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Steve143

By Steve143
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Steve143

Steve143

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I've just recently started and bought myself a Celestron Astromaster 130EQ. After reading a lot of the posts on here I may have made an error in buying the 130EQ but for a beginner it's helping me to navigate the skies and I've already taken a few decent photos of the moon using my iphone. I've also joined my local Astronomical Society and I'm keen to learn about astrophotography. I'm also considering an entry-level DSLR (probably Canon) as a start, but not sure whether to use this separately on a tripod or try it on the 130EQ. 

Everyday I'm learning something new and should have joined SGL months ago!

Clear skies everyone!  

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Astro Noodles

Astro Noodles

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1 hour ago, Steve143 said:

I've just recently started and bought myself a Celestron Astromaster 130EQ. After reading a lot of the posts on here I may have made an error in buying the 130EQ but for a beginner it's helping me to navigate the skies and I've already taken a few decent photos of the moon using my iphone. I've also joined my local Astronomical Society and I'm keen to learn about astrophotography. I'm also considering an entry-level DSLR (probably Canon) as a start, but not sure whether to use this separately on a tripod or try it on the 130EQ. 

Everyday I'm learning something new and should have joined SGL months ago!

Clear skies everyone!  

Hi Steve and welcome to SGL

The Celestron 130EQ you have is similar to my Sky-Watcher 130P. I have been delighted with mine as an instrument for celestial observation. The views are clear, and you can easily observe double stars, globular cluster etc. Although I would expect that mount to be a bit wobbly.

Unfortunately, I don't think it is a very good setup for beginning astrophotography. Apart from the wobbly mount, I don't think that you will be able to achieve enough inward focus with the focuser and a DSLR which will mean that you will need to use a Barlow lens. That will put the focal length to 1300mm F/10. You would require a large and expensive mount in order for it to track accurately enough. 

So, you should get a DSLR but use it separately. That way you will have an observing rig and an imaging rig.

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Steve143

Steve143

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3 hours ago, Astro Noodles said:

Hi Steve and welcome to SGL

The Celestron 130EQ you have is similar to my Sky-Watcher 130P. I have been delighted with mine as an instrument for celestial observation. The views are clear, and you can easily observe double stars, globular cluster etc. Although I would expect that mount to be a bit wobbly.

Unfortunately, I don't think it is a very good setup for beginning astrophotography. Apart from the wobbly mount, I don't think that you will be able to achieve enough inward focus with the focuser and a DSLR which will mean that you will need to use a Barlow lens. That will put the focal length to 1300mm F/10. You would require a large and expensive mount in order for it to track accurately enough. 

So, you should get a DSLR but use it separately. That way you will have an observing rig and an imaging rig.

Thanks for the welcome to SGL.

I have found the mount a bit wobbly but I now hang a few weights from the eyepiece tray which does make it a little more stable. I agree with you on the DSLR - I think I'll use it on a separate rig just for imaging. I'm also looking to get a couple of extra eyepieces and was thinking of a 25mm and possibly a 32mm (I already have a 20mm and 40mm, along with a 6mm, 8mm and 12.5mm). Any recommendations?

Thanks.

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Astro Noodles

Astro Noodles

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17 hours ago, Steve143 said:

Thanks for the welcome to SGL.

I have found the mount a bit wobbly but I now hang a few weights from the eyepiece tray which does make it a little more stable. I agree with you on the DSLR - I think I'll use it on a separate rig just for imaging. I'm also looking to get a couple of extra eyepieces and was thinking of a 25mm and possibly a 32mm (I already have a 20mm and 40mm, along with a 6mm, 8mm and 12.5mm). Any recommendations?

Thanks.

Hi Steve. I still just use the 10mm and 26mm eyepieces which came with the scope and a 2x Barlow lens. I'm sure if you drop a post that there are many on here who would offer recommendations.

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Steve143

Steve143

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35 minutes ago, Astro Noodles said:

Hi Steve. I still just use the 10mm and 26mm eyepieces which came with the scope and a 2x Barlow lens. I'm sure if you drop a post that there are many on here who would offer recommendations.

Many thanks - I really appreciate all the advice as I know I have lots of questions to ask on this forum. This being the first of many! 

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