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Showing results for tags 'celestron'.
Found 176 results
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When I align my Celestron CPC 1100 EdgeHD through Starsense Auto Allignment, after Completing the successful plates resolve in the handset, you have to press enter to continue to the second stage of selecting a bright star to point scope towards it, which I used to do in the past. Today after successful plate resolve, when I tried to press enter it takes you back to the first screen “Star Sense Ready” instead of selecting the brightest star option. Can anyone help and advise where am I making mistake ? -
Hello there, I told you it wouldn't be long before I started asking for help! I can download CFM from Celestron's support page. I download the zipped file, extract the contents but that's as far as I can get. The file in the unzipped file shows as a 'Jar' file instead of an exe. That naugghty little jar justs sits there and will not dance for me. I am running Windows 10. I have latest version of Java installed. I have tried turning around 3 times with one hand on my head and one on my tummy. No luck. I am neuro A typical, for the record, so that accounts for why I absolutely MUST know how to (please) open this file even though the odds are my kit is up to date. Seriously, this is driving me nuts. I found stargazerslounge via my searches in trying to solve this problem and I thought to myself what a nice vibe this ite has. so I joined. Any help / advice / chocolate (milk or dark) , money (PP or cash ) all very gratfefully and cheek kissingly received. -
I have recently purchased a Celestron NXT130 and have the following questions regarding planet viewing. I have obseved the moon, Jupiter and Saturn using the 25mm lens ( with and without the Barlow) with good results. However, when I switch from the 25mm to the 9mm lens (with or without the Barlow), I either can no longer see the planet (Jupiter and Saturn) or cannot properly focus (moon). I can understand that the moon may be too close for the 9mm to be effective, but I am a bit stumped about the other planets. Looking for advice.
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Hi guys, I've literally just signed up so I'm totally new here and excited to learn from all you professional astromaster... I'm not sure if this is the right place to post so I do apologise if not... I'm after a skywatcher eq3 pro goto mount for my celestron astromaster 130eq every website i go on they are out of stock and not available for a couple of months does anybody know a stockist that has these in stock? I've only been in the astrophotography hobby 4 weeks so I've got lots to learn... Thank you for your help
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I am currently waiting for a nice shiny 100mm refractor to arrive... to put on my new HEQ5 PRO. Meanwhile, lurking in the garage in a case that hasn't been opened in over 20 years is a 40 years old this year Celestron C8 - the original fork mounted type in orange.... I'm suspecting that in order to get say a long dovetail plate to fit to it will require some modifications? At 2,000mm f/10 it will be good for lunar and Jupiter and Saturn. Has anyone any experience of doing this with the old style C8? It's fair to say I either lack the requisite skills or equipment to do anything more complex than screw/bolt things together, is if it is more than that, suggestions as to who could carry out any necessary modifications would be welcome. I realise DEC balance will be an issue on a GEM with an SCT... (In case you're wondering... back in 1980 when I bought it, there were no such things as dew straps, or much of anything else and I just found it not easy to use, eyepieces were ferociously expensive and I was a lowly bank clerk at the time, then I bought a house....). Ron.
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I recently purchased a Celestron 130slt. When aligning, the instruction manual says "center object in finderscope and press ENTER" , then "center object in eyepiece and press ENTER". My question is "what method do you use to center the object in the eyepiece, as the arrow buttons cease to function after ENTER is pressed after centering the object in the finderscope??".
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Hi. I’ve Celestron cpc 1100 EdgeHD. When I try to allign the scope through skyportal via WiFi module, after completing the plate solving process, it asks me to select one brightest star and press go-to option to move the scope towards that star for example Vega. In skyportal it stops at an exact Vega location, however in eyepiece I can’t see it. I know I have to fine allign, so when I manually fine allign the scope in the eyepiece, the cross mark in the skyportal moves far away from Vega and then refuses to allign because it has to be Certain degree close to Vega. Can anyone advise how to fix it ?
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Hi. I have Celestron CPC 1100 EdgeHD with Starsense and WiFi Module. During the alignment process, WiFi module stops responding, whereas my tablet or iPhone is connected to the WiFi module, the SkyPortal message pops up that connection is failed and scope isn’t responding? Can anyone help me how t fix this urgently ? It was working fine yesterday but now I can see this message. I though it’s a power issue, so I disconnected the power tank and connected the scope directly to the electricity through supplied adapter, but failed.
