Sluke321

22 minutes ago, Robindonne said:

Sluke321 also lost his login and password

What do you mean? 

7 minutes ago, WJC said:

The other cap will have its size—in millimeters—on it. Note it. And then seek after market accessories for binoculars.

Bill

Thanks for the response. The other side is a different style cap unfortunately 

Hi all,

First time taking the Binoculars out tonight and I lost the end cap for the centre bolt/thread. (See photo)

They are Pentax SP 8x40

I have had a quick look on google and can’t find spare parts anywhere. 
 

Can anyone offer some advice on where to find it?Thanks in advance

2 hours ago, Cornelius Varley said:

The Starsense Explorer DX uses an az mount which might be too small to attach an 8" tube to. The 8" tube is also much longer than the 130 OTA, this might mean that the tube could clash with the tripod/mount when elevated.

Thanks. The tube fouls on the tripod now as it is so could be even worse then. It’s a shame that I won’t be able to use the phone and starsense app with other larger scopes 

Hello all,

We currently have a Celestron Starsense explorer 130DX. The mount provided has a mount which you can use the starsense mobile app for navigating the stars which is brilliant!

My question is would I be able to upgrade the scope for example buy an 8” Reflector and put it on the same mount? Would the mount supplied be able to handle a bigger scope? I want to be able to continue to use the starsense mobile app you see.

Many thanks 

1 hour ago, pregulla said:

I have bought quite a lot of stuff from them. Including few ES eyepieces and some miscellaneous stuff. I had a good luck for the most part. One ES eyepiece had a spec on field lens that didn't seem to impact performance and I got a 30% partial refund. Another eyepiece had optical defect and I returned it for a full refund, AliExpress paid the shipping. 

So there is a risk of getting a QC reject for ES stuff, but on some items the price difference makes up for the risk (some eyepieces I got for less than half of what I would have cost me from EU/US stores). I would first look for sellers that offer free return, not all of them do, then if item is not good you just return it and all you have lost is time.

Are you sure they were genuine items? 
 

I’ve been searching on google for some eyepieces and some of them are coming up for really great prices on Ali Express. Seems a bit suspect to me. 
 

Anyone have any experience using them? 
 

Thanks all 

Hi all,

We have just subscribed to BBC Sky at night for 3 months at a cost of £5 on offer.

In the first magazine is a further offer of 24 months for the price of 12 (£52.80). Seems like a great price to me. The offer says expires 28th Feb.

My question is do I need to rush into this or is this offer available in all the issues/all of the time?

I’m hoping there are some regular readers out there who may know. Thanks

Hello all,

Been looking at entry level eyepieces for a few weeks. I am sick to death of looking at them now and need to go for it! 
Our scope is a 5” reflector f/5. There is a potential I will be moving for a larger reflector in the next year or two maybe 10 or even 12” so some continuity in use of the eyepiece would be helpful!

I am looking at entry level eyepieces for around the £40-£80 mark.

I have whittled it down to what seems to be a forum favourite the BST starguiders and the Baader Classic Series Ortho.

If anyone has any tips or advice it would be greatly appreciated . I’ve looked for so long now I am being blinded by too much choice. I’ve read literally hundreds of forum posts and I’m pretty lost!
 

I am quite content with the 25mm telescope supplied eyepiece currently so not 100% sure if I will replace that at this stage. If I don’t I could potentially spend slightly more on just a high and medium powered eyepiece instead.

Is it just a case of it’s a cheap supplied focuser and an upgrade would be better? 

Hey all,

Just after a bit of advice regarding the focuser supplied with the Celestron Starsense explorer 130dx.

I am a beginner and collimate with a laser . One thing that is frustrating is that when I move the focuser in and out there is an awful lot of play in it. The play is that much that it changes the position of the laser on the primary mirror Centre circle quite significantly depending on where it’s left. 
 

I have uploaded a video to show an example of this.

Surely if there is that much play in the focuser it’s just a lottery as to the position it will stop in when you use it? For this reason the collimation process can only be so accurate with the play of the focuser. 

Surely the laser should be in the circle ⭕️ f the primary mirror regardless of the position of the focuser? 
 

Many thanks in advance everyone
 

1 minute ago, Tiny Clanger said:

Excellent result, hope you've  communicated your appreciation directly to the council , the more encouragement they get for this the better !

Heather

I will do. They haven’t even responded to me yet they have just done the work. As soon as they write back I will send my thanks and praises 

Hey all,

I would like to share my experience with some light pollution from a lamp post and how the Council were so efficient in dealing with it.

