Waldemar

Other free planetarium programs are available as well. Each has it's own charm. C2A is very extensive and professional looking with a lot of object info. Cartes du Ciel (SkyChart) is very nice also. Personally I don't like Stellarium, but a lot of people do like it. It always comes down on personal preference...

get this book, it will safe a lot of money and frustration: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/making-every-photon-count-steve-richards.html

Some flies can only be caught with vinegar, honey does not work, or is even counterproductive for them in some strange way...

Of course that is a good idea, but making so much costs for a nasty neighbor? I think the mirrors or the scope aimed to his bedroom window are the best options. This kind of bullying from that neighbor is really sickening... I realize you are a very nice person, Soloula, but this guy is asking for some severe counter attacks.

The a-social reaction of your neighbor, saying: 'jump in the car and take it elsewhere' would really trigger some nasty reactions with me... He is ruining the pleasure of your property and you really should go and complain to the city counsel. Maybe go to a lawyer first to find out what your legal rights are in this situation. My feeling for honesty and righteousness tells me your neighbor is crossing the border by miles...

Apart from all of the above, learn how to set up your EQ mount... The way it is set up now, does not work very well. Take a look at this video please, so you can enjoy your equipment as it is meant to be:

yep, it will just disappear like the PowerMates

Probably the generic products do not meet the brand's specs and therefore go on the market unbranded. B-types so to speak. This does not mean you can't get a branded lemon, though... Quality Control is expensive. Comparing the specs on paper does not tell you much about the quality control, either. Nowadays buying astro equipment seems like a tombola, with exception of the high-end brands, which also means high-priced. In short: you get what you pay for...

In fact they work better on metal dew shields then on plastic ones.

using compressed air is quite tricky!! First of all it is not just air and second if you move it while spraying, liquid may come out. Be very careful. Better use a rocket blower as mentioned before. The camera screen has a low resolution, hard to see anything beyond an impression.

Looks like some condensation to me as well. There are also a lot of dust bunnies in that image and some really dark spots, so it even could be an build up of small partikels due to condensation earlier on.

This tells it is on or just in front of the sensor of your camera or on your clip-in filter It may be a very thin hair. The shape and the fact that is seems to be a bit darker at the sides, giving it a tube-like appearance points in that direction. Inspecting your sensor (and clip-in) with a magnifying glass, could show you the cause.

You can only have not enough amps, not too many, so just try it, but be sure positive and negative are right. Celestron says it needs 12 V, 2 A

Well, the FFC is suited for both, visual as well as imaging, but a bit expensive to buy two of them... (For me, that is...) Yes, Baader has always had a great name for their products as well as service. As far as I know they basically are the successor of Zeiss.

Not a lot that can be done to bending tripod legs but to take them apart and try to put a fitting piece of wood in them. Sorry to say so, but probably your only option is to buy a better tripod... Tripods come with different leg diameters. Most of the time the 2" size is a lot sturdier. I realize this does not help you a lot... Maybe somebody else has another proofed solution to your problem

Why? different factor?

Before even thinking of starting to do ap with a SCT mounted on an AVX, please buy this book: "making every photon count" it will save you money, frustration and heartaches.... The AVX is a nice mount for visual, not for ap. Same goes for the C8, very nice scope, but because of the long fl, very skill demanding, not really suited for beginning imagers, so: bad combination... A better combo would be for example an ED80 refractor on a CEM25. Of course many other combinations are possible, but you are sort of thinking about the most demanding one... In fact an EQ mount is kind of a 'must' for ap.

Baader Varilock is the right accessory for perfect adjustment. Attached a file to show which way to go. FF distance to sensor.docx

Did you check out the Baader FFC? Expensive but very versatile and the best there is... https://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/accessories/optical-accessories/barlow-lenses-coma-and-glaspathcorrectors/fluorite-flatfield-converter-(ffc)--3x-8x.html Please read this before you think it is too expensive. It truly is an amazing piece of equipment and well worth the money!

Info : https://www.telescopehouse.com/revelation-2-coma-corrector-for-newtonian-telescopes.html So, if you are using 75 mm bf, you will get severe coma...

Thank you for that nice trip back in time, Garry! I think most us got hooked in about the same way to this great lifelong hobby. Have fun and stay in awe!

Micro cracks are hard to find... you need to do a real close up check.

In a setup like this you would get less flexure (more rigidity) by using a third scopering or use the places the furthest apart

maybe there is a micro or hair-crack in the main mirror? I think that is the only reason for such an effect...

If you google for the pin-outs, you can compare the two, but you can also send the supplier an email with your question. Sorry I can not be of any serious help... Succes!