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Hi All, Complete beginner here, with this being my first post to the forum. I recently bought my first scope and I've had a couple nights so far with just viewing. I've now decided to try my hand at utilising my camera and hoping to try stack images and get a decent shot of the moon. The issue I'm having at the moment is that I can't seem to get the moon fully in frame. Using a T ring adapter and Barlow lens attached to my scope I'm essentially cropping out edges of the moon, however when I remove the actual barlow lens and use only the adapter, T ring and my scope as the prime, I can't seem to focus. This may be a pretty basic issue, so apologies, I haven't had much luck with google yet. I'm unsure if I require some sort of reducer or if I'm perhaps overlooking something. For reference I'm using the following: Celestron 130 EQ Fujifilm XT3 (APS-C) Barlow adapter/lens Kipon T2 Adapter for Fuji Really appreciate any guidance or advice you can offer. Dylan
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Hi everyone - juts purchased my first telescope and am asking for advice on what is best to be seen through this telescope as a starter - have already seen the moon and some distant stars and am comfortable with using all of the eye pieces included. What would anyone recommend? -
Hi, I have a Motor drive for the 130EQ and when I attach and switch it on it drives the RA axis. But once its attached its very difficult to move the OTA in the RA axis manually. Am I missing something? Is there a way to easily couple & decouple the motor so the OTA can be moved manually? Is there someone who uses one of these motors who can help me pls. -
STARSENSE question for users ....
Vortex posted a topic in Getting Started Equipment Help and Advice
Hello all! A question for all you Starsense users out there ... When I do an auto align with Starsense, it duly goes through it's routine of moving the scope to different star targets and resolves each one fine (5 targets I believe). Then it displays on the handset "StarSense Ready". At this point the telescope tube is always pointing in some random direction - is this how yours behaves after it finishes alignment ? Just pointing at the last star it used as a target reference ? At this point I usually set my scope to go to it's "HOME" position, but whenever I "GOTO" a target it is never in the scopes eyepiece and I have to manually hunt around for it. (Using a wide angled eyepiece). Should I just "GOTO" a target without going to "HOME" position first, or should it not matter ? NB - All this after precise Polar Alignment using Polemaster. Grateful for your input Many thanks Kind Regards V. -
Hi I’m attempting to get back into astronomy, previously owned a 150pl reflector but parted company with it several years ago, I like the idea of a Cassegrain style as one of the big factors Of letting the 150pl go. was storage and transportation of It! I am interested in mostly visual observations but would look to take a few pictures here and there OF planets and easy nebula/DSO., I feel that a Schmidt-Cassegrain would be the best suited, my main stumbling point is should I get the 5 or 6 version. Is the 6 under mounted? And is it worth the extra cash, obviously there’s a higher light gathering power on the 6 but would it be much better than the 5, I see that the % of lens obstruction on the seems high! As the secondary mirror looks to be the same size on both 40% vs 14%! Obstruction by area. Any guidance would be very appreciated. I’m not against the idea of upgrading the mount in the future to a eq5 maybe? But want in usable to start with.
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Hi - I'm a relative newcomer to telescopes with goto - still trying to figure them out. I have a problem with Goto on the 8SE. Alignment usually works (Not always, but usually) I believe my set up is correct - time and date, DST and UTC (It's currently BST in the UK) I usually use 2-star alignment (Currently, most convenient for me are Sirius and Procyon) Alignment usually succeeds, but goto just doesn't. The scope slews away, sometimes even to a completely different part of the sky from the selected object (I'm familiar enough with the sky to be able to identify several bright stars without assistance) Bizarrely, this happens even if the goto object is one of the alignment stars - how could it possibly not be able to find a star when you've explicitly told it where it is? I've read that goto sometimes doesn't work well on battery power, so I've aquired a mains adapter. No change. I haven't yet updated the handset firmware (I'm waiting for a serial-usb adapter.) Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
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Hi all, looking for some help please! I have a wedge for my 8SE and when using EQ North to align it, it says it is slewing to Vega but ends up all the way over at Polaris!? Any ideas? Thanks in advance! I have updated the firmware, Mount is pointing at north, have inputted my latitude and longitude, I have tried picking the nearest city too and nothing seems to work! -
