(Part 2) Best products from r/telescopes

Some people like this scope, but IMHO, this isn't a telescope I'd recommend: you pay too much for too little telescope and too much for mediocre electronic and mechanical mount components. If it's not too late, my first recommendation would be to return it and purchase an 8" Dob.

BUT, if you're not able or willing to do that, and this is the scope you have, then that's that.

My next recommendation is to join an astronomy club in your area. There most likely is one, and it's the BEST place to learn more about how to use your telescope and what to see. Membership in most clubs in the US costs $50 or less per year. If you let us know where you're located, I can try looking up clubs that are local to you.

Now, as for add-ons and other accessories... the first thing I'd recommend is a copy of Turn Left at Orion. It's a great introduction to using a telescope, and very user friendly.

Next, camera mounts: none. There's plenty available, but this isn't really a telescope designed for or good for astrophotography. You could possibly capture some decent images of the moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. But that's about it. This telescope has an alt-az mount, which is not anywhere near accurate enough for the long-exposure photography required for deep sky objects (nebulae, galaxies, clusters, etc...). If you're limited to 4 targets, then it seems a bit of a waste to me to buy an adapter. Also, using a DSLR would not be recommended, as the mount isn't designed to add a lot of additional weight to the back end, and it will likely decrease the tracking accuracy, and, depending on the weight of the camera and adapting components, could potentially damage the mount's components (unlikely, but possible). Since these mounts aren't well-constructed anyway, I wouldn't recommend this. If you really badly want to try imaging planets or the moon, I'd pick up a cheap webcam and modify it (there's plenty of tutorials online for this) to use with the telescope. There's also some low-cost planetary imaging cams (basically glorified webcams) on the market. They would be a better choice than trying to connect a DSLR.

For eyepieces... that's a bit more tricky. You get a couple lower-end 25 mm and 9 mm
plossl eyepieces. Plossl is a type of eyepiece design that is fairly common these days. They tend to provide pretty decent views, depending on the specific design, for a fairly affordable price. To determine your magnification, you take the telescope's focal length (1,500 mm in your case) and divide it by that of the eyepiece. For your eyepieces, this gives you a magnification of 60x with the 25 mm eyepiece and 167x with the 9mm.

Magnification is a funny thing, however. You can, in theory, magnify an image as much as you like. However, the telescope can only produce so much useful magnification, depending on a number of factors. The key factors are the telescope aperture, the steadiness of the air, and the transparency of the air. When light enters the telescope, it begins to diffract, which manifests itself in blurring of the image. At lower magnifications, it is far less noticeable than at higher magnifications, and the larger the aperture, the more you can magnify before the diffraction creates so much blurring as to be useless. I created this example to show what happens. While this is photographic, and has a slightly different cause, the overall effect is similar. As you continue to magnify, you lose sharpness of detail until the image becomes so blurry as to be useless. In the case of your telescope, under fairly good atmospheric conditions, you might get as high as about 250x magnification before blurring is too severe. Under normal conditions, however, 150x is a more reasonable limit (the rule of thumb is to multiple the aperture in inches by 30x for normal viewing and 50 or 60x for ideal atmospheric conditions).

Thus a higher magnification eyepiece probably won't do much for you except on very good nights, in which case a 6 mm eyepiece would really be pushing your limits. On the other hand, with the 25 mm eyepiece, you don't have a very wide field of view, so you might consider something like a 30 mm, maybe a 35 mm, eyepiece to get a wider field of view (though the 35 might be too long for this scope to use effectively).

Whatever you do, do NOT buy one of those inexpensive eyepiece kits that have 3 or more eyepieces and filters. The eyepieces are usually very low in quality and you really don't need all of them. You can buy separate filter kits for less, and a Barlow lens will not be particularly useful at all to you.

This telescope will be best for planetary observation. A set of basic filters might be useful. With planetary observation, these help to increase contrast to pull out specific details. This site and this one have some pretty good information concerning which filters are best for what. For lunar observation, a neutral density filter (aka moon filter) is also helpful to cut down the brightness and glare of the moon (essentially it's sunglasses for your telescope). For deep sky objects, colored filters are not desirable, though there are some filters that do help with observing particular types of objects. In particular "nebula" filters, which are combinations of narrowband filters to allow common wavelengths of light specific to different kinds of nebula emissions to pass through. An OIII (Doubly-ionized Oxygen) filter can also be helpful for certain nebulae. I wouldn't rush out to buy one right away, however, until you get a bit more experience. This is another good reason to join an astronomy club: going to star parties will give you a chance to talk to other people about what they use and see how filters can help you.

Another filter you might come across is what we call a Light Pollution Reduction (LPR) filter. These are a mixed bag, and more of a personal choice. They do not make viewing from a light-polluted area like viewing from a dark site. They do, however, for some objects, help increase contrast to make them more visible. This is another place I'd experiment before buying.

If you're interested in solar viewing, you do have some options, but proceed with caution. You can get a white-light solar filter (or make one yourself) for simple solar viewing. These will only show you the disc of the sun, sunspots, and, every few years, a transit of Mercury (the next transit of Venus isn't for another 100 years or so). These will not show you the solar granulation (the texture of the sun), nor solar flares/prominences. For those, you would need a dedicated solar Hydrogen Alpha kit (which is NOT the same as an Hydrogen Alpha filter for deep-sky observing). The white light filters can be made for under $30 and purchased for around $100 or less. The Hydrogen Alpha solar equipment would be several hundred dollars for your telescope. Whatever you do, do NOT use an eyepiece filter for solar observation. Some companies have produced these (I don't know if anyone still is), but they are NOT a safe option.

