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Hello everybody! North Manchester newbie!

jindivik

By jindivik
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jindivik

jindivik

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Evening ladies and gents!


What a great forum, i've always had an interest in astronomy, around 15 years ago i had a basic refractor given to me as a gift, it had an EQ mount and i could never get to grips with it.  I've always wanted to get a better telescope and have finally treated myself to a Celestron NexStar 130SLT.  

Must say i'm absolutely loving it, so simple to set up and use! my back yard is quite limited to how much of the sky that is visible but i've had fantastic views of Venus, M44, M13 and of course, The Moon!  

Did have a go trying to see M51 but couldn't make anything out.  I'm not far out from Manchester so light pollution is quite the issue here (isn't it everywhere really?).  Looking forward to this whole Covid-19 situation to blow over and then have some dark sky sessions planned for later in the year!

Thanks for reading and stay safe :) 

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Guest

Guest

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Welcome to SGL. I only joined a few days ago myself and with exactly the same scope as you! I first found the site when reading a very useful article on reducing the tube vibrations on a 130 SLT by using tube rings and an additional dovetail bar, might be worth a read if you suffer this problem (a couple of pics of the mod I did below).

  They are a lovely welcoming bunch here - best of luck with your new addiction and clear skies!

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barkis

barkis

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Hi and a warm SGL welcome to the best Astronomy group on earth. Nice new scope you have got yourself, and hope the skies cooperate to allow the great results it is capable of.   Looking forward to your comments on the great sights you see.  Great team of members here, always ready to help or assist with any problems. 

Best Wishes. Ron.

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jindivik

jindivik

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11 hours ago, Chris Wright said:

Welcome to SGL. I only joined a few days ago myself and with exactly the same scope as you! I first found the site when reading a very useful article on reducing the tube vibrations on a 130 SLT by using tube rings and an additional dovetail bar, might be worth a read if you suffer this problem (a couple of pics of the mod I did below).

  They are a lovely welcoming bunch here - best of luck with your new addiction and clear skies!

 

Chris, that's fantastic! The only gripe i've had so far is the tendency of my scope to vibrate like crazy at the lightest touch, i'll definitely be investing in these! thank you!

As for everyone else, thank you all for the lovely welcome!

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41 minutes ago, jindivik said:

Chris, that's fantastic! The only gripe i've had so far is the tendency of my scope to vibrate like crazy at the lightest touch, i'll definitely be investing in these! thank you!

As for everyone else, thank you all for the lovely welcome!

You aren't wrong there! The first use of my scope was without the modification and as you say the slightest touch meant the tube would sway about and not come to rest for over 10 seconds. This mod greatly reduces that to about 2 seconds.

For info the thread explaining the mod is here: https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/48719-tube-rings-greatly-reduces-vibration-and-shaking-in-the-nextstar-130slt-tube/

As for parts I purchased the following:

1 x "7 inch" option of https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adm-vixen-type-v-series/adm-vixen-style-universal-dovetail-bars.html

1 x set of  "160 mm (130 mm Newtonian)" option of https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-mount-accessories/skywatcher-telescope-tube-rings.html

These fitted perfectly with clearance to allow the original dovetail bar to remain attached under the new bar. I have not noted any discernible difference to goto tracking after the mod. Not cheap at £84 with delivery but I would say definitely worth every penny!

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