Hello There, I was wondering if you could help me. I am currently making a setup but I would like to add a good finderscope onto my Celestron Starbright XLT scope. Any ideas would be appreciated. Kind Regards Welsh Dave -
Hi all, I'm new to this forum but not particularly new to astronomy. Anyway, I have an issue and I'm hoping that there is someone here who can help or at least point me in the right direction. I have a celestron advanced VX which I have now owned for probably 5 years or so, I lost a bit of interest in astronomy so all of my equipment went away and I have just recently started it all up again. Iwas powering the mount using an RAC heavy duty jump starter, which, admittedly, I haven't been keeping on charge! So there is a fair chance it is dead/on it's way out. So I purchased a talentcell 8300 from Amazon, it arrived today (12th) and I plugged in straight in to the mains to charge up, as soon as it was fully charged I plugged it in to my mount and nothing, literally nothing at all, no lights, no reponse, it's as if I had not plugged it in. So I plugged one of my RAC units in, one of them, when fully charged, will power the mount but not fully, the power LED comes on but the backlight on the HC does not and all I can see on the display is "boot start". I then tried to power the mount via the same 12v cable as I was using from the RAC units but with the power pack plugged in a charging too, this all worked exactly as expected, everything turned on, I can input into the HC and the motors all respond to input. I have noticed that the power LED on the 12v cigarette connector does dim dramatically as soon as I turn the avx on (when plugged in to the RAC pack). I purchased the talentcell unit as I had noticed on other forums that people were using it for the same mount, it is rated as 12v and 6A output so all should be ok. I have not had a chance to check anything with my multimeter, and, honestly, I'm not that handy with one! Any help would be greatly appreciated Many thanks
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Having forgotten to regularly charge my powertank it now only lasts around the 3 hour mark and I am only using it to power my Celestron 8SE. I tried searching on the forum for suitable replacement batteries or measurements as I just wanted to replace the battery. I couldn't find this info anywhere so I took the side off (8 screws on the 7ah version—see image—the only hidden screw was in the accessory tray under the lid—although you do need a long-bladed (?) Philips to reach some of the screws). Once off I measured the battery and it is Length 150mm, Height 100mm, Width 65mm. I thought at first that I would be able to fit a larger capacity battery but soon realised that you can't unless you started modifying the case. The largest capacity battery I could find with the right measurements was a Yuasa Yucel Y9-12 which is a 9ah model priced at £15.99 from Hardwareexpress. I hope this will help others with the 7ah powertank who want to change the battery and who can use a screwdriver.
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Because of the current situation, I have, as many of you guys probably have too, spend a lot more time under the stars when possible. It has literally been over a year since last I was out doing some astrophotography because of work. So here is my second take after the long break, NGC 3344 (The Sliced Onion Galaxy). Initially I thought it would be a lot fainter than it was, so it was basically a shot in the dark, of just trying to get back at doing this. But the final image actually showed a lot more detail than I would've hoped for! Spring lent a lot of clear night, but those seems to be gone already. I would've hoped for a few more hours to add some more luminance data to it, as I did have to push it quite a bit. I am not too happy with the shape of the stars either. Guiding was not very stable through the night, even though balance and polar alignment seemed to be good. Might need to update my Celestron PEC data? Any advice or feedback is very welcome! NGC 3344 (Sliced Onion Galaxy) _______________________ Image: Luminance - 13x16 min RGB - 2x16 min each Flat and Dark calibrated Gain 111 Offset 40 Total Integration - 5 Hours 4 minutes (LRGB) _____________________ Gear Used: Skywatcher 150PDS Celestron AVX Mount ZWO ASI 183MM-Pro Baader 2'' Neodymium Filter Baader 1,25'' RGB Filters ZWO Mini EFWExplore Scientific Coma CorrectorToupTek Camera G-1200-KMB Mono GuiderOrion Mini 50mm Guidescope ______________________ Software:SharpcapPHD 2Photoshop CS2Deep Sky StackerStellarium/Stellarium ScopeAstrotortilla
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Hi. Just starting to use autofocus with the Celestron motor focus and SGP. Can anyone give me some starting points for step size, backlash etc. I’m getting there but wasting a lot of imaging time just trying to get this to work accurately. I’m currently trying a step size of 75 and a backlash of 50. Any tips most appreciated.