Ok, lastly, you asked about software. There's not much you'd need. One option is Stellarium. I believe Stellarium has drivers for Celestron telescopes, so you only need the cable connection equipment (sold separately, of course) from Celestron. However, I don't see much need for this. The hand control on your mount is just fine for finding objects, assuming you're properly aligned. A good phone or tablet app for determining what's above you right now would be helpful, but you don't need a computer connection unless you're doing imaging, and, as I said above, that's not highly recommended.

In the long run, I'd still recommend an 8" Dob instead - the 8" aperture is capable of showing you quite a bit more and doesn't require power (nor is there much to break down). But if you intend to keep this scope, you can make the most of it.

Good luck and clear skies.

I do not have this particular telescope so i can only give you some general advice.

First of all, read the users guide for your telescope if you have not done so already :) I can see there are some youtube videos of how to use the SkyAlign that might be worth checking out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgfY5wT4VYo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1umvV3XKtCs

The best advice I can give you starting out is to learn to use the telescope at day. Get familiar with the controls and the equipment it will really help when you are outside in the dark by night. Make sure that the finder is properly aligned, i can see it is a red-dot finder on the Nextstart so it is probably not a big issue, but still make sure that the dot is where you are looking when looking through the eyepiece.


You should expect the telescope to point in the general area of where the first alignment star is, but it can be quite a bit off. Until you complete the alignment procedure the goto will be mostly useless. This has to be done once each time you take it out, it will get easy when you have done it a couple of times. The Nextstart 8se has a very long focal length, so it will have a narrow view. This is not necessarily and issue but it will make it harder to locate objects. When aligning on stars, make sure they are as close to centered as you can, if they are off the alignment will be off as well.


You should get to know what you are looking at/for. You wrote that you took the tour but things only looked like stars, you need to know if you are looking at a globular cluster(extremely small) a nebula(usually larger and much more diffuse) or a galaxy(varies wildly). This will help you choose the right magnification for the target, some targets are best at a lot of magnification and some are best at low magnification. Sometimes a nebula is very diffuse and might not stand out when first looking. To start out, just to make sure to know what you are looking for in a DSO i would go for Andromeda(M31). Now here is the thing, Andromeda is huge, much larger than the full moon, so it will not fit in your view and it will not be the best target for this telescope. But, it will show you the core which should be very easy to see and give you an idea of what a DSO looks like. Depending on your sky condition it will look like a diffuse blob, do not expect any structure, but more a general shape. This will give you an idea of what you are looking for, however most other DSO's are much smaller. Be warned, Andromeda can be a let-down for beginners. Other good starter targets are clusters and planetary nebula, they are bright and easy to see. Try looking for M13(cluster, early night), M15(cluster), M27(Planetary nebula, fainter target), M45(cluster, later at night, large target). You can look up good beginner observation targets for the season by searching a bit on google. You will learn what to look at/for with time and patience.


Your eyes will need to be dark adapted before you can get the best views. Expect this to take 20-30 minutes, no light including phones. A dim red torch is a must-have accessory. If you have to use your phone, use a red light filter, you can get apps for this. You can get observation apps for your phone wich can be very helpful, my favorite is SkySafari, but there are many out there. Most come with a red light filter bult-in.


For planetary you can catch Jupiter if you get out early in the night after sundown or Saturn for some hours longer that Jupiter. Both are great targets but you will need more magnification to get the best observations. I can see the telescope comes with a 25mm in the box, this will give you approx. 80x magnification (focal length / eyepiece length). This will not be enough for good planetary viewing, it will also not be enough for smaller DSO's. You should see a shape when looking at Saturn, but do not expect details. You should be able to see moons around Jupiter too.

The "goldline" eyepieces are recommended beginner budget eyepieces, a 9mm will give you 222x magnification, I would not go any shorter than this because the atmosphere will limit your magnification and even at 222x it is probably a bit much for most nights: https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Telescope-Eyepiece-Accessories-Astronomy/dp/B07JHKP9D2/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=9mm%2Bwide%2Bangle%2Beyepiece&qid=1568963644&sr=8-2&th=1 - the 15mm and 20mm are not that highly recommended and the 6mm will give you too much magnification.

Something between the 9mm and the 25mm you have will be good too for medium magnification and for nights when the seeing is not good(most nights), but I do not have any recommendations for EP's in this length, i am sure someone else can help especially if you make a post about it. Usually most people will have a minimum of 3-4 eyepieces so you can get the right magnification for the target you are observing. You will probably also benefit of having a longer than 25mm EP for the widest view possible.

I hope this was not too rambly :) there is a lot of things to learn when starting out.

No worries, busy time for sure! I'm pretty new to Telescopes myself, my family got me my XT8 for my First Father's day this year. I've done a ton of research since then, and am always excited to share knowledge. Not a lot of people I know share my hobbies, so you can private message me anytime and I'll have fun giving advice or discussing it.

If you don't buy the XT8 off Craigslist, I'd recommend from their [Clearance page](https://www.telescope.com/2nd-Orion-SkyQuest-XT8-Classic-Dobsonian-Telescope/p/102342.uts). It's mostly returns that they've thoroughly inspected and come with a 1 year warranty. That's how I got mine and it was in New Condition, usually around 25% off.

Planets like Jupiter and Saturn are easy, they are typically the brightest objects in the sky so you really only need a phone app to tell you what days they will be in the night sky. I really like the Stellarium app, I paid for the full version but I think the free is still really good. Deep space objects (called DSOs) are things like Nebula, Galaxies and Star Clusters. Finding these can be like finding a needle in a haystack with how big our night sky is. For this I would highly recommend the book [Turn Left at Orion]( https://www.amazon.com/Turn-Left-Orion-Hundreds-Telescope/dp/1108457568/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=turn+left+at+orion&qid=1575054480&sr=8-1 ). Apps can help find these things, but looking at a phone can make you lose your night vision and you don't pick up as much detail in these DSOs. It is recommended to only use red light when using a telescope which doesn't hurt your night vision, eventually you'll want a red flashlight, [I use this one]( https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-93588-Astro-Vision-Flashlight/dp/B0000665V5/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=celestron+red+light&qid=1575054716&sr=8-2 ) which works best if you put opaque tape over the clear window in front to diffuse the light.

