Astro_Dad

@Martin Meredith I’ve been playing around with the altitude tension adjustments recently, using heavier accessories to test if this would cause the optical tube to drift downwards during use. I have not found this to be a problem with a DSLR camera attached (with Barlow) and the phone docked as well. Even with extra weight attached to test (in the form of a series of bar magnets) the tube holds steady with lots of tension tightening to spare, so at this point no reason to suggest heavier 2” barrel eyepieces and other accessories would cause a problem. I’ll be testing a 2” eyepiece along with RACI finderscope and RDF combined in due course.

Get well soon @Mr Spock.

Thanks for sharing this excellent report and giving some inspiration for future viewing targets. It was a very good night last night!

Will definitely bow to your direct C5 experience here as I’ve only used a C6 (which is excellent). At the end of the day all of these scopes are classic designs that have stood the test of time - you can’t go vastly wrong with any of these but there is certainly fun to be had in debating the relative merits 👍

After three consecutive nights of lunar viewing it was tempting to take advantage of a clear Friday night and further test the StarSense tech on the 10” - I started on the moon at 11pm. Bright waxing gibbous dominating the sky and providing a target for me to align my new Celestron Starpointer Pro (didn’t get chance to do this in daylight earlier). Nice to view through the 25mm Xcel but despite the lack of true darkness and bright moon set about some other targets. M3 globular - a lovely target easily found equidistant between Cor caroli and Arcturus - the StarSense had no difficulty finding this and it presented itself fairly centrally in the eyepiece. I switched to an 8mm ocular to go deeper - brilliant view with averted vision. M13 next - stunning as ever. I wanted to seek out nearby faint galaxy NGC6207. No luck - the StarSense app located it for me but I couldn’t see it through the eyepiece. Maybe next time. M92 next up - again an easy find using the StarSense app. I say easy but StarSense is slightly harder I’ve found with targets very high up towards the zenith , taking it slowly however and with some patience it is Spot on … another fine globular with incredible detail resolved with the 10 inch. Albireo - beautiful as ever! Getting close to 3 in the morning so called it a day after a quick look at the Double Cluster and the Coathanger open cluster in Vulpecula. Despite no true astronomical darkness, a very enjoyable observing session!

All good stuff - I come at this from the stance of questioning and being open to challenge, and offering a new buyer the best opportunity to succeed and stick with the hobby. Overall is it generally accepted that the central obstruction on a C5 is large vs on a typical newt? If yes then resolution and contrast on planets will be higher on the newt. I don’t have data, but I suspect there are more out of collimation SCT’s in the wild than there are newts? It’s a myth that reflectors are hard to collimate - even I can manage it - but definitely more finicky with SCT’s. Granted SCT’s don’t require as frequent collimation (maks even less so) but even given all of that there is little advantage of an SCT over a roughly similar aperture Newt isn’t there? (Dew prevention is arguably a bigger factor in SCT’s than the cool down also) …Even on planets - and if planets are the main focus a Mak wins out anyway on contrast grounds. The reflector version of the StarSense will offer a greater versatility for DSO and planetary and will provide brighter views for a given eyepiece. Agree the focal reducers from Celestron or Antares for example work well on SCT’s - apparently designed for photographic use but good for visual also. I’ve tried both manufacturers. I referenced the 102 refractor option in my post earlier - has advantages in some areas and with no CO and the higher efficiency than mirror based systems will offer benefits - but CA will be visible on brighter targets. Overall I slightly feel for the OP Who was looking for some basic pointers on a first ‘scope - please don’t be put off, it’s easy to get immersed in the minutiae of technical data and info and forget why you are interested in the first place - Astro geeks love to hang out here and there will always be different views expressed - but please go for something - and learn your way around the night sky. You won’t be comparing different designs side by side in all probability so whatever you go for will be the “right” choice for you for now. 👍

I’m not sure about this suggestion - the C5 is a great scope in many respects as is the 6DX version but is it the case that the 130mm reflector has better contrast due to smaller central obstruction , has shorter cool down time and has a wider field of view? There are few advantages of a DX5 version over the the 130mm reflector version on paper other than being a little more compact - plus collimation is much harder on an SCT than a newt. The reflector will have diffraction spikes due to the design, but the SCT will have other aberrations - agree the 5 inch Mak is Uber grab and go (but then cool down time negates… ) I’d skip the 5 and go straight to the 6DX if an SCT was the main option, but then cost comes into play vs a reflector! Still, a 5 inch Celestron SCT was part of NASA space shuttle missions back in the day so what do I know?! Sanity check - we are veering off course from a simple question of what scope to recommend for a new entrant to the hobby - all good fun 😀. Hope interesting nonetheless @Lemonadex!

