doublevodka

Using a mobile phone powerbank is possible on lower power draw mounts like this, I have a Nexstar 4SE and Nexstar 102 GT and they both run happily from a powerbank using an adapter similar to the one below. The only caveat is that you need one that outputs at around 2 amps upwards and higher capacity means longer sessions With the 102 GT I've got one of those runners mobile phone arm strap cases which avoids the dreaded cable wrap too https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403017422690?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110010%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.DISCCARDS%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20200818141627%26meid%3D0e5f61f30cb043a1a4ec33455b0af876%26pid%3D101110%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26sd%3D384055613577%26itm%3D403017422690%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2563228%26algv%3Ddefault%26brand%3DUnbranded&_trksid=p2563228.c101110.m1982&amdata=cksum%3A4030174226900e5f61f30cb043a1a4ec33455b0af876|enc%3AAQAGAAAB8NQgKxIrj49jML8LzNg129NfZcDbEADAX07r%2FWo9RNI4t0ovyRCUjONDCQL0qANTOkVNq2pBGU1OsxCY29Iog8sPaEd8t54lhltCY%2FRxUDAn7Q7kKMpFWJA%2F1boPFjZatSRHeaTdyz8CHKqUcfHvpvbwIP2YkVRHbouRcmmPfuLCeS7u5PXZwLER6%2FfNr8OFlO4eVyv5BTs6LSXgsZ0SVRIIggI4TfzOB3Za8Q%2FlvrSWPZtKlv8aaXYjb4lYJE1ajQLwi8NXnE6Os%2FmjIrOZ7%2FzHLt1iyblyjFi%2FQSN48BivJnPe37C8lR3nYmkBCahpSEGcp4bsUAunMrOJiFrlRkm3BOL8tXrgtkumeVRUIG772yoriAyGyPbesWeEdk2%2BZp19HJ4MZkNsqSVujOoMvgnYec6OmAMpZQizOZ1UKZu9vVmXffLiZCt8soYRmPr30RSi5vFt3UVz09Ny3BfGWq7KeLp2HdAmpcOeRl99iGIq17c2FTzSRwVNX0M%2FixltajhGZWTfI1E0u1J9mlWDAuhOoytxn8LpvYXkzjvIMqNpR5oXdAqB%2Bw6ekIdfX2FAgDoEO5XKF0ldRUt2GrZrrWbeWXyf%2BiItkdyKJ9KDF5ftmfe5UWWMGgEn0rxZwGb1tvaJ004N10A3kU%2FwLD8gvu8%3D|ampid%3APL_CLK|clp%3A2563228

It does look pretty good and most of the svbony kit gets favourable reviews considering their price point, I'd be interested to hear what it is like as it does look fairly well put together From what I can gather about svbony they seem to be pulling together the better budget kit from various chinese manufacturers and putting their brand on it, but so far so good with the bits I have, the only vague disappointment is the 40mm that I got with one of my scopes, it's more like a 25mm when I've compared to other eyepieces, although the views are still good so can't complain too much

Excellent news, they are handy for all sorts of bits 👍 May I also recommend to help with focus - https://www.thingiverse.com/search?q=Bahtinov+mask+8se&type=things&sort=relevant Depending on the size of the printer you could possibly knock up a dew shield too, an essential extra always missed out by manufacturers, although easy enough to make out of a foam mat etc

Looks like you are on the right track 👍 Weather has been particularly dire for astronomy for quite some time, fingers crossed for some clear skies for all of us 🤞 While I remember another handy Nexstar tip, keep a clothes peg handy when using the scope, clipped onto the focus knob it makes it much easier to fine focus! (I know it sounds daft, but it works)

Looks quite a bit like lens fungus to me which is normally seen on old camera lenses or binoculars The good news is, there are ways to remove it, for example - https://petapixel.com/2016/09/29/remove-fungus-lens/

I have the much smaller 4SE and have found this site to be a real help https://nexstarsite.com/ Specific parts on alignment here - https://nexstarsite.com/AlignmentFAQ.htm Generally though, the two star alignment works well, providing you pick stars with some decent distance between them in the sky, time date and location settings are all critical if you want to get the object in the field of view You can also "replace" the alignment stars if your goto's are being inaccurate (usually when you've moved to a different part of the sky, e.g. south to north) by tapping the align button and following the on screen prompts In a wide eyepiece most of the time you will be in the field of view One often overlooked thing is the power supply being used, the nexstars are known for being "fussy" when it comes to power so avoid the AA battery option entirely, mains power is best if possible via an adapter and apparently ideally a little over 12v as they are designed to run from a car lighter socket, which are usually more like 13.8v. My little 4SE isn't too power hungry so I use a salvaged 12v adapter from an old broadband router, but maybe something like this would suit you if you don't already have something? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/power-accessories/nevada-ps-08-6a-8a-regulated-linear-power-supply.html Poor power = poor tracking Feel free to ask if you have any more questions and enjoy the lovely 8 inches of aperture, it's a very nice scope! (Plus you can always pop it on an eq mount in future )