As far as finding objects goes you'll use a couple of things. Every telescope has a finder scope of some sort. The XT8 has a red dot finder scope, which is a little window you look through on the outside of the scope and it superimposes a red dot on the object you're looking for. So if you put the red dot on the moon say, and then look through your actual eyepiece you should be looking at the moon. It's similar to a rifle scope. For DSOs you will do what is called Star Hopping. You find a bright star that is near by what you are looking for. Then you find dimmer stars that you can still see with the naked eye. Usually I find two stars that are on either side of the object then estimate where the object should be, put my red dot here and then do a little scanning with the telescope until I find what I'm looking for. Use a low magnification lens (like the 25mm) to search. There's more scientific ways to do it, but it works for me every time. Takes some practice. It's also confusing in that if you move the scope one way, it might make the image in the scope move the opposite direction. It takes practice and patience, but with time it becomes 2nd nature.

The included 10mm and 25mm are pretty good for planets and the moon, but will fall short for DSOs. If you're willing to spend another ~$100 dollars right out the gate on accessories I'd buy a [zoom lens]( https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-93230-24mm-1-25-Eyepiece/dp/B0007UQNV8/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=8-24+zoom&qid=1575055505&sr=8-1) that allows you to change the magnification and an [eyepiece that provides higher magnification]( https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Telescope-Eyepiece-Accessories-Astronomy/dp/B07JWDFMZ4/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=svbony%2B6&qid=1575055611&sr=8-1&th=1) (get the 6 mm option) than the zoom or the provided lenses. Later, if you want to spend another ~$130 on more options at eyepiece I'd by the 9mm option from the 2nd link there and a [wide angle lens]( https://www.amazon.com/Agena-Super-Wide-Angle-Eyepiece/dp/B00YO60I9E/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=agena+32&qid=1575055724&sr=8-2) that makes it easier to find objects by showing more of the night sky. When in comes to eyepieces, make sure you know the math of magnification. You take the Focal Length of the scope, 1200mm for the XT8, and divide it by the number in mm on an eyepiece. I.e. a 12 mm eyepiece would be 1200/12 = 100x magnification. Don't bother with Barlows, a Zoom takes care of that by giving you an infinite spectrum between 50 - 150x and the 6 mm gives your 200x. That is plenty for basically all viewing conditions.

The [Moon Brightness Filter]( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076MP3T66/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) is nice if the Moon hurts your eyes to look at, but it might be worth just looking at the moon first before spending the $20. You can't actually hurt your eyes looking, but it can definitely shock your eye. Also, higher magnification always means dimmer so zooming in can naturally act as a filter. I wouldn't bother with other filters. Most are crap and don't contribute much.

In summary: To really feel prepared when going out for the first time you should have a book that you studied ahead of time for what you want to look for (The book is broken down by Season and what is viewable during that time) and a red light to see the book. The provided 25mm will be okay to search with, and the 10mm will let you see more of it, but you will want something better soon like the zoom or the 6mm Svbony lens. Make sure your Telescope is [collimated]( https://lovethenightsky.com/telescope-collimation-for-complete-beginners/) and your finder scope is lined up with your scope (the Telescope manual walks through this, do it during the day). Bring chairs and warm clothing. Lastly bring your patience. Hope this was helpful with how long it was, and I hope you and your kiddo have a ball!

Glad I could help :-)

> deep space photos

Oh, that's a whole different topic :-)

Imaging is complex, expensive and more sources for headaches when getting started.

See https://www.reddit.com/r/astrophotography/wiki/what_telescope - Great resource to chose the right gear.

While the 127 SLT works fine for some planetary imaging and some snapshots of other bright targets, it's not a good set for DSO imaging.

For serious deep-sky imaging, you need a mount that doesn't only track, but also counters field-rotation, e.g. an equatorial mount.

The SLT mount is a simple AltAz (Altitude Azimuth, Updownleftright) mount and not suited for long exposures due to field rotation and the (relatively) low precision.

The Maksutov has a "slow" aperture ratio, long focal length, and isn't exactly the first choice for deep-sky imaging.


While cheaper equatorial mounted and motorized sets are available, stability is key. E.g. a Celestron 130EQ-MD makes no sense. A NEQ3/CG4 is better suited, but does not really make sense long-term. E.g. Orion Sirius, (H)EQ5. The Orion Sirius wih GoTo costs well over $1000. Without a telescope. The manual CG4/NEQ3 costs $250-$300.

Combining terrestrial, stargazing AND imaging will result in a major headache. :-) In this case a decent apochromatic refractor might be the only thing that can cover all bases to some extend, but for visual, you really need aperture.

 

If you are unsure what route to take, get something smaller/cheaper first. Observe, get to know the do's and dont's of observing and imaging. Find out what you really need beyond what sounds good on paperont the screen :-)

 

> deep space photos

As you already seem to have a DSLR or similar, you can actually do some nice wide-field without even using a telescope.

• https://www.reddit.com/r/telescopes/comments/2ttydz/300_budget_looking_for_a_telescope/co2ivce/
  
  
• Longer focal lengths require guiding etc.
  
  
• Of course it's possible with the 127SLT to take some snapshots of brighter deep-sky objects, but not nearly as great as something like a 130pds/150pds reflector on a EQ5/EQ6 type of mount.
  