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I'm having a bit of a clearout to make way for a new project. For sale here are a couple of items that have seen very litle use: 1) Celestron Omni CG-4 GEM Mount + Tripod - £125 *** SOLD *** This is in generally very good condition. There are a few marks, and scuffs consistent with normal use. There are also a couple of minor (small) patches of surface rust on a few of the bolts and steel legs. It has seen very litle use, and has been in storage for the past few years so it is time to find it a good home. The small rubber tips that go on the very end of the feet have perished, so these won't be included. It includes tubular steel tripod, 2 counterweights, built in polar scope, built in bubble level and slow motion controls. Due to size and weight, collection would be preferred from the RG27 area. If you are reasonably local, I would also consider delivering. Price: £125, but I am open to offers. Payment can be made via Bank Transfer (preferred), Paypal or cash on collection 2) ***SOLD*** Celestron Omni XLT 127mm Telescope ***SOLD *** Again this is in very good condition, and has been in storage for the past few years and has had very little overall use. A few marks on the dovetail as is to be expected. It includes a small finderscope, diagonal and a 25mm eyepiece Can be collected from the RG27 area, I could deliver if you are reasonably local, or can be posted for an additional £8. Price: £110, but am open to offers. Payment can be made via Bank Transfer (preferred), Paypal or cash on collection *** NOW SOLD *** Any questions please do let me know. -
Celestron Ultima 8 pre-PEC fork mount hand controller
Gregely posted a topic in Discussions - Mounts
Hi SGL I popped this topic on CN too but noone seems to know anything. I came by an old Celestron Ultima 8 pre-PEC. I really like the scope and the mount it may be that I have read too much of Uncle Rod's and other's praise that I feel this scope has some intangible personality and charm. Anyway... Circuitry in the base seems to work fine even though the batteries don't hold charge but drive the Ra axis . I have 2 replacement on its way to me. Now my issue: It didn't come with a hand controller. I know it is not needed for tracking, and I don't have a Dec motor but I find it would be useful for centering in RA and D.A.R.V. method drift alignment. I was on the verge of making a crude controller out of veroboard and 4 momentary switches that I thought to be correct from the info on various sites, but then I came across an Ultima 8 project that clearly showed the hand controller for my scope. The pic attached is the one. I am looking for help on how the dial and buttons are wired in and/or photos of the innards of the hand controller or if anyone knows what else is inside the handbox. The sources I was going on so far is a combination of the following 3 links: https://www.cloudyni...ding/?p=8015749 https://onstep.group...in/message/6300 https://github.com/garlick/ultima8/blob/master/base/README.md These of course don't include drive rate rotary switch in the middle and if I could I would really like to to restore the full ability of this mount without spending too much on electronics. Plus I don't want to spend time and effort on wiring something that doesn't work. Oh and lastly I have no background or experience in electronics just own a soldering station and a whole lot of determination. Thanks in advance Greg -
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Has anyone used the celestron lithium powertank (the small one, not the pro version) with a skywatcher HEQ5? It looks like it should be perfect but that is coming from someone who is relatively clueless From the skywatcher specs, it looks like the mount needs 2 amps of current, and the powertank supplies 3, so that should be good? It also looks like the power cable is a double-ended tip-positive 2.1 mm plug, so i assume that even though it doesn't have one of those 12V car battery inputs, it shouldn't matter right? (just to save people some time, i'm not going to bother with a lead battery / leisure battery / jump-start pack / etc) -
I have Celestron AstroMaster 130 eq. I know how to attach the motor driver, too. I want to dive into astrophotography. But I don't know: How can I accurate polar align my telescope, if it doesn't have any polar scope? I think drift polar-alignment is very hard. Is there any other way? How fast must be the motor driver's speed if I don't have polar-aligned telescope yet? I am buying my new Orion StarShoot G4 Monochrome Deep Space Imaging Camera. Is it good that I attach Orion camera on Celestron telescope? I want to buy ZWO 1.25" LRGB Imaging Filter Set. Is it good to attach ZWO on Orion and Celestron? Is it a good choice to select these machines? And finally: is Celestron AstroMaster 130 eq telescope good enough for astro imaging? (I want to image DSO objects.) Thank you for your effort and time. Clear skies!
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COMPLETED - Celestron C8 XLT + extras *SOLD*
stevebb posted a topic in Sold / Expired Classified Ads
Celestron C8 XLT + extras and SkyWatcher Star Travel 80 (ST80) I have a Celestron C8 with XLT Starbrite coatings. Will include the full length base plate, both visual and imaging backs, scope rings, front 8" end cap and the finder scope with it. No box I'm afraid. Optics are good and clean, focal length is huge - 2300mm from memory. This lot would cost close to £1300 new and one with less spec went for £750 on fleabay recently. Might be interested in a part exchange or will let it go for £450 collection only. Also, I have a SkyWatcher Star Traveler 80 - good optics, used as a guide scope - just the scope itself (does not include the barlow in the photo) - now including dovetail bar and scope rings looking at around £50 for it. I have decided to save up for another refractor, WO, Equinox or even toward an Esprit. However, I would also consider p/ex for an Intel NUC and/or Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox. Please excuse some of the colours - I used my astro modded 6D which was in the observatory so the "nice" purple is actually black !! Both these are collection only.
