Starwatcher2001

According to the manual (first google hit here: https://escdn.nl/assets/lcm114-manual.pdf ) "The LCM can be powered by 8 user supplied AA size alkaline batteries or an optional 12V AC adapter. To install batteries into the LCM" Even though you've been running it previously in rechargeables, before buying a separate PSU, I think I'd stick a new set of Alkalines in (maybe Duracell) and see if that brings it to life. As Cosmic Geoff said, rechargables deliver a lower voltage.

Welcome aboard SGL. Good to have you with us.

I've got the Celestron 9.25 Evo with built in batteries and it still loses the correct date and time when it's switched off. (Although it does remember what you entered last time) Is it really too much to ask in this day and age that a real time clock be built into these things?

Welcome aboard SGL Danny.

Welcome back to SGL.

I ordered a load of kit in July and FLO said it would be 30-40 days. It was bang on. Of course I would have liked it earlier, but they can't sell what they don't have and kept me in the loop with a realistic and accurate timescale. I've been thinking about getting the Celestron RACI finder. On Friday FLO's site said they had a single one in stock, so at lunchtime I bit the bullet and ordered it. The stock on their website immediately changed to 30-40 days. It arrived Saturday lunchtime, and I got to play with it Saturday night. In my view that's exactly how a good supplier with a proper stock system should operate. If they've got it they send it PDQ, if they haven't they give an accurate a timescale to when they can, and if things change beyond their control they let you know. @orions_boot I can't speak for FLO, but my first order was for 5 items with different delivery times, and like you I watched some of them come into stock and then out again whilst biting my nails. However everything arrived on time, so in my experience there's no "going back to square one".

Hiya Gil. You sound keen and that's great, but it's often the case that after spending some time under the stars with a new scope you'll discover the things that work for you best, and the things that don't. Quite a lot of us started out by buying a lot of kit and then finding out that we don't use particular bits of it much, or particular eyepieces don't work for us. I suspect that few are using the same accessories that they started out with. For example I discovered that I've got astimatism and that limits the eyepieces I can use. The converse is also true that you may find out that a particular eyepiece would fill a gap in your collection. The most important things to me when observing are dew shield (already mentioned), a comfy chair, warm clothes, light-weight table to put my junk on, good dimmable red-light, good star map, a plan of things I want to look at, and a cheap dictaphone for recording my observations.

Welcome aboard SGL Derek. Good to have you with us. The first time I looked at the milky way through a telescope blew my socks off. I still get a kick from the number of stars that's out there and wondering about the possibilities. There's a lot of cool stuff up there just waiting for you to point a camera at it. Enjoy grabbing those photons.

Welcome aboard SGL. Good to have you with us. That's a good scope and you're gonna have a blast with it. I bought my most recent telescope second-hand and saved a bundle. It's often the best way to go as astronomy equipment tends to be well looked after. Astro kit aside, I'd recommend getting somewhat familiar with the night sky (if you haven't already). Get yourself a good star atlas, or maybe download Stellarium (it's free, and there's a web version), or SkySafari (my favourite) for Android or IOS. Learning the constellations and how they move through the sky gives you a great backdrop to getting a grip where all the goodies are. On the sci-fi front, a fun project might be to see some of the stars featured in various films. Here's a good start: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stars_and_planetary_systems_in_fiction http://stellarium.org/ https://skysafariastronomy.com/ Cheers, Mark

Excellent result. Thanks for posting it, you may well be helping some other poor soul with the same problem in the future. Enjoy your scope!

Good scope, hope it's okay. Should get some cracking views from that. Collimation is one of those things that can take a little getting your head around, then when you've done it a few times you wonder what the fuss was about.

I'm a very much a Telrad fan, however... if you've got a good RACI then I'd think a RDF would be sufficient. It should quickly get you within a degree or two of the target, which should then be in the RACI field where you can hunt around without straining your neck.

Welcome aboard SGL Michael, good to have you with us. What telescope have you got? I seem to have bucked the trend today. Ordered a new finder from FLO yesterday, arrived today, and actually got out under the stars to play with it tonight. I know.. it's gonna be naff for the next two weeks now.

