What I have - Is it ok?

[badspell68]

Hi all  I'm new here

I have a Celestron C4.5

ftp://downloads.celestron.com/pub/manuals/telescopes/c_series/31026_c4.5/manual/31026_c4.5.pdf

Eyepieces:

Celestron X-cell 2.3mm, Celestron x-cell 25mm, Orion expanse 20m 66-degree

Are they any good and what else might a beginner ad to this lineup to make for a nice start in observing? My scope has been sitting for some time and I'm guessing I need to polish the reflector…what should I use and is there a simple/cheap tool out there to align the internals?

Thanks!

[Cornelius Varley]

Hello and welcome to SGL. Judging by the manual, this telescope is a number of years old  but it has a better mount than some similar sized telescopes are supplied with today (looks like an older version of the CG4 or a Vixen mount). Don't  "polish" the mirrors, you could easily damage the coatings. There are a number of videos on youtube covering cleaning telescope mirrors, I suggest you watch a few before deciding to clean yours.

[ronin]

That looks interesting, I assume that you purchased it recently from someone?

Only say that as the manual looks a sort of "older" style.

I like the bit on P8 that says to lubricate the legs with Lemon oil, is the mount wooden ?

If so for whatever reason they are often quite good, you would have expected the use of extruded aluminium and tubular steel to have surpassed wood legs but in many instances it seems not to have.

Scope appears to be basically the same as the present 114mm 900mm reflector from Celestron.

It will do a good job although I would ignore the claim of 270x, I would really expect about 150x, also this means I suspect the 2.3mm X-Cel will produce too much magnification. The 5mm X-Cel would have been as small as usable. Giving 180x and that may be more then the scope can deliver.

At 114 you will have to select targets, things like M1 will be difficult but it is in many scopes - just small and not overly bright. Try ones like M57, ring nebuls, and M27, Dumbbell nebula. And of course M42 - not generally visible here (UK) but not sure where New Hope is. There is also a load of double stars to split, and there are many coloured doubles.

The 20mm and 25mm will be reasonable on clusters, fainter nebula depend a lot on the light pollution so I cannot say much about them for wherever you are.

As said I unfortunately do not thing the 2.3mm eyepiece will be usable under most conditions, so I really suspect that you will need an additional one or two.

If you stayed with X-Cel they do a 5mm, 7mm , 9mm.

You are not going to like me for this next comment, but I could see a case for getting each one.

7mm and 9mm for general high mag,

5mm for when things are just right and it works.

If you went for (guessing) the Astro Tech Paradigm then the 5mm and the 8mm.

The Paradigms come under a few different names so where you re may govern the name and the availability.

They are however a bit less the the X-Cels and perform the same.

Don't specifically recognise the mount itself.

[Cornelius Varley]

Some reviews http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/entry/celestron-c4.5-12-27.html?PHPSESSID=5ac3119c52f72ba2866708e6f8668 . The mount apparently is a Vixen Polaris.

[badspell68]

Thanks!

I am in New Hope PA, USA. The stand is wood and I have had the scope for around 10 years or so and only just now started to try and use it.

[Dave In Vermont]

If it's 10 years old, then do take a look at the mirror(s) and look for any signs of aging: not bright & shiny, mottled appearance (use daylight - flashlight can make any scope look like a  World War One battlefield), losing reflectivity. After 10 or 15 years, mirrors require re-coating. Don't panic - there are many good outfits that do a great job.

And congratulations on your old purchase! Welcome aboard.

Clear Skies,

Dave (who has an old friend in New Hope)

[badspell68]

Any recommendations on recoating outfits and laser collimators (heard some collimators can be really off on their alignment?

Thanks again all

[NGC 1502]

Any recommendations on recoating outfits and laser collimators (heard some collimators can be really off on their alignment?

Thanks again all

Hi there.  I'd very carefully clean the mirrors first using easily found online advice, before considering a recoat. That's if the mirrors actually need cleaning, mirrors can get quite dirty and still work well.

As for collimating, you can do a good job without spending money on expensive tools with this guide http://garyseronik.com/?q=node/238

Hope that helps, regards, Ed.

[Dave In Vermont]

I just acquired an Orion (USA) LaserMate Deluxe Laser-Collimator to replace an oldie in poor health. I am very pleased with it. The laser itself is in full collimation, and it cost $70 US.

Clear Skies,

Dave

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Welcome to SGL. The Vixen Polaris is indeed a lot better than the EQ2 (and even EQ1s ) that are sometimes used these days. I agree that a 2.3mm EP is way over the top. I would not go much shorter than 8mm (perhaps 6), and even then that would only work in nights of good seeing.

I have the Great Polaris mount from Vixen. Almost 19 years old, and still going strong