Noob questions

[Crontle]

Hi

I recieved as a present a Bresser 114/900 Newtonian reflector on an EQ-Sky mount (Bresser Bresser 114 Astronomy telescope starter kit with free Astro Box actually purchased from Amazon I believe). As a total novice I am after some advice. It came with 25 mm and 6 mm eye-pieces. I've tried using it for about 9 months and I can get nice views of the moon, Jupiter and Saturn although I have no frame of reference as to whether my view is as good as it should be. I haven't tried any DSO yet.

Questions: Firstly, is this scope any good for anything other than I've already done with it? Secondly, is the mount any good? It doesn't have a motor and I wondered if there is a recommended RA motor for this mount? Thirdly, with a motor, is there any chance of attaching a dslr to this scope or will the focal point be too short? On that note, how do people go about mounting cameras to scopes via the piggyback method?

Cheers

[bullettooth]

i have a skywatcher 114 newt fl/1000 and when i look at jupiter with my 10mm ep (100x zoom) i can just make out two bands with averted vision. if i use the barlow which effectively makes a 5mm ep and 200x zoom i dont see the bands but jupiter is bigger.

HTH as a comparison, although u get 150x zoom with your 6mm. views are dependant on 'seeing' and collimation of your scope.

you should have a look at the double cluster between perseus and cassiopeia, looks nice in my 25mm ep. also pleiades in taurus and the beehive cluster in cancer. all will be good views in your scope.

good luck and clear skies

martin

[Crontle]

Thanks for the comparison, which sounds about right for what I can see. I will definitely take a look at the clusters, thanks for tips.

Ahy thoughts on the mount and how to go about motorising it? Have you done this and have you tried attaching a camera to your scope?

Craig

[kenmyers]

I have a 114mm fl900mm F/7.8

I can see between 8 and 10 bands on jupiter on a good night. My friend came over last night, he's not used to it like I am but he could clearly make out 6.

It is also RED.

I love watching the moons too.

I use a 25mm or 20mm to find jupiter (can see teo dark bands at this magnification still and if you cant see them you may be out of focus. then I change to a 12.5 as a mid guide step to 6mm. once at 10mm or more powerfull jupiter is very impressive. the more you see it, the more you will see.

[swamp thing]

Hi

The EQ mounts on these little newts are barely adequate for visual IMHO and nowhere near stable enough for DS imaging.

Personally I would not spend money on a drive system for a mount like those.

Sorry to sound negative, but you would be far better off saving your hard earned dough for something better, and infinitely more stable.

Regards Steve

[bullettooth]

i agree with steve on this 100%. these scopes and mounts are ok to get us going but for anything other than viewing you would need to upgrade.