bosun21

The smaller Heritage 100 has a fixed primary mirror which comes aligned from the factory.

A Skywatcher Heritage 130 would be more than enough telescope to allow her to see a whole host of targets including the rings of Saturn, Jupiters moons and the moon etc. It's a tabletop telescope which only requires a small steady table to sit it on. Or even the smaller Heritage 100.

Lovely Panorama of the Tenerife sky and the Milky way.

I have sent you a message with offer of help.

Have you done an alignment process when setting up the telescope? The telescope needs to know where it's pointing to track correctly. Tracking movements differ from South/North to East/West for example as East/West will have more vertical movement. You can do either a one star alignment or solar system alignment on the moon for example. This although not the most accurate for go to will at least track whichever target you point the telescope at. I suggest you read the manual on alignment and if you don't have one you can find a copy online. Good luck.

Nice addition to your stable. I look forward to your thoughts on the performance of the f8.

Yes Saturn will be interesting due to the rings positioning. I think all our focus will now be on the surface details of the planet which are difficult to begin with. I really hope you manage to get the tracking problem sorted out. I would be pulling my hair out if it was me.

Yes I am feeling well again and eager to get back out under the sky again. I may capture some more lunar images but my passion is for the planets themselves and I'm eagerly awaiting their return. I am particularly looking forward to Mars this apparition. I'll keep busy meantime doing visual and some EAA which I also really enjoy.

Another interesting capture Reggie. Definitely on my to do list for the coming apparition.

I have sold many items by post to SGL members and always post using a tracked and insured method. For items over £150 I generally use next day by 1pm which is tracked and insured. Generally all other items by First class signed for and some smaller items like extensions/adapters 2nd class signed for. Large items like scopes and mounts are best collected but I have shipped a few by courier (Parcelforce) which is also insured. As you can probably see every item will have proof of delivery. HTH.

As @Paz has already outlined there are a few retailers that sell secondhand equipment, though limited by variety. I used to drive to collect in person from the sellers home or meet up point for larger and more expensive equipment. This allowed me to check the item personally before purchase. Now that I can no longer drive due to health reasons, I only either buy from here on SGL, or new from a retailer. On SGL you easily see who is serious about our hobby and maybe those not so much. I have only bought one telescope from SGL by post and i had no concerns parting with my money up front (£500 plus). Such is the quality of many members on here. That's not to say there's no less than honest people around so caution is best employed. Thankfully the later is a rare occurrence here. I have bought the odd bit here and there on Astro buy and sell UK without mishap. If it's not a person or member I've gotten to know then PayPal with buyers protection is the safest way to proceed with any purchase. I have also sold many items and pieces of equipment on SGL which all went smoothly. Welcome to SGL by the way.

I managed to grab a few hours on the moon earlier this month which was a task due to being ill with pneumonia at the time. Just got around to processing them as I was clearing space on my computer. The seeing was very good on the night with no wind if I remember correctly. I really need to centre the targets better. This was with my 250mm Synscan dobsonian and ASI462MC. Clavius Alpine Mountain Range

Can't you get a 3D printed bush to fit snugly into the rear of the telescope and then make a circular 3D or metal plate to hold the bush securely in place? Then just fit a knob held in place with a grub screw.

You need a 1.25" diagonal and an eyepiece like the one you highlighted, 25-32mm will do. Someone has unscrewed the diagonal without loosening the two silver securing screws causing the diagonal nosepiece to be retained in the visual back of the telescope. Loosen these and remove the old nosepiece. Regarding power you will have to decide whether you want to run on AA batteries or an external source of 12v

I also fit a washer and Bob's Knobs to every Newtonian I've owned. I also spray the washer matt black to prevent any possible reflections.

Watch the video and disassemble it in stages like he did and check the various sets of securing screws. Good luck.

Looking forward to the actual review of the 12".

Kostas have you checked all the relevant grub screws and Allen screws which position and hold the various plates of the clutch assembly? The video posted earlier in the thread shows these various screws and where they are located. I ask this due to your description that the brass worm gear is turning and it is tensioned against the teeth on the drive plate yet it's not moving the axis. To me it appears that the clutch is slipping and this could be due to the screws mentioned. Tightening the main tensioning nut on top of the assembly will have no effect due to this. I would watch the video and check the screws on yours at each disassembly stage. Good luck 🤞.

The ADC is recommended to be the last piece of equipment before the camera or eyepiece. I've never tried it in any other arrangement though to compare.

You don't need a flattener for planetary imaging as you are capturing on axis images. You would fit the barlow into the focuser and then the camera. What is the pixel size of your DSLR to determine what strength of barlow would be best? The resolution of the planet won't be great though due to the small aperture of 72mm.

The 2" and the 1.25" are the same laser, the 2" just has an additional collar that fits over the 1.25". Here is mine in 2" mode.

Just a little bit of advice. When you are finished observing on a night with dew about and back home it's good to let your gear dry out properly. Leave the caps off your eyepieces and telescope to allow the air to circulate and dry the surfaces. I point my telescope downwards and leave it for several hours, often overnight. This will prevent any damage to the coatings on your optics. Fungus loves dark damp conditions. You seem to be getting a routine working for you.

There is. Here you go https://appsonwindows.com/apk/4409/

I keep my eyepieces outside in a case with the lid closed, taking them out one at a time as I use them. On nights of really heavy dew and for extended periods at the eyepiece I have sometimes been forced to use a dew strap on low power fitted around the eyepiece. I also refrain from using dew heaters on the scope as much as I can. Even on Maks and SCT's I prefer to extend the dew shield before employing a heater. Regarding a heater on the secondary of a reflector, never! We all learn about observing directly over house rooftops due to warm air currents rising which will degrade the view. Yet using a secondary dew heater is like placing a small roof inside the telescope tube. That's my reasoning anyway.

What motor in an ASIAIR?