Aryan

Thanks for this thread, it gave me more insight as to how zooms work. The concepts of zoom eyepieces is still quite new to me, wish I'd known earlier! Thanks for all the help again guys, this is why I love this platform, it's so useful for beginners like me!

Oh wow, this zoom eyepiece is quite new to me, I never knew zoom eyepieces existed for such a wide range. Like @Roy Challen said, it'll unite all my previous eyepieces into one, and even the hassle of having to frequently switch eyepieces is cleared off! Even though this is slightly off my budget too, I'm highly considering this one and also it's younger sibling, the 7-21mm zoom eyepiece, they look quite the bang for the buck. Thank you all for the help, much appreciated! If anyone is able to find other zoom eyepieces at a cheaper price, please post it here, I'm open to suggestions! 😃

Hey, that sounds like a good deal, set of eyepieces for £20 is not bad. The only problem is that my Celestron Astromaster 130EQ (f/5) is a fast scope, so like you mentioned, it wouldn't suit me too well. Can you suggest any alternative in the same price range perhaps? As for this one, I checked the links and they look like quite good eyepieces, but as per the first link, one costs £41, thats close to how much I paid for 3 eyepieces though 😅. It's quite a bit off my budget. Is there anything else that you can suggest at lower price range?

Hello everyone! I have come back yet again to this amazing platform of SGL in hopes of finding some help, and I'm sure I'll be able to find some because whenever I come here, the people of this platform always give me prompt and very helpful responses that truly help increase my knowledge (and the solve the problem ofc!) The last few weeks has been quite the blunder for me... After finally finishing shifting to our new house and everything is settled into it's new places, I pull out my telescope to get a better view of the setting, red cresent moon right outside my balcony....... and my eyepieces are missing! Searched the entire house in the last 2 weeks, but sadly to no avail. I had the standard 20mm and 10mm that came with my Celestron Astromaster 130EQ, and a 6mm, 15mm and a 2x Barlow that I got in a set that costed about 6,000 rupees (80 USD), and even though I took the most care of it while shifting, I seem to have lost it 😭 But the real question is, what do I do now? I want to get back to using my telescope as soon as possible, but without having to spend the same amount as I did last time. I was considering the option of second-hand eyepieces, but is the worth it, and is it safe? Because of the fact that you can never guarantee getting working eyepieces while buying second hand ones, I feel a bit insecure about that option, which is why I'm here for another opinion. Should I be looking at second hand eyepieces? If yes, then where is the best place for buying them? If not, then do I have any other options on my side or should I just stick to buying first hand ones? Thanks in advance!

Hey! I received a lot of great advice from everyone, thanks a lot! I'll have to first practice star hopping, I haven't had the need to do it yet because I've only viewed planets from my scope till now. Also, unluckily I cant go up top really late night because my apartment closes the terrace at about 10:30pm, so ill have to manage with the limited room in my balcony. I will not be going in with a lot of expectations like @malc-c said, but I hope to be able to extract the most I can from my telescope Anyways, thanks for all the advice I've gotten from this awesome community, and yeah, @Nik271 , I'll buy that book, it looks like something I could use in my quest for observing the DSO's Edit: I bought the book, and it's sooo interesting, I'm reading it everyday!! I consider that an amazing feat because I generally don't like reading books at ALL and usually veer away from them, but this is an exception! After a long time I got to take my telescope out, I never got time because of my studies, and WOW, I never thought I'd be so excited to see the Moon again! Finding those prominent craters and mares with my own telescope is amazingly satisfying and exciting. Some features are really hard to find, but when I do, the feeling of satisfaction is unmatched.... yet! I haven't got to observing the DSO's yet, but once I do, I'll be sure to come back here. Thanks everyone, especially @Nik271for suggesting this book, its a great read for all amateur space enthusiasts out there!

