Nexstar 8SE; performance?

[WingedBeast1968]

Hi folks,

I have a Nexstar 8SE, and I'm struggling with focus and general performance. Looking at Jupiter this morn, not quite in focus, and unable to see clarity with any eyepiece smaller than 9mm. And at 9mm, Jupiter is pretty small.

On another thread, I've seen a fantastic photo of Jupiter taken with a Nextar 4SE.

What the chuff am I doing wrong?

Cheers,

W

[MikeWilson]

Hi W,

Welcome to SGL.

Was Jupiter clear (and not behind cloud)? Have you managed to see Jupiter acceptably before?

The photos are produced using cameras that will take many hundreds of frames the best of which are then stacked and enhanced using photo editing software.

Hope this helps?

Mike

[Gadget]

Hi W

Welcome to SGL

I have had the 8SE and it is a very good all round performer and will give some stunning views of Jupiter

What time was you viewing i only ask because at my location at around 2am Jupiter is still to low in the sky to use high magnifications due the atmospheric mush and get a nice clear view my best views around that time are with a 20mm eyepiece around 120x any higher and the image goes soft and mushy so your 9mm 225x will be to much to get a sharp image if you are viewing while it is still quite low in sky

Wait until it is nice and high in the night sky then try viewing if you are still not happy with what you are seeing then it may be a collimation problem also allow a good hour for cool down if taking scope from indoors for best results

Kevin

[WingedBeast1968]

Jupiter was as high in the sky as it gets here, and it may have been poor seeing related. The scope was outside for a couple of hours before use, with a dew shield.

I had the same trouble months ago trying to shoot Saturn. Either too small to be interesting, or not quite in focus.

The scope is a new one, so I presume it knows what it is doing, it must be me or my expectations. I understand the photo stacking principal, so I'll try my camera on continuous shoot and see what I can stack. Squinting through the eyepiece is not good; real-time on a computer screen is my ideal.

Thanks for your pointers chaps!

Anyone know of a remote focus unit for the 8SE? That way I can stay indoors and remote control position and focus. (scared of the dark).