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Hi there, it's been roughly a month since I bought my first telescope ever: a 8 inch Dobsonian from StellaLyra. I had it imported from the UK (bought on FLO), and choose it, because it comes with a RACI and 2 eyepieces. I bought a 6 mm ep, a moon filter and a cheshire collimating with it. I was unbelievably happy, that I could watch the moon from my balcony the same day the telescope arrived. The two times I was out since, it was also as fascinating for me as for my company. It's still challenging to find the things I want to look at, when they are smaller than a planet 🙂 . I find my way with my eyes and even with binos, but there are so many stars, when I look through the telescope! And if I'm right, then the view is inverted horizontally and vertically. It's a very exciting hobby and I like the challenge. Clear skies to you all!

I've gotten so much from sgl as a relative newbie (well, re-started as a hobby seriously in the last year), so I thought I'd do the decent thing and join to contribute instead of merely consuming the excellent wisdom herein. A big shout out from the bit of a challenge of weather that is the Scottish Highlands. All donations of "clear skies" gratefully accepted, of course. And finally a chance to say a big thanks to those who contribute so much! Malcolm.

Warning - newbie alert ! So, I've been an alt-az / refractor sky gazer forever - but my New Year's resolution for 2023 was to finally give imaging a try. The "easy stuff" is going well: Here is the set-up so far, based around the Askar FR400 (for which there is lots of information on this site). It is practically based on Lee's thread here for which I am great full. Progress so far: - Build set-up as shown. (highly recommend the PRI-PLLLOS240P PrimaLuceLab 240mm Plate which leaves plenty of room for everything) - Connect and familiarize myself with ASIair through a PC using Bluestacks X, and through Android. (Test and align focuser, test heaters - not much else until mount arrives) - Settled on the AM5 for a mount (ordered - will be here next week). - Complete some rudimentary calculations on the power requirements - decisions to use this power supply with a splitter to de-rate the system enough so I won't worry about it (I work with overly stressed power systems all the time and it literally drives me crazy). Questions: - I'd like to ultimately experiment with this 2" 2X Powermate on the main camera (with a 2X Barlow on the guider) , and I'm wondering if it could simply take the place of the adapters supplied with the FRA400 (and refocus of course). - Best placement of filters (such as the Optolong Dual-Band L-eXtreme 2" Filter). - I'm sure I'll have a jillion other questions when the mount arrives. 😎Looking forward to posting my first image (hopefully M81) - but I'm going to take it slow and methodical. Jim

Hi everyone, I have recently got myself a HEQ5, upgrading from the trusty Skywatcher Star Adventurer. I have only managed to get a couple of evenings of clear skies thanks to the great British weather but I'm having an issue with getting my telescope to align with the target that I am try to shoot. I perform the normal polar alignment and then do a two start alignment, using the hand controller to center the star in the camera frame. I then select M31 from the catelog and the mount slews to M31 as you would expect. The issue is that it hasn't centered M31 in frame like I would expect it too and I'm a little puzzled as to why? I have attached an image that I took this evening and did a very quick process of for reference. Have I messed up something in my setting up of the mount? Any help would be much appreciated! Cheers.

Hi all! Since there is cloudy outside I tried getting a photo of a false star, i.e. a led-lamp that I put behind some alumina foils with a needle point in the foils. Distance is 7 meters. I cannot get anything resemling a star, I just see the secondary mirror holder in (or not in) focus... My equipment follows below... Here are some photos of parts that I have, but I have no clue how to assemble them to get focus. At one point I managed to get pritty decent focus on stars the other night, but I have no memory of how I did 😃 If you could help a lost soul figuring this pussle out I owe you a beer or three! The distances below are approximate in mm, disregarding the "mounting joint screw-thing".. Thank you! Peter W If you This is my equipment: Orion Mount Atlas EQ-G Orion 10'' Newton Astrograph Orion AccuFocus Electronic Telescope Focuser Orion LaserMate Deluxe II Telescope Laser Collimator Orion Collimating Telescope Eyepiece Orion 2" 2x Barlow Lens 6mm Orion Expanse Telescope Eyepiece 12.5mm Orion Sirius Plossl Telescope Eyepiece Orion 2" to 1.25" Precision Centering Adapter Baader MPCC Mark III Multi-Purpose Coma Corrector SBIG STF-8300 SBIG Filter Wheel FW-8 Baader filter 36mm LRGB Set Baader filter 36mm H-alpha Baader filter 36mm O III Baader filter 36mm S-II Baader filter 36mm UV/IR-Cut/L 2" Orion SkyGlow Astrophotography Filter Orion Magnificent Mini Deluxe AutoGuider Package

