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Hello there all, it's my first time posting, and I could really use your help. I've had this scope for about 10 years, and got it when I was very young (3, 4). I'm trying to clean it as dust has gathered, and I can't search if that is possible online, as I don't know what it is. It's in the image with a 14.5 cm diameter, about a metre long, and takes a 12.5mm eyepiece. It has no markings and was purchased in New Zealand. Can anyone help me identify it?

I recently found this: https://tejraj.com/multi-coated-zoom-eyepiece.html So, is this worth it? I am used to 25mm kellner (and its fov), but the 10mm is way too small, and the idea that I might do planetary, doubles and globular clusters in a single eyepiece is pretty exciting, and I can only get two plossl with that money so is this a good zoom ep?

Hello, I recently did 2 nights of imaging and the first night everything was fine, guiding seemed to be within normal ranges. But later in the night my guiding started to get worse and eventually I got an error saying that PHD could not make sufficient corrections to the DEC axis on my mount. I checked for cable snags or anything like that but I didn't find anything wrong. The normal RMS I usually get is .40-.60", but when I got the corrections error the RMS became 1-1.20". I decided to leave it and it seemed to be stable for that moment. The next day I decided to leave my telescope rig out in my yard so I don't have to re-polar align. The next night I start my telescope back up so I can get imaging right away. When I start guiding, it seemed ok at first. But once PHD made a single correction on the DEC axis, the whole axis lost control. The graph veered down (or up) and it seemed that it simply could not control that axis, and I got that same PHD error as the previous night. The temps were also at a pleasant 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit. I have tried everything to diagnose this problem. The mount can slew and track the sky perfectly fine. PHD calibration fails because the star doesn't move enough (probably because of the DEC axis not responding), reinstalling drivers did nothing, checking cables, trying new cables did nothing, and more. So the only guess I have now is that the temperature did something to my guiding, although I have read online that people haven't had any issues of operating at these temperatures. Any suggestions? See images for more details. My current equipment I have: Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro ZWO ASI 1600mm mono ZWO ASI 290MM guidecam Skywatcher Esprit 100 ED ZWO 60mm guidescope Intel NUC Software: Sequence generator pro PHD2 re:

I'm about to order a Redcat 51 and a ASI224mc and i'm just wondering if I'll need spacers and if so what ones exactly. Im very new to this and this will be my first refractor and astrocam. Also will I need a filter? I like in bortle 5 skies and I plan to try my hand at emission nebulae and of course planetary with this cam although it will mostly be used as a guide cam as I'll be using my unmodded nikon most the time.

Hello stargazers, I am using a Newtonian telescope (114mm/900mm) that has a 0.965" (24.5mm) focuser. My eyepieces are all 1.25" (31.8mm), so I use an adapter to make them fit. Yet, because the adapter adds distance between the eyepiece and the primary objective, does using an eyepiece adapter affect the way that my focuser works? Thank you for your advice.

Hello, thank you in advance for your assistance! I recently received a Konus Super Polar System equatorial mount as a gift, which I will use with my 114mm/900mm reflector scope. The mount is in great shape, but it is missing the counterweight shaft, nut, and flange. I would really appreciate your advice on replacing these! You can see a lot of pictures of the exact type of mount I have here. I believe that this mount is similar to an EQ3.2, or the same as a Celestron CG4 or CG5. The hole in the mount where the counterweight shaft screws into is 15mm across, and the interior holes in the two counterweights that came with the mount are 25mm across. Here is a picture of my mount: Here is a picture of the manual, showing the pieces I am missing: And here are a few pictures from the internet of the same mount, but showing what I am missing: the counterweight shaft, "toe-saver" nut, and the flange (the reverse cone shaped connector): I have found a 25mm diameter counterweight shaft that I could order online, at this link. But, will this be able to screw into the 15mm hole in my mount? Additionally, the flange on this looks entirely different, but to be honest I am not sure how necessary the flange really is. I would appreciate your input on if I should even worry about finding a similar flange. I did find a replacement counterweight shaft that I could order that has a similar looking flange, but this is only 20mm in diameter, linked here, but I assume that would not work with my counterweights that have a 25mm hole. Please be aware that I am located in Italy, so I am intending to order from a European site to make shipping easier. I have also seen some people with the same mount who have done a DIY counterweight shaft, and this is why I am posting on this forum. If the options above won't work, how would you recommend that I make a new shaft and flange myself? In this image, I see someone using two large nuts where the flange goes, but does this give the necessary stability? TLDR: What do you recommend I do for a mount with a 15mm hole for the counterweight shaft, and two weights that have 25mm holes in them?