+1 for this suggestion. It’s a super package, and I’m talking from the position of owning one! Has the advantage of tracking too…The learning from my experience to date though is that Newtonian reflectors are a good, if not the best all round versatile telescopes to start out, maks are brilliant on planets (I have a 4” Mak on tracking EQ platform which is great if that’s what you need) but have narrow field of view and typically require a dew shield and longer cool down time. GOTO (personal view) with the various alignment routines, likely error messages from time to time, and faff is less enjoyable than a PUSH TO and less immersive if you desire a peaceful quick to set up observing session. They have great advantages depending on what you need, but a push to is my preference. All personal choice - the “trouble “ with these threads is that everyone has a favourite or a bias potentially - you’ll have to weigh up and value what’s right for you! There is no one perfect ‘scope and no one “right” option. Best thing is to go with something, learn and enjoy it and then if you get hooked buy a second or upgrade. Don’t go for analysis paralysis.

@Lemonadex thanks it’s very useful for us to know a little more about your set up, and the fact that you’ve already eliminated a 200mm class Dob from your search on the basis of size/bulk. On that basis I think the StarSense will serve you well - the Heritage 150p will give you approx. 33% greater “light grasp” as it’s known, but you don’t have any type of guiding assistance like the PUSH TO of the StarSense. Manual star hopping can be difficult in heavily light polluted areas, which is one of the reasons why GOTO systems are sometimes recommended here - the StarSense will essentially fulfil the same objective (works fine even if only a few bright stars are visible) but is, dare I say more fun to use than a GOTO - and is more cost effective. The 102mm refractor version may be worth a look also - will probably give a very similar view overall to the 130 reflector but won’t need collimating. However the refractor will show some degree of chromatic aberration - swings and roundabouts. Personally I think the reflector version will be an excellent choice though. I’ve reviewed the StarSense system on a different ‘scope here: And this You Tube clip gives a very good introduction to your specific model: The advice to not rush into eyepiece upgrades is very sound - the 25mm that comes with the 130DX will be fine to get acquainted with the system, but you’ll probably want to upgrade the shorter focal length 10mm in time. “Basic” Plossls such as the Celestron Omni series or the slightly more affordable GSO series would be good first upgrades eventually, but you’ll frequently see the BST Staguiders recommended on here too - and I can vouch for their performance vs the stock supplied oculars. Have fun and let us know how you get on !

Waxing Crescent camping vibe.

Yet to try a “proper” Telrad, but this arrived today to complement my other bullseye finder. Struck by the oversized aperture, and the circles projected are very sharp and bright - better defined than the Rigel. Will do the job well hopefully. Primarily to use with my Heritage 150p - the Rigel positioning doesn’t really work (comfort wise) on the main solid part of the 150p (without some form of DIY to alter but little time for that) so this will work nicely as the main RDF in the usual location - enjoying the Telrad markers in the 110 things to see book complementing the detail in TLaO. As an aside Interesting to discuss “DIY” circles added “by hand” to e.g. S&T’s pocket Sky Atlas with @paulastro, linking with the thread on recommended Atlas’s.

Hi @Lemonadex, and welcome to the hobby! I started off with the StarSense scope you mention and thought it was excellent, so much so that I now have a larger aperture version using the same system. You can use the StarSense plate solving features when required (the “Push To”) but still learn to navigate the night sky manually on the alt az mount supplied. It’s a great way to learn the night sky. That said, depending on your interests and level of seriousness, for your budget of £500 you can get more value (although of course that’s subjective) by purchasing a 6 or 8 inch Dobsonian. The Stellalyra 8” for example (£429) would be a good choice. This size and design would be considered an excellent all rounder for deep sky and also moon/planets, and FLO stock a useful looking 6 incher under the Ursa Major brand. The latter will give you change for upgrades/accessories but the former includes most of what is needed to get going. I’ve used the 8” SL and it’s excellent. I also have the Heritage 150p which is also excellent as a beginner scope - v good value (you’ll have plenty of money left over for a good Plossl or two) and collapses down to a very compact size. You’ll need a sturdy table/base to set it on though. Caveat I don’t know what would suit you or your situation - garden/balcony? Heavy Light pollution ? I enjoyed the 130 but quickly felt like I wanted to go bigger, so with your budget you can go to that immediately. You’ll get a good range of useful opinions and advice on this forum, including for eyepieces - I could write for hours on my mistakes and learnings but will follow up on that later! AD

This would seem to make the most sense - presumably to allow comparisons of light gathering ability between different sized ’scopes. AstroBlender has a recent video on this topic FYI.

