Can't focus my celetron telescope

[Pete Elverhoi]

Not sure I am in the right place. Completely new to this. I have bought a Omni XLT 150 Newtonian telescope. I have followed the instructions on how to set it up (5 times!) and can't get it to focus. I've lined up (I think) the finder scope, point the telescope at the moon, and can't get anything more than a blur. Clearly doing something wrong. Anyone know how I can get this to actually work? Thank you, in advance. Pete Elverhoi

[Neil H]

Welcome have you tried using a low power eyepiece  32mm approx  . If it still wont focus slowly pull out the eyepiece  if it will focus out of the focuser tube your need an extension  or if the lens will unscrew from the barlow use this as an extension  tube to test it 

[Pixies]

Can you post a picture of your focuser/eyepiece setup?

[AstroNebulee]

What are you trying to focus it on? doh should read it better, i see your trying on the moon, if you get the moon in the view of your scope then look into the finder scope if the moon inst centred in the finder scope then alter it to get in centre or better in the daytime point the scope at a far away chimney or aerial and ten look in the finder scope if not centred then adjust using the thumbscrews on finder-scope until the image is in the centre.  That'll cure your alignment issues, but as Pixies said a photo o f your focuser eyepiece set up will help

 

Edited August 31, 2020 by LeeHore7

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi @Pete Elverhoi and welcome to SGL. 

Two things it maybe...

1. it maybe out of collimation. There are numerous guides on collimating here on SGL and elsewhere. 
2. Inserting with a 'high' power e/p in the focusser. The lower the number means the higher the magnification.

[Pete Elverhoi]

Thank you to everyone who replied. one of you wanted a photo of the focuser setup. Hope this is what you wanted, and it will help. The eypiece is 32mm. Got the finder scope lined up with no problems (well, not many!). tried the collimation. could only get it "almost right" because the screws reached their limit. A;lso tried a 5mm eyepiece. Same situation.

Some of the technical words you guys used I don't know, but think I understood. Just tried again. Still no focus

[Pixies]

Hi.

I think you have both the 2" and 1.25" eyepiece holders in place. You need 1 or the other, not both.

[Pete Elverhoi]

Easy for me to say now, but I did wonder if there should be only the one. Thank you. Will go and try it and report back.

[Pixies]

By the way - where are you based? It looks great!

[Pete Elverhoi]

Oh dear. No, that made no difference.

[Pete Elverhoi]

Answer to Pixies .... I live in Southern Spain

[Pete Elverhoi]

okay. Got focus on the 25mm eyepiece. Can't get anything on the 5mm (still daylight here). Focusing the 25mm on a building less than half a kilometer away. Could the short distance have anything to do with the non-focusing of the 5mm? What mm would be best for looking at the planets?

 

[AstroNebulee]

1 hour ago, Pete Elverhoi said:

Thank you to everyone who replied. one of you wanted a photo of the focuser setup. Hope this is what you wanted, and it will help. The eypiece is 32mm. Got the finder scope lined up with no problems (well, not many!). tried the collimation. could only get it "almost right" because the screws reached their limit. A;lso tried a 5mm eyepiece. Same situation.

Some of the technical words you guys used I don't know, but think I understood. Just tried again. Still no focus

With regards to your collimation, the screws shouldn't really reach their limit, do you mean the primary mirror or secondary mirror screws, there should be a good deal of travel one way and the other. Like pixies said it looks like there's a 1.25 and 2 inch eyepiece holder in, did you try the smaller 1.25unch one only with the 32mm eyepiece, that should be good then really, thus is what my skywatcher one looks like without an eyepiece and look very similar as celestron and sky are made by the same factory 

[AstroNebulee]

4 minutes ago, Pete Elverhoi said:

okay. Got focus on the 25mm eyepiece. Can't get anything on the 5mm (still daylight here). Focusing the 25mm on a building less than half a kilometer away. Could the short distance have anything to do with the non-focusing of the 5mm? What mm would be best for looking at the planets?

 

You won't reach any focus with the 5mm until night sky viewing as it's such a high power eyepiece and for longer distances, you could get a good quality x2 barlow lens then your 25mm would become a 12.5mm eyepiece and good for planets, I think a 8mm or 10mm eyepiece may be good but  quite close to the 25mm that is x2 barlow, someone with better knowledge will come along soon but definitely worth investing in a x2 barlow and not a cheap one on auction sites 

Edited August 31, 2020 by LeeHore7

[Pete Elverhoi]

It really seems like the problem is solved. Thank you so much to all of you. Just oen last question, which is the best eyepiece for looking at planets, ffor example, the rings of Saturn? Will the 5mm Omegon eyepiece do it?

[AstroNebulee]

3 minutes ago, Pete Elverhoi said:

It really seems like the problem is solved. Thank you so much to all of you. Just oen last question, which is the best eyepiece for looking at planets, ffor example, the rings of Saturn? Will the 5mm Omegon eyepiece do it?

As is my last post a x2 barlow is definitely a good purchase to make but kit a cheap auction site one, a 5mm would be good with good stable air quality viewing depending where the planets are for you, the lower down on the horizon the worse they will look as a lot of turbulent air to get through, the higher up the thinner the atmosphere 

[Pete Elverhoi]

Looking at Celestron - Ocular con Zoom de 1,25" (28-24 mm) on Amazon. Would the "zoom" make it better than the omegon I have? Saturn is about mid-point between the horizon and straight up (not very technical; hope you know what I mean)

[RT65CB-SWL]

Not sure about the zoom e/p you are referring too, but are ok for star gazing. The higher the magnification the lower the TFOV is one of the downsides of cheap zooms. With your 'scope, I think you would be better with the Baader Planetarium 8-24mm mkIV zoom https://www.firstlightoptics.com/baader-planetarium/baader-hyperion-zoom-eyepiece.html or fixed focal length e/p's.

The higher the object is in the sky, you are looking through less 'dirty' atmosphere.