Celestron ps1000

[ElecWiz]

Hi Members, I have just purchased the ps1000. I paid £35 for it...After purchasing it I read all the bad reviews and was shocked!

I am thinking of  ordering the universal camera mount for it  #93626 and along with the t adapter #93625. And mount for my Sony camera.

So I can take pictures with the kids, hopefully making it more enjoyable for them.

Currently I have only shown them the moon...not sure what else I can view with this scope to be honest as it's very tricky to position.

From the comments I have read the lenses that come with the scope are incredibly poor...

What lenses could I purchase to make the viewing experience more enjoyable?

And is there an alternative stand for it?

Any help would greatly be appreciated.

 

Kind Regards

Raj

 

[Cosmic Geoff]

I suggest that you not bother buying any more accessories for this telescope.  The mount is not adequate for any sort of imaging.

I suggest that if you are interested in imaging, you do some research on what is actually entailed. Reading the forums here would be a good start.

Astro imaging is a very expensive hobby.

You can certainly re-mount the scope, but I don't think you will find the suggestion of an EQ-5 Synscan at around £700 amusing.

I suggest you enjoy the scope as it is, and consider buying a better beginner's scope in the course of time.  There is plenty of advice about buying a beginner scope here.

 

[Mandy D]

2 hours ago, ElecWiz said:

Hi Members, I have just purchased the ps1000. I paid £35 for it...After purchasing it I read all the bad reviews and was shocked!

I am thinking of  ordering the universal camera mount for it  #93626 and along with the t adapter #93625. And mount for my Sony camera.

So I can take pictures with the kids, hopefully making it more enjoyable for them.

Currently I have only shown them the moon...not sure what else I can view with this scope to be honest as it's very tricky to position.

From the comments I have read the lenses that come with the scope are incredibly poor...

What lenses could I purchase to make the viewing experience more enjoyable?

And is there an alternative stand for it?

Any help would greatly be appreciated.

 

Kind Regards

Raj

 

It may not be a great telescope, but it is what you have. You've paid for it and want some use out of it. Does it focus clearly on the Moon? If so, it is useable.

As for imaging with it, you have seen the previous comment, but keep in mind that any carefully chosen accessories you buy for this telescope will work with anything you upgrade to later. Buy a couple of decent plossl type eyepieces for not a lot of money, a 10 mm and a 20 mm should be good starters. Get your kit to mount your phone on it and see what sort of images you get. If your expectations are not high, then you may be happy playing with this for a while until you save up enough for a better scope.

Try these eyepieces:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astro-essentials-eyepieces/astro-essentials-super-plossl-eyepiece.html

OK, two will cost more than you paid for your scope, but they will work with a better scope later. If you are only buying one, then go for the 20 mm. The magnification will be lower at 50x, but the viewing will be better.

Does your Sony camera have a delay timer for the shutter release? If so, use it. This will reduce camera shake and result in better images.

It looks like your scope is on an equatorial mount, which can be tricky to use manually for beginners. Try pointing it at Jupiter or Saturn. These are easily found in the night sky from the UK at present from early evening until after midnight. You will easily see the four Gallilean moons of Jupiter with it and should be able to see Saturn's rings. Mars will appear as a reddish disc and, if you are lucky, you might see some detail, but don't be surprised if you can't.

One other target I would point it at is the Orion Nebula, M42 in the constellation of Orion, rising late evening towards the south at the moment. You won't see much, but at least it will be a fuzzy patch and not a dot like the stars, so you'll know you have found it.

Use Stellarium to navigate around the night sky, as it will help you find objects and you will learn to use your telescope better.

https://stellarium-web.org/

Come back to this forum for more help as you need it.

[ElecWiz]

Hi Mandy

 

Thankyou so much for the wonderful advise...

The app you have recommended is tremendous...luckily where we live there is minimal street lighting and our garden is in complete darkness perfect for star gazing...

I can't wait for a summers night where I shall be able to take the scope out and venture more with the kids..

I don't mind spending money on lens as I know when I upgrade to a better scope I can keep them for the new one.

Will definitely purchase the ones you have recommended.

 

Kind Regards

Raj

 

 

 

[Alan64]

I have that one...

I regard it as my Celestron "C5", for it is indeed an economical simulation of a Celestron C5 Schmidt-Cassegrain.  The collimation was a bit off, to put it mildly, upon arrival.  I was seeing doubles of everything.  I got it collimated...

I then saw Jupiter's Great Red Spot for the first time in my life, through a 6mm perhaps, and nigh tack-sharp.

The primary sphere is at a native f/4, which accounts for that drastic off-setting of the secondary flat.  However, the optical-system operates at f/8, not quite up to f/10 as that of a C5.

Everything required for a satisfactory operation is there, within and without, being predominately of metal, yet all it needs is finishing up, which I did.