Honestly that looks fine, mine was a hell of a lot more filthy before I even considered doing it If you really, really must clean it, maybe grab one of these (don't wipe the mirror, most common cause of scratches) https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astronomy-optics-cleaning-protection/jumbo-silicone-hurricane-blower.html Make sure you are happy with collimation though as you'll need to remove the primary mirror cell to be able to get at it

It's possible to get some ok results with the NeXYZ, takes a bit of tweaking and fiddling but the 3 axis adjustments are quite useful I've got a Google Pixel 3A phone which has pretty good low light performance using "night sight" on the camera, the results are far from perfect, but nice to share online etc. The examples have had some minor tweaking afterward but only in Google Photos, didn't come out too bad considering I was using a nexstar 4se and budget eyepiece, I'm sure with a better mount nicer results could be achieved

The picture would be helpful, cleaning optics is not something to be taken lightly and often it's not needed. If you are making out details on Jupiter then I suspect it's fine as it is Cleaning is possible at home though, you just have to be very careful and gentle, there are many good tutorials kicking around on the best way to achieve it And don't stress about the focus thing, I have basically the same scope but with the previous Helios branding and it is definitely harder to focus at higher magnification, especially if you have the basic rack and pinion focuser the same as me, it's an art in itself

I've got a few bits of svbony kit now and they are all cheap and cheerful but useful bits of kit Yes they don't directly compete with the higher priced stuff, but for those of us on a budget they can be a great addition to your setup I've recently picked up the 10-30mm zoom and it's been quite useful for Jupiter and Saturn but as @Alan64 said it's more an exercise in finding the focal lengths I really like, although it's also been quite useful when the seeing conditions are quite variable as you can just dial down the amount a zoom a little to suit or up when it improves

My guess is your phone app will be correct as the phone will generally automatically update it's time from the network unless you've specified otherwise in the settings which just leaves you with the mount (you not mentioned the time on the phone itself so that is a small assumption) Page 18 here shows you how to update the time manually if needed https://www.ioptron.com/v/Manuals/7100P_CEM25P_Manual.pdf hopefully that helps 👍

All decent choices, in your shoes I'd probably be swung by the celestron as you have some useful accessories although the guys in my local astro club swear by the ioptron stuff

If you just want to dip your toe into the world of refractors to see if you like it this maybe worth a look below? Your 10 inch dob will be better visually on nebulae and galaxies though, more aperture, more light Also as above, mount, mount, mount if you want any decent AP performance it doesn't matter how fancy the glass is, the mount is key

Some good scope suggestions for the money above, but avoid kits of eyepieces if you can. They tend to be a bundle of the lowest quality and you will soon find yourself looking for upgrades. Generally the 20 - 25mm eyepiece included with most scopes is pretty usable, the 10mm is passable, but tends to be pretty poor. A decent 2x barlow and a zoom eyepiece may be a better proposition, I've recently picked up the 10-30mm svbony zoom and have been really happy with it so far (although my budget for expensive glass is non existent so not much to compare it to) The nexstar scopes are pretty nice, fairly portable and easy to use, I have a 4SE but would recommend you go larger

Horizontal if you can would be my recommendation, dew shield down gives a minor risk of focuser grease dropping on the back of the objective which would be less that ideal Since it's your astro study, why not pop up a nice shelf with a couple of attached U shaped felt lined stands so it can have pride of place? A bit like the below

This debate has gone on for years and I'm sure will go on for many more 😉 Quality of optics, seeing conditions, accuracy of mount and what you are trying to do can all have an effect Doing visual, then as big a newtonian as you can get away with Imaging, APO, SCT or RASA seem to be the most popular, newtonians less so Personally I like the sentiment "the best telescope is the one you actually get out and use"

What about something like this? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-mount-accessories/skywatcher-pillar-mount-support-for-heq5-eq6-series-mounts.html Has the wheels and stability and maybe you could put a small shed in the corner of the patio to store it in? Something around this size so you could just wheel the setup to the middle of the patio? https://www.diy.com/departments/shire-shiplap-wooden-3x2-tool-storage/5060490130323_BQ.prd?storeId=&ds_rl=1272379&ds_rl=1272409&ds_rl=1272379&gclid=CjwKCAjw95yJBhAgEiwAmRrutB13DgX5cnGHeAMkhFQcRPG6CvivskNwiPvbq6wSZH6gtdgM-7x2CBoCLQIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Depending on the 6x30 finder you have it is also possible to slightly modify it if you are careful I had a cheap plastic one on an old scope of mine and was equally frustrated, looking at it in daylight I could see that it was massively stopped down internally If it's anything like mine it is possible to unscrew the objective (front) assembly (carefully, making sure not to scratch or drop the lens) and not far behind the objective down the tube you will find a baffle which is just a plastic cap type assembly push fitted into the tube, slide this out (little finger wedged in the hole worked for me) and then reassemble the finder Now your views are much brighter! The chromatic aberration will be worse because of the quality of the optics, but I found it fine for what I needed That said, a raci or red dot will be much better!

