(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best telescope & microscope accessories

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.

Ok, so first off, this is not a good setup for astrophotography. The mount is not suited for it and the scope is not intended for it. That said, there are some things that might work within limits.

The primary limit here is the mount. This is an alt-az mount, and, as such, is not realistically capable of long exposure imaging. This means that deep sky photography (nebulae, galaxies, star clusters) is not an option with this arrangement. For those targets, you need long exposures (typically > 1 minute, often much longer), and this mount just can't handle that. You can, however, capture images of the moon and planets (Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn), though the planets may be tricky.

The next issue is the scope. Most Newtonian telescopes that are not specifically intended for imaging have a problem with focusing. If you want to understand why, I've written that up here. Also, with the smaller secondary mirror of the average Newtonian, you end up not getting full and even illumination of your camera's image sensor. Still, for the moon and planets, you may be ok.

There, as you appear to be learning, two main types of imaging: prime focus and eyepiece projection. Prime focus is usually the better option. The primary benefit of eyepiece projection is higher magnification. This is not always a good thing. I'll circle back to this.

With prime focus, this arrangement may just not work, as per my link above. However, the addition of a Barlow lens may do so.

I googled the adapter you have and found this. With the T-ring for a Canon camera you then have 3 pieces: the t-ring itself, the 1.25" nosepiece (the portion that inserts into your focuser), and the adjustable barrel that can accept an eyepiece for eyepiece projection. For the time being, I would recommend you sit the eyepiece projection portion on the bench and continue ONLY with the nosepiece and t-ring.

Now, if you attach these to the camera and then attach the camera to the scope, the focal point is probably still too far inside the focuser tube. you have to get the focal plane to the image sensor, and if the focal point is inside the focuser tube, you'll never get there. You need to push it out further.

This is where the Barlow comes in. The Barlow effectively increases overall focal length, and typically will push the focal point outward a bit, usually enough to allow the camera to reach focus. However, if you have that long adjustable tube in there, odds are it won't push the focal plane out that far. By dropping that tube and just using the adapter with the Barlow, you're probably going to be able to reach focus. Note, you mentioned "with or without the lens at the end of the barlow" - without that lens, you probably just have an empty tube, which works great as an extension tube if you ever need it, but is exactly what you do NOT want here.

You mentioned you have both a 2x and a 5x Barlow. Most Barlow lenses are not all that high quality. Some are, but you usually have to shell out more for them. For simple visual observing, they're usually ok, but they're not likely to be all that great for photographic use. Especially that 5x. Unless it's a TeleVue (and I doubt you bought one of those), it's likely to not be all that helpful. Further, odds are you're going to be pushing your magnification beyond the useful limit.

The Astro fi 130 has an aperture of 130 mm and a focal length of 650 mm. The T5i, also known as the 700D, has an APS-C sensor with an array of 5184x3456 pixels. When paired with your scope without a Barlow, if it could focus you would get a field of view about 1.96° by 1.31°, or 117.6' x 78.6' (arcminutes), which means a pixel resolution of 1.36" (arcseconds) per pixel. With the 2x Barlow, you get about half of that, so 58.8' by 39.3' with pixel resolution of .68" per pixel. Here's where you start getting into trouble.

Due to diffraction, the amount of detail you can get out of an optical system is limited by the aperture and the wavelength of the light being collected. For a 130 mm telescope, the diffraction limit for visible light ranges from about 0.74" for the extreme blue-end of the spectrum (around 380 nm) to 1.36" for the extreme red end of the spectrum (700 nm). At around 460 nm or so, around the area where the human eye is most sensitive, the limit is about 0.89". This coincides with the Dawes' Limit, so I'll generally use that as a shortcut from here out.

What this means is that any detail with an angular size smaller than 0.89" is likely too small to be able to resolve even under the best of conditions. There's a bit of wiggle room here, but with a 2X barlow, you're exceeding the ability of the telescope to provide detail. This means that you're oversampling: the camera's resolution per pixel exceeds what the optics are capable of providing. Generally speaking, this is problematic as it means small errors in tracking and guiding can have a greater impact. However, since you're only able to do short exposures anyway, this shouldn't be as big a problem.