  
• For imaging questions aside the basics I am probably not the ideal person to ask, also see /r/astrophotography for advice.
  
   
  
  > eyepieces
  
  For a 127/1500 Maksutov, there are several choices.
  
  A zoom-eyepiece is great for day-time use, but as with many zoom-binoculars/spotting-scopes, dedicated eyepieces tend to give you better contrast. Also zoom eyepieces have a narrow apparent field of view at the lower magnification, only 40° or so, making them poor overview eyepieces.
  
  Short version:
  
  
  Kit eyepieces 10mm & 25mm for now, consider a 7-8mm^1 2 for planets and a 15mm^123 to fill the gap. A 32mm for a bit move overview.
  
  Zoom eyepieces are usually available in 8-24 or 7-21mm 1 2, but only the Baader Zoom offered a bit more field of view on the lower magnification. For day-time use a zoom is nice sometimes, but you can usually get 2-3 better fixed-focal-length eyepieces for the same price that perform better in the long run.
  
  Long version:
  
  
  
• 32mm Plössl,
  
  
• $20-$30: The largest field of view with a 1.25" focuser.
  
  
• Some other 5" Maksutovs offer a 2" focuser/diagonal allowing some more field of view. Even simpler 2" eyepieces cost $70 and up though.
  
  
• A 40mm Plössl is available too, but has a narrow apparent field of view, effectively not showing more than a 32mm Plössl.
  
  
  
• A 7mm will give you a bit over 200x. So perfect for observing moon, planets, double stars, ships - under decent conditions.
  
  
• 7mm Plössl already have very short eye-relief. Plössl are the type of eyepieces included in the eyepiece kits. The longer ones >10mm are OK. Are you wearing glasses?
  
  
• The HR Planetary clones, e.g. $49 7mm 58° afov are decent. Better are the BST Explorer and dual-ed eyepieces - But for a bit more you can also get a larger apparent field of view.
  
  
• If you want to spend a bit more, you can get a 7mm Luminos ultra-wide-angle (82° apparent field of view)
  
  
• A 6mm can work, but things will already get pretty dim, and 250x magnification only works if atmospheric seeing is great (which it usually isn't).
  
  
• One or two in-between.
  
  
• Either just use the kit eyepieces,
  
  
• Get a 15mm Plössl or wide-angle eyepiece, 123
  
  
• or get some of "gold-line"^Link for example. These no-name eyepieces are sold by several names and the brand name Orion expanse. The whole set probably makes little sense. 15mm to fill the gap of the kit eyepieces. 9 and 20mm if you want to replace the cheap kit eyepieces. 6mm is a bit too much already.
  
  
• At Aliexpress you can get a long eye-relief "gold-line" 6mm eyepiece for $18, at Amazon $40 or so.
  
   
  
  Here is an overview for eyepiece stats at 127/1500. The magnification, true field of view, and the exit pupil
  
  (True field of view: Extend your arm, extend your index finger. It covers a width of 1° in the sky: Twice the full moon- even if it seems larger when over the horizon. At higher magnification, you just see a fragment of that in the eyepiece)
  
  (Exit pupil = amount of light exiting the eyepiece, under 0.5-0.6mm it gets too dim. 2-3mm is ideal for many deep-sky objects; 1-2mm for some of the smaller nebulae)
  
  25mm: 60x Magnification / 0.86° field of view / 2.1mm exit-pupil
  
  10mm: 150x / 0.33° fov / 0.8mm EP
  
  32mm: 46x / 1.1° / 2.7mm
  
  15mm: 100x / 0.5°-0.81° depending on the eyepiece / 1.2mm
  
  7mm: 214x / 0.26°-0.33° / 0.59mm
  
  More magnification is always tempting, but it will make things dimmer. Crude simulation. So usually you can see more details with less magnification, even if the planet isn't view-filling.
  
  Atmospheric seeing^YoutubeExample often limits magnification to <=200x. The image wobbles, the higher you magnify, the blurrier and more apparent it becomes. For day-time over the horizon, this might be way more apparent, restricting you to 100-150x. You have probably seen the effect of heat-haze/heat-shimmer over a hot road or field, and that moving air is exactly what makes day-time observing at high magnification problematic.

Yes, I do recommend replacing the 9mm Plossl that comes with the scope with something a bit better. 9mm is a great focal length for doing planetary and lunar viewing (and viewing smaller brighter DSOs), but the eye relief of the Plossl design is very tight (you have to mash your eye into the lens to see the field of view), and the field of view is rather narrow. It basically makes the eyepiece feel less useful than it is.

A good replacement that doesn't cost a lot of money is the 9mm "Gold Line" eyepiece.

You can find them for less than $25 on Ebay (new), but you have to wait about a month for them to ship from China.

If you're willing to pay a bit more, you can get them in a couple days from Amazon for $36.

I own this eyepiece, and it's very good for the money. Much better eye relief, and a wider field of view than the Plossl.

That's the only accessory I would recommend buying up front since it will definitely enhance the experience with the scope and doesn't cost that much money. After that, I would wait until you and your son have had some time to play with the scope a bit before investing any more money.

To get the most out of looking at planets with it, I recommend reading this article: https://medium.com/@phpdevster/help-i-cant-see-detail-on-the-planets-ac27ee82800

Observing planetary detail can be hard even in big apertures. I don't know what latitude you live at, but right now the two major planets (Jupiter and Saturn) are quite low on the horizon for much of the Northern Hemisphere. This makes it harder to see clean views of them. Mars is also far away right now and is barely a dot in big telescopes. It won't come around again until fall of 2020, but it will be at a decent altitude above the horizon for most of the world when it returns, which will give you a better chance to see detail on it. Jupiter and Saturn will be back in the night sky in mid to late summer, but again, they will be low on the horizon depending on how far north you live. Some nights will show great detail, others not so much.

