Cosmic Geoff

First piece of advice: Don't buy a binoviewer till you have got used to using your scope. 

Second piece of advice: If you do buy a binoviewer, just get a pair of low power Plossls to use with it, if they are not supplied with it, not a whole set of eyepiece pairs.

I have a binoviewer which came with a pair of 30mm plossl eyepieces, and two Barlow lenses to incrrease the magnification.

I bought a second 20mm Plossl as (I thought) an exact match of one I already had.  Unfortunately one had a retention groove (the supplied 30mm Plossls did not) and when I tried the pair of 20mm I could not get the images to merge. The 20mm pair was unusable.

I had an 8" Newtonian on a manual EQ-5 equatorial mount. I did not like it, and I did not like not having the GoTo facility I enjoyed with my Mak.  I thought of getiing a GoTo upgrade or another mount with GoTo, but opted instead to get a used C8 SE, and I have never regretted this decision in the slightest.  The C8 SE is easier to set up, more pleasant to use with the eyepiece at the back of an alt-az mounted stubby OTA, and contrary to the comments made about SCTs it worked better than the Newtonian.

I also found the large depth of focus made it much easier to use devices such as a binoviewer or flip-mirror diagonal.  The Newtonian would only focus a planetary camera with the focuser right against the stop.

The only thing the Newtonian did better than the SCT was to give a nice bright view of the whole of the Perseus double cluster.

1 hour ago, StarGazerRandomGuy said:

I have my coordinates set up correctly, date and time zone correctly as well, still not aligning correctly, I still can't find polaris in my polar scope, what color is polaris supposed to be in the polar scope while the mount is turned on? When it's turned on the inside of the scope is red. I assume that the last problem is the RA and DEC axis, exactly how do I go about setting it up? In the manual it says I have to point it towards known RA and DEC coordinates how would I figure that out?

In my polarscope, Polaris looks like a moderately bright white star.

I may be suggesting something too obvious, but have you checked that you have turned the Dec axis so that the hole in the shaft allows the polarscope a clear view, and taken the plastic cap off? Look down the hole - can you see a void or a shiny metal shaft?

And have you set the mount head for a latitude of 30 deg and pointed it north?  Can you see Polaris with your unaided eyes? If you can, the polarscope should definitely pick it up.

One thing you could try is to just do a two-star align, ignoring the mechanical polar alignment.  It may well align successfully, but report a huge polar align error.  Which you can then try correcting. If that works, you may eventually figure out why you are not locating Polaris with the polarscope.😀

7 hours ago, eclenic said:

Alas, I’m quite a small woman with a bad back so no ‘man-up juice’, as you put it, to be had. The Dob on its base weighs about 25kg and is the size and shape of a water heater, I can just barely lift it and move it about by myself. A Nexstar 8SE by contrast appears to weigh slightly more than half that weight fully assembled? If it’s bulky but light, or heavy but not bulky, I’ll be fine, it’s the combination that’s kept my scope in the garage for all this time. The AP is something I’m more looking to try and see if I enjoy it before investing in proper kit for it. Better views is obviously relative, what I really mean by that is I don’t want worse visual performance for the kind of money I’m willing to put down - so I’m not really interested in anything below a 6” aperture, and ideally I’d like to stay at at least 8”. 

My C8 actually performed better optically than the 203mm Newtonian it replaced. (That newtonian was mounted on a manual EQ-5 and the combination was horrible to use).  I'm a pensioner, and I can pick up the whole C8 SE assembly without too much effort. Alternatively, you can move the OTA/mount assembly separate from the tripod.  While the SE mount is not great, it is lightweight,  adequate for visual use and does not require any polar alignment.  The Nexstar operating system is fairly user-friendly and easy to use once learnt. If you want to try AP you will need totally different kit anyway - maybe a camera directly attached to a small EQ mount.  I suspect that you would find a HEQ-5 or EQ-6 imaging mount far too heavy.

1 hour ago, Cosmoman said:

How about this scope if I can stretch to it. Thoughts appreciated!

Celestron ADVANCED VX 8 EDGE HD Telescope - Widescreen Centre (widescreen-centre.co.uk)

The 'Edge HD' scopes are designed for full field imaging, but unless you are an expert astro-imager, a small aperture refractor with a focal length of about 500mm (the scope you link to has a FL of 2000mm) would be far easier to use.

