jacobingonzo

I was born in Hull but live in Carlisle....sorry Kev 0 for 2 then J

Don't think any of us tire looking at the moon- the quality of the view will be tempered by your seeing conditions depending on your light pollution and the atmospheric conditions- Just keep at it- Do you view from a garden or open space and is it in a city? Im sure you have read on here about Light pollution and dark sky sites for better views- Depending on where you are in the East Riding you may well be within striking distance of somewhere not too bad- (Im from Hull originally but now up here in Cumbria we have some really nice dark sites within 20 mins drive) Great you are still enthused- keep going and engage with all the knowledgeable people on this site always great to hear from people who have taken advice from us and to see how they go J

yes all good comments- dont go hell for leather buying stuff you think you may need- you need to temper expectations , what you will see will not be something from the Hubble or the expected James Webb telescope nor will to be what you see in the glossies- yes get binos, even a reletively inexpensive pair will stand you in good stead- Turn Left at Orion is a great starter- the stargazers atlas your getting will also be a good start, learn the night sky-not having computer scope guidance ,you need a little knowledge of what's where in the sky. The only thing just now is a collimator, I use a cheshire but others say a laser- let us know how you go J

Hey James I recantly purchased the 300 flextube- I have transported it in then car a few times- Im mid 50's generally good health but just a stubby 5'7 and not muscly either but managed it ok- little bulky but manageable in shortish carrying sessions- I managed to put the base in the boot of my seat leon saloon with no real issues- Its the Tube thats a heavy bleeder- but just be sure footed and take your time- tube and base are manageable if you take it easy I fashioned a DIY trolly to sit the base feet in- 4 lockable wheels did the job-really handy when moving it about generally and observing. J

this is what it should look something like this https://www.meade.com/telescopes/refractor/lx70-r5-5-ota.html the piece at the end you require is a 2 inch star diagonal and an eyepiece- and you would normally slot in a 2 inch eyepiece but these diagonals usually have a 2 inch to 1.5 inch reducer to accept a 1.5 inch eyepiece - these can be obtained from an astro retailer - depends where you are US? you can search online for retailers in your country or there may be some second hand available again depends where you live as to what site to visit- if you let us know we can suggest some places this is a generic diagonal - the meade specific one will be much more expensive https://www.altairastro.com/altair-2-inch-standard-star-diagonal-mirror-for-refractor-2250-p.asp any reputable retailer will be willing to advise you if you contact them to discuss your needs- they are usually very friendly and there is a wealth of eyepieces available in different sizes from astro retailers or second hand like from eBay etc- stock ones would normally be 10mm and 25mm received with a new scope J

surely there is someone on the forum that has some sort of background in creating flowcharts? by its very nature astronomy would attract those with that sort of mindset? J

I guess the start would be 1. "Who is the scope for" that has to be the main driver -then are there any age, health, height, space, mobility issues so then we need to know where they want to start, -2. Visual and Imaging or do we add EEVA for a third? The next decisions are , as TC said ,in price ranges ... 3-we detail in each price range the scopes or Bino's suggested with pros and cons based on who the scope is for in light of answers in no 1 and how they will help them achieve their answers to no 2. Once we have covered the scopes we can create sub trees for Essential tools and may be optics etc this is where the forest could sprout If people are not sure they will be able to go through each tree to see what takes their fancy Im sure we would need a mathematical beard (or beardess) to make sure we are covering each decision correctly J

I have a feeling this could end up being an unmanageable humungous beast but that said in its basic form it would be an excellent candidate for a sticky as this topic seems to be a stock question from the budding astro newbie the basics as already suggested - who's it for- astro P or DSO- and I would split the amount to spend into bands under 100, 100-250 etc etc even with those few bits the decision tree will be the size of epping forrest. a very good thread and worthy of some serious thought J

FLO's blurb on this scope suggests its primary is non collimatable and the second shouldn't require collimation as it hold it so well!!- it may be that they did not intend you to mess with the collimation of the secondary-it looks like you will need three screws to collimate the secondary- I replaced mine with M4 6-30mm screws from eBay they work a treat - would suggest you star test the scope to see if it needs any collimation first https://garyseronik.com/no-tools-telescope-collimation/ J

aaah The Heritage thanks Zermelo

Are you using the scope and the bins on the same target at the same time? The EP's may be the issue as the stock EP's that come with the majority of scopes can leave a lot to be desired- The fuzziness you describe would normally suggest seeing or collimation issues but if you used then scope then the bins at the same time ,it would rule out the seeing. Can you tell us which 100mm Skywatcher you have as there are different types- if not sure can you provide a picture- assuming you looked at the objects with both scope and bins at the same time ruling out poor seeing it would seem to suggest collimation issues-depending on what you have there are reports of coma issues or just poor quality primary fixation- you could do a star test to confirm that your collimation is spot on. https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/how-to-star-test-a-telescope/ J

