joe aguiar

Look at my video someone else also just asked this same question like a month ago. I did a video on YouTube watch it Joe aguiar how to polar align keep it align and look south That should help u Joejaguar

What about a 6 inch sct? I think mine is 8 lbs so its light. U can also add a focal reducer for imaging. The 8 inch was one best used scopes in the 80 90 and 00s for visual and imaging. Look at my video called on YouTube Joe aguiar 6"sct vs 6" reflector vs 6" refractor. Maybe this will help what size and weight will be. Joejaguar

If u find using the too simple camera tripod hard to use cause it's not smooth enough and has no slow motion controls. U can buy slow motion controls for a camera tripod. The problem there is it only has a pan handle so u loosen it then move it to the object and tighten it down. If u need to a just or re move it again then u have to re loosen it move it abit then re tighten. Then can be a chore and also not sure u know all things in the sky will move in the eyepiece and in about 30 seconds the object will be on the edge. So to keep loosen moving it is a pain so the slow motion controls really come in handy. Joejaguar

Both scope mention is good the heritage 130 and the 4 inch f5 refractor on a az3. The only issue with the heritage 130 is being a reflector if it need collamation (re alignment of the mirror) will be hard for both u both. Some people find it weird looking sideways in a scopes instead of being behind it and looking straight to where its pointing. The az3 mount is very easy to use just move it to object and look at it. U even have slow motion controls so she can keep the planets from moving out of the eyepiece view. The the 4 inch may be kinda large for a 8 yr old, I would say get the 80mm f5 version. Being a refractor u will never worry about mirror being off alignment. And a refractor can also be used in daytime to look at stuff. Joejaguar

iam sure moonlight or feather touch can do it I changed my takahashi 102 TSA whole focuser assembly to the medium format 2.5" focuser in red colour. Both companies have just about every adptor for almost most scopes BUT its not cheap. my focuser assembly was $713 joejaguar

are you sure its the main mirror that has the problem tho?just saying since your using blowing the main mirror. if you are looking down the tube your probally not seeing the issue is the 2nd mirror and most likely not the primary, reason iam saying is I had this isse b4 too and its wasn't the primary since the 2nd mirror is sometimes only 2 or 3 inches from the front its probally that. just using a dewcap that's like 10 inch is more then fine almost all times unless your outside for the whole night. joejaguar

Meade sells the 12v 5 amp its 79 plus tax and shipping. Not sure how many snps 70 etx is Joejaguar

wow this is weird i havent seen where you have to untighen the rings so much the ota will almost fall off, are scope made there different than here? it doesnt have enough slack to unloosen the rings threads abit and turn the tube to a more better angle? i mean even a refractor will have some issue the diagonal maybe at a weird or a downward angle,you can just loose diagonal and pointed up but its really the same for all eq scope regardless what they are. if you are pushing/pulling so hard that its going out of polar alignment something is wrong, its either wrong size rings or the bolts that hold the rings closed is too small. joejaguar

normally people dont think reflectors can have dew problems but they sometimes they do, i even had this issue before as well. its not so much the primary mirror but if the 2nd mirror is close to the open tube it can can dewy on dewy nights. i have sometimes just bought a dewcap and it works, thats all that you really need, since theres no front lens it should last for few hours at least if not more. joejaguar

for a 8" sct u may need a very low ep 40 to 50mm 2 inch for that large stuff. i have the meade 4000 55mm pl its almost like looking through a finderscope (36x power in a 8" sct) but other scopes where i get close to 15x to 20x power. joejaguar

yes those ways or what i do i have both a rigel for smaller scopes whats good about this it already comes with 2 bases, and i have telrad for bigger scopes but if you dont want to have 2 different kind like me then both ways like up above. joejaguar

i have the skywatcher gold pro version, so really like any scope some dust on front os ok hopfully its clean b4 u pick it up, hopfuly no or almost no dust on the inside of the lens worse is in between lenses. but really after that scraches on tube (outside) not a big deal altho norm price should reflect that. i found the 2" crayford focuser to be fine altho i dont image. i paid 400 for mine with the case ep finder diagonal rings and bar joejaguar

I don't think that's a fair comparision its more like if u have water draing into 2 pipes the flow is half compared to all th water going down 1 drain is more of a comparion to opening one eye. remember in the binoviwer the beam is splitinto 2 beams. in regular binos theres a barrel of the same size to each eye. so I wouldn't comparing opening 1 eye to both splitting the beam joejaguar

also bear in mind you said moon bright planets, i mean you can view those item with a 50mm or 60mm scope since they are so close and bright. Its also hard to measure brightest ourselves, for instance the eye cant tell the difference in a 9% or less roughly, even 30% light gathering power from a 5" to a 4" scope is not a huge difference cause the light is spread over the circumference. there is a difference its abit bighter but its not massive brighter, so 50% brighter is not a huge difference. look at the moon with a 4" refractor sure its bright look at it with a 5" refractor is it brighter sure can most people tell the difference and by how much I don't think so joejaguar