The AVX mount would do nicely for visual observing or planetary imaging, but deep space imagers seem to regard it with muted enthusiasm.

I respectfully direct your attention to the comments above.

From personal experience, I can tell you that I produced some pretty-looking deep space images using my 102/500mm refractor, but the deep space images I tried with my C8 were all rubbish.

If you want to do deep space imaging, you should buy a telescope and mount suitable for the purpose, and before you click the Buy button, obtain and read the book "Making Every Photon Count" available from forum sponsor FLO. It could save you a lot of wasted time and money.

If you are interested in deep space imaging, a C8 on its lightweight SE GoTo mount is entirely unsuitable. I have one, so I should know. As for putting it on a wedge, 😂 just don't go there. Doubly unsuitable.

A Dobsonian is equally unsuitable for imaging.

Visual use, planetary imaging, and deep sky imaging all have distinct requirements, and trying to use one setup for all three is like buying a pickup and trying to use it for closed circuit racing.

For visual you can pick a mount that is quick to deploy.  For planetary imaging, you want a well-behaved and stable mount + a planetary video camera, and for deep space imaging you want the most solid and accurate equatorial GoTo mount you can afford, and start with a small high quality refractor.

14 hours ago, Adam89 said:

My main goal is to see Jupiter and Saturn with some detail.

That requires a good quality telescope with a moderate aperture. The telescopes you cite are unlikely to be up to the task. Astronomy is not a cheap hobby, and a budget of $300 does not go far unless spent wisely.  Unless you are wedded to the idea of a "traditional" telescope (i.e.a refractor on a tripod), I suggest you look at Dobsonan or mini-Dobsonian (tabletop) telescopes. These will give you the most optics for your dollar, as nearly all the cost goes to the tube rather than the (very basic) mount.

Yes, you have to find things yourself and push the scope to follow them in the sky, but that is no worse than the ill-balanced alt-azimuth mounts in your links.

First, even 'casual AP' is going to require more expensive and different kit than if you stick to visual.  You can do planetary imaging with a visual outfit by attaching a planetary video camera, but deep sky imaging with long exposures really requires totally different (and expensive) kit + hours of post-processing.

If you stick to visual you could get a C8 SE, which is a fine instrument for general and planetary viewing, with a lightweignt mount. You can pick up the whole outfit and carry it outdoors.  For more money, you can get the same OTA on more sophisticated mounts (Evolution, AVX and CPC) The CPC800 is great for general viewing and planetary imaging, but is heavy. 

You could get the Skywatcher 180mm Mak, but this is heavy, best suited for planetary viewing and imaging, and will require a substantial mount.

Things to avoid IMHO: trying to do deep sky imaging with a SCT - for advanced imagers only.  Putting a SCT + fork mount on a wedge - get a proper German equatorial mount instead.

A note in passing on GoTo systems: if your interest is primarily visual IMHO you will find a Nexstar alt-azimuth GoTo much simpler to set up than a Synscan equatorial GoTo.  No polar alignment, and more user-friendly software.

You should be able to see Polaris through the polar scope in those conditions, so long as you orient the DEC axis to clear the view path...  The field of view is fairly small, though. From your lat/long you appear to be in the USA. 

Check you have entered all the data in the right format.  The lat/long may require leading zeroes.  And don't enter the decimal format you quotre above.

You can buy a polarscope as an aftermarket accessory for the EQ5 if you want. It costs about £35.

19 hours ago, Spier24 said:

The celestron nexstar 6 slt

Skywatcher skymax 127 

Skywatcher star discovery 150p 

Nexstar 6 SLT - a good SCT OTA, but the mount is on the limit, with a wobbly tripod. OTOH, with some deals you are in effect getting the SLT mount for free.  (Check the price of the OTA on its own!) You could get a better mount later.

Skymax 127. A good Maksutov. Very few people ever complain about getting a bad Mak.  Like the C6, a long focal length scope. You do not say what mount you propose to get with it.

Skywatcher Star Discovery 150p.  It's a 6" Newtonian with GoTo, but a cut price one.  Non-collimatable main mirror, plastic parts, etc.  Unlike the other two it has a short focal ratio.

Your choice...

You can observe deep sky objects with all three, but some wide objects will not fit in the fields of the first two.

26 minutes ago, Oldtimer said:

Sorry if I missed out on some of the comments but did one say I needed a dove tail on my EQ2 mount to use Goto and what is a Dovetail ?