Hey all, I recently bought a Celestron NextStar 130SLT. I’ve been having a lot of trouble with it, especially with it’s 2” focuser. I have bought two “2 - 1 1/4” eyepiece adapters, both of which don’t fit at all, even after you screw in the screws for the holder that comes with the telescope. It makes collimating a living nightmare. I have searched online for reviews on this telescope, and I’ve noticed all have perfect 2” eyepiece adapters that fit perfectly, but I have yet to find where to buy those from. I was excited about this telescope, but this adapter issue has really killed any excitement I had for this telescope. I don’t know if I’m missing a piece or if I’m doing something wrong anymore. I could really use a hand here, thank you all.

Good evening, I've been looking at purchasing my first telescope for most of 2020 after spending numerous full moons upon the Ridgeway in Oxfordshire. With some significant lifestyle changes I'm finding myself finally able to fund my first purchase! The problem I'm facing is transportation, mainly. I either ride a motorbike or bicycle out into the woodlands with my DSLR for sunset shots but want to appreciate that great luminous rock that much more (main focus moon viewing and eventually moon photography). I've been eyeing up the Bresser Messier NT-130/1000 specifically, but wanted to get some sage advice first. I have a reasonable system for transporting my tripod and camera securely, but is there anything to be conscious of with a new scope? I've set myself a loose budget of £500~ Would anyone recommend I look at alternate starting scopes, or would the 130/1000 be ideal? Thanks in advance, Pigeon

Hello everyone, I'm Jonny and I live in Farnborough in Hampshire, UK. My friend and I are taking our first baby-steps into night sky photography so I'm here for all the help I can get. We're just starting out so our equipment is very basic, but I'm sure the more we get into this the more we will upgrade over time. Currently our set up consists of: Home-made Motorised Barn Door Tracker (my friend is an engineer) Canon 1100D with an 18-55mm Lens Laptop with BackyardEOS We took everything out for it's first test-drive last week and the tracker works really well. Even on very long exposures the stars remain as points and not trails so we were really pleased with how it performed. I've attached what was probably our most successful picture of the evening. It' not amazing, but it's a start. I would really love to get some photos of the Milky Way and I'm hoping you all could suggest some settings to use, imaging techniques to try out and equipment upgrades? We're on a bit of a budget but we have photographer friends from whom we can beg and borrow equipment. Looking forward to chatting with you all in time. Jonny

Hello all I just ordered my first telescope, a Nexstar 8 SE (very aggressive pricing on Amazon right now), and I can already tell I walked into the stargazers meth lab! No sooner had I placed my order than I was on ebay looking for a second hand Baader zoom. After an hour on this forum I will probably decide I need a EQ wedge, start thinking about whether to by a powerpack or make one from a car battery. I'll be spending £200 on petrol driving to Scotland and back to find darker skies, and....well you know the drill. To be fair, all this is with the endorsement of my missus (that makes her a "keeper") but I now know why expensive purchases are commonly referred to as 'astronomical'. Technically its not my first scope as my son had a tiny toy refractor which, with a lot of fiddling, gave OK views of the moon but was useless for anything dim. Then during lockdown #1 I bought a pair of binoculars, mounted them on my camera tripod and pointed them at Jupiter and behold! - a yellow disc and four little moons in a row. Then scoot left a bit to Saturn which revealed a little rugby ball - couldn't see the rings as such, but knew it was egg shaped for a reason....anyway, that was it - hooked. .....and as £or astro£otography, let's not mention that to the missus. Yet. Stan . . o . .