We have a really bright LED lamp post behind our garden lighting up an alleyway. Regardless of looking at the stars, the light from it is excessive and floods into mine and the neighbours gardens/windows. We can view with our telescope out there but we have to shelter behind an outbuilding so that we are not in the direct beam of light. This hinders what we can look at and can be really frustrating!

I thought I would chance my luck and ask the council if they could help in any way. The beam of light enters many gardens and is is quite overwhelming regardless of whether you are trying to use a telescope or not. 
 

I contacted them around 5 days ago to see if there is any way in which they could assist with guards or to even consider turning it off. 
 

I was out in the back garden this afternoon and I noticed the lamp post was being lowered down. I went out to speak to a workman about it. He said they are fitting guards to stop the beam of light entering gardens and also turning the brightness down! 
 

Absolutely fantastic result and all done within the week. I thought it would be a good idea to share my experiences in dealing with the council to highlight there are options out there. You don’t have to give up with stargazing or put up with invasive light on your property. 
 

All I would say is be polite, be constructive and be realistic. The council should do what they can within their budget to help you if they can. 
 

All the best and good luck if anyone else is trying to deal with light pollution from street lights on your property

Thanks. The x2 Barlow wasn’t supplied with the scope I purchased it separately. Either way, point taken on the Barlow and I will use the Zoom next time without it. Thanks! 
 

Now the minefield of trying to pick some eyepieces....

Hello all,

I posted recently about getting my daughter a telescope and ended up going for the Celestron starsense explorer 130 (5 inch reflector). We went for this for ease using the starsense app which has been brilliant for my 7 year old to navigate the stars. I am a complete beginner by the way with no prior experience.
 

We have had a few ok ish nights but the tonight was by far the best. Up until now we have been using a Svbony 7-21 zoom eyepiece with a x2 Barlow permanently fitted. (Not sure if this is the best or correct way)

I went for the zoom eyepiece so my daughter didn’t have to keep changing lenses all the time which I thought could be a pain.

Tonight the conditions were perfect but the eyepiece kept getting a blurry spot in the middle. I presumed it was moisture from the air possibly? I opted to go for the Celestron supplied eyepieces which I have read on reviews are pretty awful. I must admit I hadn’t even used them until tonight.

My first thoughts using them......WOW. I am not saying they are amazing eyepieces because I’m sure they are the cheapest of the cheap but the views we got tonight with the 10mm& 25mm out perform the svbony by a mile in my opinion. The field of view is much wider too! I went back to all of the points of interest I had already viewed up until that point with the zoom lenses  and each an every one of them were far superior. We could see a distinct glow from Orions nebula which blew our minds! Me and my daughter are already looking forward to our next clear night.
 

I will definitely be looking to invest in individual eyepieces from now on. Even at entry level I’m surprised by the ones supplied by Celestron.
 

I will apologise in advance if any of my terminology was incorrect, but I thought I would share my experiences so far. Maybe it’s a lesson for me to try all the gear before making a judgement. If anyone has any tips or advice please share the knowledge!

Clear skies!

Well just to update everyone . We got the DX130 and it’s gone down a storm. Starting off with a x2 Barlow and zoomable lense to make it easy for my daughter. She is loving every second of it. She particularly enjoyed the starfish cluster and looking at the stars in the winter Hexagon! 
 

Thanks again to everyone for input 

31 minutes ago, Second Time Around said:

You may have seen that I've just bought 2 different scopes for different youngsters (see the recent topic "Best budget scope for a 5 year old").

For the older one in the country it was a 130mm table top Dobsonian.  For the 2 in London, including a 6 year old, who needed a lightweight scope it was a 70mm Starsense Explorer refractor.

I was so impressed with the Starsense Explorer that I bought another of the 70mm refractors for my own use, and adapted the technology to my other bigger and better scopes.  However, I kept the 70mm refractor as it's so lightweight, and being somewhat disabled there are nights when this is all I can manage.

Like others who've tried it, I believe that Starsense Explorer is a game changer for beginners.  It would be too for the more experienced if it had a larger database.  The technology is available only as a package with a scope, not standalone.  Unfortunately, the scopes themselves are all pretty basic, although some of them represent good value for money as the extra cost for the technology is modest.  This doesn't however apply to be more expensive ones, where you pay a lot for Starsense Explorer.