But it also means that even with the 2X Barlow, Planets won't look all that big in your image. At its closest approach to the Earth, Jupiter can get to be about 50.8" in diameter. At a pixel scale of 0.68", this means that an image of Jupiter would be, at most, 75 pixels in diameter. Not all that big.

If you go to the 5X Barlow, it improves a little. You get a field of view of 23.4" by 15.6" and a pixel resolution of 0.27" per pixel. This would make Jupiter appear to be about 188 pixels across - much bigger, but still pretty small. And at that size, you are dramatically oversampling. While it would appear bigger, it would appear noticeably less sharp and detailed.

Adding in eyepiece projection just muddies things more. The smallest details you can see haven't changed, you're just making them bigger and blurrier.

There is a way to improve things, however. To do this, instead of capturing single exposures, you want to capture video and process using stacking software like Registax or Astrostakkert.

Stacking will do two things for you:

First, the basic use of stacking gives you the best possible image from a set of samples. In essence, it's a statistical analysis of a group (stack) of images. After you line up each image so that the same part of each image is directly above the same part of an underlying image, you then look at each pixel location in the stack. You take the same pixel location from each image and average their values. In theory, this provides the most likely "correct" value for that pixel. Often a weighted average is used. First the mean and standard deviation are calculated, then any pixels that are more than one or two standard deviations above or below the mean are discarded, and the average is re-calculated from the remaining values. This removes outlier values that might skew the analysis. Once you have that value, you do the same with each other pixel, and you end up with a picture that's made up of the average values of each pixel in the stack and, therefore, something that most likely represents the "true" image.

With other stacking techniques, such as lucky imaging, speckle interferometry, and drizzle, you can actually interpolate a deeper level of resolution. The larger the number of samples, the deeper the detail you can resolve. There's a limit, of course, you're not going to get Hubble-level detail, but you can easily increase your resolution several times above the native pixel resolution.

However, it's not as easy as just clicking a button and waiting for it to spit out a perfect image.

Additionally, the size of your pixel array and, thus, the size of the images you're capturing is not helpful. You're best off using the smallest image size you can. For video, your camera should allow you to do 720x480 resolution. This gives you an effective pixel resolution of 1.91" per pixel, which is under-sampled. But, the key thing here is that the stacking process will allow you to recover that detail. Still, for planetary imaging, this camera isn't the best option.

A much better option would be to get a cheap webcam and hack it to work. This basically requires removing the lens housing and attaching something to act as a nosepiece. If you have access to a 3D printer, you can do this pretty easily, or if you can get an old 35 mm film container (those old black containers with the gray lids that 35 mm film came in), you can toss the cap, cut off the bottom, and glue the webcam to the top, then run it through a laptop and capture video at around 30 fps. The total cost of this arrangement is likely to be under $20 and will do as well or better than your T5i. As an added bonus, removing the lens housing should also remove the built-in low-pass filter that nearly all cameras have and which blocks longer wavelength light. This makes it more sensitive to the near IR range of the spectrum, which is generally preferred for AP (though not absolutely necessary for planetary imaging).

Overall, as you're probably coming to understand, AP isn't a point-and-shoot game. It's damnably complex and getting even semi-decent images is often a tricky undertaking. Except for the moon. Nearly anyone can get a decent image of the moon.

My last suggestion really should be the first: join a club. Find a local astronomy club or society and join up. There's almost certainly a few people doing imaging in the club: get to know them and learn more about how they do what they do and why they do it that way. It'll make a huge difference.