Indeed Moonshed- Its only common courtesy . We are very much helpful on here and to be fair the vast majority of initiates are respectful and well mannered J

Thank you Matt Thats great to hear! Like most things sometimes trial and error are all thats needed- Its nice hearing when something as arcane as collimating turns out a success and not so much arcane after all Well Done!! J

To be fair TC Ive seen some fairly wondrous sights in Leicestershire lol ... you know I meant knowledgeable when I referred to beardy? even if it refers to womenfolk hahahaha J

Whilst this can be as expensive a hobby as you want to make it , its sometimes better to spend not a lot at the start and see how you want to develop it. Indeed the sky is the limit- pun intended. Don't discount starting with a pair of binoculars first- there is a section on here on binos'. and you will be pleasantly surprised at what you can see with even a modest costing pair. You cant start relatively quickly and start to learn the stars- a good book like "Turn left at Orion" is also a good investment early on. Look at the links suggested above , they can be a good start too but be aware not to expect Hubblesque quality views, even with an relatively expensive scope. Look at this this will give you a little idea of what you can expect with a modest scope. This site is full of friendly pointy headed, beardy folk who will be more than happy to help. As stated earlier decent scopes even the starters are like rocking horse pooh so do your due diligence and ask questions and look at all the amazing stuff on this site before you commit. As I said earlier you could do worse than getting a pair of Bino's first Hope you find what you want and let us know how things are going J

I do wish more people would respond after they asked their newbie questions on here- interesting to see how they developed or if they gave it up-why- I think that too would help people to see how this hobby can develop or indeed the pitfalls J

Hi Paul what steve said you state it is a Dobsonian OTA??? a bit confused does it have tube rings on it-if so it is meant to be mounted on a mount or is it a dobsonian tube without a base? if its a base you need I found this https://www.orionoptics.co.uk/MOUNTS/dobsonianmount.html or if you are handy with DIY many opt to build their own- or else they do come up for sale second hand. J

Jealous you managed Saturn- I had to cloud and rain dodge last night but managed the best view of Mars with a 10mm -its all about luck and opportunity at the end of the day. Keep up the good work J

I Agree with Zermelo- Also there's a good section on FLO's site for beginners https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes.html thats worth a read- All too often purchase of the scopes like the one you mention are underwhelming but you have made the right first step in asking on here- The best scopes are generally out of stock at the moment and the ones you may find may well be not the best- You may well need to come to terms with the fact that to get the right scope you will need to wait till after Xmas- BUT it will pay dividends to see the childlike look in your partners eyes when he/she sees the moon and the stars and they thank you. There are lots of questions like yours on this site will be worth looking around at previous questions and by all means ask away about any scopes you see- Second hand scopes generally are in good nick , again ask on here if you find one but if you buy from a retailer try to make it an astronomical specialist . Listen to the advice you will get on here as they are all good folk and eager to get budding astronomers off on the right foot whatever their age J

Welcome and well done on the dob!! In my opinion if you have unblemished clear skies and good seeing when you get your new scope you are spoilt- you need to have bags of patience in this lark but when you do get those sparkly clear nights they are so much more rewarding. J

like most things in life its all about experience- everyday is a school day- but I did wonder why it was my £100 EP and not my crappy £20 one?? I will keep reading this forum to hopefully reduce the chances of future frack ups! J

as a confirmed dobbist the 200 is an excellent choice- I wholeheartedly support the comments above just accept you won't be getting one before Xmas so dont settle for something/anything to put under the tree, it most likely will turn out to be a disappointment. What about an xmas card under the tree with a scope IOU??? You can use the time to read up on here about your new dob and get a flying start for when it arrives- Im sure your partner will be over the moon (pun intended) when you tell him a large box arrived for him and watch him starry eyed as you explain the why's and wherefores of it all ......lol J

found the premium cheshire is all i needed for collimating

and I was just about to use IPA to clean a similarly affected EP!!!- oh well its off to FLO i go thanks People J

Well done eagle eyed Tiny Clanger boldly going to help out budding newbies hahahah hope he catches it before it vanishes!! J