Stu1smartcookie

So , for once I’ve not had to go and collect anything , and the postman duly delivered. An AZ-GTi with two extension columns and the obligatory tripod .. one of the columns and the tripod will be going up for sale as I have a steel tripod . Many thanks to Jim on speedy turnaround .. the mount seems to work great , but of course it’s cloudy 🌥 Bought mainly for visual use but the firmware is updated into EQ Mode , which gives the option to use Alt Az mode. hmmm , maybe a wedge and another Astro cam ?

Great pic , well framed too . The moon is definitely our friend in the summer when there is very little darkness to view anything else

Actually this set up can be bought cheaper from the Widescreen Centre ... i agree with Greymouser that this scope represents great value and straddles both planets/lunar and dso's

Hi , i like the look of the Starsense series , they have the manual goto which is a great way to learn your way around the sky ... but , if you wanted to be a bit braver would say go for a 200mm dobsonian . Of course this is a rather large scope so think about the storage ...but , coupled with its simplistic base most of the cost has gone into the scope . You can see an awful lot in an 8" mirror . Plus there is no faffing about in setting it up . If you go for a reflector scope then you will need a collimating device . Don't believe all you read about collimation being scary ... its not. You will get at least one Eyepiece with your scope . Dont be in a hurry to throw them aside . They are fine to get started with . most of the time you will observe with the lowest power EP ...believe me, magnifying a star it will still look like a point of light . I wish you well in your search Stu

I don't like phone adapters but i do see their worth . The trouble i find is getting the right camera located over the EP ... with three or more cameras on smartphones these days i think its a frustrating experience using (cheap) adapters . But ,as Malcolm writes , you will get better photos once you have everything set up .

Thats what I wanted to know more than anything as some reviewers poured cold water on the accuracy and connection of the starsense . Always great to read first hand experiences .

i think we should have an unoficial club , where we can say to our er Significant others that we bought the scope etc cheap from a named member of the club ... and that person backs up the story ... deception ?... lies?... no , its called staying alive !!!!!

Nice report . To be honest I think none of us tire at seeing the same things in the sky . Sometimes they are the "comfort" targets that turn a good evenings viewing into a great one

Brilliant opening to what will hopefully become a very intuitive thread . A great start .

All set up and ( well the visual side as it’s a tad too breezy for the star adventurers first light) First opportunity of the week and it coincides with a Friday .

I can empathise with that statement as i'm sure others will also .

lol except this SA owner wont be moving though ,especially as i have just received mine as an aniversary present.

I think you make a fair point , Lee .. the price has not been discussed regarding the new goto star adventurer gti ... i think it will be an expensive mount with a payload that only mirrors the current SA or AZ-Gti . Normally a price would be in circulation , especially if , as touted , the release date is Summer 22 , but as yet , nothing ! i wonder why ?

Wow !!! I'm sure i can see an astronaut doing a spacewalk the pics are so good ! I reckon we can all turn out the light now , i think you've set a massively high bar there. Absolutely brilliant .

As much as many love the summer months , it can and indeed is a frustrating season for dso's . As written above there is no astronomical darkness now therefore i would choose to view mainly double stars , and of course our near neighbour ( no , not her from number 16 🤣 ) , the moon . I live under bortle 5 skies and coupled with what seems like an ever increasing amount of cloud during the summer months you have to take what you can get . Soon enough the skies will start to darken , earlier in the evening . I find early spring, and the autumn season to be very rewarding as the nights are generally more mild and of course the planets that are currently languishing in the morning sky will be making themselves known in the evening soon . The 127 Mak is a wonderfully capable scope that punches above its 119mm aperture( controversial) but its main forte is of course lunar and planetary but there are plenty already mentioned targets that are visible . For me , finding the damn things in the sky is a challenge .

You can find real bargains on this scope ... its a solid performer ( i have just found a used one for £80 !!!!!! inc mount ) . whether CA is a problem is a personal thing i think , and lets face it this scope is considered a widefield performer in which case CA isnt really an issue as high magnification isn't required ... if its planet viewing then look at a Mak or SCT .

Nice report Nik I found last night a bit of a frustrating one as finding stuff in a clear , quite bright sky , is proving to be rather tiresome .. Of course things will change a bit when the sky starts to darken earlier in the evening ... Better not wish the summer away though lol ☺️

the Shake will be ok at least its going "with the grain " ... more trouble if the shake was horizontal

After heavy rain in the afternoon the sky cleared at about 7pm to leave a cloud free night ... obviously there was quite a bit of moisture in the air and the moon , my main target , sometimes had a misty halo . The telrad had a nightmare with dew although the scope stayed pretty dew free . Took in the usual "easy " doubles and the bright stars and tested the WO 2" 45degree prism , which showed the Moon as we see it . Just a quick hour of scanning around .

I cant speak about th Astromaster but the 130pds is an absolute steal at £ 209 (new) . A dual speed focuser , Short tube and light weight . Great to get into astrophotography . Its a winner ! Plus it takes 2" EPs .

A nice couple of gifts to celebrate .. Firstly a Williams Optics 45 degree prism from @Stu a chance possibly to use it on the moon tonight , with the tripod fully extended secondly , a nice gift from my long suffering wife , who I believe actually loves astronomy as much as I do , but chooses not to show it in anyway .. a Star Adventurer 2i . Having bought a 70-300 lens a couple of weeks ago I am “hoping”to take some lovely photos . Hmm maybe a new tripod to go with the set up???? ( better wait a while for that 😂😂)

Lovely clear evening which was spent in the company of the 110mm Frac and the moon ... and a good chance to test (fully) my zoom EP . I had dismissed this EP a little too quickly in a previous post but in reality its made for planetary and lunar viewing .The still air made the night a fantastic viewing experience . There is something , er, rather relaxing when looking at our Moon . I must admit i am not that familiar with all the features on the surface , there is a lot to see . Also i look and wonder what height some of the ridges and mountain ranges are . More homework needed , i can see why people devote so much of their viewing time to our closest neighbour.

Nice moody shot , Steve ... glad you were able to use the Evolux .

Yes , even better

So it seems Celestron are about to "up the ante " by introducing an 8" dob with their Starsense " push to " system ... this could be a game changer for people wishing to utilise the scope to its fullest capacity . At £695 its not cheap but i reckon its a winner . Looks nice too in their silver livery and the base has a more modern look .