RT65CB-SWL

I have the 1.25" Lunt wedge and use it with a TeleVue Ranger and extremely pleased with it. The reason I purchased the Lunt was the ND3.0 filter is built-in. When used with the Baader Solar Continuum filter, (I also use a polarising filter with it), you see the Sun as a green disc, (it takes a bit of getting used to; after using a Thousand Oaks type 2+ glass filter for many years, which gives an orange/yellow disc).

Hi @fairyhippopo and welcome to SGL. I have a Meade ETX105, now 're-modded' as it had a 'minor' accident many years ago. Below is an image of Montes Appeninus area of the Moon; (taken with a 2.1 megapixel digital compact camera and 26mm Meade Plossl e/p @ 56.5X magnafication); before the 'minor' accident... ...and 're-modded' ETX105 --->

Unless it is a Meade ETX... they, (i.e. Meade), decided to put a flip-mirror housing. The only way to get to the collimation screws is to remove it... it is a PITA - even with my 're-modded' ETX105, (image below), I still have to remove the backplate - note: the blue discs are motorcycle/go-cart fairing washers and through them are the machine screws holding the backplate to the OTA. With other 'Maksutov' telescope brands, I think the collimation screws are easily accessible.

This may help--->

Not sure if this is the right place to submit this article... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/video_and_audio/must_see/52187916/apollo-13-deadly-diy-in-space

The Mak; is a lot smaller and easier to travel with if you rely on publc transport ...and 'airline friendly'. I use a rucksack/backpack if travelling light. Only downsides I can think of at present, and applies to any catadiopric 'scope: cool down time, (I give my 're-modded' ETX105 a minimum of half-an hour). dew-magnets... a dew-shield is a must have accessory. narrow/small field of view. long/high focal ratio... my ETX is approxmately f/14 The above image is of Montes Apenninus with my taken with a digital compact camera; ETX105; 20mm Plossl, (in an eyepiece projection unit/adapter); mounted on the alt-az mount as shown in the top image. Another 'scope to consider and is highly regarded for beginners or those that want a lightweight scope for travel etc., is the Sky-Watcher Heritage 130P --->https://www.firstlightoptics.com/heritage/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html

No! They are not all the same... Some are made by a thing called a skilled human-being or craftsman and takes care and attention to detail, quality control, etc. Others are made by a thing called a non-skilled or semi-skilled human-being on a production line in a factory/sweatshop. It is mass produced, does not care about attention detail, etc., with very little ...or maybe no quality control. The bottom line is... Do you pay once for something to last your 'lifetime' and for others to enjoy it as well? - or - Do you buy something knowing it is a pile of crap/$#!t? ...and at the end of its 'lifetime' ...it ends up in a landfill site!

Hi @Partha Sinha and welcome to SGL. If you were/are using a smartphone/tablet/digital compact camera; some do take a few seconds to focus if 'handheld'.

You could use a heavy-duty ball-head. My ball-head, (note: this it is not an Arca-Swiss type), on a Manfrotto 055PROB, takes a Vixen type dovetail bar... just! The dovetail bar, (not the girder shape one; as that is the balance bar), that my TV Ranger is on in the image, is the Vixen/TeleVue AVT-1011. I have used it too with my 're-modded' Meade ETX105 with some success... The Jubilee/hose rings are holding the Vixen dovetail bar to the OTA.

I have one. (paid £7.50GBP from a seller on UKAB&S). Having the twist-up eyegauard is why I wanted it... and find out what the hype is about with 2" - not to bad for an entry level 2" e/p... though there are better ones out there.

Hi @russ.will and welcome back to SGL.

My TeleVue Ranger... Being a 70mm refractor I dont have to wait long periods for it to cool down before I can start observing. Also 'safe' for white light solar observing, (shown in image with a Herschel solar wedge), and terrestial viewing.

Hi @Cheychi No 'scope does all in this hobby. Each have their pros & cons; and the reason some of us have more than one. This is my 'scope collection... <---TeleVue Ranger and 're-modded' Meade ETX105 <--- Celestron C6/SCT and 're-modded' Meade ETX105 The mount is a Tele-Optic Giro Mkll. I also have a AOK-AYO, (not shown), which is a similar design to the Giro.

Here is where I buy from... First Light Optics (i.e. FLO) - SGL sponsor. 🇬🇧 365Astronomy. 🇬🇧 AstroBoot - (postage can be expensive for small items). 🇸🇪 ScopeStuff - you have to pay import duty & VAT.* 🇺🇸 secondhand - i.e. in the 'classifieds' section/area here on SGL or UKAB&S. 🌍🌎🌏 * applicable to residents of GB/UK 🇬🇧 - other countries will need to check the T&C's, etc.

It depends on two things... your financial budget what do you want to view If you want detail, then go for a 'scope. Binoculars are a good introduction to this hobby. I cannot comment on 25x100's as I have never used or seen through them for astronomy.

Revalation Astro... (I need to get them collimated. I could do it myself, but looks a bit difficult; even though @BinocularSky sent me a link on how to do it). Tripod is a Manfrotto 055PROB. I normally use them for viewing: the Moon, Jupiter's moon's, Saturn; (not brilliant view of the rings), terrestrial; (inc. high-altitude plane spotting).

Hi @Cheychi and welcome to SGL. @John & @Mark at Beaufort have said it all. I have a pair of 20x80's, (image below) and 7x50's (not shown). A well known online warehouse, (sounds like a South American rainforest), often have a combined deal of tripod & trigger grip, or they can be purchased as separate items; like I have for mine. You can also use a monopod & suitable head. Another option is the parallelogram mount. Some prefer the parallelogram mount because there is virtually little or no chance of tripping over the tripod legs/feet or use it when you are in a chair/on a stool/reclining on a lounger, etc. There are also books dedicated to binocular astronomy. One of my favourite binocular astronomy book was written by the late Sir Patrick Moore. 🧐

Hi @BLUEThumb/Tony and welcome to SGL.

I have one too. Beacon Hill Telescopes made me the 1.25" adaptor.

...like this --->

I see they accept an AMEX payment... "That'll do nicely!" ...and: "Don't leave home without it."

Here is my 0.965" / 6mm Ortho & 1.25" adaptor... It is almost as good as my Circle-T 6mm Ortho, (shown below), alongside the 12.5mm.

@Ultrachrome 'Brown Dwarf'', 'Sub Dwarf', etc... that's the 'rank' / 'status' of how many posts they have sent. Your 'rank' / 'status' at the time of writing is 'Vacuum'. To highlight a member/quote from a fellow SGL'er, like I have done to you; is you type the @ symbol and add the username without spaces... example: @username1234567890 becomes automatically highlighted in the box.

Hi, I am not au-fait with a C11, but a few years ago I was having a similar issue with my 're-modded' ETX105. It turned out that the locking ring that holds the primary mirror in place and slides up & down the baffle tube was slightly loose. Maybe worth sending an email/phoning Steve Collingwood at https://sctelescopes.com/ and arrange a visit to get him to check over and overhauled, when the COVID-19 virus restrictions have been lifted.

I think it only supports the .BMP / .JPG /.JPEG / .GIF / .PNG extenions for images.