RT65CB-SWL

If you just want a ‘cheap’ manual alt/az mount, I sometimes mount my TeleVue Ranger on a camera/photography ball head and tripod. [image below]. Otherwise the Universal Astronomics DwarfStar mount and camera/photography tripod.

Hi @darthraptor82 and welcome to SGL. Yes!… I am naturally a shy and quiet person. I do enjoy my local astro-society/club meet ups every month. You get to meet so many interesting and different types of people from all walks of life, professions, etc.

Following on from above... If you live near an aerodrome/airport or anywhere that has a large volume of air-traffic at night, civil or military, forget the laser pointer option... you may be the next target!

Hi @GusTheSadGeek and welcome to SGL. “Yes!” You have done the right thing. Did you leave the caps off the eyepieces and other accessories too? Also, when taken outside from a warm environment to cold environment, let it acclimatise [i.e cool down] before viewing, etc. It can take an hour or more. Not so long in warmer seasons though!

I keep losing my iPhone, iPad, the plot or losing my mind some days! That said, many years ago I ‘lost’ a TeleVue Plossl eyepiece at a star party. I returned to the park/site the following day and asked the park staff/rangers if it had been handed in. “No, nothing mate/sir. Sorry!” was the reply. So I went to where I was set up and had a look for myself and found it within a few minutes.

Hi @peanutcol and welcome to SGL. Saturn’s rings a slowly getting close to becoming ‘edge on’, (i.e. you may see a thin band or a line of light running through the equator and a bit either side of the planet’s disc), as it crosses the plane of the Earth’s ecliptic. It happens every few years. Also if you have access to an iPhone or iPad, SaturnMoons and JupiterMoons are useful apps to have, as they show you the positions of their moons in ‘real time’. Both are available via the apple App Store.

Hi @Mr Brownstone and welcome to SGL. I agree with @bosun21 says above for a Maksutov. For decent and respectable planetary images you need focal ratios in double figures as a minimum. Also, if you decide on travelling to far-flung places on planet Earth by air travel, a ‘compact’ Maksutov or SCT can/or maybe as ‘carry-on’ baggage with some airlines, (check week a week or two in advance with the travel agent, airline rep and/or handling agent before you travel or get to the airport... not on the day). One other thing you need to budget for is a suitable mount and tripod. Does your budget of include this? US$300US is limited... US$800.00 is possible but with some limitation. Apolgies in advance if I appear negative or rude, but once you get a nice and decent setup, it will last a lifetime or generations. Of the equipment as shown in my signature [highlighted in bold font/text] and if I travel by ‘plane I will take the TeleVue Ranger and/or the Meade ETX-105, star diagonals, the ‘planetary’ zoom e/p’s, a few fixed focal length e/p’s, filters and few other accessories. The mount and tripod will be packed in a suitcase.

What is your budget? As mentioned above, the BST Starguider’s are good value for money.

Hopefully @Peter Drew sees this and he will be able to advise the best coarse of action to take. Do you have the Losmandy bar? For added security you could attach the Vixen compatible below. If the centre screws are long enough, you maybe able use them. Not sure whether the are US imperial or metric threads though.

@Littleguy80 I cannot comment on the Rowan range of alt-az mounts, but have you considered AOK-AYO. I have an AOK-AYO and a Tele-Optic Giro. The AOK-AYO is very smooth in use. The only downside is that both do not have slow-motion controls. That said, some of the larger AOK-AYO mounts do have the option to add the Argo Navis computer/controller.

I too have repurposed tripod bags for my Meade DS-2102 refractor and a Photax/Paragon 400mm telephoto lens. I purchased mine last year [2023] via the online warehouse that is based somewhere in the far-east and received them within two weeks of ordering them.

From home… …and from the departures/arrivals forecourt of T3/LHR…

I think you can also use rice.

The local DIY/hardware shop or the usual online emporiums/warehouses.

Remember a few years back when Betelgeuse went dim? At the time, I thought it was a cloud of cosmic dust and when I told one of my work colleagues. Said I was talking nonsense and started laughing and said: “You cannot be serious!” like a tennis player without the anger. They think dust is what they find at home, office or car. Guess who is laughing now!

Hi @ChrisMozzi and welcome to SGL. I mainly observe the Sun, Moon and planets. The skies have been a little turbulent recently due to a recent Sahara sandstorm... and where I am at time of writing/posting... permanently cloudy! Adding a Barlow lens will add some extra weight. I have three of them [Klee 2.8x, TeleVue 1.8x & 2.0x] plus an AstroEngineering Imagemate 4.0x. You could consider a ‘planetary’ zoom, i.e. the Svbony SV215 3-8mm or the TeleVue Nagler 3-6mm. There is a difference in the AFOV and price. The eye relief for both is about 10mm, so may be a little to close for comfort for some. I have and use both and no regrets buying them. The plus side is they do not weigh a lot... and less than a Plossl eyepiece/Barlow lens combined.

As per the above comment/reply. To add, I have the TeleVue 3-6mm zoom and the Svbony 3-8mm zoom. I don’t regret buying either… and I too use alt-az mounts.

For me, maths and mathematics are or were not my strong educational subjects. I observe because it makes me think as to how small planet Earth and the solar system is in comparison to the vastness of the cosmos and universe… then there is this… the late Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot…

As above.

Do a few test/dummy runs in daylight to prep yourself. That way you will know where everything goes when it is dark or under the illumination/glow of a red torch/flashlight.

Hi @vansky and welcome to SGL. At the time of writing/posting, I am purely visual. What is your budget for eyepieces? - You could start with a few BST’s fixed focal lengths. I have a TeleVue Ranger, which is similar specification [480mm f/l - 70mm obj]. I have and use 8, 13, & 15mm Plossl’s plus a few other brands and types. For wider FOV’s I use 6 and 8mm Radian’s and 13mm Nagler/type 6, a 6mm Svbony 6mm ‘goldline’ or ‘redline’ [image below]. For higher magnification/planetary views, I will use either the TeleVue Nagler 3-6mm zoom or Svbony 3-8mm zoom. note: the ‘goldline’ AFOV is 66o ...the ‘redline’ AFOV is 68o - they are branded by other manufacturers and dealers, so prices will vary.

Are you using a single ND filter or variable polarising filter? The variable may help in reducing some of it!

Hi @Jon_Manchester and welcome to SGL. Yes! is the simple answer. The ‘doughnut’ is the reflection of the primary mirror when imaging/photographing bright objects. It even happens with photography catadioptric lenses.

For me it is my TeleVue Ranger. Simply because it was my first ‘true’ telescope not purchased from the major high street/discount retail outlets. Plus it is small enough to be classed as ‘carry-on’ baggage with 99.9% of airlines in an appropriate travel case.

Hi @Nik271 I too have viewed a ‘moonless’ Jupiter. It is kind of surreal. It was fun and mesmerising watching the four of them re-emerge as well.