doublevodka

You've not mentioned a budget so I'm going to take a bit of a stab in the dark with a couple of recommendations

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/stellalyra-telescopes/stellalyra-8-f6-dobsonian.html - New 8 inch dob from FLO with a less back breaking right angled finder and some other nice upgrades compared to the skywatcher

Or if you like a bit of technology, the slightly smaller option - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/heritage/sky-watcher-heritage-150p-flextube-virtuoso-gti.html

My youngest took at interest at about 6 years old, which is what got me back into astronomy, she mastered a manual eq2 quicker than I did! Although I find a goto mount much easier with kids as the object stays in the eyepiece

Also bear in mind that as mentioned above then attention span will be an issue, so it's going to be more of a daddy hobby, make sure you get something that you'll like as you'll end up using it the most

It's almost as contentious subject as what scope to get  

Personally I'd go for something as large as you can get away with with the space you have, but 24-27 inch is a decent size

Sometimes there are bargains to be had, I picked up a 4k 32 inch Samsung curved for a bit over £200 earlier in the year, have a look here - https://www.hotukdeals.com/tag/monitor

Modern gaming monitors will generally fit your need, they are designed for accurate colour reproduction although calibration as above certainly wouldn't hurt either

As for the 4K bit, it really depends on the resolution of the images you will be working on, there isn't a massive price gap between the two any more, so 4K should certainly be an option, although anything will be an improvement on the average laptop screen, unless you go very high end, the screens tend to be a bit lacking on laptops

If you want to go on a really low budget have a look at the facebook group "A Second Look: Reusing Old Lenses for Astronomy"

My favourite budget lower power eyepieces are now the pair that I extracted from a pair of Lidls (bresser) 10x50 binoculars that were broken, fairly easy to do and just need to be installed into some suitable 1.25 inch pipe (old vacuum cleaner pipe in my case)

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

41 minutes ago, Andrew_B said:

I've just ordered one of their 32mm Plossls which was really cheap so it'll be interesting to see what it's like. I'm not expecting flawless edge to edge performance but since I'll be using it with my 60mm f6 scope which has a fair bit of field curvature anyway I don't think it'll be a big problem.

As far as I can tell it's the same eyepiece as the equivalent Celestron Omni Plossl, just with a different exterior and a much lower price tag.

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

30 minutes ago, Trevor Matthews said:

I have some 3D printers and found some fine focus knobs for the SE so will be printing one off.

https://www.thingiverse.com/search?q=celestron+focus+knob&type=things&sort=relevant

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 👍

On 03/09/2021 at 17:32, GalaticBoba said:

Alright, alright, alright... if you're all going to force me to pick a mount, then I'm currently undecided between the following 3

 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-mounts/skywatcher-az-eq6-mount.html

Pros

Looks cool in Altaz mode with two scopes

Cheap

Can buy it now and use in altaz mode whilst I read "Making every photon count"

 

https://www.365astronomy.com/celestron-cgx-equatorial-computerised-goto-telescope-mount-and-tripod

Pros

Can use my existing Celestron Starsense and wifi sky portal

Excellent payload capacity

Don't have to buy it now, I can just use my current mount until I've read "Making every photon count"

 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/ioptron-mounts/ioptron-gem45-geq-goto-mount-with-iguider-literoc-tripod-case.html

Pros

Good payload capacity

Built in guide scope

Comes with case for easier transport 

Don't have to buy it now, I can just use my current mount until I've read "Making every photon count"

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

On 02/08/2021 at 18:50, Astro Noodles said:

Yeah, I'm thinking along those lines. The optics are probably the same so maybe I can make some Franken-Swifts by using the best bits from both. Although I know nothing about binocular optics so there is a good chance that I will make a dog's dinner of it.

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

41 minutes ago, Ags said:

I was hoping that it would work with very short subs, but I don't want to replace one hassle with another.

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