So I am very new to gazing the night skies and I have a very important question about equipment / lenses for what I'm trying to do. PLEASE keep in my that I have tremendous respect for the entire universe (whatever and however I may see it, it's just amazing) but my preference in my new hobby is just to view the Planets & our Moon. I'll start off by first saying that I bought the Celestron 8se Goto Scope (8") from Amazon along with 8mm to 24mm Baader Planetarium zoom lense, 2.5x & 3x Barlow lenses and a new Telrad finder scope. I spent over $1,800 and tried for the past week in the evening under clear night skies viewing Venus & Mars. Then at about 4:00am to 6:00am in the morning viewing Jupiter. In all cases for the past week and a half Mars, Venus & Jupiter were clearly seen and they were correctly centered and focused in my eyepiece. I had no success in seeing any features on either planet with using 6mm up to 24mm lenses (with and without the Barlows). I did see Jupiter focused and managed to see three moons. However, very in focus but still just no features! Obviously, the Moon was seen with great features in every case. (Simply incredible for the first time!) So of course I hit the Google button and searched this forum for hours! I ended up sending everything back to Amazon for a refund. I know by this point you must think I'm very impatient but 95% of my search results stated that I do not need an 8" scope or this type of scope just for viewing the Solar System if I'm not really interested in viewing Deep Space objects (which is my current preference). And I pretty much don't need the Goto features of the 8se (which is very difficult to allign anyhow) as I can easily identify any planet and of course, the Moon in the night skies. For the money I spent, I was really hoping to see alot more than just focused colored circles. However, it was very cool just knowing I was viewing these planets for the very first time but not worth the $1,800. Finally, the reason for this post is to ask the more experienced Astronomers to recommend the best sensible telescope / lenses to purchase for just viewing Planets. Thank you in advance for any help and taking your time to read this as I'm very anxious to purchase something new this week. (I got back my $1,800 but I'm not looking to spend it all, lol) Please, give me your best recommendations!

I am thinking about a future setup capable of doing both astrophotography and visual. Right now i have a Bresser Pollux 150/1400. It is a bird-jones telescope which means i can't do prime focus photography. I can see the orion nebula and ring nebula with it even in fairly light polluted areas (about a 5-6 in stellarium). The two scopes i have thought might being the future scope is the following: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-150p-ds-eq-5-pro-goto.html And the skywatcher explorer 130p-ds with the heq5 pro synscan (which i can't link to). Am i going to regret that i got the eq5 mount with more aperture instead of the less aperture and the heq5? Is the 130p-ds going to give me the same views of DSO's as the scope i have now? (because it doesn't have the "corrector" lens in the focuser) would i be able to use the 130p-ds for planetary views and imaging, or would it be impossible? (btw, i have a 2.5x barlow and a 6mm planetary ocular) Sorry for any misspellings (i am 14 years old and live in Denmark) but i hope that you can help me out by telling me your opinion

Hello, I have been wanting to get into Astronomy for quite a while now, and I need some advice for buying a telescope. I want something that I can look at nebula's(my personal favorite thing to look at), as well as planets, at a high resolution. I also need something that is decently portable, something that could easily fit into a truck. Do you have any suggestions for a good high resolution telescope? P.S. Sorry if I say anything stupid, kind of new to this.

Hi there, in an effort to simplify the setup procedure of my field observatory I spent a couple of hours yesterday researching solutions for a Power and Comms distribution box. I eventually settled on a very simple solution based around a cheap IP54 rated outdoor enclosure sourced from a local DIY store (UK readers will recognise the name B&Q). My power in the field is supplied by two 10ah Tracer LiPo batteries, which have served me well now for the past two years. In addition to the batteries the solution needed to accommodate a dinky little TPLink router, which provides me with WIFI control of my SXW mount via SkySafari from my iPhone. I'm pretty pleased with the net result. Had some concerns initially that the proximity of the batteries to the router in the enclosure might cause some interference with the comms, but completely unfounded, it all works like a charm. IMG_0215.MOV

