Aquavit

Since my original post there hasn't been any opportunity for observing here in Hungary, virtually every day 100% cloud cover. Nobody told me this when I bought my scope! Anyway, Clear Skies are predicting as such tomorrow evening so I hope to be out again at last. Are the two planets still close enough to see together with a scope?

Last night saw an unexpected break in the cloud, I'd left my little MAK outside on the off chance so was ready to go as the opportunity arose. Because of the low elevation I had to position myself across the road on the edge of a field to avoid the treeline, but this only added to the last minute excitement! I think I'm beginning to get the hang of handling the scope/mount combination, finding the target with the RDF as well as switching between my two eyepieces. Starting with the 20mm I amazed myself by quickly being able to observe and focus on Jupiter, the moons being easily visible and some slight shading of the bands. No GRS though. Switching to the 10mm gave me a slightly larger view but I couldn't obtain satisfactory focus, I assume this is due to the low elevation and atmospherics? The biggest thrill though was seeing Saturn and the distinction between the planet and its rings, very pleased with this but of course would have liked a closer/larger view and, like Jupiter, a little more clarity. I then had a go at Mars, but other than a few fleeting views had very little success, finding it difficult to locate and then focus on. Quite high in the sky and smaller than my last attempt of a week or so ago. All in all a pleasing first effort at the gas giants and a confidence boost that, weather permitting, I can achieve some decent observing of the closest conjunction in a few days time.

Your scope has a relatively short focal length of 650mm, the spec shows a max potential magnification of 260. Using your zoom on 8mm with 3x Barlow would give 244x magnification which would probably be on or exceeding the practical maximum. Simple calculator here: https://lookatthesky.com/calculate-the-magnification-of-any-telescope/

Have a look here: https://www.astroshop.eu/telescopes/10/s,green/a,Teleskope.Empfohlen-Fuer=Beginners there are 50 or so beginner scopes in stock.

I finally made a decision on this and ordered the Hyperflex 7.2mm - 21.5mm zoom and an Astra Essentials Super Plossl 32mm from FLO. This, I think, should cover most bases for the time being and hopefully give me an optical improvement on the standard lenses.

Tiny Clanger, your reference to Yoga antics made me smile! Do report back on your finder "findings". I would like a 6 x 30 scope with a right angle so it mimics the main scope, like this one here: https://tavcso.hu/en/product/6x30a but Zermelo recommends to keep the RDF which means fitting another shoe, either by self adhesive tape which may not be secure or (horror of horrors) drilling the Mak tube. That would presumably mean a disassembly job to remove the swarf. My little Mak hasn't got a huge amount of real estate either.

I emailed the seller of my scope regarding the eyepieces. I received a prompt reply from him: "Hello, these are the new Barium/photo eyepieces, better fit to photo adapters." I then asked him if they were specifically designed for camera use: "You can use it for both purposes. There is no difference between the old and new design regarding viewing comfort. Rubber eyecup helps only to (somewhat) block stray light comes from outside." I guess these are to enable smart phone photography. I'm not hugely enamoured with them, although the 20mm gives a nice crisp image. But the 10mm doesn't seem so capable, having a tiny depth of field, which makes it difficult to achieve focus, and poor eye relief creating a problem with my (quite long) eyelashes. As a result I'm mulling over buying either a zoom lens https://www.firstlightoptics.com/ovl-eyepieces/hyperflex-72mm-215mm-eyepiece.html or a fixed 15mm https://www.firstlightoptics.com/ovl-eyepieces/hyperflex-72mm-215mm-eyepiece.html

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one struggling with the RDF. I find it doubly difficult when the scope is at an acute angle, requiring bending or crouching to see through it. I also have the problem of sometimes seeing double, ie two objects. I'm thinking of swapping it out for a finder scope, more expense of course - like a lot of hobbies one thing leads to another!

Thank you for the replies, quite a few variables in this it seems, with no obvious answer. I'm in a Bortle 4, on the edge of a small village with a small hill five minutes away possibly giving me Bortle 3 skies. So, potentially good viewing conditions. I'm a varifocal wearer but don't use them to observe. I did think about a zoom lens, but if I have a Barlow do I need a zoom as it would probably take me outside the useable range at both ends of the scale? If it's a fixed EP something in between 10 and 20mm seems obvious, but is it? Sky-Watcher do this one for £99 https://www.astroshop.eu/eyepieces/skywatcher-hyperflex-7e-high-performance-zoom-7-2mm-21-5mm-eyepiece/p,22263#tab_bar_1_select is it going to be an improvement on my standard lenses, can I get better for similar money? It quotes eye relief of 15mm, how do I know that is right for me? Or would this fixed 15mm EP be better https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bst-starguider-eyepieces/bst-starguider-60-15mm-ed-eyepiece.html My main criteria would be quality of image rather than maximum magnification.

My Mak has an aperture of 102mm and focal length of 1300 with a maximum magnification of 204. I have a 10mm and a 20mm basic EP of indeterminate make supplied standard with the scope, giving me either 60x or 130x magnification. I have just acquired a 2x Barlow so I'm thinking of getting a better quality EP to pair with this. It would appear that a 13mm (if such a size exists) along with the Barlow would give me the full 200x, is it wise to max out the scope or should a little margin be left?

I bought the scope here https://tavcso.hu/en/product/SWM102SQuest. The buying decision was of course heavily influenced by where I could find stock. Their product description is a little sparse so couldn't see any spec on the EP's. Maybe I should fire an email off to them asking if this is normal. I've got half a mind set on purchasing a zoom EP though, should be better quality than what I have now and removes the need to keep switching them around

Thank you Heather, some good advice there for focusing, of course I'm now itching to get out again and put this in to practice, but no sign of clear skies in the forthcoming days. Yes, it's a mystery as regards the eye cups. I assumed they would be standard on even the most basic kit. Here is a snap of what it looks like:

Thank you for that little snippet, I've learnt something!