eBay is pretty good for this sort of thing, for example - https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=black+plastic+handles&_sacat=0&rt=nc&LH_PrefLoc=1

Franken-Swift sounds like the way forward to me, also if you end up with one unusable pair binocular eyepieces can make very nice telescope eyepieces. At a guess I'd say they would be in the 24-26mm range on the models you have there and give nice wide crisp views, much better than the usual bundled eyepieces. Have a look at the facebook group "A Second Look: Reusing Old Lenses for Astronomy" for more info, you can even reuse the objectives and prisms too, although I'd only recommend this with binoculars that are not serviceable as they're too useful for astronomy in working condition 😉 I've been hunting in the local charity shops for months now but am yet to have your kind of luck lol

Technically yes that probably would get you by, but it would be a frustrating compromise I'm sure. If your budget can stretch to it, then go bigger, you can never really overmount a scope, but you can certainly undermount! Hell I should know, have an 8 inch reflector on an eq3-2 😉

Looks great 👍 similar concept to the nexstar 4 / 5 mount but yours has better execution with a thread to adjust the angle Couple of minor suggestions if they help, I'd be tempted to offset the top plate from the bottom plate to help the center of gravity be over the top of the tripod, below to give you an idea If you could also somehow incorporate a polar scope I think you'd be onto a winner 👍 As for the mount itself slipping, they are fairly simple beasts, quite easy to strip and regrease and the slippage is likely down the the amount of tension on the bolt for the axis, there's a bit of a sweet spot, not too tight, not too loose, I have the celestron version, but there is very little difference

I've seen somewhere that there is a firmware fix for that issue, so don't get too put off by the current issues, have a poke around the forum I know I've seen it somewhere. I own an eq3-2 with RA motor (well a skyscan 2001, but it's exactly the same) and I really wouldn't recommend it for imaging, passable for visual but even then you're going to want to upgrade the tripod etc, meaning you're pretty much at eq5 prices already, but with a worse mount head You could go manual eq5 with an RA motor, but for 200 odd quid more you can get the full goto version which will have a better resale value and more flexibility and the used market is slowly getting a bit more sensible if you didn't want to pay new prices I feel your frustration though, there's nothing worse that malfunctioning kit to ruin a session

Try not to stress about it that much is the first piece of advice, you'd be amazed how dirty scopes can get before it starts affecting the views John's advice is very good, many people seem to swear by the baader fluid Celestron's own advice is here - https://www.celestron.com/blogs/knowledgebase/how-do-i-clean-my-telescope-optics-primary-mirrors-lenses-eyepieces-corrector-plates There are also professional companies that offer cleaning services if you don't fancy tackling it yourself Lastly, don't blow on it to clean off dust, saves little accidents like this 😉 maybe grab something like this https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astronomy-optics-cleaning-protection/jumbo-silicone-hurricane-blower.html or this https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astronomy-optics-cleaning-protection/celestron-lens-pen.html - personally I have the lens pen and find it really handy 👍

Safe to say there's some debate on this thread, the best piece of advice I've read personally went along the lines of "the best telescope you can have is one you actually take out and use" many, many gather dust all around the globe I'm going to guess by your name that you are fairly young fit and healthy, so a 10 inch dob is not unmanageable, will give good all round views and gives flexibility later down the line for eyepieces, barlows etc for hitting different targets However before you part with any cash read and watch as much as you can, some youtube channels to get you started, I've found them all helpful in various ways (a couple of them lurk around the forum too) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxXlxVmarXu3n340ah5xwqA - Astrobiscuit aka @rorymultistorey https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBTXZYuFWQ6lx51L4GeY0Lw Astro La Vista aka @Chris https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn3npsPixgoi_xLdCg9J-LQ AstroBackyard https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEQnX-WohTBNGBV5gdhAS5w Ed Ting I'd recommend starting from the beginning of their videos, some really helpful content and they all had to start somewhere (all also recommend dobs as starter scopes) In regards to eyepieces, just use the ones in the kit to start with, the basic 25mm is quite a capable bit of kit which you'll probably end up keeping, the 10mm is ok to start with, they'll keep you going for months tbh and you can go down that rabbit hole once you've had some time to get used to the scope and what you enjoy and don't enjoy looking at, that will really help inform future purchases In the meantime, get out there and enjoy the sky, even with just your eyes there is plenty going on or if you have a pair of binoculars even better 👍