Geoff Lister

Hello, and welcome to SGL. I tend to use my 32mm Plossl eyepieces to "find stuff" and then use the smaller 'mm' eyepieces to concentrate on a target. I found my Astromaster 130EQ difficult to "master", but once you have understood the mechanics of an equatorial mount, the views are very good (when the clouds permit). It is worthwhile putting "Astromaster 130 EQ video" in your favorite search engine, and looking at a few of the YouTube videos. Geoff

If the unit was "factory fresh" when you received it, it is quite possible that it was close to being fully charged. The "12 to 16 hours" figure is to cover units that have been sitting on a shelf for many months. The charging system should prevent overcharging. Geoff

This photo should give you an idea of how it's put together, and the whole assembly replaces the eyepiece. The telescope then becomes a "dumb" lens, and you will need to adjust the shutter speed to get the best contrast on your photos. Geoff

Initially, I had the same problem, with the 2nd star often being behind my house, a fence or a tree. My solution was to spend a couple of hours with "Stellarium" running on my PC. By advancing time, around dusk, the program starts to add the names adjacent to the major stars. I repeated this, for dusk at the middle of the month, for each month, and produced a table, using 14 of the brightest stars. For each month, I highlighted 3,4,or 5 of the stars, with their altitude (the mount has a good altitude scale) and rough direction (N, NW, W etc.), to get a pair of stars separated by about 90 degrees in azimuth and about 30 degrees in altitude. I repeated the process for about 1 hour before dawn. I always have a backup of Polaris (sorry John) when the sky gets darker. I tend to do my alignment at dusk, so that there is minimum risk of aligning on the wrong star. As soon as you can see the first star (Capella, Vega, Arcturus etc.) for a manual slew, the automatic slew to the second star usually places the star visible in the finder, and often in a 32mm eyepiece. By using "Brightest Star" alignment, the handset often suggests my "chosen" star as first or second option. Once aligned, I can go in for tea and a warm-up, and the tracking will hold the second star near the centre of the eyepiece, whilst I wait for the sky to get properly dark. Geoff

A very good point.

I have the 10" equivalent, but with the Synscan V3 handset. A few years ago, I had problems, with symptoms similar to yours, particularly with getting the azimuth control to work properly at the lower slew rates needed for final alignment. It took me a while to find the problem, a partially disconnected connector, within the azimuth gearbox housing, where a ribbon cable from one of the encoders was plugged into the azimuth control printed circuit board. This fault was not visible until I had unscrewed the board's screws, so that I could see the underside. I pushed the connector fully home, replaced the board and case, and I have not had any problems since. It is also worth checking (disconnect and re-connect) all of the RJ/8/12/45 connectors between WiFi module/Azimuth Gearbox/Altitude Gearbox. The mount controllers are also intolerant of low supply voltage, so make sure your power supply is a good 12V. Geoff

I, too, have both, and the backlash is, at most, a couple of degrees, and only really noticeable when teasing the fine detail in views of Jupiter and Saturn, with magnifications of over 100x. I think that there is something wrong with your 102. I am not aware of any adjustments of the focus mechanism that would not affect warranty. Geoff

I have just spotted this thread on the (mainly) US based astro forum Cloudy Nights. https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/688655-turn-left-at-orion-on-line-resource/#entry9874116 Although not a replacement for the book, some of its information is now available online, at https://www.cambridge.org/turnleft Geoff

The Virtuoso mount is best used on a small diameter table, so that you can reach the eyepiece from all directions, without having to lean over too far, and, if the table is not too tall, it is much more comfortable if you can sit on a chair or stool to observe. I, too, sometimes use my V3 Synscan handset, borrowed from my Skymax or Skyliner mounts, and, if used carefully, the mount will take the larger optical tube assemblies from my 127mm (Mak.) Skymax and 130mm Heritage 130P. Geoff

An excellent choice. The 90 places the eyepiece in a more natural position for viewing. I hope that you both get as much enjoyment with yours, as I have had with mine. Geoff

I have both. I bought the 90, a few years ago, to have a small setup with tracking, and the 114, more recently, to use at my holiday home. I have not had much chance to use the 114 under decent viewing conditions, but, so far, it seems to be OK. The 90 is a Mak., and has a long focal length, so it gives a higher magnification for a given eyepiece, but at the expense of a narrower field-of-view. The 114 is a "fast" Newtonian, so will give a wider FOV, but is probably going to need better-quality eyepieces to get a pinpoint image across the full field. The 90 is probably best for planets and the 114 for the larger star clusters. Geoff