Hello everyone! I find myself back here again asking for help, as I came around an year ago, and this community and its awesome people tended to my queries promptly and satisfactorily! This time though, I need help starting deep sky astronomy. Since I've had my telescope, I've viewed the moon and planets several times, Jupiter and Saturn being my favorites obviously. But with them dropping under the horizon and only Mars to view in the sky at this time of the year, I feel it's time to take my telescope to new limits, and move on to deep sky observation. Previously, I've had ZERO deep sky experience, and most tutorials on YouTube either don't provide enough info, or are haywire with the info they provide......or I haven't searched enough..... So I came here because previously as well I received tremendous advice about viewing planets that I still use to this day, even after an year long experience with it. So, treating me as an absolute beginner, how exactly should I start with deep sky astronomy? Obviously, its more difficult as, unlike the planets, they are not visible to the naked eye, which makes them harder to find. How do I overcome such obstacles? My gear is pretty basic, a Celeston AstroMaster 130EQ with 20mm,15mm,10mm,6mm and a 2x Barlow lens to go with it. I also have a Red, Blue and a Moon filter. I live in Bangalore, India, and being in the midst of the bustling city, there's quite the pollution here, but some days I have better luck and am able to view a lot of stars at a glance. But the most important question is, what should I expect given my location and gear? Should I expect anything at all? And what extra gear could I buy to give me a better view of whatever I will be observing? I hope I can find the answers to all my questions here

I know those knobs are the locking knobs, but no matter how much i tighten it, the slow motion knobs just rotate endlessly with no movement in the telescope. Also I mean that after 20 rotations of the slow motion knob, it will loosen and fall off. Then I have to put it back and tighten the screw present on the slow motion knob itself. Please advice on what I'm doing wrong. Thanks.

Whoa, that was fast! Hmmm, that might be the case as after, say, 20 rotations or so they would just come out, and I would have to re-tighten them. But is there a way of knowing that they are actually tightened and they work? Also by 'tighten', do you mean tighten with a screwdriver or manually with hand? Thanks (Edit: Sorry, I hit the reply button twice!)

Hello everyone! I require some help with the Slow Motion Knobs that are present on the EQ mount of my Celestron Astromaster 130EQ. Now I've read about these, and as far as I know it helps me make fine adjustments to the object that I am seeing, so that I can center it in my focuser. But just yesterday I tried using the knobs, but all it is doing is causing the object to shake. No movement is seen how much ever I rotate them. I'm tired of having to manually align the object with the red dot finder every time it disappears from sight. What can I do to make them work? Or do they not work at all? Please advice on what I can do as the last time I posted on this forum I received amazing and prompt responses from everyone, so I am grateful to all. I hope you guys can help me with this as well. Thanks

Hey everyone, Thanks for all the help you guys have given me here on this forum. I'm sure it will be very helpful. I do not have access to my telescope right now, so once I do I will definitely make sure to use all the tips you guys have given me. I will come back to you guys here once I finally have the chance to observe Jupiter again. Again, thank you so much for all the help you guys have given me. Clear skies to everyone!

Hey everyone, Thanks for all the information that all of you have provided me with. The astronomy calculator helped me to actually know what size of the planet I should expect from the eyepiece. But I still have one issue, even after focusing the object into place, it appears too bright to even try and notice anything. The brightness doesn't allow me to notice any surface detail. What can I do to reduce the brightness in order to see some surface detail? Thanks.

Hey everyone. I'm new to this forum as well as to astronomy. I have the Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ. I have been trying to observe Jupiter for some time now. Rarely does it appear due to the cloud cover but when it does, I take the chance. But every time i observe Jupiter, it always ends up looking like a huge bright dot in the sky. I cannot make out any details due to its brightness. I can make out its four moon's with ease, but I cannot make out any cloud belts or features of thee planet itself. I have bought myself the Celestron Astromaster accessory kit, which includes a 15 mm kellner, 6 mm plossl as well as a 2x barlow lens. I also have my 20 mm and 10 mm eyepieces that i received with the telescope itself. I tried using a moon filter, but I'm still not able to make out any details. I feel I am going wrong somewhere as I have seen many people's posts on this forum and other places as well, and they have said it is easy to make out Jupiter's belts on the Celestron Astromaster 130EQ even with the 10 mm eyepiece. I Iive in Bangalore, India, where there is some light pollution, but not much. What am I doing wrong and what should I do to enhance my views of the planet?