Sky-Watcher Mak MC102/1300.

The forecast clear skies didn't arrive as early as predicted so planetary observation was limited but the Moon was available from around 10pm. Bear in mind this was my first ever effort with a telescope. Whilst I was waiting for moonrise, I had an attempt at Mars between the fast moving clouds. This proved frustrating as no sooner had I got the red dot lined up and observing commenced, I would lose the target. I was surprised by the amount of travel in the mirror as the focus knob seems to turn forever. Rather than getting a clear view of Mars I seemed to be presented with a shadowy disc with a darker solid disk within it. I presume this was the obstruction on the front lens that I could see? In spite of numerous attempts I never managed an observation of Mars. Not sure what I was doing wrong here. With the Moon high enough in the sky I switched my attention from Mars. Again I had a long struggle with the focus knob, juggling the two eyepieces and whirling the control cables in an effort to get past what seemed like an unfocused very bright blob. I was beginning to think that observing was much more difficult than it should be and that maybe my equipment was somehow faulty. After deciding to stay with the 20mm eyepiece, leaving the cables alone and concentrating only on the focus adjustment finally the Moon came in to view. Wow! My other half joined me and we spent some time observing the Appenines, Hadley and Eratosthene, using our newly acquired "Turn Left at Orion" as a reference. Slowly moving the scope around, having got the hang of the cable adjusters, it gave the impression of passing over the Lunar surface in low orbit. This was a memorable moment for us and the highlight of our first attempts at observing through a scope. A few issues we encountered in addition to the aforementioned dark disk. The eyepieces supplied with the scope, 10mm and 20mm, do not have eyecups and I spent a lot of time looking at my eyelashes so I think these need upgrading. Some sort of red light is definitely needed, preferably a head torch, as we found scrabbling around for eyepieces etc. a bit of a fiddle in the dark. Any recommendations? I have a dew cover on order, this will certainly be needed judging from the amount of water on the scope last night. I found using the red dot finder surprisingly easy but the flimsy/wobbly plastic mount doesn't inspire much confidence, I don't know whether to stick with it, accepting this is a budget scope, or upgrade. Leaving aside the issues, we both came away from our session with a sense of achievement and thrilled with what we had seen of the Moon.

Thanks Pixie, that's just the sort of info I'm looking for. Can't wait to have a try at Orion.

Thanks for that suggestion Tomatobro. I've just had a look in my newly acquired "Turn Left at Orion", it seems not many are visible at this time of year and a lot also seem to be low down in the sky. I can see why patience should be considered a key attribute with this hobby!

Thank you John and valleyman, based on your comments I will stick with the mirror diagonal. Thanks for the confirmation of the "easy set-up" Lenscap. I was a little fearful of the EQ mount as I'd read that it wasn't great for beginners but it seems logical to me, albeit the markings and pointers on the scale rings of the EQ1 don't look to be a thing of great precision.

This week I received delivery of my Sky-Watcher MAK 102 with EQ1 mount and tripod. I have assembled everything, aligned the red dot finder and set the latitude to 47 degrees on the mount. When aligning the red dot on a target I notice that the image is reversed left to right, I assume this is "normal" albeit a little disorientating. Is there a way of correcting this? Tomorrow night promises clear skies so that will probably be mine and the scopes debut. I will be looking at the Moon, Mars and, if not too low, Jupiter and Saturn. All easy to find just by swinging the scope around and using the red dot. That will probably be sufficient for a first attempt but looking further ahead what DSO's would be easy to find and present a good viewing opportunity given the constraints of my scope? Am I right in assuming that polar alignment and the technicalities of the EQ mount only come in to play when I want to find something using co-ordinates or tracking an object. In other words, for easily located objects, I can just point and "shoot"?

Thanks all for the comprehensive replies and advice, most helpful. Glad to hear that I haven't made a mistake with my choice of scope, options of course were seriously limited by current stock levels and near future expected deliveries. Apart from the dew filter I think I will hold off buying any other accessories until I've got to grips with my new instrument and learnt a little bit more about observing the night sky. I'm going to start to familiarise myself with the sky using an existing pair of Fujinon 7 x 50 binoculars left over from my sailing days. Frustratingly we seem to be in a long run of 100% cloud cover here in Hungary.

Hello all I've always been interested in space and, like others, wondered in awe at the night sky on a clear and light pollution free night. But other than through binoculars never looked at it in closer detail, perhaps because I mostly lived in urban areas. Now living in rural Hungary I have a good location for viewing and much more time on my hands. My partner is also excited about the prospect of astronomy (she was in fact keener than me to buy a telescope right now) and it's something we look forward to enjoying together. After doing some research, on here and elsewhere I have ordered a Skywatcher Maksutov 102/1300 Starquest EQ. Very excited about this but we have to wait three weeks before it is delivered. Our main interest is Lunar and Planetary viewing, I may have a dabble with some photography but that's very secondary. Have we made a good choice with our first telescope? We propose to use this on our undercover terrace or out in the garden, we intend to leave the scope permanently set up either on the terrace or in the garden shed so it is always acclimatised. Is this a good idea, will we need a dew cover? I understand we have to go through an alignment process with the EQ mount, will this have to be done each time we move it, say from the terrace to the garden? Is it worth buying the bolt on motor drive? I am generally a fan of keeping things simple. The scope comes with two eyepieces, a 10mm and a 25mm, will these be sufficient for my needs?