Second Hand Advice

[ElijahB]

Hi All,

I am thinking of buying a second hand scope and wondered what I should be looking for when checking the scope over?

Is there anything visually I should be looking for that may show some warning signs that there is something wrong?

Any advice on questions I could ask to gain the right information from the seller?

The scope I'm thinking of buying is a Celestron CPC 800, the seller is quite local to me (there are 2 sellers actually) so I am in a position to look at the equipment first hand.

Any advice is appreciated.

ElijahB

[Kai]

I would give it a once over in daylight to assess the physical condition of the scope first and then have a look through the eyepiece at night is possible to guage the condition of the optics.

[GazOC]

If you can get to see the scope under the stars, peform a star test on the scope.

http://aberrator.astronomy.net/html/body_star-testing.html

A poor star test may just mean the optics are out of alignment and in need of a quick adjustment. I could also mean there are serious problems with the scope. If the seller can't adjust the scope in order for it to give a good star test then it's probably best to walk away.

[ElijahB]

I appreciate the quick feedback, I have obviously picked the right forum for advice. I hope to become a more active participant over the years as my experience grows.

Does anyone have any opinions on the Celestron CPC 800?

ElijahB

[dazza1639]

Does anyone have any opinions on the Celestron CPC 800?

I Want One

Darren

[ElijahB]

And one more timy little question (I know I'm being a pain)...

Is the Celestron CPC 800 ok for taking DSO images, nebulae, etc?