Alexandros

As a positive vibe, according to chaos theory, it is hard to make accurate weather predictions for more than 3 days ahead, let alone two weeks. So don't lose your hope yet!

Hi Alan! Sorry for replying so late, I have been caught up with work. Thanks for the tutorials, once I find some free time, I will put them to use and let you know how it went Alex

Hi Alan! Thanks for you response. I am not familiar with the criterions you mentioned but I'll look them up. Regarding the mount. Mine was in fact tight and quite difficult to move in the RA axis with the handle on, but I applied some WD-40 to the contact of the main gear with the worm shaft and it became a bit better and the motion was smooth. However, I am not able to move it with my fingers when I'm trying to twist at the position you pointed in the picture. I assume a loosening up is called for. I will search for a tutorial for how to do this properly, but if you are aware of good one, could you post it here so I can have a reputable one? Thanks again for responding Alex

Ahhh, that's uplifting Alan! (Not the dream part, that sounds like a nightmare to me 😋 ) While I am by no means gonna risk exposing my scope to water, I am very relieved that if I get a bit of water in my scope I can clean it and be good to go! Thanks a lot!

Ahh, thanks a lot! It looks like there is some studying involved in the resolving power and how to properly measure it so I will most certainly take my time to understand it first! Also, thank you for sharing your opinion of the EQ5

Thanks Billy, I know there is an astronomy club operating on my island and I am going to attend some of their stargazing nights as well. They just don't meet very often sadly.

Thanks a lot Cosmic! Thank you for that final remark, I was under the impression that all the mirrors were parabolic. Now I am much more cautious as to what I should invest in. It could very well be the reason why there seems to be a deadzone in the focus of my scope, within that window, the sharpness of the image does not improve. Is there any way I can test if the spherical mirror has a noticeable effect? For example if there is a certain lunar feature I should be able to distinguish, or a binary star I should be able to split, or something else. I also see from your post, that you have the EQ 5 mount and the motor drive for it. Could you share your opinion on it? I saw it today online and was thinking if I should consider it for a future upgrade.

Thank you all for the replies! To be honest, I am not looking for a particular answer, I know that both are options, I am just trying to learn from your experience mostly as to what is the best path for me right now! I can see that unanimously the best option for me is to continue looking at the sky so I will keep doing that, at least for the coming month as the new moon will let me know what the best seeing conditions I can achieve in my location are. Also more Messier objects are there to spot as well! 😁 Any ideas on other objects I can see under the moonlit sky?

So as the title says I am a beginner in the stargazing area. I recently got my scope a Skywatcher 130/900 reflector, mounted on an EQ2 mount and it came with 2 reverse kellner eyepieces a 10mm and a 25mm one and a barlow lens. I have been looking through it for about a week now, loving the experience and I just got back from seeing my first Messier object and I am very excited so forgive me if this post has some parts that seem jumbled! have been noticing, that with my rack and pinion focuser, it is hard to get the sweet spot of focus that i believe I can achieve with my scope and I have been considering investing on a 2 speed crayford focuser, in order to better control the focus. However there are so many other things that I want to get, like a motor drive for my mount and a t ring to attach my dslr but the fact that I have been in posession of the scope for a week and a day makes me feel like I have to take things slow now and learn how to use my equipment better before I proceed in an investment right now. So my question is, what should I do right now. Should I get any of the equipment I feel like is gonna help enhance my experience, or do you think I should spend some time first to learn the sky and how to better see with my scope right now? If I were to get some new equipment down the line, what do you think I should prioritize on? Sorry for the long post, it's the excitement I guess!

Ahh thanks I will do that soon! I just got back inside after spending about 3 hours outside seeing with my scope and managed to see my first Messier object, M13! It was a bit of a hazy mess because of the bright moon, humidity and the light pollution here but I used some of the techniques in a pinned tutorial in the forum, averted vision and scope tapping and it was much more easier to view! I am super excited right now!

Thank you all for the ideas about weather protection, it is good to know that I have options before I make my next investment! I was thinking whether I should purchase a new 2 speed crayford focuser, as I find the rack and pinion one to not be able to find that sweet spot for focus easily. However, I am thinking whether such a move is premature and there are other more important items, such as a motor for the EQ2 mount, or whether I should simply focus on learning my equipment and the night sky better. Do you have any suggetions regarding what could be considered essential? I currently have 2 reversed kellner eyepieces, a 10mm and a 25mm one and a 2x barlow lens, for my 130/900 reflector scope.

Thank you all for the warm welcome! 😃

Thank you both for your answers. I think I have a pretty good idea in my mind about my course of action! I'll also get a rubbish bag or two and store them near my equipment from now on, until I get a proper cover! 😃

First of all, let me say what a wonderful monopoly you have there! I unfortunately skiped on buying a cover for my scope, as I was thinking that, summer is coming, storms are gonna be rare now and clear skies are gonna be the norm! I think I will invest on one though for the future! Any suggestions as to what I should look out when I search for one? Thanks a lot for your answer!

Just as the title says, I was wondering if anyone knows whether rain causes any effect or damage to a reflector scope or a mount. Is it worth it to take the scope out to observe between clouds when there is a chance to rain, or should I take the day off? Alex

Thank you all for the very warm welcome! I live close to Athens, under a Bortle 6-7 sky. My scope is mounted on an equatorial mount, called an EQ2. I am not aware of its brand, but I will assume it's a Skywatcher as well, like the scope.

Hello all! I am an absolute beginner stargazer, but astronomy aficionado, from Greece. I recently discovered this very helpful forum while searching for opinions and reviews about the scope I purchased, a Skywatcher 130mm reflector scope. I am looking forward to discussing and hopefully sharing some cool photos of the sky with you, like this very amateur shot of the moon's terminator from my phone, taken 5 days ago! Clear skies to all!