Either way, make sure the scope is fully thermally acclimated. It has a cooling fan to help it acclimate faster, so take it out 1-2 hours before you plan to observe a planet, turn on the cooling fan, and then wait for the planet to be at its highest point in the sky. That will give you the best chance of seeing detail (using the 9mm eyepiece).

An 8" scope will show loads of detail on Jupiter on steady nights.

I bought an XT8 last fall as a first scope and have really enjoyed it. I live in an outer suburb of Cincinnati. I have a never ending skyglow to my west, but reasonably dark skies overhead and to the east. I've had excellent views of M31, M32, M110, M42, M27, Jupiter, Mars, the Moon, owl cluster/asterism, Pleiades and other sights that I'm forgetting to mention here. Just last weekend I got my best view of Jupiter so far. I was able to see the color bands more clearly than ever before, the shadow of a moon on it's surface, two other moons in line with the planet, and could just make out the red spot (I think). The telescope is easy to setup, stays pretty well collimated even after gentle transport, and isn't too much of a beast to move around.

I'd recommend as your first accessory a viewing chair like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Vestil-CPRO-800LP-Ergonomic-Worker-Capacity/dp/B0052PJFCW.

You'll be tempted to get eyepieces, filters, and laser collimators, but that chair is the single item that has enhanced my viewing most. It's adjustable height lets you sit comfortably with the eyepiece at eye level for extended viewing sessions.

Best of luck!

EDIT : Spelling

The cheapest worthwhile telescopes are the 4.5 inch tabletop Newtonians like the Meade Lightbridge 114 Mini that run around $130 new. They have a big enough aperture and a simple sturdy base that won't move.

If you can afford a little more ($200), definitely upgrade to a 5" aperture tabletop Newtonian like the AWB OneSky (aka Skywatcher Heriatge 130) or the Meade Lightbridge 130. That half inch extra aperture gets you a surprisingly big improvement in the brightness and clarity of the view.

If you can afford a little more still - 6" Dobsonian like the Orion Xt6.

If you can afford just a bit more you hit the sweet spot of best views for the money - the 8" Dobsonian... plenty of good brands of those - Orion, Zhummell, Skywatcher, Apertura... these are the most usually recommended beginners telescope, and for good reason, they're cheap, rock solid, and will show you plenty of deep sky objects.

You're probably seeing some patterns... bigger aperture = better; sturdier base = better; and reflector type over refractor type. The reason for that last one isn't because reflectors are better than refractors, it's that they're cheaper... so you can afford a much bigger aperture reflector for the same money.

My personal rule of thumb - don't buy any refractor on a tripod if you're on a budget. Things like this are basically garbage that will soon frustrate you and end up collecting dust in your basement.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the detailed response! Your other posts on this subreddit have been super helpful for me with researching and starting out! :)

> How much for each? Where are you from? No local offers?

It's 600$ for the XT8 and 630$ for the SkyWatcher, so around 200$ in shipping for each. I'm from Lebanon and sadly there's no local offers. The only scopes sold here are Celestrons, and they're priced quite high mostly due to their electronics.

Another poster mentioned that the SkyWatcher is pretty much the same as the AD8, does it have the same optics, construction, etc?

> About the mirror review: Got a link? That sounds odd.

The 'fatal flaw' comes from the 4th paragraph of 1st review on the amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Orion-8945-SkyQuest-Dobsonian-Telescope/dp/B001DDW9V6

I did some searching on Cloudy Nights, but there doesn't seem to be anything on it. The reviewer might be mistaken.

As for astigmatism, I don't mind having to take my glasses off and on. However, I think I read about people who have certain diopter values (unsure of mine and almost have no knowledge of eyepieces, exit pupil, etc.) who can't really see well through eyepieces without glasses.

I'm not really concerned about myself when it comes to observing with or without glasses as I'll probably be fine, but I'd like my mom to look through this scope as well. She has worst astigmatism than me, so I'd rather err on the side of caution and go with at least some eye relief if possible.

You mentioned high magnification helps for viewing without glasses, so wouldn't a barlow be worth it in that case? The only thing I know about them comes from this video from the stickied post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpF1_Q5yPsk&list=PLLM5fRxAaC_cx-7xgBfGHGAi9d144AoRZ&index=5

He mentions they're a worthwhile investment since they can essentially double the amount of eyepieces you own. Also, would they offer good eye relief?

>Else, you'd have to try if you can live with ~13-15mm eye-relief (e.g. the $20-$40 gold-line, HR Planetary clones) or if you need eyepieces with 20mm ($80-$130+++) eye-relief.

13-15mm eye relief doesn't sound bad for those prices. Do you recommend any specific ones for planetary viewing, as well as clusters and some DSOs in case I get the SkyWatcher?

>Finder's included, but a Telrad is great for DSO if you have a dark sky and can see enough stars.

I'm in a Bortle 7 zone and will be doing most if not all my observing there so the sky isn't very dark. From what I've read, the SkyWatcher's finder is serviceable. Do you have any experience with it?

Thanks so much for the reply, yeah the scope is normally set up about an hour before I want to use it :)
Yes using the focus dose help sharpen the image or make it worse but compared to some of the Pics I have seen people post of the sky from there scope (the same one or next moble down) the images always look a lot clearer and always seem to be of objects at a far greater distance than good old Jupiter lmao.

Am I right in thinking that a 2x barlow will help with this a bit?

Is this set worth getting or is it a bit OTT for this budget scope?

Again thanks so much for getting back to me so quick and thanks for the help and advice :)

So I took the dslr out tonight and after messing around with the ISO and shutter speed, it worked great.