As far as I know there are 6 Starsense Explorer models that have been offered.  4 were released to begin with, then discontinued in the UK and replaced with 2 others.

The first 4 were:

80mm f/11.25 refractor

102mm f/6.5 refractor

114mm f/9 Bird-Jones reflector

130mm f/5 reflector

The 2 new UK models are:

70mm f/10 refractor

127mm f/7.87 Bird Jones reflector

As others have advised, I'd avoid the Bird-Jones designs.  This is because they're difficult to collimate, something that isn't mentioned in the blurb.  Their only (possible) attraction is their compactness.  You can spot a Bird-Jones as the tube length will be very much less than the focal length (the aperture x the focal ratio).  You'll may also find it harder to sell these on.

The 70mm and 80mm appear to share the same mount, that I've found useable but rather wobbly.  This would be especially so on the heavier and longer 80mm.  It has slow motion on just 1 axis.  

The 102mm has a better focuser and mount as has already been pointed out, with slow motion on both axes.  However, you pay a lot extra compared with a similar model without Starsense Explorer.

The same applies to the 130mm reflector (that's not a Bird-Jones thank goodness).  Once again, it's a lot extra compared with a similar model without Starsense Explorer.  

Whether or not it's worth paying extra for Starsense Explorer compared with spending the same amount on a bigger (but heavier) scope will vary from person to person.  Starsense Explorer certainly makes locating objects very much easier.  All too many beginners give up astronomy when they can't find more than the brightest objects without a lot of hassle.  Many won't have the patience to learn how to "star hop" from star to star; others will love the thrill of the chase that comes with star hopping.

However, in towns and cities light pollution will mean that they'll be many fewer stars visible, and this is where Starsense Explorer can make a huge difference in locating objects.  Without it you'd probably need to also buy an extra finderscope that'll show you more stars, but this costs extra.  Fine if you've already got one, but an added expense for most beginners.  This is why for my grandkids in London I chose a scope with Starsense Explorer.

The biggest problem though is finding any scopes in stock, let alone those with Starsense Explorer!

 

Can I just thank you for such a comprehensive response. That has pretty much answered everything. Thank you for pointing out the different models to me also. 
The starsense explorer app is the main attraction for me, for it to be paired with a decent scope it’s looking like the 130 is the best option albeit a bit pricey. 

For some the thrill may be hunting the stars without too much aid but I feel my daughter will feel so much more engaged using the app to direct her own stargazing without me having to do it all for her.

Can I take this time to thank every single one of you for the brilliant and informative responses. What is apparent that one size certainly does not fit all! It’s horses for courses at the end of the day. 
 

I’m going to read through all the responses again and have a think about it. please keep any ideas coming though!

What a great introduction to the forum I can already see what a great community there is here! 

20 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

The DX models are on a more stable and expensive mount. Plus that 102 scope is a better build quality - focuser alone from the images is a non-plastic type where on the LT70 for example is all plastic and has a degree of flop as you adjust. So a chunk of that price uplift will be for the better quality components. The 102 aperture will be good for light gathering but more expensive to manufacture than the DX130 which uses mirrors. From what I can tell tho both the DX130 and DX102 are similarly priced with variation depending on supplier.

If using by the sea, the salt air and spray might not be so good for a reflector scope over time being it is an open tube so both mirrors will be exposed to the elements, others may have experience here and be able to comment on that aspect. A refractor is closed so only the main objective lens would need occasional attention to carefully clean it.

edit - I should add tho at this price point you could also look at something else on an AZ-GTI mount , a SW MAK 127 for example which others have good experience with. I can't advise there as I've no experience of those scopes

So the DX model may be better build quality but the telescope itself will be the same quality as the LT models? 

6 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

quite a bit above your budget but this one should do very well and looks to be of good quality build unlike the lower end LT70/80 will be
https://www.castlecameras.co.uk/celestron-starsense-explorer-dx-102/p10769

Will give good light grasp and images of the planets etc and not need upgrading for some time if at all, other than perhaps eyepieces. It can be a slippery slop as you're likely realising, chasing better equipment and hoping to see more etc. Had I not already had the TAL100RS I might well have gone for this one 😉

 

PS - shhh that site says in stock 😮 

Hello,

thanks for the reply. Why is the Dx130 only a little more expensive? Would it be better to go for that?And what makes these better than the ones I previously mentioned? Thanks again for the help I really appreciate it

6 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

pretty high light pollution there, perhaps?