Hello, all ~ If you'd please take a moment to read the info in my profile, I'd be grateful beyond words. In short,, I leaped into this new passion before fully researching all of it's necessary aspects. I'm determined to verify with my own eyes the deep cosmos and better understand the far past & distant future events. Thanks so much for indulging this newbie. ~ GiL Young

Hello all, I always been fascinated by astronomy and finally purchased a celestron nexstar 8se. Setup went smoothly but I'm a little stuck on the lens. I attached the star diagonal to the telescope and focused in on an object. I was able to see a part of the leaf on the plant in my house and I attached a picture of that. Moving the telescope left and right allowed me to see other things. I then took out the 25mm lens and can see through that when not attached to the telescope. I can see my sandals and feet through the lens and attached a picture of that. I then inserted the 25mm lens into the star diagonal and that's where all hope gets lost. I see white (assuming that's my wall) and yes the cover on the telescope is also off. No matter where I move the telescope. All I see is white. I tried last night in clear skies and pointed towards some clear stars using the skyportal app to align but I didnt see anything except pitch black through the lens. I also played with the focus but nothing. Am I doing something wrong, I would think the 25mm wouldnt be so zoomed in that I cant see anything? Thanks for any help you can provide me. Looking forward to exploring!!

Hi, newbie here! I’m hoping to get some advice on some star-gazing binoculars. I’ve read through the forum and I’ve decided to stay away from zoom bino’s because I’m just starting out, and I will eventually look into telescopes and whatnot if I wish to see the skies in more detail! So I’ve pretty much settled on something between 8 x 42 and 10 x 50. Please let me know the best ones in this range!!! I’ve read some reviews on the Helios Lightquest HR 10x50’s so any advice on those would be great too! I’m open to suggestions but what I’m really hoping to get is a sturdy pair of first binoculars that I can keep around for the long run, and hopefully drag around on many adventures. I’m willing to invest in a tripod as well for focused gazing, although I plant to keep them around my neck for a while so I can get used to them! I’m also unsure of how to find a great lightweight tripod so any links would be great! Love the forum so far and I’m excited to start observing the skies! Happy Stargazing, thehappypleiades

Hi, As a newbie in AP I recently discovered that astro imaging isn't as simple as I imagined, it's not just "pointing and shooting". The main point is that I need a tracker that will follow the sky's movement. But after seeing the prices at which decent trackers are sold I decided to see if I could build one myself from spare parts at my workshop. Turns out that I can, using two planks of wood a hinge, an arduino, a stepper motor, etc. So I decided to get to it, I have built the connection between both planks of wood with the hinge, but have now discovered a problem. After some investigation, I realized it's quite commonly named the "Tangent Problem" (the rod forms a 90º angle with the bottom plank). So the solutions offered vary from curved rods to involute pieces of plastic and tilting the rod. I also saw another solution that was adjusting the speed at which the rod moves, and since I'm going to be using an arduino-driven stepper motor, I decided that this was the way to go. The problem is that I don't know in what ratio the speed has to increase over time to compensate the "Tangent problem". That's why I decided to pose my question here as I'm sure someone must have done it already. Sorry for my bad english, it isn't my first langnuage. Thanks in advance and clear skies, S

Hi. I am looking for some advice for my cousin who is looking at getting a new telescope. He is not the type to go for a cheaper option and is looking at the 120 esprit, as i said not cheap. I believe that his intended use for this scope is lunar/planatary viewing and possibly some astrophotography of the moon/planets, he has a unmodified canon 5d mk iv DSLR. I instead recommended the skywatcher 120 evostar ED since it's a lot cheaper, but still supposed to have good optics. Would there be much difference in visual between these two scopes? e.g more chromatic aberation in the doublet, or in pictures. I have no idea on what mount to recommend either. Would appreciate some direction and recommendations on these two scopes, or possibly other scope/mount combinations. As a dob owner, i have no idea on the photography side, or mount types.

Hello everybody, Just started stargazing and wish to meet fellow hobbyists. I already used lots of advise that was posted on this forum. Thought is about time to join in. Hope to meet many new friends on here and wish everyone the very best. Khalid

Hi everyone! So I’ve been lurking on this forum for a couple of months and thought it was about time I made an account as I’ve been back and forth deciding on which scope to purchase. I only got into Astro a couple of months ago when I took my first photo of the moon on the night of the ‘flower moon’, with my Canon 700D. I don’t know why it had never occurred to me to try and photograph it, but I think lockdown prompted me to look around and notice the sky a bit more! Since then I’ve been trying to get photos of the stars whenever there’s been a clear night (rare in Manchester anyway, plus my garden is Bortle 8 on pollution). I’ve succeeded in a few nice snaps but it’s time I invested in this hobby now I think. Having never owned a scope I’m completely new to this so trying to pick something that isn’t massive (for storage purposes), that I can get a good view of the planets but mostly something where I can see and hopefully photograph deep sky objects from my garden if possible. I’ve recently been looking at the SkyWatcher Explorer 130PDS or 150PDS, and want to spend £400 max. I’m leaning more towards the 130PDS due to cost, and based on some photos I’ve seen on here, although I imagine the 150PDS would be better, although appears to need a mount purchasing separately. I nearly went for the William Optics SpaceCat 51 at one point, then realised I was probably trying to run before I could walk! Any help at all would be fantastic. Many thanks, Nat