The SL2 I believe can shoot in crop mode in RAW with digital zoom. Needless to say the more you zoom the harder it is to track, but with just a 2x shorty barlow Jupiter was about the size that you saw in my first Jupiter post.

The specific T ring that I have is this one: SVBONY Metal 1.25 inches T... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0114BB908?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

It also has an attachment that you can drop an eyepiece into so I'll also try that without a barlow and see what happens.

Again I'm not experienced enough to tell you if an astro camera is better quality or easier to use but I was pretty happy with the way this came out on the first go around, and I still feel like I have a great all purpose camera.

The best book I’ve found for locating things in Sky is Turn Left at Orion. Has illustrations for where to look for different objects, what they should look like so you know when you’re there, as well as ease of seeing based on type of telescope.
As for collimating, there are a few ways to, and plenty of YouTube videos on how to. Easiest is with a laser collimator. But unless you know someone who has one, cost money. Another involves lining up with a bright star, usually Polaris as it doesn’t move, moving your focus out until the star looks like a donut, then adjusting your collation into the “hole” is in the center.
Another option is to look up any local astronomy clubs to you and see if they have any public outreach events. The purpose of these events is for the general public to come out and view. Those with new gear are always welcome to come out to be helped with their new stuff as we (as amateur astronomers) would rather have someone with an interest know how to use their gear and enjoy the experience than get frustrated and give up the hobby altogether.
Hope this helped.

Well, that puts an eyepiece at 7.3mm as the absolute maximum. Anything more powerful than 7.3mm would be unusable. Thing is, 7.3mm isn't common. Closest would be 7mm (Too much) and 7.5mm (Just about right). With a 2x Barlow, 15mm is the max. BUT there are 14.5mm eyepieces for sale when paired with a barlow will give you 7.25 which is close enough. Though only on the best of nights would it really work.

Here's an example of a decent 7.5mm Eyepiece if you don't already own one. Though considering what I said in the previous post regarding pushing to the Max Mag limit, an 8mm, 9mm or a 10mm are really your best bet to get the most out magnification out of your scope on most average nights. A SVBONY Goldline or Redline might be your best bet.

You might consider starting with a pair of binoculars. They won't show you planetary details, but they'll give you a wide field of view and help you learn to navigate the sky. They're also fantastic to use in tandem with at telescope.

Binoculars will show you thousands of stars invisible to the naked eye, craters on the moon, brighter nebulas & galaxies (like the Orion nebula and Andromeda galaxy), globular clusters, satellites, and Jupiter's 4 brightest moons. You could get a cheap pair like this while you decide what you want in a telescope.

If you can get out to the very end of Long Island, I bet the Milky Way is easily visible.

I'm a bit of a newbie here myself, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

The telescope you link to isn't necessarily bad, but I think it's too expensive for what you're getting. Check this out:


The Meade Polaris 130 EQ (Amazon.com)

The Meade Polaris 130 EQ is quite a bit cheaper ($240CAD I believe) than the model you listed. The Meade 130 also has an Equatorial Mount, which can be a lot easier to use than the Altazimuth Mount that the Celestron 130 AZ has (the AZ in the model name refers to the type of mount). It also comes with three eye pieces of varying powers, and the aperture is the same in both telescopes.

I wish I would've bought something like the Meade Polaris 130 for my first telescope! Instead I somehow ended up spending more money on a less powerful telescope.

I looked at some of the other models on that page but none of them stand out to me, especially when compared to the bargain that you can get on the Meade Polaris 130 EQ.

Hope this helps!

Thank you so much for your time. I think I'm going to to go with the Onesky. I really meets nearly all of my needs right now.

I don't know how I haven't seen the Onesky before, it never came up on my google searches. Also I guess while reading through this subreddit I ignored ABW because I didn't recognize the acronym, and had never heard of the maker. I think the mobility of the Onesky is really right up my alley, and the aperture is better than most of the other mobile scopes in this range. I think the 8" or 10" dobs will be a bit too big for my liking, and I'd probably use them a little less often because of that. Also, the dobs are much harder to store in my apartment (which is definitely a factor).

From most of the review I have read, a Barlow is strongly recommended for the Onesky. As the scope is a great value, and I have some wiggle room, is there a eyepiece set or any other accessories that you think would really enhance this kind of scope?

I was looking at the Celestron and came upon this Gosky set. Any thoughts/experience with either of these?

1. Get the collimator
   
   
2. Get the collimator
   
   
3. Get the collimator
   
   See the pattern?
   
   Edit:
   Ok more info. Your telescope is a reflector just like mine. There are two mirrors, one at each end of the tube. Your eyepiece has to be lined up correctly with the front mirror, and the front mirror and back mirror have to be lined up properly. The collimator (Celstron calls it the collimation eyepiece) helps you to line up these optics. Without doing this first your experience is going to be like mine was, very disappointing. Unless you're incredibly lucky most everything will be blurry, or smeared to some degree. Once you have collimated the scope properly everything becomes much much sharper. The effect is kind of like shining a flashlight on a wall. If the flashlight is lined up properly the light is sharp and round, if the flashlight is at an angle to the wall the light becomes distorted, stretched out and oval shaped. This is similar to what I experienced with my scope. It's well worth the extra 30 bucks.
   
   Get yourself a set of eyepieces of various sizes. Celestron has a decent entry level one for about 130 bucks I think. This will allow you to really get the best use of your scope once it's collimated.
   
   Have fun!
   
   Edit 2: Here is the collimation eyepiece and here is the eyepiece kit

> The main reason for making a post and not taking the suggestions from the sticky post is because I am looking for something that has a camera or camera mount or something like that so we can photograph what we see. I have no idea how this is done so I don't know if I am overreaching but I would appreciate any recommendations.