I've tested the eyepieces of the kit, and they're not good value. I would go for fewer but better eyepieces. A Celestron 32mm omni for wide views (due to a wider apparent field of view, you will get wider views than when using the 40mm one). For higher magnifications (ie: shorter focal lengths of the eypieces for the same telescope), lots of experienced people suggest getting the "gold-line" eyepieces as a starting point, sometimes branded as svbony. They are supposed to have a very decent quality for the price you pay if you choose the shorter focal length ones and use them in a long focal ratio telescope, like the 6SE and other Cassegrains (f/10). See for example the 10mm and 4 mm ones. They have longer eye relief than the short focal length eyepieces of the kit (meaning that they don't requiere you to put your eye too close to the eyepiece), and they have a wide field of view (so you don't feel like you're looking through a straw). The wider versions (20,30-ish mm) of the gold-lines seem to be not that good. They suggest to look for ghosting (diffuse internal reflections) and as for a replacement if needed. You can research that aspect if you will.
Another good option seems to be the Agena Starguider Dual ED series, also better in slower (higher focal ratio) telescopes, with good field of view and eye relief. It seems they are not available in Amazon Canada, but check this in the US store.


Although using eyepieces by themselves will get you better quality, a decent enough barlow is a good idea to get more magnification if needed. The celestron omni 2x barlow is good enough for a start.


Maybe get a moon filter. Not sure if this is good enough. Note: the so called "skyglow and moon filter" is to partially diminish the natural night glow of the atmosphere, and the atmospheric glow due to the moon, and work better in darker skies.

I recently bought a C6 optical tube assembly (OTA), basically the same as the 6SE. I have not received it yet but as for eyepieces I got the celestron omni 32 mm, I'll be testing the stock 25mm Plossl that comes with the OTA, I added a Meade series 5000 HD-60 9mm for higher magnification adn good eye relief, and the celestron 2x barlow. The latter will allow me to expand the set as if I had a 18mm (=32mm/2), 12.5mm (25mm/2) and 4.5mm (9mm/2), which don't overlap my actual set, while keeping relatively wide fields of view and good eye relief, but with a small penalty for the extra glass in the optical path.

Also, note that the magnification you will get will be limited in reality by the stability of the atmosphere of the moment and place you are observing from. For planetary and lunar observation you will probably want to magnify as much as you can. The 6SE is capable in theory of getting usable magnifications a bit above 300x. But getting 300x magnifications will probably be feasible only a few nights when the atmosphere is stable. You get that with a 5mm eyepiece in the 6SE, which has a 1500mm focal length. Your magnification will equal the focal length of the telescope divided by the focal length of your eyepiece: 1500mm/5mm = 300. So you are better off with less magnification for MOST of the nights, since you will be able to use that more often. Also, when using the 6SE with the nexstar mount, you will have a bit less of stability, due to the support of just one arm and the quality of the mount and tripod. This makes observing with higher magnifications a bit more cumbersome, since any light touch, like when you are focusing, will make your object move a lot for a short while.

For astrophotography, use a T-adapter and a T-ring. The latter should match the mount of the camera you will be using; in your case it should be one for Canon cameras.

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.

Lots of people are going to say 8" dob, Z8 specifically, and I have nothing but good to say about that. For a lot of people that's the only answer necessary.

However, let me offer an alternative case in favor of OneSky telescope by Astronomers Without Borders.

Three reasons for this recommendation:

SIZE The OneSky is a collapsible tabletop reflector. It is quite modestly sized when collapsed. It will fit in the front seat or trunk of a car and can easily be carried by even a child. Size ultimately is the thing that keeps a telescope indoors. There have been several nights this year where I've had 20 minutes to sneak a peek out at a beautiful crescent moon or something, but haven't, because I knew it would take me 20 minutes to set up my telescope and I would have no observing time. Plus all the work of lugging the heavy parts from my shed to my front yard. With a tabletop scope there's none of that. It takes 2 minutes to set up and requires no heavy lifting.

You will never miss an observing session due to the work of setting up the telescope, and you will never have to leave the telescope at home on a trip. An 8" Dob is going to show more simply because it's a larger scope, but the OneSky is going to show more than an 8" scope in the shed.