Things have moved on a bit here but just for interest - although I haven’t had any real inadvertent movement issues, or scuffs for that matter (touching wood) I’ve recently attached pieces of left over flocking material to the bottom of the magnets - soft enough to protect but thin enough to not adversely impact the attachment. I’ll let you know how it goes just FYI. I’m reluctant to “permanently” sticker to the OTA as that may end up peeling paint off if removed!

Yes agree- I think the authors were just trying to make a point and offer a note of caution - the rest of the paragraph as I alluded to above offers more context and explanation to why they wrote that - the extract you’ve pasted above ending in the word “Don’t” makes it read a little black and white! I’m sure we all clean our eyepieces from time to time - I certainly do (but only using the methods advised on this forum!).

9th June, c 10.30pm BST. Attempting the Moonwatch target challenge featured in the June Sky at Night magazine - the crater Hortensius. First opportunity reported to be tonight - luckily and unexpectedly clear but battling the clouds! 10” Dob the instrument of choice and having started at 25mm (48x power) then got in close with an 8mm BST Starguider (150x power). Clouds rolling in thick and fast but managed a few iPhone images which I then flipped and followed the guide in S&N magazine (and Sky Atlas) to help identify some of the key lunar features. Starting with the prominent Copernicus (C) and moving SW to Hortensius (H), with Hortensius B (HB) and Hortensius A (HA) forming an approximate straight line. Craters Reinhold (R) and Reinhold B (RB) off to the SE. Lansberg (L) also labelled. It’s certainly been interesting studying the moon over the past three nights, and if correctly identified my first Moonwatch target located!

Lots of moon observation in the community tonight - similar to @IB20 out again as the moon looking inviting - clearish night. Interesting to see how the view has changed over 24h, comparing eyepiece views and iPhone captures. Copernicus prominent tonight for example. Hopefully a chance to spot S@N’s June moonwatch target Hortensius tomorrow night if the clear skies continue… This capture using the 10” Dob and a 12mm BST Starguider, helped by the Celestron NexYZ phone adapter.

7th June. Always good to take advantage of an early evening (well c 22:00 BST) moon observation - cloud likely later so making the most of this - the moon is always attractive at this time with its golden yellow hue contrasting brilliantly with deep blue sky background. I took out the Heritage 150p and enjoyed 30 mins or so using the 15mm BST Starguider (so 50x power). Very sharp views of the Plato crater north of Mare Imbrium, and also Archimedes, Autolycus and Aristillus popping out of the view with sharp contrast. Moving South close the terminator I was able to identify several prominent features with the help of Moon Atlas- Alpetragius and Thebit for example, eventually losing myself in the Southern highlands before the clouds rolled back in. Interesting to go back and identify further features with the phone photo taken outside compared against Moon Atlas - a nice challenge!

Not an astrophotographer but this is a stunning image - I’d be very proud of that as a first M16 attempt!

In my experience even the supplied regular 25mm Plossl (50 Deg AFOV) works well in terms of getting the target within the field of view - I’ve talked about this in my first light review - no reason it shouldn’t translate well to a DIY based system as well. Last night despite heavy cloud I tested on some easily visible stars using my 25mm Xcel LX (60 Deg AFOV) and it worked brilliantly. Your 24/68 will work fine. Look forward to hearing how things go! AD

This looks great Mark. I’ve seen a few threads on this - how is it working in practice- all OK?

It must be a challenge indeed (London?) but you obviously persevere and achieve the best of the Bortle 8/9 skies - good planetary views etc. great idea to use the StarSense rig as a finder. 👍

I tested this evening at what I’d consider “late twilight” here at latitude 54 degrees N. Arcturus was visible, as was Vega and the stars of the Plough were just barely visible. Little else obvious (apart from the moon towards the West). I pointed the scope roughly towards the area of sky Arcturus is in and I was pleased to find plate solving succeeded within seconds. I’ll need to test even earlier to see what works, but so long as just a few stars can be detected in order to determine location looks to be OK.

I recently bought a copy of 110 things by John Read to use with my teenage nephews on a recent trip - may be too basic for you but covers the Messier catalogue in seasonal observing order and references the marathon and the various certificates you can be awarded (Canadian/US biased though). May be all you need? https://www.amazon.co.uk/110-Things-See-Telescope-Stargazing/dp/1777451752

Definitely worth a closer look @MiladyB there’s a useful video from Hi Point Scientific showing the set up and use from another perspective here: https://youtu.be/Uj5JEWJActM