attached. As I proved when trying the camera out in my kitchen, if you don't use the IR-cut filter, the colours come out looking wrong. To repeat, the camera is intended to be used with an IR-cut filter, and if you don't use one your colours will come out wrong. I should think that with an achromat, any IR that passes through it will be focused in a slightly different place than the visible light, so using an IR-cut filter should be beneficial.

Re the Starsense, a quirk of the hardware version is that its pointing will be persistently off unless the camera aim is synchronised with the telescope aim. Even after that, it can be persistently off when re-used on subsequent nights. Re the finder, it should be worth finding out why the finder cannot be adjusted. There is no problem with my C8 which should be mechanically similar but a size bigger. As others say, you should be able to shim it. If the root problem is the shape of part of the telescope that the finder shoe is fixed to, changing the finder may not solve the problem. If you do change the finder, depending how you use the scope (and note the above comment) you might like the Baader red dot finder which costs about £30, or a 6x30 straight optical finder, or a RACI finder of up to 9x50.

I think this comment is correct. What operating systems are you using? I have found that Windows 7 networking works just fine, wheras Windows 7 to Windows 10 is internmittent and a PITA.

You should always make sure you are charging a lead-acid battery (the kind used in astro powertanks and car engine starters) with the correct type of charger. This will be one that will charge it to about 13.8 or 14 volts but no higher. The final voltage chosen may depend on the application. A charger with an unregulated output voltage will charge the battery quickly but should be disconnected once it has done its job, as leaving it connected could damage the battery. Powertanks and engine starters should be supplied with a charger which, in the case of the one I have, is a low-power charger that has a regulated output and can be left permanently connected. Such chargers are generally marked with the output voltage and current capacity. Note that a lead-acid battery that has gone completely flat may have suffered permanent damage. Also, a charger with clever built-in protection circuitry may refuse to charge it. (This definitely happens with laptop batteries).

Rather than tightening the spring, now you have the base apart, try to find a cause for the backlash. The more common problem with these mounts is that the nylon balls in the azimuth ball race wear out, or the big central nut tensioning the asimuth bearing is done up too tight. (The mount should spin easily with the azimuth clutch loosened.)

or is this just one of those weird and wacky things that happens sometimes I'd say it is just one of those weird and wacky things that happens sometimes with these mounts. I have an EQ5 Synscan and also three Celestron Nexstar+ mounts, and the Nexstars are far less annoying.

I have a CPC800 and I had the base apart to cure another issue. IIRC the worm is spring loaded onto the worm wheel. I like this outfit because the backlash is notably low.

The Syywatcher dovetail bar that came with my Startravel scope had four screws apparently intended for adjusting the rings relative to the bar to correct for cone error. I assune this is a very common arrangement. I never tried using them, so I don't know how easy or difficult it might be to adjust them while the scope is mounted.

Great image of the Needle. I imaged this a few nights ago with the same camera -ASI224MC- and the same aperture - 102mm f5 achromat. However I was doing EEVA with live stacking, and got 6 frames of 5 seconds exposure each before cloud closed in. Since the exposure was so much shorter than that used by PadrePeace, the results are not impressive, but I can make out the needle shape, which is a lot more than I can see visually from this locality even with a larger telescope. I have a question. What are PadrePeace's skies like, as I find that with an exposure longer than around 5 seconds I am getting sky-glow at this location?

Beginners generally start with something much cheaper. The Evo 8 Edge HD+ Starsense is a fine scope that many might envy, but a few cautionary notes: This is a fairly 'techy' instrument, and while it ought to be easy to use, if you find you don't get on with the GoTo tech, you will drop a wad of money when you sell it on. Historically the more expensive SCT outfits do not hold their price well. I assume that if it comes with Starsense you don't get the basic handset so you have to use the Starsense handset. This means that you don't have the option of doing a two-star (or three-star or one-star) align during dusk whrn the Starsense does not work well, The Edge HD version is really intended for advanced imagers, and while it is said to give slightly better performance visually, this may not be obvious to a beginner. I have not found the cooldown time to be a problem - if it is for you, just stick the outfit outside an hour before you intend to use it. And you do need a dewshield (it ought to be part of the kit IMHO).

Missing driver? Definitely missing something.

If the price of $1643 is in $US dollars, it is far too cheap for a C9.25 Evolution. Looks suspicious.

A sensible choice if you want a relatively portable outfit for visual on planets and other objects. You will find the GoTo a great convenience for finding 'other objects'. And they will align for GOTo whether you can see Polaris or not. These both have the same mount, so buy according to whether you want more portability or more aperture. The C6 is said to be more stable on this mount (less weight). The C8 SE is on the limit for this mount but adequate for visual so long as you avoid windy conditions and keep the tripod legs retracted. They can also be used for planetary imaging if you want - just add a good planetary video camera and laptop (though the wobble and backlash in the mount may make this a little trying). The Nexstar GoTo system is IMHO easier to use than Skywatcher's Synscan. Both these outfits are more compact and lighter than any other scope type of the same aperture and the eyepiece stays in a relatively accessible position. Note that the mount is not suitable for long exposure deep space astrophotography and the OTAs are not the best choice for a beginner in this area either.

It may be nothing to do with the Starsense, and it does not seem like an electronic type fault. It could be simple backlash in the gears, which will be particularly noticeable if you are looking at a small camera frame rather than a low power eyepiece field. In fact my CPC800 at random did exactly the thing you describe, and I tracked this down to the mount being too stiff to rotate in azimuth, binding at certain positions. The cure was to strip down the mount and ease off a big nut that set the clearance for the azimuth turntable. I suggest you check for backlash, or investigate the workings of the mount if the problem occurs at random rather than immediately on going to target. If the mount had no azimuth clutch that you can slacken off to spin it, try running it continuously through 360+ deg of azimuth and see if there is any change in the motor noise. You can also change in the setup the direction in which the mount makes the final approach to target, IIRC, which might sort your problem.