COST With a budget of $400, you will be able to afford some killer accessories after getting the $200 OneSky. Turn Left At Orion is the ideal book for a new telescope owner. A wide-field eyepiece like this one will give really good views of clusters like the pleiades and large nebulae like the Great Orion Nebula. A 6mm, 66 degree eyepiece will allow excellent, comfortable viewing of planets and smaller objects like binary stars. In addition you will be able to afford a comfortable stool to place the scope on, and a nice chair to sit on.

If you buy an 8" scope you will not be able to get all that stuff and stay in your $400 budget.

COMMUNITY The OneSky is well reviewed (review 1, review 2 under the Heritage 130 name) and has an active community of fans who have a lot of ideas about how to improve the performance of the scope for very little money/effort.

Troubleshooting this telescope is a breeze and the community is favorable. Even among seasoned enthusiasts the OneSky is popular.

The telescope is definitely going to come with a collimating device of some sort. I've only ever used a laser collimator, so I'm not sure how hard other collimating devices are to use. It never takes me more than 5 minutes to collimate my dob though.

I would get a 2x barlow (this one is pretty nice and also cheap), and some gold-line eyepieces. They're recommneded often on here because they're not too expensive but still pretty good. I would maybe get maybe the 15 mm and 6 mm. Those combined with the scope eyepieces and the barlow should give you all the magnifications you could want.

Whether a solar filter is worth it is entirely up to you. However, just note that if you don't want to put in $100s of dollars, you're pretty much limited to something made with Solar Filter Film or a basic glass filter. The views you get from that are definitely nice, but it might not be what you're expecting. You'll see something like this with those filters.

If the scope doesn't come with a 0 magnification red-dot finder scope, you might want to get one. Telrads are considered one of the best one's on the market (and I love mine to death), but they can be a bit pricey. A cheaper red dot finder scope (like this one) should also serve you just fine.

Besides that, I would definitely recommend getting the book Turn Left at Orion. It's essentially the complete beginners guide to all things Amateur Astronomy. It's absolutely fantastic.

One small other thing I can think of is a red-light flashlight (like this). It's definitely not necessary, but it's nice to be able to look at things in the dark without losing your night vision too much.

No worries :-)

I have the HR Planetary 2.5mm and I rarely ever use it. I used it with my 76/300 firstscope clone, but it barely made a difference (the image was just duller).

Saturn looked like a small dot with it's rings crude notepad sketch on my knee, Jupiter showed it's two center cloud bands.

The Firstscope may perform better than my no-name telescope (horrible secondary mirror holder, constant collimation issues) but don't expect too much.

The targets I enjoyed the most where open star clusters, for example

• H & Chi Persei
  
  
• CR399, the coat-hanger
  
  
• Plejads
  
  
• Others such as M44
  
  They benefit from the large field of view the Firstscope gives at lower magnification :-)
  
  Oh, and of course double star Albireo and Eps Lyr.
  
  The ring nebula was visible, but it was just a smudge.
  
  Andromeda an oval faint glow. M81/M82 a nice pair with slightly different shapes.
  
  It's probably best to discuss the planned observing night with your nephews before-hand, as the faint deep-sky objects can be underwhelming, especially in the small table-top telescope. It's much more exiting if you watch a video with them about what these targets actually are, look them up in Stellarium, so they know what they are seeing. :-)
  
   
  
  
  The Heritage comes with a 25mm that's not all that bad, and the 10mm is kind of usable. It's still MUCH better than what came with my firstscope clone :-)
  
  There are also the ...let's call them "Copper line"... eyepieces. Link. I have the 4mm, it 's plastic-y, the eye-relief is short (not as short as a 4mm Plössl's though), but they could be some kid-friendly eyepieces. But They won't be much of an upgrade to the firstscope kit eyepieces I guess despite having a larger apparent field of view.
  