Hi All I’m considering purchasing an 8”aperture, f3.8 newtonian ( primarily for EAA) from Orion UK and would appreciate any input or feedback from anyone familiar with the product, the company or the purchasing process - and how to assess the compatibility with my current cameras. This is would be a step up from my current equipment and entails selecting components that I’ve never used and know little about such as a rack and pinion focuser and components (ACU-3L), and coma corrector (Wynne Corrector). I’ve added links to these items below. I’m also feeling unsure of how to mate up my Zwo 178 and 294 cameras to the 3” focuser and whether there will be an acceptable match between the scope optics and my sensors. I’m sure the folks at Orion UK will assist with all this but I’d sure welcome input from the Stargazer's Lounge community before starting the dialog with Orion UK. thank you in advance for any help you can provide! Gary ACU-3L Focuser selection Info: https://www.orionopt...sers.html#ACU3L Wynne Corrector selection Info: https://www.orionopt...torsfittin.html

I have been waiting for this telescope for almost five months. Since May, 19th, to be precise. The day I went to the TS Italia store and saw for the first time the SLD model, model now discontinued. I even missed the last available piece just for a few days, once I finally placed my order, June, 25th. It was to be replaced by a newer model, available at the end of the Summer. Boy, am I glad I did miss it. The wait was definitely worth it. The new and improved model is simply beautiful. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it on the Tecnosky website a few weeks ago, when they posted the product sheet. But in person, it's even more beautiful. So, the people from the store emailed me Friday, October the 2nd, telling me that it was finally available for pickup. I read the message only a whole hour later and it was soon going to be closing time. I started calling at 4:30 PM and I finally managed to get my phone call through at around 5:05 PM. The store closes at 6:00 PM and doesn't reopen until Monday. And it's 40 minutes away from where I live. I made it there in 35. There was no way I was going to have to wait till Monday, knowing my scope was only a few minutes away. So, here's the pre-unboxing picture: - top left, brown box, behind: Vixen clamp for guide-scope - top right, white box: 60mm f/4 guide-scope - top left, white boxes: T2 Nikon ring, 30mm spacer, adjustable spacer - center, behind white boxes: Optolong L-Pro 2" filter - right of filter: spacers mounted and already calibrated for 55mm backfocus, for eventual use of the ZWO ASI 224MC camera with the refractor - top right, Bahtinov mask - underneath the white boxes, top left: Losmandy bar to attach telescope to my NEQ6 Losmandy saddle - big box underneath all of the above: Tecnosky 80mm f/6 FPL-53 OWL Triplet, with carrying case and 0.8x 4 elements flattener/reducer - ZWO black case: ZWO ASI 224MC guide-camera / planetary camera - front left: Talisker 57° North and two glasses (don't mind the shape of the glasses, they are the closest to Whisky suitable glasses that I currently own...) ready for me and my wife to celebrate the end of the wait - front right: box for the aforementioned Whisky I actually waited for yesterday (Saturday, the 3rd) for the unboxing, because I wanted my best friend Omar to be present and help me with filming and taking pictures. We have been friends since we went to kindergarten and we always have had astronomy as a common interest. It just so happens, to my immense surprise, that my telescope is actually SN. 0001, so I own the first telescope ever produced of this new series. The certificate is also very promising, with a Strehl ratio of 0.974 and a Ronchi test that seems very well behaved. I like a little less the red edges on the lenses, but I guess only time and a proper visual - and astrophotographic - session will be able to tell. Obviously the "new equipment curse" didn't help, but we got almost a whole hour with clear sky patches and obviously I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I quickly setup with the bare minimum necessities for a visual observation and me, my wife and my best friend Omar - who helped with the staging, recording and directing of the unboxing event - took a quick look at the Moon, Saturn, Mars, M31 and Perseus Double Cluster. I can definitely understand now, even if the seeing wasn't perfect, and my eyepieces didn't offer enough magnification (25mm and 10mm give me 80x and 200x, with my C8, but with a native focal length of 480mm, even with a Barlow 2x, we could only achieve about 38x and 96x, respectively), what people mean when they say that an apochromatic refractor brings out the objects from the background sky. The contrast was stunning, the stars were absolute points, pinpoint, small and sharp (with my C8 they always have kind of a "blob" feeling), the contrast on the Moon was fantastic and I could see many details, despite it being almost full, and only at 48-96x. I think it passed the visual test with honors. I was also very happy to be able to see the Double Cluster all in the same field of view for the first time. Saturn was well defined, could clearly make out the rings - don't recall, in all the excitement, rush and cycling between me, my wife and my friend, if I saw the Cassini division, but I'll definitely try again next clear sky night. Mars was also beautiful, could clearly see its rusty red color, the polar cap and some darker, black features on the surface. I really can say it's a beautiful telescope, very well made and machined. The attention to details is really of another level, the paint finish is very nice and matte. Also very lovely all the different red and black anodized surfaces, they really give it a nice finish and personality. The focuser is also the best I have ever had on a telescope. Very smooth, precise, with no backlash. Coming from a C8 where every touch of the focuser throws off the image all over the place and the backlash is quite significant, I really appreciated how easy it was to fine tune focusing with a proper focuser, especially with the 10:1 focusing knob. I can't wait to be able to take the first pictures of some star field, to check if even photographically the telescope lives up to my expectations. I hope to get pinpoint stars corner to corner and that the backfocus won't be something too hard to make perfect. Here's some accessories. Optolong L-Pro 2" filter, Bahtinov mask, Losmandy dovetail to replace the Vixen one the telescope comes with, Nikon T2 ring and spacers to use the ASI 224MC with the correct backfocus directly on the telescope, instead of a guide-camera. Here's the 60mm f/4 guide-scome, with Vixen clamp. And the ZWO ASI 224MC guide-camera. Here's the mandatory celebration beer, at Corte dell'Orso (the Bear's Courtyard). It's a Belgian sour beer, lambic style. Oudbeitje by Hanssens Artisanaal, with added strawberries. A very nice beer, sour, tart and fruity. Could definitely taste the strawberries. Cheers! Here's a couple of pictures of the full setup, with everything mounted on my Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Pro. The setup is in its astrophotographic configuration: mount, telescope, guide-scope, guide-camera, filter, flattener/reducer and at the end the Nikon D5300 astromodified. All controlled by Astroberry on my Raspberry Pi 4 4GB, conveniently mounted on a bar across the two telescope rings. And finally a close up of the rig.