I only take "snaps", but I'd think if you want the wedge to be accurate for tracking in just right ascension, and handle field rotation then you'd have to fairly accurately polar align it. As others have said I think that would be better achieved on a proper EQ mount. Being an alt-az mount, I'm sure it will track fairly accurately even with the wedge in, but likely by using both motors. The biggest benefit for me of the NextStar (9.25") is ease of setup. I can be up and visually observing in 20 minutes including carting all my ancillary junk outside. Given the lousy weather here, it makes the difference between getting some observing in and not bothering. I don't think cool down on that scope will be very much longer than the setup time. Get the tube out first and by the time you've got it assembled, aligned, eyepieces ready and a coffee in your hand, you'll probably be good to go.

Makes my blood boil, but you're not a mug. You're a decent person and a good neighbour, unlike the guy next door. I wouldn't be tempted to retaliate as that could lead to escalation and all kinds of nastiness. You're clearly better than that. Maybe take a piece of wood or something and walk around your garden trying to block the light and see if there's anywhere where it's practical to put up a screen. Might a strategically placed garden shed be a possibility?

Welcome aboard SGL John. Good to have you with us.

Also agree that buying separate eyepieces is a better strategy. Think of it this way: with no moving parts and nothing to wear out, an eyepiece can last a lifetime of viewing so it's worth getting good ones if you can. You can buy them as you go along and find the need for a different size. I've got both an X-Cel and a Nirvana ep in my collection and love them both, but for the extra few quid the Nirvana is my favourite with an 82 degree FOV. Much better than my "standard" Celestron eps I got with my scope.

Welcome back Nephilim. Sounds like you have a better strategy this time. Wish you clear skies and great success.

Mark's a moderator, so I would imagine has extra special powers for keeping spammers out. Us normal users can't see IPs.

Welcome aboard Heather. What a great opening post. Hope you have some great views from your new scope and have success dabbling in the dark arts of AP.

Welcome to SGL Fabio, good to have you with us. That's a very fine image sir with lots of good detail and contrast. Hope you continue to enjoy the site and contributing to the astronomy community.

Welcome aboard SGL Helen. Enjoy the wonderful views that your 8 inch Dob should bring you.

Welcome to the forum. What a great mum you are, wish I'd have had someone to buy me a telescope when I was that age! You've had some great advice above which I can't add much to, except maybe some general comments. Most people expect a telescope to look like the "pointy" tube used by early sea captains. Those are basically a tube with a lens at each end and are referred to as refractors. Because quality glass lenses are expensive to manufacture, a good refractor can be costly. Some manufacturers (particularly ones found in toy stores) make them cheaply by using poor quality glass or even plastic which makes them extremely poor and frustrating to use. They'll probably put your daughter off astronomy for life.🙁 A different type of telescope is the "Newtonion", which is a wider tube with a mirror at the bottom and a smaller mirror at the top. The 130p recommended above is such a scope. As mirrors are easier to manufacture than lenses, they are less expensive but give just as good views. Once you've got the tube for collecting light, you also need a "mount" of some kind to allow it to be moved around accurately. This might be the tripod design, or something simpler like the box design of the 130p (a so called "Dobsonion mount"). The crucial part of the mount is that it moves smoothly and doesn't wobble about, and is easy to aim at the tiny and distant objects we look at in the heavens. Again, the simplistic Dobsonion wins for stability, simplicity and price. The final component is the eyepiece (another lens). The telescope itself provides a tiny image that needs to be magnified by an eyepiece being inserted into the end. The combination of the eyepiece and the telescope itself provides the required magnification. By using different sized eyepieces (they go by "focal length"), different mangifications can be used. Your telescope will come with one or two eyepieces to get your daughter going, but different sized ones can be bought later if she really gets into the hobby. As others have said, telescopes are not really about magnification, they are about collecting light. Go outside on a clear dark night and you might see a few stars. Stay outside until your eyes are used to the darkness and you'll see a lot more. Your eyes haven't got more magnification, your irises have opened up to let more light in. The more light you get in, the better and brighter the view, and the more it can be magnified. So wider tubes and mirrors are always better than narrower ones. Trying to magnify dim things too much just results in blurry horrible images. In a nutshell, don't let big magnifications, nor fancy pictures on the box persuade you it's a good scope. Lastly, please do feel free to come back and ask as many questions as you like. Every one of us on here would much rather your daughter get a good telescope that she'll treasure and use for life, than something that will disappoint and get left in a cupboard. Mark

I started off with SkyAtlas 2000, but I'm not sure it's any more detailed than Cambridge. I've recently moved to the newfangled SkySafari app with the add on databases and find it goes deeper, but doesn't look as detailed as Interstellarium on DSOs.

Welcome back. That looks very organised and makes me want to make an effort to upgrade my middle-of-the-lawn setup. 😀