I had 2 problems with my 250PX. (1) I found that my OTA was front-heavy, particularly if I used my binoviewer, DSLR or 2" 56mm Plossl eyepiece. The altitude motor would turn but the OTA would not elevate. I tightened, slightly, the altitude axis nyloc nut, and added a weight near the primary mirror end of the main tube. Problem solved. (2) I also had problems getting the handset to control the fine adjustments in azimuth; so I could not get the alignment star in the centre of the FOV. The fault was caused by one of the ribbon cable connectors, inside the azimuth box housing on the base, not being fully seated on its pins on the azimuth control board. The fault was difficult to locate, as the dodgy connection was under the board, and I had to unscrew the board to find it. The ribbon cables seem to be very short, because each has an added ferrite ring, probably as a post-design fix to get it to pass regulatory RF emissions or susceptibility tests. Again, problem solved. Since solving these 2 problems, I have had excellent GoTo and tracking accuracy. I often do a Brightest Star alignment at dusk, go in for tea and a warm-up, and return when it is properly dark, with the second alignment star close to the centre of a 25mm eyepiece. I added a bubble level to the base, adjacent to the azimuth control box. I rotate the bottom of the base until the bubble is pointing in a direction mid-way between 2 of the feet, and, using a small wedge, lift the third foot until the bubble is centred. I power-up with the altitude scale at zero and the OTA pointing roughly north. I power my Skyliner with a 12V 2A plug-top PSU, (similar to the Baader one shown earlier), but originally provided to power an Ethernet switch. I have also used other 12V 2A plug-top supplies, often used to power the 12V LED flexible lighting strips. Below, are some average current measurements that I made on various mounts. Peak acceleration currents may be a little higher, but I have not noticed any current-limit trip problems. Geoff

Yes, some are confusing, but this may help:- Apo = apochromatic lens https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apochromat Acro = Achro = Achromatic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achromatic_telescope Geoff

I read somewhere that there have been several occasions where flight crew have confused Venus with the headlight of an aircraft on a converging course, and have considered taking avoiding action. Geoff

It looks like we both have the same system; mine has the extending optical tube. The good news is that you do not have to find North; it is much more important to have the base level. I have added a bubble level, and use a small wedge under one of the feet to get the bubble in the centre. With the base level, the cross-axis errors are effectively eliminated. I use "Brightest Star" 2-star alignment, and this works well at dusk, when only the brightest stars are visible - avoiding the error of picking an adjacent star. If the planets Venus, Jupiter or Saturn are visible at a sensible altitude, the Brightest Star option will give these for a very simple 'Planet + 2-star' alignment, with an auto-slew to both stars. I used the free (on PC) planetarium program "Stellarium". By advancing time, the program adds the names of the stars that would be visible as the light fades. By changing date and time, I produced a table of 14 of the brightest stars, visible from my back garden (avoiding trees, fences and houses), for dusk in the middle of each month of the year. For each month, I highlighted 3, 4, or 5 of these stars, with the aim of having them separated by about 90 degrees in azimuth and 30 degrees in altitude (and in an altitude range between 20 and 75 degrees). For these stars, I noted the rough direction (N, NW, W etc.) and the altitude angle (the mount has an altitude scale, that should be accurate if the base is level). This is where a few hours homework, on a cloudy night, will save you several minutes each time when the sky is clear. As soon as you can see the first star with the naked eye, you can manually set the mount to the required altitude, and standing behind it, slew to line up the rough azimuth. This should get the star visible in the finder, and with small adjustments, in the eyepiece. Once centred, the mount suggests the second star. This is where the table is handy, to avoid stars hidden by your surrounding structures; and by having the base level, the Synscan software should make an accurate slew to your chosen second star, with it visible in the finder or even in a 25mm eyepiece. I find that if I do the alignment at dusk, I can leave the mount tracking, go in for tea and a warm-up, and wait for the sky to get really dark. When I come out again, the final alignment star is close to the centre of the eyepiece. For me, at 51.4 degrees N, Vega is a good target as a first star from October to January, and May to July. This is the star that I can pick out first as the Sun sets. A good alternative is Arcturus, which works for me from April to October. If the sky is fully dark, Vega and Arcturus are obviously very bright in a 10" OTA, but I also use the double stars Mizar and Pollux Castor. Geoff