And can I still keep using my S/W 130/900 with a Goto added and replace my tripod or can my existing tripod be adapted to suit.

No, you need a dovetail attached to the scope tube, via the scope rings. If you search the astro retailer sites for 'dovetail' you will see what a dovetail bar is, and with a bit more looking at pictures you will probably see how it is used.

You could continue using your 130/900, but replace the EQ-2 mount and tripod with a GoTo mount and tripod.   You cannot just change the mount head as the parts are not interchangeable. 

I suggest you look at some astro retailing sites to see images of small reflectors on GoTo mounts, to give you an idea of what you might end up with.

You are not the first person to want to do this, but it may not be as easy as you imagine.

GoTo positioning is subject to some error in practice, so the error will need to be less than half the actual field of view of your camera sensor.

What kind of large sensor? Not all DSLRs will give you the continuous live view you will require. A dedicated astro camera with a large sensor will be very expensive.

How are you going to focus the camera? You will need a remote controlled motor focus or autofocus.

My recent EQ5 Synscan will allow me to slew the mount with the motors as soon as power is applied to the mount. In any case, so long as you have not done a star alignment you can release the clutches and move the mount manually without affecting anything. I do not see why adding a Polemaster would affect this advice.

Learning your way around the night sky requires a bit of effort, starting with buying a night sky atlas like Norton's and/or one of the books that give a monthly guide of what to look at. There are also various websites.

If you definitely want a GoTo (they are great once you have learnt how to use it) you have various options, which require some decisions:

You could clamp your telescope straight onto a GoTo mount, as your telescope almost certainly has a standard dovetail clamp fitting.

Or you could change the whole system.

Gotos fall into two main designs: the alt-azimuth (commonly a single arm) and the German equatorial. The latter design is needed for long exposure astro-photography but for visual use mainly introduces the annoying and unnecessary complication of an equatorial mount which needs polar alignment.

Then there are different operating systems: Celestron's Nexstar, Skywatcher's Synscan and a number of others.  These actually differ significantly in features and ease of use.  IMHO the Nexstar is easier to use than the Synscan.

You can buy all the Skywatcher mounts on their own, but some of the Celestron mounts, particularly alt-azimuth, are only available bundled with a scope.

Mounts come with a tripod and I would not recommend trying to retain the EQ-2 tripod.

20 hours ago, davesaun1 said:

Thanks for the replies.  I'm looking at mainly planets/lunar with and a mix of visual and photography.  I'm not a technical wizz but have a SLR and an iPhone if I could use either of those?  A goto mount sounds good having had a look..

Photography of what? It is possible to mix visual use and planetary imaging on the same telescope, but for deep sky imaging you need totally different kit.

SLR? Do you mean a DSLR? Nobody uses film for astrophotography anymore. Some people use iphones (because they have one) but this is not ideal.

DSLRs are used for deep sky imaging, partly because they have big sensors and are usually cheaper than buying a dedicated astro camera with a big sensor, partly because a lot of people have one already.

For planetary imaging you need a specialist planetary video camera, which replaces the eyepiece.

3 hours ago, MBErdogan said:

I think I have found the perfect one: https://www.widescreen-centre.co.uk/sky-watcher-skymax-150-pro-eq5-synscantm-telescope.html 

The scope is bigger than I'd recommend for your situation, and the tripod is far too big for your balcony, and the mount & tripod are too big and heavy to carry downstairs when you want to go to a remote site.

The mount is an equatorial Synscan. Have you any idea how difficult it would be to align that properly on a balcony? And BTW, if you select objects from a list and GoTo them, half the time the scope will slew to point at the building.

FYI, an EQ-5 tripod fully extended stands on a triangle 120cm a side, or about 110 cm from base to apex.

8 hours ago, moonlit_night said:

I'd ultimately like to do both AP and visual, and was thinking this might be a decent "best of both worlds" choice.

With great respect, I think you need to do more research into the subject. There is no such thing as a 'best of both worlds' scope. It's like trying to buy an automobile that is suitable for use as a pickup truck and for oval racing.

8 hours ago, moonlit_night said:

I'm also considering investing in a hyperstar at some point to reduce it to f/2.  I'm curious though... is a 2350mm f/10 really ill-suited for DSOs?  I understand that larger (apparent) objects like the Andromeda galaxy and Orion nebula would extend beyond the FoV, but would I be at a disadvantage for the smaller (apparent) galaxies and nebulae as well?