Yes In the town but I had always planned to take it to the costal areas to the west where it’s darker 

10 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

it does seem that their reflector range is to be avoided especially the BJ variants which most seem to be, apart perhaps the 130 I believe.

The refractors tho aren't bad optically, comparing the LT70 against my 3-inch 1950's vintage and the TAL100RS which is a far better scope the LT70 still manages to give a nice image. I'd expect their LT80 and DX102 to be quite reasonable too. On the LT70 optically the lens seems very good, the plastic focuser works but can be easily improved - I recently added some teflon tape internally to reduce the rock when you change direction. A cheap motor focuser (Tasco 1603EF in my case) means fine focus with no wobble is easy to achieve too.

Sure a MAK or ED refractor or a SW130 etc will outperform but that is quite a step up in price compared to the LT starsense range. If you can live with the wobbles the LT refractors do pretty well I think.

One thing about Starsense, the app works, very well in fact and you can move the scope around the garden if needed and it will just figure out where it is aimed. No complex alignment etc, just plonk it down and go. It doesn't have the full range of objects compared to an expensive goto setup like SynScan etc but then it is targeted toward a starter audience. It also gives some nice detail info about the target you are searching for which is handy.

Here's the thread some of use have posted to about the mods we have made to get this working on our other scopes

On page 7 Mark details his experience of the LT114 which may help inform you on the reflector version.

 

@Sluke321 you don't say what the area you are viewing from is like, light pollution etc. That may well limit you in terms of the fainter objects but brighter targets like Moon, planets will be easily achievable as would clusters and doubles and brighter nebulae.

One thing to bear in mind with any of the scope kits you buy - you will get basic eyepieces to get you started and a big step improvement can be had by buying better ones. That is even more the case at the lower price range but you don't have to go for the £50/each BST starguiders that often get suggested. In fact a low-cost good zoom can fill the requirement pretty well albeit a narrowed field of view, you effectively get multiple eyepieces in a single unit and convenience in use.

I live in Holyhead North Wales 

10 minutes ago, Cornelius Varley said:

Certainly the 127 and 114. 

What would you say about the 80AZ? 
 

are any of the starsense models decent? What about the 130? 
 

I just like the idea of using the app with it but obviously the quality of the telescope is the main thing.

would any of the models be able to see Saturn’s rings for example? 

12 minutes ago, Cornelius Varley said:

The 127 telescope optical design is something called a Jones-Bird reflector. This type uses a cheaper to make spherical primary mirror and some small lenses within the focuser to correct for the optical deficiencies in the mirror and also give the telescope it's 1000mm focal length. Best avoided.

See my reply above.  It's a cheap telescope. I think the 114 also uses a spherical primary and corrector lenses. Also best to avoid.

So are you saying best to avoid all of them?

1 minute ago, dweller25 said:

Hello and welcome to SGL.

Here is a beginners guide that may help.....

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes.html

Be aware that due to Covid telescopes are in short supply.

Here is a link to a free planetarium program.....

http://stellarium.org/

I would recommend this as it is very capable......

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-150p-dobsonian.html
 

You can get apps for your phone that will guide you around the night sky.

Good luck

PS Mars is in the southern sky at 8:30 for a while - easy naked eye object

Do the apps allow the smartphone to be mounted to the telescope to guide you onto the point of interest? 

Hello all,

Looking to buy my daughter a first telescope for Christmas. I would like it to be a starter telescope but at the same time be good enough for the whole family to use without the need to upgrade too soon if everyone enjoys it.

From the research I have done I really like the Celestron starsense models as I like the way your smart phone can mount the the telescope and you can utilise the app the guide you to a whole host of stars and planets. I feel this would be perfect for my daughter as she will be able to use the app to pick out what she wants to see and use it to guide her (with me there too of course)

I have been looking at the following

Celestron Starsense LT 127AZ £200 approx 

Celestron Starsense LT 114AZ £200 approx

Celestron LT 80AZ £170 approx

My main question regarding these is why are the 127 and the 114 model priced the same? Surely the 114 should be cheaper than the 127? Is there something else lacking not immediately apparent?

I have looked at the starsense 130 AZ but the price jumps up to around £340 which seems a disproportionate increase? 
 

I have looked at other 130’s like the Celestron Astromaster 130 which is around £190 but I just worry that I won’t be able to use the Celestron phone app to help guide us to find all the stars and planets. 
 

One of the musts for me is a telescope that will be able to see the rings of Saturn.
 

Any help is greatly appreciate, If I’m approaching this the wrong way please let me know!