Hi there, can anyone recommend the optimum length for a pair of dew shields for my 15x85 binoculars. Kind Rebards Paul J.

Hello to all, I have got a chance of going for a IOptron CEM25P that I want to use in my back garden. I also would like to take it on my travels around the UK and possibly abroad. I have organised a deal for this mount together with an 80 mm triplet refractor and guide scope. I can order the mount with 1.5” or 2” legs; weight difference is about 3kg for the heavier version, extra cost about £100. I just wondered if anyone could advise if the 1.5” legs would be good enough and stay stable in the wind? Does anyone own this mount and have either of the two sizes of legs? I would love to hear your experiences before I finally put in the order. May I thank you in advance if you can offer any help. Cheers!

Hi all, I am currently split on my next purchase for my telescope (Skywatcher Startravel ST120). As you can see from my list of equipment I already have quite a few EP's, yet FLO has a good offer on a 5mm Skywatcher SWA 70 degree EP (http://www.firstlightoptics.com/clearance/sky-watcher-swa-70-eyepieces.html ). However, I was also considering getting a starter imaging camera from Celestron (http://www.firstlightoptics.com/clearance/celestron-neximage-solar-system-imager.html). I like the EP as it fits both 2" & 1.25" diagonals which I have, and think the quality of the EP will be much better than the stock 4mm EP I have already, plus with the larger eyepiece lens too will make it much easier to observe through; yet I like the idea of the Celestron camera to fit into a 1.25" diagonal which will allow me to take images through the scope (via a laptop) of the moon & the planets (I know it wont be able to do DSO's at all), and the magnification of the camera will also be similar to the 5mm EP also. So before I fall on one side of the fence or the other in the next couple of days, perchance anyone has had any experience with these items and give any feedback (pro's & con'S) to help make that final decision less painful? Many thanks in advance! Gus

I had my first attempt at having a go at Orion last night. Reasonably happy with results; 10 frames mix of 20s and 5s at ISO800 using canon760d and Evolution 8, quickly assembled in Lightroom but no editing. My own thoughts are that: 1. need to practice more on focus (big yes!) 2. perhaps raise iso to 1600? 3. perhaps increase exposure times to 30s - 1M? 4. should i use mirror-lockup on the camera; reading conflicting info on the web? 5. should i invest in some of those fancy filters I see on the market? I'd be interested in feedback around the exposure time suggestions for my telescope in particular.

