DeathWarpedUp

How about this one, this guys has a few vids on the Heritage, with tips ect, worth looking about. cheaper laser collimater: https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/ovl-laser-collimator-1252.html

No idea I don't own one, or anything like ti to be fair This guys channel has a few videos about 130p that are quite informative, might be something in there thats useful: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc2c4Ysgx6ctx42iE7q9xnQ

Have you tried with viewing Nebula? WHats your general thoughts on the peice.

Thanks guys. I heard about the GSO and wasnt sure where they stocked it. I thought finding the meade might be a fruitless task also, so I didnt have a good look round. Its going into the 8" SCT, so im hoping being F10, they both should be reasonable. Anyone able to advise: Size wise, what am I lettng myself in for? Do I have to do a 2 meter social distance just to look through the thing? Its really for nebula, I'm hoping the next step up from my W/O Swan 40mm, any ideas if it will do the job?

I'm looking to get something around the same spec (50/55) that doesnt set me back £229. Theres a couple in the US (russell optics being one). But on enquiry they dont ship to the Uk. Does anyone know of any more afforabe alternatives that are available this side of the pond? Thanks

Doh. I did check the site as well

Antares do one that a number of people say is decent. I dont know the dimensions, although I thought I read somewhere it was smaller. It is however definetky chearper: https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/antares-2-125-twist-lock-adaptor-.html Celestron, W/O orion also do ones, it might be worth checking out others for the specs. The baader seems to be the most expensive of the bunch too.

Thats the point, if you are an allnighter camped out with your flask thats all well and good, however the goto allows for those quick 1 1/2 hour sessions that many people would normally reserve for binos or a heritage 130. Some people enjoy the hunt, some the convienence. On the original posters budget, he is better with a phone app or 2, a 8 0r 10" dob and a 32mm ep to get him where he needs to go then a 20or24 and 12 ep and a cheap barlow. to keep in his price range Id be on a famous auctions ite buying up the svbony kind of stuff. Of looking for better quality 2nd hand.

To be fair I have a cpc 800. When backyard viewing I can get the entire kit out of my garage set up and ready for alingment within literally 3 or 4 minutes, and once you know which stars to align with (you normally pick the usual suspects: vega, arctucus) The alignment only takes a few minutes at most. The problem with goto, is the price. To get goto on a decent aperture is where it gets the £££ starts getting silly and beyond a 9.25 starts getting ridiculously heavy as well.

On your budget, a 2nd hand, dob (8"-10") a couple of 2nd hand ep's 32mm being one and maybe a 20 and a 12. With phone apps these days, star hopping isnt as daunting as it used to be.

Can you focus using the 25 with the Barlow?

The 12.5 is the barlowed 25 (25/2=12.5). The 3 or 2 star alignment is probably better. I always used the 3. However many people prefer 2. I think the usual align targets are vega and arctacus (normally some of the first visible in the sky). Just make sure the targets are fairly distanced from one another. If you want something between a 25 and 8 however go for an 15-18, as you have the 12 covered with the Barlow.

Cheers, just didnt know what to call them. Don't offer them in the UK the shipping is close to £12!!

This site, astrobuysell, astroboot, the bay, other astronomy shops clearence, this is uk. If its US try cloudy nights classified

This guy has a couple of good videos and tips on the heritage 130p https://m.youtube.com/c/JenhamsUk/videos?disable_polymer=true&itct=CBIQ8JMBGAEiEwjIpcCWibbqAhUjQcYKHYWjB7s%3D Look for the one about making a cover for the open tube. For targets. Jupiter, saturn hercules cluster (m13) cats eyec nebula, dumbell and albeiro, as some of the others mentioned. If the moons out, make sure it's the final target of the night, so it doesn't ruin your vision.

If you can't see them with a 9mm, you probably possibly aren't spot on with the scope positiong. This is one of the reasons why when people swop eps for a close look they tend to move down the eps mags rather than bigger jumps. I. E 25,-20-15-9 and not 25-9. Unless you have your finger over the lens or forgot to take the cap off, the target isn't magically vanishing. Try your 25, then Barlow the 25 to 12.5 (assuming it's a x2). Can you see it then?

Also buy a cheap "moon & sky glow neodymium filter (not to be confused with a moon filter) off a certain auction site, usually around a tenner for a 1.25. Some people say they can help with the views on jupiter. The important thing with both of them is to spend time just watching, allowing eyes to adjust and having your eye/ body as comfortable as you can so you can concentrate. If the moons out, expect the moons glow to make seeing worse on everything except the moon itself. Also if you plan to observe the moon, do it last as it has a habit of screwing your viewing up in other targets for the rest of the night due to its brightness

Good stuff, bear in mind they are not in the best placement tight now, so on the right night the views can improve noticeably. Saturn's rings (however small) are always a wow moment.

I'm quite jealous. Are you able to shift it alone or is it a 2 man operation.

If it is a known issue, if you haven't already try updating the firmware, it may be fixed.

I keep saying this to people, but a baader zoom mk4 will cover all your higher mag stuff for now, look at how much even the cheap eps are costing if you are after a few the cost is getting close, it will also see you into the future and if you want to flog it, will hold much of its value.

The first question really is do you want goto. The 2nd I what do you want to see (I'm guessing the answer is.. Everything) The 3rd is, do you think you want to (have the budget for) ap, or is it more just a nip out for an hour on a clear night kind of hobby. The more realistic answers you can provide with these, the quicker/easier/less expensivr to get to your objective

I don't know if this is the same as other gotos, but have you ensured the date/time location are correct. Also the daylight savings time is correct. Straight out of the box my old celestron goto was defaulted to california. Also take a look for a video or two on Yt, I saw a few set up guides there. If it is as you say, it seems to logically point to an issue with your location/time ect.

Review, I think these maybe both the mk3 bigger heavier version, the 2nd definetly is, I just listed it to resolve a potential issue.

Baader has an excellent reputation, many have pretty much swoped it over their 8-20 peices. Have a look around here and cn forums and you tube for reviews. Looking at the 2 pieces in your 1st post, the baader (and maybe the celestron) will be better. Certainly not worse. It will serve you well on larger scopes, fits into 1.25 and 2 inch ep's and if inclined will sell fairly quick and retain a good chunk of its price. Its a very good upper middle to highish end ep. The other cool thing with zoom is the fun of being able to zoom in and out of the target, as you have all the magnifications in between.The baader is expensive, however add up the costs of all the eps you might buy between 8-24, is it really much more, probably not. In regards to weight, I don't know if its too heavy, is there any specs on the scope info, or maybe call /email flo and ask them direct for advice. The latest mk4 version is the lightest and smaller than previous. I have read people have used them in your scope, just being cautious, my hunch is it would be Ok, just might be worth checking.