Ceebee58

Thanks for the info . As I thought the drop in aperture would be a problem . Flo have recommended a couple of scopes around 100 mm for planetary work so will count the piggy bank 🙂

Are eyepieces such as the Baader Hyperion zoom compromised too much to give the zoom function or are they still good eyepieces for general use ?

I currently have a Starwatcher 120 refractor . It seems to do the business and I get a great view of everything from the moon to the Andromeda galaxy ( the latter just about) . I have upgraded the eyepiece and noticed a huge improvement. I considered purchase of a premium scope such as https://www.firstlightoptics.com/stellamira-telescopes/stellamira-80mm-ed-f10-refractor-telescope-with-rp-focuser.html this is considerably more expensive than my starwatcher and needs diagonals etc. to make it a working scope so I am guessing in excess of £1k to get suitably good accessories. . Now the light capture area is less than half that of the sky watcher so will I still see deep space objects ? I am hoping that the image will be sharper in the more expensive scope ( recent views of Jupiter on the Skywatcher were good but a little ‘fuzzy’. In short what advantage am I going to see when I look through the scope . mount will be an AZ- GTI Thanks

Hello ; Bought a ZWO ASI 120 MC-S for my 120 refractor. First step was to get the camera working with FireCapture in a room . Did that and capyured an image of a window , not much but a start. Then put the camera in place of the eyepiece in the diagonal of my telescope in daylight , having focused on a tree. The image was a tiny circle of light that may have been in focus or may not . I had placed the camera in what seemed to be an adapter for the diagonal. The image didnt seem to capture either but that could have been my error as I was perplexed by the image. Any ideas what I am doing wrong or have I bought a lousy camera ! Thanks

70 mm refrator on an eq1 mount. Now relegated to use on lodge decking at holiday home.

Hello all , firstly apologies if I am repeating stuff from other threads. Just goy my AZ gti and mounted a 120 skywatcher refractor onto it. , lovey combination. Finding my way round the sky for alignment but managed to align a star , move the mount then Goto that star on Skysafari using the mount so happy with that. Powe is from a largish power bank (as used for phones) with a usb to cig lighter cable and cig lighter to pos tip cable . Amazon buys , around £25 for the lot, Works really well.

After some discusssion with FLO and considering what I want to do (wide field) I have settled on a Startravel 120 on an AZ Goto mount with a low end ZWO camera. Arriving today hopefully. Upgraded the RDF . Hopefully there is a good night viewing on the 4th according to clear outside , maybe even a chance tomorroe night. I am sure I will be back with more questions , thanks for the inputs.

Asking around as many places as possible so apologies if seen elsewhere. Had a Capricorn 70mm for about 2 years and enjoying it but mainly moongazing as the eq mount doesn’t always stay on a small target . looking to upgrade and budget of up to £800 as long as dear wife doesn’t see receipt lol. Lots of Goto scopes around at that price in various guises. However I reckon a goto seems to add about £150 to the price of a half decent scope and I could use that for a cheap camera . I also find searching for a target ( or just looking at something and trying to work out what it was afterwards is part of the fun ( maybe I am just strange) . Would I be better going for an all singing GOTO because that’s the way the market is going ? my current thoughts are to get a Skywatcher AZ5 or EQ 3-2 and either a refractor or a Mak ( depending on what I decide is a priority for viewing) , camera and better quality eyepieces with the budget. I also considered the 200 m Dobs in Skywatchers catalogue but worry on 2 points , - Could I split it and carry into my shed after viewing ? - I am over 185 cm (6’ 1 in old money) and wonder if I will be on my knees , your comments on any of the above greatly welcome .

Newbie , bought a skywatcher Capricorn ( around £100) but still unopened as I have some unexpected money and wonder what to do . options I see are ; Use the Capricorn and get to know the sky and how to align the eq mount. Move on if I get the bug , maybe get a couple of better eyepieces. Return for refund and choose one of; Use my approx £350 budget to get a 90+ aperture scope . Blow the budget on an entry level GOTO scope , don’t bother learning stuff but just observe. What would you do ? To be honest I think the learning thing is part of the fun but GOTO scopes seem to be the ‘in’ thong