Hello Everyone, My name is Forest Fernandez. I am a hobbyist Photographer that just started getting interested in Astrophotography. I started last year in 2016 with my current set up, a Canon 5D Mk3 w/ a Rokinon 24mm on Tripod with a shutter release. In my about me section you can go to my facebook where i have some of my photographs that i've taken. I will try to include some of them in this post as well. I went out every night last summer to take photos, really diving in to try to learn as much as i could. I fell in love! I am now interested in buying a Telescope that i can adapt my Canon 5D Mk3 to. Ideally: I'm looking for a telescope that will allow me to photograph Nebulae specifically. Galaxies would be great, but i know that only one or two are visible to beginner to intermediate telescopes. So far this is what i've learned that i need from researching telescopes: LARGE Aperture, more light i can pick up the better. Telescope that can pick up low light objects in the sky, i.e. Nebulae. Equatorial Mount, for the Photography element. Dobsinian i've been told is the way to go for low light Nebulae's and such. ADVICE: I am looking for advice from experienced astrophotographers here on the following things: - Any other factors i need to take into consideration to get what i'm looking for. That would be great. - I'd like to be able to make decently sized prints of these photographs, but i know that often times lower budget telescopes don't have great print quality. Any advice? - Telescope suggestions to pair with my Canon 5d Mk3. I have roughly a budget of 3,000$. I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's input. Thanks!

Hello everybody, I curious to know whether it is worth buying a cheap Newtonian OTA? I want to get started with deep sky photography and it seems like the cheapest way in. I'd rather spend the money on a decent mount/tripod, with the thought I could replace in the future once I have a bit of experience under my belt I am looking at this - https://www.bintel.com.au/product/bintel-bt200-f4-imaging-ota/ It is branded Bintel so I assume it is a rebranded Chinese model Thanks!

Hello all, I am looking into making a hobby out of spectroscopy but don't exactly know where to start. All I can really go off is a high school education of physics and the various reading that one usually does when looking into something new. The main questions are, essentially; 1. What is the best spectrometry equipment for an amateur like myself? I have little to no knowledge on all the necessary equipment, so any recommendations would be very much appreciated. For any suggestions, if you wouldn't mind giving a reason as to why you recommend a said product, I will take this information with great appreciation. In terms of a camera, I've read that CCD monochrome cameras are the best. How does a DSLR rank against this though? In terms of a telescope, should I be looking at one with a specific aperture range? If so, are there any other properties I should be looking at? Is a grating better than a prism? Why? What software is the most effective and easiest to use? Do I need some sort of focusing device? 2. How do you collect spectral data using the technology? Is it as simple as pointing at a star and recording the acquired data? How long should I view the chosen star? Is it a photo or a video? I would assume that these questions have been asked plenty of times, so any links to other forums which discuss the same questions and topics I am raising will be very helpful as well. Any type of reply is welcome. As an amateur, anything is helpful. Looking forward to discussing this with you all. Monte.

Hi there, could someone please provide depth and thread pitch for the front cell screws on an 8" Edge HD, as in the empty socket portrayed in the attached photo:8" Edge HD, as in the empty socket portrayed in the attached pho Kind Regards Paul J.

hi , have anyone used the QHY294C Pro ? 1. What is it's back focus distance? does any adapter (M42-M48) and spacer include in the box like the zwo 294 version for the backfocus maintenance? i will attach it to my GT81 . 2. does it come with the power adapter ? 3. any user review of this camera?

Hey Guys, I have set my self a budget and after reading peoples recommendations, i've got some equipment together. I am new to this and before buying, i want to know if this set up is ideal ... Thanks In Advance, just want some reassurance haha Matthew SkyWatcher NEQ6 PRO SynScan Equatorial Mount & Tripod Explore Scientific ED APO 80mm f/6 Deluxe FCD-100 Hex-Focus Altair 60mm Guide Scope & GPCAM2 Mono Guide Camera Baader RGB Filter Set 1.25 Inch With IR Cutoff Filter SkyWatcher 5 Position Filter Wheel SkyWatcher Light Pollution Filter 1.25 Inch Nikon t ring & 1.25 inch adapter Nikon d5200 (not astro edited)

one of my friends is a little bit confused in between these scopes - 1. TS-Optics PHOTOLINE 80mm f/6 FPL53 Triplet APO - 480 mm 2. TS-Optics CF-APO 90 mm f/6 FPL55 Triplet APO Refractor - 540 mm which will be better for imaging ? not for visual. Which glass is better for imaging , FPL 53 or FPL 55 ? Have anyone used either of the scopes? what is the performance of each of them? Please suggest.