Unfortunately astrophotography works nothing like daytime pic snapping does. It's a complicated and involved process, and often requires significant equipment and time investment. It's not something I would suggest for a complete novice to start with.

Instead, an AWB OneSky is well within your budget, leaving you also with enough for some extras, like a planetary eyepiece (the 6mm one, and the 9mm is also good if you want to upgrade the kit eyepiece later). Also, don't forget to get the missing manual!

And you'll have the perfect starting kit!

Meade got slammed with how popular it was, especially when they had that introductory sale. Depending on where you are, you can also look at the Celestron Omni Alt-Az 130 - same OTA, but with a 2" focuser which is pretty neat. Sounds like you're not in the US though, as the 130 isn't found here.

http://smile.amazon.com/Celestron-22152-Omni-130mm-Newtonian/dp/B014EQ1PKE/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1463068824&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=celestron+omni+alt+az+150

That is some awesome advice. Other people are recommending a dob as well. Do you know any thing about this one?

http://www.amazon.com/Orion-SkyQuest-XT8-Dobsonian-Telescope/dp/B001DDW9V6/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1369432158&sr=1-1&keywords=orion+skyquest+xt8

Also, for $30 more they have this option which to me sounds like it might be worth it?

http://www.amazon.com/Orion-Classic-Dobsonian-Telescope-Beginner/dp/B003ZDEUS2/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1369432158&sr=1-2&keywords=orion+skyquest+xt8

Or do you recommend any dobs?

I bought this a couple years ago. It isn't the cheapest thing ever, but it is awesome. Light weight, stable on paved surfaces, and easily adjustable. It is absolutely essential to my sessions.

Vestil CPRO-800LP Ergonomic Worker Seat/Chair, 13-1/2" Width, 10" Depth, 300 lb. Capacity, 18" - 33" Height Range https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052PJFCW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Ue40CbMVAG3G5

Hi,

So I have been convinced not to go for the motorized telescope(as much as I like little motors going purr)

This has been recommended

http://www.amazon.co.uk/WATCHER-SKYLINER-PARABOLIC-DOBSONIAN-TELESCOPE/dp/B00B0GV1N8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1449523596&sr=8-2&keywords=sky-watcher+8

and it beats this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Orion-SkyQuest-Classic-Dobsonian-Telescope/dp/B001DDW9V6/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1449673307&sr=8-18-spons&keywords=dobsonian+telescope&psc=1

Both are comfortably under budget, should I pick one or are there other Dobsonians around the €700 budget ?

Thanks

I love my AD8.

I've bought tons of eyepieces and accessories. Without a doubt the best accessory I've bought is this adjustable height chair. Having this chair is the difference between seeing something in space, and observing something in space. The best eyepiece in the world is worthless if you're too uncomfortable to spend much time looking through it.

Vestil CPRO-800LP Ergonomic Worker Seat/Chair, 13-1/2" Width, 10" Depth, 300 lb. Capacity, 18" - 33" Height Range https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052PJFCW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_NCyoDb02ZGBPR

My next favorite accessory is the Telrad view finder. It's a game changer. After getting it, I just took off the viewfinder that came with the scope and I don't miss it at all.

Telrad Finder Sight https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000ALKAN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xGyoDbJDEY6Q7

For eyepieces, I love the big 2" that comes with the scope. It's my favorite. Otherwise I use this 8-24mm zoom eyepiece.

Celestron 93230 8 to 24mm 1.25 Zoom Eyepiece https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007UQNV8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_QIyoDb0P2HZCA

I've bought tons of other stuff but most of it doesn't get used much. This three things I use all the time.

Clear skies!

No problem! Only other thing I'd recommend is this book -

Turn Left at Orion: Hundreds of Night Sky Objects to See in a Home Telescope - and How to Find Them https://www.amazon.com/dp/1108457568/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_S5w4DbPS7Q07S




To help them find things in the sky.




If you wind up getting all this, you'll have some extremely happy parents and you will probably find yourself making some trips out to enjoy it with them 🙂

At just under 6', I have to really stretch up to see through the eyepiece of my Z8 when it's pointed straight up, and i often just stand and bend over, which isn't too comfortable. Being a little bit taller would help me a ton.

A better choice would really be to get a better chair like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0052PJFCW/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1469504489&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=astronomy+chair&dpPl=1&dpID=41PHQ29dVGL&ref=plSrch

For a 130SLT, yes. However there is a limitation.

You'll need a T-ring for Sony. Example: https://www.amazon.com/Gosky-Telescope-T-adapter-Adapter-Cameras/dp/B0163XEXPU ($13)

However, the 130SLT may require a barlow to reach focus. Sony's A mounts have a shorter flange focal distance than the Nikons I use (Which couldn't reach focus), but I'm not sure it's enough.

Example of barlow (I have used for my nikons, and it's actually a decent/good barlow) https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Magnification-Multi-Broadband-Telescope-Astronomy/dp/B00WW0TC32/

The other option (the one I opted for eventually) is to get appropriately length M5 rods and coupling nuts, and move the primary mirror forward 30mm-ish. (As I recall, I need to measure that sometime.)

The advantage for the Barlows is that it's easy. However that effectively doubles the focal length, and the focal ratio becomes f/10 as opposed to f/5, making imaging much harder.

You will have tracking issues, as it's supposed to update about every 30 seconds, and the motors seem to stall on those updates. So I would recommend keeping it to 15 or maybe 20 seconds. You can shoot 30 sec or longer, but you will need to discard a fair number of images.

Here's an example from 2ish years ago, with I think the barlow solution: https://i.imgur.com/gz5gVCn.jpg

I just bought a Orion 10" Skyline Dobsonian telescope. So far I'm having a blast with it. I did quickly by the book, Turn left at Orion and also I purchased a Celestron Eyepiece set. Celestron accessory kit . I wanted a lot of different options to start with. So far, not being an expert, they seem pretty cool. I will buy more expensive eyepiece in time. But for learning, I think this is lots.

