mjstarryeyed

The tension was definitely too tight, it's slightly better after adjusting, thank you @Ricochet! And thanks all of the other ideas, I know they will come in handy. @Tiny Clanger, I'm looking into the Teflon pads too and also backing off the barlow for a bit Also, your explanation of shifting the az being an art is bang on, there's a little science to doing it without overshooting. I've found a decent spot with a clear horizon for the now passed conjunction, only to be thwarted by a good bit of Yorkshire cloud. Tomorrow may be better, fingers crossed. Maybe I'll catch Santa doing so

Oh thanks Avocette, have posted elsewhere and will look to delete this somehow. Also, I didn't start with the Barlow, the 7mm was more or less the same without. The moon was best at 15mm

Hey folks, n00b here. I've been out and about with my 150p dobsonian Skywatcher for the last 2 years and had some sweet views of the moon. Tonight I used my 2x barlow with a 7mm eyepiece and saw the lunar surface in beautiful detail and also - got Mars!!! It was beautiful but also..so quick! My first time viewing a planet Actually, I found it quite hard keeping Mars in my sights not only because of the speed but because of the lack of stability with the Skywatcher. Every time I moved it in azimuth, the eyepiece shakes. Not much but enough for distant Mars to become unobservable.