I didn't write that, theres tons of that online if one choose to look. I also heard this in mag like sky and telescope and astronomy mags many years ago, of course I cant say which issue or month as I don't get those mags anymore since most people have gone the age of the digital paper now. some agree some disagree your free to feel your way, I personally don't think dobs are best first scope BUt most people do so all is subjective I guess joejaguar

well for those that don't like what I said on my first post there is a quote" The main disadvantage to using a binoviewer is the reduced light. Stargazing is all about light-gathering. Observers put a lot of effort and money into big telescopes and high-transmission coatings, and high-reflectivity mirrors, trying to squeeze every possible photon out of an instrument. A binoviewer then splits the incoming light and reduces the brightness by 50%. and there are a ton of threads u can look up that can argue my point, it did go on to say the brain once merges the image may seem to brighten that view but that's the brain tricking us as we are now seeing it in stero view instead of a single view, that's doesn't mean the image IS brighter BUT seems brighter. I guess like we see upside down but our brains straighten the view and we see the correct right side up. I guess you can try it and see if you like it, models like skywatcher/ Antares and orions are pretty cheap at about $199 or try to find a used pair. I find I like viewing without my binos even tho I have a pair but once in a blue moon I do use it on planets /moon only joejaguar

I have a friend on face book that's 97% of everything he writes is only about weather and temp. we even lived together for like 3.5 years together few years ago. he even changes his plans if it snows or rain even a dinner with me or anyone else, as well as going to stores groceries etc. I have told him its weather its not to be the same everyday, even week to week month to month and year to year who says weather has to be 100% the same??? I don't understand why people think this way there has been several clear nights this last month and even the last few months. I have seen Jupiter and Saturn the last few months. I have made several viewing for my utube channel even do some comparisions. This is about the same even since the 90's. Of course it also depends on location country etc. Some countries like mine get cold winters as well as rain. other places get no snow but has rainy seasons. earth has lots different conditions and even 100km away can have a different weather. I have seen this since I started in 90s and still seems the same where iam. most months and years I would say u get about 5 to 10 days max a month clear (yes that's a wide spread BUT again its weather it changes it cant be garrentied). I have learned this like 30 years ago, as well as told many others who got into this hobby. if its clear you need to obseve. If your going out to a bar club or dinner cancel it and go next day, as next dat or a week can be cloudy. if you do it the other way make plans and if its clear still go to dinner/bar/club you choose that over obsevering and try to obseve next day and it doesn't work out then its tough luck. as I just said its probally norm to say 5 to 10 days clear a month is average and if you cant do any due to other things in life then iam not sue this hoobu maybe right for some people. I guess I look at it like if I want to look at a certain flocks of bird that fly south in oct but that month I cant make it or wait till nov and if they are gone then they are gone. If I hunt (which I don't belivie in) and I choose not to go hunting this week when its available but don't go and go next months when its not allowed then its tough luck. we need to do this hobby when we can when we get the chance SURE if you have a dinner date the other person may get upset BUT that's where YOU have to decide whats more important and if you choose dinner then don't get upset you made a dissision. joejaguar

What u can also do alot scopes refractor comes with an inner dust cap in the main dust cap. Take that smaller cap out and that reduces colour alot. As an example if u had the 4inch f5 model refractor it turns it into something like a f8. Of course it's not 4 inch anymore but 3 inch. Depending on your cap size Joejaguar

That's only 1 inch diameter, I would not use a tripod that small on a eq5. I kinda dislike how almost all mounts come with 1.75 tripods now instead of the 2 inch like before, altho 1.75 is ok I guess. 1 inch tripod comes with the smaller cheaper scopes/mounts but again I would not use those or did u mean smaller eq mount than eq5? A cg4? Eq3-2 By the way the eq5 comes/came with many tripods. First was the aluminium legs Then was 1.5 steel legs Then 2 steel legs Now 1.75 steel legs I passed on 2 mounts that came with 1.5 steel legs. Those eq version are older like the 2nd generation ones. Joejaguar

I would have left it from factory. It holds collamation good. After that I norm only do it once a year. If your only going from your living room to backyard it's not gonna mis align. If you put it in your trunk of the car and drive hours even weekend with it then I can see rough roads making it un align. Joejaguar

I just use my planisphere dial to hour I'll start see what constellations are in good viewing. Then get my book out to that constellations and write 4 to 8 best things. By then the constellations may move in sky I go to another 2 to 3 constellations and mark another 4 to 8 objects to look. That probably enough for the night. On my next viewing I pick out 4 to 8 new things to view in each one. I have a book that I log time date year what scope I used, sky conditions, ep I used what powers filters and what object I looked at. So I can go back later if I want. Joejaguar

So u dont have to carry the mount out every setup and u dont have to polar align. Just put scope on and view Joejaguar

I would never leave them outside even covered. Besides dew it could get stolen Joejaguar

Yep on 32 for low power Joejaguar

mine is an antares bino viewer i think that cost 199 cdn joejaguar