​

The one thing I will say, make sure you're comfortable with the size of the 10" scope. It's a beast to lug around and store when your not using it. Not something, you can just grab and go with or throw in the car.

I have the XT8 and I agree that there is no better scope on the market for the money. I do recommend spending another $125 on Celestron's Eyepiece and filter kit though. It will make a world of difference.

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-94303-Accessory-Kit/dp/B00006RH5I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397408068&sr=8-1&keywords=celestron+eyepiece+kit

A great set of eyepieces and filters for a beginning astronomer and it all comes in a sturdy foam fitted case.

Here is what I bought:

Orion 5691 LaserMate Deluxe II Telescope Laser Collimator https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008XEGXMO/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_iXYTub1Z3HSD4

Celestron Accessory Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006RH5I/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_MYYTub0G8V843

Turn Left at Orion: Hundreds of Night Sky Objects to See in a Home Telescope - and How to Find Them https://www.amazon.com/dp/0521153972/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_bZYTub0ZKHRFC

I got the accessory kit as a Christmas present. I wanted to get a range of eyepieces then upgrade the ones that would benefit, I'm going to get the eyepiece mentioned by someone else.

Orion 8920 6mm Expanse Telescope Eyepiece https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000XMXXO/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_g0YTub1471RN7

As I'm having issues with my current 6mm eyepiece . Great scope!

That’s good to know about the vignetting. I might just continue using the original diagonal and lense.

I don’t think this came with a fork mount. We might be talking 2 different c90 models. Mine is the old c90 1000mm f11. It has a mount on the bottom that I attached a dovetail to.

I’m more concerned with getting an imaging setup working. I bought this and this. I guess I’ll see how it goes when I hook it up. Hopefully that’s what I need.

I just picked up that exact model as the best combination of size/portability/performance. Any recommendations on eyepiece upgrades? I was thinking this as a decent survey kit to get a bunch of pieces to try.

Less than $200 CAD would get you a nice pair of binoculars.

https://www.amazon.ca/Nikon-Action-Extreme-Terrain-Binoculars/dp/B0001HKIJK/

If you can bump the budget to $328 CAD (overpriced but I only did a quick search), you can get 10x50 which is a little more magnification to bring out some of the Messier objects in more detail.

https://www.amazon.ca/Nikon-Action-Extreme-Terrain-Binoculars/dp/B0001HKIK4/

How good is this telescope? http://www.amazon.com/Meade-Instruments-216006-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B00LU1DY8S

It's the same price as the 127eq but not a birdjones design! also focal length is 1000mm and aperture is 114mm, not a problem.

Add another $25 to your budget and you'll get a scope that's infinity better: the AWB OneSky or http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-22152-Omni-130mm-Newtonian/dp/B014EQ1PKE/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1462296768&sr=1-2-fkmr1&keywords=omni+xlt+alt+az+130

None of those are Dobsonians. Dobsonians are relfectors (Which is what they are) and a Dobsonian mount. Many people recommend the XT8. I personally have the skywatcher 6 inch dob
https://www.amazon.com/Orion-8945-SkyQuest-Dobsonian-Telescope/dp/B001DDW9V6

For a refractor, with such a large range of heights the eyepiece can end up, I suggest something like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0052PJFCW

Thanks for the help! I had no idea the mirrors were so delicate.

For now I'm probably going to pick up the 6 and 15mm eyepieces that Schorhr and GreenNinja139 mentioned, but I'm definitely going to want a light pollution filter later on. Obviously dark skies are preferable, but getting anywhere with low light pollution for me is going to mean a two hour drive each way, so I'll be stuck at home for most of my gazing.

As for the Barlow, does this look like a decent one?

So right now I'm deciding between these three telescopes, including the ones you recommended (thanks!).

http://www.amazon.com/Vixen-39951-A70Lf-Telescope-Porta/dp/B0027VSSU4

http://www.amazon.com/Orion-8944-SkyQuest-Dobsonian-Telescope/dp/B001DDW9UW

http://www.amazon.com/Orion-8945-SkyQuest-Dobsonian-Telescope/dp/B001DDW9V6

Do you think that these are reasonable deals and prices?

If you're locked into purchasing from Amazon, you have these options for an 8" dob:
$355
https://www.amazon.com/SkyWatcher-S11610-Traditional-Dobsonian-8-Inch/dp/B00Z4G3PRK/

$390 but out of stock until August 4th:
https://www.amazon.com/Orion-8945-SkyQuest-Dobsonian-Telescope/dp/B001DDW9V6/

Is orion xt8 similar to z8?
The prices are almost identical.

http://www.amazon.com/Orion-8945-SkyQuest-Dobsonian-Telescope/dp/B001DDW9V6

This seems to be the starting point for a lot of people. simple to use, lots of room to upgrade, decent sized aperture. It's what I have and it gets my vote

Any multi-coated Barlow will do. I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Broadband-Standard-Telescope-Eyepiece/dp/B00WW0TC32/ref=pd_cp_421_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00WW0TC32&pd_rd_r=T2AXC89H2SKA6KHSWZ7R&pd_rd_w=RN4fp&pd_rd_wg=hMNA7&psc=1&refRID=T2AXC89H2SKA6KHSWZ7R

what's your opinion on the Polaris 130mm EQ

"Turn Left At Orion" by Guy Consolmagno and Dan M. Davis. Can be found on Amazon here.

EDIT: Apparently there is an updated version of the book (5th edition).

EDIT 2: watch the delivery time - the link in my former edit says ships within 1-3 months. Might not be the best choice for under the xmas tree.