Hello all, I have just joined and have been looking around, and putting in various searches to find the answer to my question(s). I have already found some valuable information, but i can't find a specific answer to a question i have relating to exposure times. I have shot the milky way several times before, from a tripod and a wide angle lens. I am aware of and understand the "500 rule" and that worked fine for me at first when i was shooting with my Canon 6D Mark II. When i moved over to the Sony A7III i noticed significant trailing using the same rule and that led me to the NPF rule (Via the photopills app incase people dot know). I am heading back to Tenerife once again in about 6 weeks time and want to buy a star tracker so i can get some really detailed images. I have done a fair bit of research and in principle, the whole thing doesn't seem to be too daunting or difficult. I have purchased the Polar Scope Align Pro app so i can align Polaris as accurately as possible, i will practise putting the unit together and familiarising myself with the different parts etc, but it is the exposure times that i do not understand. My best glass is the Carl Ziess 50mm F/1.4 Planar, the 18mm F/2.8 Batis, the Sigma 35mm F/1.4 Art & the IRIX 15mm F/2.4 Blackstone. I currently do not own, nor have i ever used a tracker, and I cannot find any information relating to which aperture, ISO and Shutter length any of these focal lengths should or could be shot at. Is there anything similar to the 500 rule or NPF rule that relates to using a tracker with varied focal lengths? or is it just a case of stepping the lens down for sharpness and then trial and error? Thanks in advance, Matt.

Hi all I'm a newbie here but not totally new to astronomy. I've had a telescope since I was a teenager (over 30 years!) and only ever had 1 telescope - a Tasco 40x40mm reflector. I expect members my age are familiar with it - thin and white with a thin metal tripod and a push and pull focuser. It's still functional at more than 30 years old although the thread on the eyepiece is worn so the eyepiece falls off regularly! I've only ever used it to look at the moon, Jupiter and Saturn and that's always been good enough for me. Now I have been thinking of getting a new scope. I have a very limited budget and so I am wondering whether I will get any significant improvements on what I can see. My earliest memories of the Tasco from childhood were that I could see the rings of Saturn as a line across the circle of the planet. Having rekindled my interest in the last few years, I have started to use it again, and nowadays, when Saturn is visible, I can clearly see the rings 'as a ring' and the gap between the planet and the rings, which I don't remember seeing as a kid. Vieing Jupiter I can usually see about 4 moons. I've heard that the Skywatcher Heritage 130P Dobsonian is a good 'budget' telescope, and great for casual use, which is what appeals to me most. I don't want a telescope with complicated setup or one that takes up a lot of space. TheSkywatcher seems to fit the bill, and it also fits my very limited budget. What I am most interested to find out is whill I get an improved view of the things I have already experienced? I have read some reviews that describe what you can see with this scope and it sounds like it's pretty much what I can already see. And it's maximum 65x magnification doesn't seem like much better than the Tasco's 40x. But will the wider aperture make a bigger difference than the magnification? I'm also interested to know if I could use this scope for basic astrophotography - I have numerous cameras - phone cameras, compacts and DSLR's (photohraphy is my main hobby). I'm not talking about hour long exposures of dark sky objects, just what can be seen easily through this scope. I'd love to know what people's opinions are, especially if you own or have used this scope. I'm also interested to hear recommendations for other scopes, but please remember I have limited budget and space. I know that an 8" or more is better and I would love one but they are just too expensive and too large for me. Cheers Andy