Hello Older Padawan, and welcome to SGL. If you tell us which type of telescope system you have, perhaps one of our members with the same, or a similar, system could give you a few suggestions. Each system has slightly different requirements to get good initial alignment. Geoff

Last night, I had similar problems with my kit. The dew was very heavy, close to, but not quite, freezing. I even had to clear the water off the top of my observing stool. I started with my Star Travel 120 refractor, and when this misted up, I replaced it with my 127mm Mak. At the end of the session I had 2 tripods, 1 mount with handset, and 2 OTAs with their finders; all running with water (I had kept the eyepieces in my pockets). I moved them all back into my unheated, but dry, garage, and left them overnight with all the lens-caps off. When I checked them this morning, they were all dry; with no sign of moisture, and clear lenses. So I put the lens-caps back on, and stowed the various bits in cupboards and cases. It is important not to touch the glass surfaces, and, if possible, not to take cold items into a warm house. A garage or shed is fine, provided that it is normally dry inside. Geoff

If you are towards the north of Bristol, there are some darker areas in the south of the Cotswolds. Most of Exmoor is designated as a dark site, and there are several parking spots that are popular for astronomy. I am on the other side of a hill and south of John's location, and I too observe from my garden. I have Bristol Airport to the south of me, and if I can see its glow, then I can consider that evening a washout, except, perhaps, for the Moon. The important thing is to observe from a location where you feel safe, and out of the direct glow of adjacent lighting. Geoff

I used the varnish from a little tube with a brush in the lid; it was part of a 3-tube set, as the clear top coat in a car paintwork scratch repair kit (primer-body colour-protective coat). The rubber feet are fairly stiff, but not rigid, so it will be interesting to see if the "fix" is still working in another 2-years time ⏳.

This site may be of help. https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=10&lat=6714579&lon=-279386&layers=B0TFFFFFFFFFFFFF Geoff

I have had my ST120/AZ3 combination for about 2 years. Both have resided in a well-protected, but unheated, extension to my garage. My tripods are supported by hooks and brackets just above head height. This afternoon, I took down the AZ3, and found my fingers covered in black dust. This came from the tapered surfaces and bases of the 3 black rubber feet, at the bottom of the AZ3's legs. I removed the remaining dust with a cloth, and painted the rubber with varnish, and I hope that this will stop the shedding in future. The dust seemed to be of a graphite/charcoal consistency, and required a lot of soap and water to clean my hands. I have checked my other tripods and Dobsonian mounts' feet, and most of them have rigid plastic surfaces. However, the Celestron Cosmos WiFi mount's tripod has rigid rubberised feet, similar to those on the AZ3, has been stored in the same environment for about 6 months longer, but does not seem to suffer from the dust-shedding problem. My AZ3 "feature" does not seem obvious in normal use, when I extend or retract the legs; it was only when I touched the feet and got black fingers. Has anyone else had this problem with Skywatcher/Celestron tripod feet? Geoff

I have several 10mm & 25mm EPs that came with my various Celestron/Skywatcher setups, and a pair of 25s and a x2 Barlow work well with most OTAs. The Maks have an extended focal range, and so the Barlow is optional. The helical focus adjustments on each EP act as effective verniers in conjunction with the OTA's main focus knob. I have also used a pair of cheap 7-21mm zooms. With care, these can be set to the same value, and the brain seems to be more forgiving of their imperfections, when both eyes are active. At my advanced age, I have "floaters" in my eyes, and a binocular view seems to filter out their effects on non-pinpoint targets. Geoff

In addition to giving "depth" to planets, nebulae and the Moon; at my advancing years, I have floaters in my eyes, and I find that these are much less obvious when the image is in both eyes. Geoff

The OTA has the standard dovetail plate, running the full length of the main tube. The OTA fits comfortably on my Skymax mount, for full Goto, for a wider FOV than the 127mm Mak. The focus assembly on the Heritage 130 is at the top, when mounted on the original Dob. mount, or equivalent where the dovetail clamp is to the right of the OTA. If mounted on an EQ mount, or photographic tripod, the eyepiece position moves to the right-hand side and places more strain on the focuser's thread. There would be a significant risk of a camera falling to the ground. Geoff

This gives an idea of the current consumption. When tracking, the Virtuoso mount takes little extra power if viewing close to Polaris, and increases towards the celestial equator. The high consumption is when slewing at maximum rate. Geoff