A hyperstar is, by all accounts, for 'advanced astro-imagers only', and not something you would want to swap on and off.

Yes, a 2350mm f/10 is ill-suited to DSOs.  Every expert will advise you to start with someting like a 80mm apochromatic refractor of about 500mm focal length. The reasons are too technical to explain briefly here. Over here, we advise every would-be astrophotographer to read a book called "Making Every Photon Count" by Steve Richards.  If you can get a copy, I recommend you read it.  It could save you a lot of wasted time and money.

From personal experience, I have not delved seriously into astroimaging, but many of the deep-space images I took with a 102mm f5 refractor were quite pretty, while all those I took through a 203mm f10 SCT were rubbish.

12 minutes ago, MBErdogan said:

I made some pictures of my balcony, the width of the balcony is 1,14 m. Do you think there is enough space for this telescope: ''Skywatcher Telescope N 200/1000 Explorer BD NEQ-5' or the: ''Skywatcher Telescope N 150/750 Explorer 150P EQ3-2''?

Are you serious?😲

The balcony is clearly much too small to fully deploy the EQ-5 tripod with a 200/1000 Newtonian on it. The Newtonian eyepiece will be close to the edge of the balcony also.  The same remarks apply with slightly less force to a 150/750 newtonian and mount - there will not be enough room to deploy the scope and work around it.

I suggest that considering the lack of space and the likely poor seeing because of the proximity to the building, you consider a smaller and more compact design of scope with an eyepiece at the back end, e.g. a 102mm or 127mm Maksutov.  This is still enough aperture to give you many hours of pleasure on suitable targets.

42 minutes ago, moonlit_night said:

Any recommended mounts?  I was considering the Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro, but am slightly concerned that the 21lbs of the OTA almost hits the halfway mark of the 44lb capacity.

What are you planning to use the scope for? If you intend to use it for deep space astrophotography, you should consider buying a short focal length telescope more suited for the purpose.  If it is for visual only, the mounts bundled with it by Celestron would be adequate, and an EQ6-R would probably be overkill.

Do you want a GoTo mount or do you want to 'keep it simple'?

Are you interested in taking up Astrophotography?

2 minutes ago, Marc1964 said:

Thanks for the advice. I do wonder about SW quality sometimes... The lenses that came with mine were poor, the diagonal is poor (I used a relatively cheap one a friend had one night and was unpleasantly surprised at how much better it was). How have you found quality of the components overall? 

I have no particular criticisms. The eyepieces that came with it were not that great but that applies to any lower priced outfit you might buy. The Barlow that came with it somewhat improves the performance on planets, and this Barlow seemed to work just as well as a Celestron Omni x2 Barlow I bought recently, originally priced at £50.  My Startravel OTA came with a terrestial 45 deg diagonal, but fortunately I had a a spare star diagonal.    Major parts of the OTA and focuser are all metal.

The terrestial diagonal is actually useful if you want a RACI image to avoid swapping your brain L/R, but does not give as sharp an image as a star diagonal.

3 hours ago, Happysolderer said:

I asked at a local Astronomy shop and they recommended a Celestron neximage 5. Apparently it's the only camera I'd ever need. 

I wouldn't recommend it. And although it's local, I won't be going back. 

That might be an over-reaction. This is the right kind of camera for planetary imaging (unlike a DSLR) and this model was much favoured for planetary imaging a while ago though one does not hear so much about it now.

If you want a widefield 'scope with which to learn the sky, you could do worse than get the Sky-watcher Startravel 102 (102mm aperture, 500mm focal length).  It is inexpensive, quite well made, similar to the Evostars, and easy to handle (I normally carry mine in one hand).  It also works surprisingly well for dabbling in EEVA and astro-imaging.

On the downside, it has some chromatic aberration and field distortion, and is not much good for high power work (e.g. planets) but you can't have everything unless you want to spend 896 Euros + shipping. (see above).

The Startravel should mount on your existing tripod.

On 07/01/2018 at 17:32, brantuk said:

A cheap alternative might be some of those Bressers 10x50's that Aldi or Liddl have on offer from time to time. I got a pair for £15 a few years ago and they still work absolutely fine. They'd be a bargain if they were now another tenner.

I have a pair of these bought some years ago. They work fine for day or night use, but I did have to recollimate them after a while. Considering how much you can pay for premium binoculars I thought they were an absolute bargain.