Any advice welcome

[Bigeye]

Hi all,

I have been meaning to get involved for many years and the latest TV Stargazing has prompted me to actually do something about it.

Reading through many of the posts here I have just ordered a Celestron NexStar 127 with a GOTO. It seems to be a good choice for me and is not too expensive or too large as storage and transport is an issue.

Lunar and planets give me the most interest at the moment but I'm sure this will increase and I get into it. What rocked my boat was a youtube movie of Saturn showing the rings and to think that's being viewed in real time (live). That made me click on the BUY button.

Any advice on EP's for it and also good targets to start with that this scope would view well would be great. Any other random advice would also be helpful.

Cheers

John

[hemihaggis]

hi there , great choice for a scope , they are also really good for dso`s , they make the sky in background inky black , helps to make nebulas/galaxies stand out .

as for ep`s i think a 32mm for a wide field of view

[nightfisher]

any decent plossl will work well in this scope, the eyepiece`s supplied are not to good this set from FLO are a very good deal

First Light Optics - Revelation Photo-Visual Eyepiece kit

[Squagnut]

I have a SkyWatcher SkyMax 127 AZ Goto, which is essentially the same setup as yours. Here's some of my experience and rambling:

Good targets are whatever planets are around, particularly Saturn and Jupiter, but even with moderate light pollution, you should be able to get some deep sky targets - nebulae are visible, as are galaxies - well, the Andromeda galaxy is easily spotted. But if you really want to get into DSOs, you'll get better results with a larger diameter 'scope.

For EPs, I went for a set that FLO do, the Revelation set, which includes some filters too. They're not the greatest EPs ever, but they represent excellent value (you gets what you pays for). To my own surprise, the EP I use most is the 35mm. I assume your 'scope came with a 10mm and 25mm? If so, it's definitely good to have a bit more choice.

It's not difficult to make your own videos - you need a decent webcam and an adaptor to attach it to the focusing tube, all of which can be got fairly cheap. At the same time, you can get a serial cable to link the mount to a PC, which can then control the 'scope by using the Cartes du Ciel prog (there are other progs, but this one is popular and free). This enables you to guide the 'scope and to record video at the same time - very handy for lunar video.

[Bigeye]

Thanks for all the advice guys, its spot on and very helpful and hopefully it will continue.

I went through that 'OMG have I made a mistake with the choice' when I clicked the buy button so I'm so relieved that you guys say its a good scope and sounds like exactly what I need.

It should be here Wednesday so lets hope for some clear sky.

[Bigeye]

Has anyone got a link to where I can DL the correct Cartes du Ciel prog mentioned as controlling the scope from a PC sounds interesting?

Thanks

[martin_h]

start [skychart]

[Squagnut]

To use Cartes du Ciel to guide your 'scope, you'll also need some industry-standard ASCOM software, which is free: First, the ASCOM platform, from here (where it says "ASCOM Platform 6"), and a driver for your 'scope, from this page - you'll just need the Celestron driver.

And you'll also want a cable to link from your PC to the Goto handset. This requires two things - a USB --> serial port adaptor, and a serial port --> RS-232 adaptor (the latter should come with your telescope). The USB adaptor can be obtained easily and fairly cheaply, though I'm sure some here will warn about getting a very cheap one - apparently not all of them work. I bought mine off eBay for about £7, and it's fine.

[Bigeye]

Thanks for all the help guys.

[sticks]

Re EPs for your MAK - after weeks of research I have gone with BSTs 25mm 15mm and 8mm these improve the view dramatically for £123 all in!