AstroMuni

On their website it says ......"At the same time they are not only characterised by their extraordinary creativity, but also by unique attention to detail.", so they do appreciate that its back breaking work to look at the stars 😂

The first set is a dramatic difference ! Thanks

Thanks Peter. I think I will just continue to enjoy the view with my Celestron and upgrade to a 150P or better later. Its not a bad scope. It will help me learn

Hi, I have a Celestron 130EQ and have been told it has a spherical mirror, so wondering if I would get better images if I upgraded it to a (say) SW 130P mirror. And the other important question is will it fit into it.

Peco, I am guessing these images are after stacking etc. from your 60sec clip. Would be useful for beginners like me if you could post one such clip here so we can see the before and after.

That day is not too far off when the next gen of young astronomers will be controlling the telescope with apps on their ipads/phones and viewing images directly on them in the comfort of their houses The next star party could be held in a Pub that way! LOL

Peco, those are lovely pics. Is this with just the SW 150P and Cannon 1100D? What eyepiece do you use (if any)? I am a newbie too so would be interested in viewing these at this level of detail; if not photgraphing them.

Welcome to the hobby I am a newbie myself and have started off with a Celestron 130EQ and 10x50 binoculars. Although this may not be the best scope out there, you can still see beautiful views of planets, moon and several objects from Messier catalogue. When family and friends come around (and weather is good) I have had the occasions to show them the rings of saturn, moons of Jupiter and the details on the moon just to name a few easy ones. If you get a chance please read Astronomy Hacks book. A great read to help you get started.

I had a bit of luck on Saturday and managed to view Jupiter & Saturn using my new 4mm SW planetary eyepiece. Jupiter was a bit hazy but Saturn was clearer. 👍 So looking promising! I am guessing the reason Jupiter isnt as clear is due to combination of reasons: low trajectory, brightness of planet, poor collimation.

older newbies also need a stool /chair, I can confirm

Being a newbie myself, I have realised that one important bit that you need to factor in (if you havent already) is set aside some budget for eyepieces & telrad (optional). Hope this helps

Thanks Louis. Wish they could have included some basic info with the packaging

I read that these have inbuilt barlow. Do you know how to remove it and see the difference?

Bought the 4mm planetary 58deg lens. Now to wait for clear skies

I have received my Baader Q-turret 2.25x barlow & Skywatcher planetary 58deg 4mm eyepiece from FLO. Now to wait for clear skies The skywatcher eyepiece is quite weighty. The near end can be turned (unscrewed?) a little bit - I am guessing this is for fine focussing. Is that right? Also I read somewhere that this planetary eyepiece comes with a built in barlow which can be removed. Any tips on how to do that?

Thanks. I have placed a 'donut' on the primary and done a bit of basic collimation. I also got rid of the erecting prism on the 20mm so its improved a little bit. I took a punt and procured a Svbony 23mm and that has opened a better vista for me. Now contemplating purchasing a Skywatcher Planetary UWA eyepiece 4 or 6mm and the Baader barlow.

I think it would be a good idea to have a section on this forum that lists good lesser known vendors (eg: cheaper Chinese ones etc. selling unbranded but decent products). Is there a discussion thread already that I have missed?

Thanks gents. Onwards and upwards 🙂 In the UK both the planets traverse quite low. I did have a look at both last week with a Svbony 23mm and could see the rings on Saturn. Could see faint lines across Jupiter and 4 moons. The 10mm supplied with my telescope doesnt give great images. With the self erecting 20mm piece I removed the erecting prism and images have become better (Svbony has a better FOV and at times clearer it seems).

I did read a few and thats what attracted me to these. But when I went on Skywatcher website only the 66deg ones are shown http://skywatcher.com/product/w-6mm/

Hi I am confused with the variety of SW 6mm UWA Planetary eyepieces available. Which is the better one - I am guessing the first one as its fully multicoated and more eyerelief. I have a f/5 130mm reflector (Celestron astromaster) FLO has this which says its fully multi-coated lens elements and a wide 58 degree fov, 16mm eyerelief - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-eyepieces/skywatcher-uwa-planetary-eyepieces.html 365astronomy & Amazon and several others have this; which says its Multi-Coated with 66º fov, 14.5mm eye relief - https://www.365astronomy.com/SkyWatcher-6mm-UltraWide-Eyepiece-1.25-31.7mm-Format.html

Thanks for all the tips. All roads seem to lead me to the Baader Barlow 🙂 Will keep you posted once I purchase one. BTW, Has anyone bought from AliExpress? Some of their prices are quite low ; for example this ES eyepiece - AliExpress ES 4.7mm 68deg eyepiece

Nice pic Geoff

And that is what I am trying to make a start with 🙂 i.e buy a Barlow & decent Plossls. FYI, the finderscope was rubbish, so bought a Telrad and that has made it a breeze.

I have just the standard eyepieces that came with the scope - 10mm & 20mm celestron. I am hoping to be able to get better view of planets and moon to start with. My reading tells me that Barlow may not be as useful for DSO. Is that right?

Thanks John. I have read that these ES Focal extenders need longer in-travel of the focusser. Has anyone on this forum used the ES Focal extender with the Celestron 130EQ?