Newbie

[tel65]

Hi All and thank for accepting me to this forum. As a complete newbie and having read so many comments and looked at the advice given on here, I decided to take the plunge and buy a telescope. I’ve never had one before and never looked through one either. I bought a NexStar 5se which I got for a very good price. I know from reading comments that I should go for the biggest but I was able to get the 5se cheaper than I could the 4se. The 6se was too expensive for me and as it’s my first scope I didn’t want to spend too much and find i didn’t enjoy the hobby. As a typical beginner I didn’t see much at first and was starting to lose patience, then I got a little help and managed to solve a couple of problems and I’m now ready to start my shopping list. As with all hobbies it can get quite expensive, but I believe buying quality equipment will last longer and also be more beneficial in the long run. I’m already acquiring the starsense auto align and WiFi portal. So hopefully they will make life a bit easier for me to find things. So first on my list is an erecting prism so I can use the scope during the day and looking out at ships on the horizon. Secondly is some decent eyepieces as only one came with it. I’m thinking of buying a 2” erecting prism and eyepieces. Would they be more beneficial? as I am struggling with eye relief using the one that came with it. When I knew I was getting the scope I bought a second hand Sky-Watcher zoom eyepiece 8-24 but I have a feeling this was a cheap Chinese copy because there is no name on it.  I could do with advice on what make a decent erecting prism would be. With the eyepieces I’ve been looking at the Baader zoom which I could get at roughly the same price as the Baader classic Q set. Also in that price bracket is the Celestron eyepiece set. If I bought the Baader zoom then I’d also buy the Barlow to match with it. So approximate budget for eyepieces is about £250. I like the idea of the zoom because if I do get a 2” prism then the Baader zoom will still fit. But I guess it all depends on whether 2” would be better for me or not. I’d appreciate anyones thoughts and comments on this. 

[PeterCPC]

Hello and welcome. I'm sure an observer will be along to advise - I'm an imager.

Peter

[tel65]

Thank you Peter. Taking photos is something I’d like to get into one day but at the moment I think I’m better off concentrating my efforts on getting to know how to use a telescope properly then maybe just maybe I’ll be good enough to take a photo. 

[Starwatcher2001]

Welcome board SGL. Good to have you with us.

The NexStar are lovely scopes and I'm sure you'll really enjoy using it. StarSense is also a nice option to have and makes for a quicker setup. You'll still be learning about the night sky using it, but it can take some of the frustration away, especially if your skies are light polluted and difficult to navigate by star-hopping.  I wouldn't go for the Celestron Eyepiece Set as I gather it has a number of items with it that you're unlikely to use and doesn't represent good value for money. Most people seem to build their eyepiece collections over time, choosing eps as their experience grows. What size ep came with it?

2 inch eyepieces are quite a leap in expense, but if you did go for a 2" diagonal, with a converter you can still use 1.25" eyepieces of course. Personally, I'd get a couple more 1.25" eyepieces and get some experience under my belt and see what kind of objects I prefer viewing.

I can't suggest a 45 degree erecting eyepiece as I don't use my scope for daytime viewing.

All the best.

Mark

[tel65]

Thank you Mark. It came with a 25mm. I’m definitely suffering light pollution as quite a few of my neighbours leave their patio lights on all night. I don’t know how to combat that. I’ve read about light pollution filters but don’t know if one of those would work with so much light around me. 

[banjaxed]

Hi and welcome to SGL. Have a look at BST Starguider eyepieces, they are very good quality and very reasonably priced.

[igorigs]

Hi mate and warm welcome to SGL

[tel65]

Thank you Mark. It came with a 25mm. I’m definitely suffering light pollution as quite a few of my neighbours leave their patio lights on all night. I don’t know how to combat that. I’ve read about light pollution filters but don’t know if one of those would work with so much light around me. 

[tel65]

I’ve looked at the bst range, it appears they used to do a set, but can’t see one available. Are they as good as the Baader classic Q ?  My mind is still thinking of the Baader zoom with Barlow at the moment as I’m a bit lazy with changing eyepieces. At the moment I’m not using the scope because the red dot finder isn’t working properly and the only way to get it to work is to play around with it by tapping in quite hard. This then sets it out of alignment and it takes me ages to align it again. I could Also do with advice on a decent finder. Bearing in mind that it will have the starsense auto align on it too. 

[laudropb]

Hello and a warm welcome to the SGL.

[Dave Lloyd]

Hi there and welcome. 

[Starwatcher2001]

As far a neighbours go, talking to them is a good first step. What worked for me was just letting them know I'd be outside in the garden doing astronomy, so not to be alarmed if they see me lurking or red lights or torches waking about. That opened up a chat about astronomy and me asking if they'd mind switching off the lights when I'm outside. Point out that having a tame astronomer outside at night helps with security if they are concerned.  I've managed to get a couple of mine to play nicely and invited their kids to look though the scope at the moon and planets, which they always appreciate.

I've got a LP filter but it doesn't work especially well in Teesside with all the industial ights. A good advantage with your 5se is the portability, so if practical taking it to a dark sight will give much better results.

It might be worth checking the battery springs in the finder are okay and gently stretching them if they are loose. I use a Telrad, which projects the degree circles and is really good for star hopping. But to be honest, I rarely use it now with the goto.

As you're buying the WiFi add on, I guess you know about planetarium programs such as SkySafari, which connect to the scope. They work really well with the NexStar and take observing into a new level. I tend to use SkySafari to drive the StarSense alignment too, as it takes the location and date from the tablet and is one less thing to enter or screw up.

[tel65]

Thank you for your reply starwatcher. I’ll be sure to check the springs and maybe give them a light sand with some wet and dry paper later. I did check the emitter and there was no light, gave it a tap and the light came on. Already put a new battery in it. To be honest though it looks very cheaply made. I’ve been looking at reviews and the telrad does look like good one, looks like more money I have to spend.  
I am still reading a lot about eyepieces and still can’t decide what to have. And still don’t know what erecting prism to get. I’d like quality, but not have to pay too much for it. Eventually what I’d like to do is just sit inside and look at the image on a laptop but I don’t know if that’s possible or what I’d need to be able to do that. I know there are usb cameras, but what I don’t know is if you can use them to zoom in onto a target. 

[sloz1664]

Hi and a very warm welcome to the Lounge

Steve

[tel65]

Cheers Steve. I’ve been learning lots of things on this site and I’m enjoying it. 

[Donnie_76]

Hello from another newbie 

[tel65]

Pleasure to meet you too. I hope you find this site as helpful as I am. Lots of interesting things on here. 

[Pete Presland]

Hi welcome to SGL from Peter in Bedfordshire 🙂