Hooked

[Spoonthumb]

Hello !

Bought my 6 year old a small celestron astromaster 76eq Newtonian for an impressive 40 quid. Unfortunately it's rained non stop but managed an hour of almost clear sky last night and we looked at the moon and I was really surprised that we managed to just about see the cloud bands on Jupiter. He loved it and I find myself a little excited about it all aswell.

Read alsorts of advice on here about eyepieces, mounts and given my really tight budget thought I would start with a couple plossl eyepieces. I've looked around and I could spend maybe 30-40 pounds on each one, any ideas on which brand are best in this price bracket ? Also is there anywhere you can buy second hand accessories reliably ?

Could anybody suggest anyway to start imaging with a small scope like this with maybe a webcam or a straightforward digital compact. I understand I don't have a tracking motor or dslr but thought maybe there is a way to have a go with what I do have or can afford.

Any suggestions on cheapish additions or methods to try until I can afford a bigger ota and mount/camera would be welcome.

[Marc1980]

Hi there. That first look at Jupiter usually hooks people. A couple of eye pieces I would suggest at a lower budget but suprisingly good quality is either the bst explorers at £47 from skys the limit.

http://shop.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/searchresults?kw=bst+explorer&cmd=SREF&fads=All&call=All&sort=BestMatch&mfs=SBCLK&acimp=0&isNewKw=true

Or a vixen npl from First Light Optics.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/vixen-eyepieces/vixen-npl-eyepieces.html

With regards to imaging I am currently using an xbox webcam. If you do a search on these forums there is stacks of info on these. I use capture software called Sharpcap on my laptop.

Hope this helps. Enjoy your scope and clear skies.

Sent from my galaxy s3 using tapatalk 2

[Adamar98]

Hello!

I buy most of my second hand equipment from www.astrobuysell.co.uk

You can usually find some bargains on there.

Adam

[Spoonthumb]

Thanks for the advise. Will definitely look into the Xbox webcam.

Clear skies would be nice :-(

[LukeSkywatcher]

I personally have used Vixen NPL's on scopes from 90mm-200mm and they work amazingly. They offer great contrast and sharpness. The sell for between £30-40 from FLO .

(See the bannar at the top of this page)

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/vixen-eyepieces/vixen-npl-eyepieces.html

Brilliant EP's and brilliant company to deal with.

[Spoonthumb]

Been looking at those vixen as you posted. Will be ordering after pay day !

[LukeSkywatcher]

Been looking at those vixen as you posted. Will be ordering after pay day !

You will instantly see the difference between the Vixen NPL's and bog standard EP's that come with scopes. You dont need to be an expert on optics to notice the difference in quality.