Hello everyone! First time poster here, so please go easy! Am looking to purchase my first telescope, so I am a complete beginner and although there are loads of similar posts, all are slightly different and it's quite confusing! Although I did study Astronomy and Astrophysics as part of my first degree (although that mainly concerned the calculation of the speed and mass of galaxies and such like!), but we did have access to the university's telescopes which included their 37" SCT! Link here if you are interested: http://observatory.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/files/2018/06/JGT_manual.pdf I would therefore consider myself very technically minded and certainly like a challenge. I am always go big or go home and that will certainly apply to me taking up this awesome hobby (although I value your expert advice). I am fascinated with space and spend hours reading science journals and books. So for my first foray into the hobby I would like to get proficient in visual astronomy - no astrophotography at all. But I don't want to start small, I want to start large(ish)! But I don't want to go bigger than necessary considering my sky conditions. So: My skies are bortle 5 - although it's fairly decent to the North, East and South - not as good to the west due to a town; I do have nearby access to Bortle 4 and 3 and my wife's parents live in a Bortle 3, which is a three hour drive away. There is a local club about 5 miles away in Bortle 4/5. However, I will not get into this if I can't spend the majority of my time at my home. So consider 90% of my time will be in my own garden. So I do not need the scope to be particularly easy to transport. I am a fit and relatively strong individual anyway. I am 6'1"; I don't want to limit my viewing to one object or another, although my interest is definitely more on the DSO rather than planets. So my interest probably in this order: Galaxies, nebulae (not so much planetary), globular clusters, planets, sun; I'm not settled on a budget yet....depends if stretching it gets me some tangible benefits.....perhaps £5,000 for scope + mount - or lower!; I'd like a premium quality scope; I know that one scope doesn't do everything and that a good visual scope will not make a good astrophotography scope, but I would like the OTA to be capable of at least getting me into astrophotography at later date (subject to purchasing a relevant mount and other goodies) as I believe that is where I will go (although this scope is purely for visual for the purpose of this post as I may just not use it enough and feel the expense of moving into astrophotography is not worth it); I think that star hopping and the hunt for DSOs will be part of the fun - so not looking for GEM or tracking - unless you feel I will struggle to spot enough stars and not end of finding anything. I have purchased Turn Left at Orion and a variety of other books. So having searched this site I believe what would be best would be a dobsonian. I want stunning views so I was thinking a 12 inch or even 14 inch. But only if I am going to get a tangible benefit considering my Bortle 5 skies (although I may fall in love with the hobby and travel to better sites - my cousin is also into astronomy and has a scope and has suggested the Northumberland dark sky park which is close to him - largest gold rated dark star park in Europe). So I was thinking of the Orion Optics UK CT14 (or the CT12) with a dobsonian mount. This is an f4.6 carbon fibre tube with 1/10 pv mirror. This is a local company (I am based in the UK) and like the idea of using British, rather than SE Asia. https://www.orionoptics.co.uk/our-telescopes/ct-series/ Would this be a great beginner dobsonian? Any draw backs? Any better alternatives? What benefits would a 14 inch have over a 12 inch in Bortle 5? The 14" is considerably more expensive; Could this be used for astrophotography with a suitable mount? The 12 inch weighs 15kg and the 14 inch 29kg - when upgrading to a GEM at a later date for photography, what would be suitable - CEM120 or EQ8 enough? - only want to know if at some point it can start me off in photography - no intention of doing so for 12-36 months; If I don't go dobsonian, what else is out there for visual? I'm impressed with the large SCTs - 11HD edge for example. Would this be too complex to start with? Poor choice for DSO's / photography? Will have loads more queries and can provide any more info I may have missed......just want to make sure I am on the right track and start planning that first scope. Thanks everyone! and great to meet you all! Nic