Hi all, I'm hoping for a diagnosis as to why I'm seeing Jupiter the way I'm seeing it. I'm still a total newbie having got my first telescope at the start of December and managing half a dozen sessions since then. My scope is a Skywatcher Heritage 114P Virtuoso (114/500 F4.38). When viewing Jupiter this morning (in Glasgow 6:30 - 7:30) and on a previous occasion it's been very bright and I've only had very fleeting hints of bands. I've attached a still and a link to a short video clip. I've got no plans for astrophotography but having a smartphone attached at times is helpful for my 4 year old daughter and the video clip is a fair representation of what I was seeing through the eyepiece. This was viewing through a 6mm plossl and 2x Barlow (167x) but the image was similar but smaller using the 6mm alone. The scope was given about 45mins calling time (outside temp was -2) I know there are a number of factors in play here, but the ones that came to mind are: Should I be using a filter to lessen the brightness of Jupiter? Is my fine-tuning of the focuser not quite good enough yet? How much of the problem is the fact my table is on a decking that has a bit of shake. Will setting up the Virtuoso's motorised tracking ability improve the image? The "seeing" wasn't good enough? I've reached the limit of the scope? I could try a higher eyepiece and take it up towards the max 228x (although even at 167x the exit pupil is down to 0.7mm) Something else entirely I've not thought of. Any suggestions that will help me improve my viewing much appreciated. Thanks David Video - Jupiter 27 Dec

Hi I am very new to this and looking to buy my first telescope I dint have a very big budget and looking at a secondhand scope at first. I have come across this on eBay and was wondering what people think of it A Saxon 130 reflector telescope on an EQ2 mount and has motor drive it comes with 1.5x erecting eyepiece and a Super 10mm eyepiece Thanks in advance Ste

Hello everyone. I've been lurking here for a while, thought I'd sign up and say hello. My name's Tom, I am serious but you can call me Shirley if you like. I've had a telescope (skywatcher 150 dob) for about 7 years, it saw some use before I went to university to study physics, but I left it at home. (Naively thought there wouldn't be a great deal to see from the city.) It hadn't seen much use since, until January this year when I took it out under a nearly full moon to show my then lass the Orion neb and the Andromeda galaxy. Since then I must've been making up lost time because I've been out in the garden almost every clear night, and I've found my collection of astro bits and bobs has been growing at an alarming rate. So I think it's about time I dropped by to say Hi

I wanted to thank all the folks who have generously shared their experiences. I have been lurking on the site for years, and then made the move to join as I was purchasing my scopes. I then waited awhile to create a fuller profile. Now the next step is to post! What has been so helpful is exploring the questions people asked, doing my own research, and then experimenting with different scopes. I followed the wise advice and bought my beginner scopes and through use discovered what I wanted and needed. Additionally, I also joined my local Northern Colorado Astronomical Society and have learned lots from others' experiences. I also waited to find deals and bought nearly all my scopes used and for half price. I discovered I liked having various type of scopes and comparing the different views I see. As many have shared in the threads, each has distinct advantages and gaps compared to each other. I can't say I have a favorite...yet. But I will let y'all know when I do! I just wanted to express my appreciation as the gift of lurking and learning, and that your input has mattered. Happy stargazing!

Hello Everyone Newbie who has been using a 10x50 scope for years and having moved to Cornwall four years ago was blown away by the improvement in skies compared to the Midlands. Recently bought a sky watcher Heritage 100p as I wanted something really portable so it wouldn't be left in a cupboard, already saving now for a 8" Dob. Will no doubt be asking some really dumb questions as I journey through the skies!

Hi Guys, I hope you can assist me, I bought a second hand Astromaster 130eq as my first telescope from a local guy, it was a bargain so it is worth the risk, the mirrors needed a clean however with the guides found online they are both now incredibly clean and spotless (I was impressed!), thanks to the cleaning I came across an overlooked issue. I bought a laser collimator to sort the mirrors out after cleaning and knowing my telescope accept 1.25" I went straight to put that in the focuser to find out that.....it does not fit, cutting a long story short I miss the plastic black ring (no idea what it is called) showed below in the red circle which screws on the aluminium focuser tube: Is that a reducer similar to this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B014OTF354/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=61CMTU16BKUB&coliid=I2QP14AWY1O3R7 or something else? -------------------------------------------- Second question, is more of a curiosity to which I could not find any answer online, on youtube nor on the manual: The slow motion circled in red if twisted make the scope turning slowly however the one circled in pink if turned does noting, it seems more to be used manually to adjust the scope on that axis, is that correct? Sorry if the second question is silly however I cannot find any answer and I see no cogs under that side of the scale so it seems it is not meant to move anything by twisting. Thank you very much in advance for your expert answers! Trust

Hi all. I recently acquired an az eq6 gt mount and it seems the RA clutch does not work. It appears to tighten as normal but has seemingly no effect on the axis. Am i missing something obvious? Can the clutch be adjusted if necessary? Many thanks for any info.