   
  
  The HR Planetary 3-4mm
  
  4mm HR $27 China/Aliexpress
  
  3.2mm HR $35 China/Aliexpress
  
  Corvus Optics (USA) has the 2.5mm in stock, the 3-4mm are sold out for months and months. I do not recommend the 2.5mm.
  
  3.2mm at Amazon $49
  
  Agena Astro has them for $55, and also the slightly better Starguider Dual ED for $60. But IMHO that's a bit much for these small telescopes ;-)
  
  For $18 you can get the 6mm Gold-Line at Aliexpress, $45 at Agena Astro, sold out forever at Corvus Optics, and $36 (sometimes $30) at Amazon. The 6mm can be modified to 3-4mm relatively easily. Basically think of it as an eyepeice with a barlow in it's barrel. You can unscrew them and change the distance / tube-length, which results in more magnification.
  
  
• http://blog.pixelgiraffe.com/?p=820
  
  So if you are looking for a budget-budget solution, that's a great one.
  
  Of course you can also get a cheap achromatic barlow for <$20, but it will ad some chromatic aberration.
  

Hi there!

Well, first of all, I would be a little cautious going much above 140x with your scope. I know that the specs say the maximum magnification is 165x, but the general rule of thumb is to try not to go above 50x per inch of aperture (aperture is the width of front lens on your scope), or 2x per millimeter of aperture (so, for your scope, ~140x). So, since magnification depends on eyepiece focal length, the smallest focal length that you want to use with your scope is going to be about 6.4mm. Go any shorter than that and you'll probably just magnify a very blurry image. The only way to get more useful magnification than 140x is to get a telescope with more aperture (and then you'll hit a limit around 300x due to atmospheric distortions).

IMO, a barlow wouldn't do much for you at this point, as it would just give you one more magnification (180x), which is beyond the ~140x limit.

For eyepieces, it really just depends on what your budget is. For the most part, you get what you pay for with eyepieces (and pretty all much astronomical equipment in general). However, I will say this: if you feel this is a hobby that will last a long, long time, then investing in a high quality eyepiece might be a decent option for you, as you'll be able to use it with telescopes you might have in the future as well. Up to you.

One eyepiece that I could recommend to you is the Meade 4000 Series 6.4mm Plossl. This would provide 141x, so it'd be right at the limit of magnification. However, these Plossls with short focal lengths tend to have really short eye relief, which means you have to hold your eye very close to the eyepiece to see what you're looking at, which can be pretty uncomfortable. You can purchase this for ~$30 from Agena Astroproducts, or ~$34 from Amazon if you wish to purchase it there.

If you're willing to spend more, you could look at a Meade 5000 Series 6.5mm HD-60, which would provide 138x. This eyepiece has a bit more eye relief, and has a wider apparent field of view (you can Google info about wide vs narrow FOV). This is available for ~$80 from both Agena and Amazon.

If you really want a very nice eyepiece that you'd [probably] never really feel the need to replace, I'd take a look at the Explore Scientific 6.7mm 82 degree eyepiece, which would provide 134x. This is a very high quality eyepiece, and gives a very wide 80 degree apparent field of view (as opposed to a Plossl's 50 degrees or the HD-60's 60 degrees). Available from Agena for ~$140 or from Amazon for ~$145.

And of course there are other options - these are just the first three that came to mind.

Hope that helps! Be sure to ask any other questions you might have!

Yes. Basically, these adapters have 2 clamps, the phone clamp and the eyepiece clamp.

The Gosky phone clamp has an adjustable width that accommodates mobile phones from 54-90mm wide.

The iPhone 7 is 67mm wide, and the 7plus is 78mm wide. The Gosky adapter accommodates mobile phones from 54-90mm wide, so you're good-to-go on that.

The eyepieces for your scope range from 33 to 41mm in diameter depending on the particular eyepiece according to this spec sheet.

The Gosky's eyepiece clamp accommodates eyepieces from 32mm to 62mm. Your scope has 1.25 inch eyepiece (32mm), but the back barrel (dimension D) ranges from 1.3 to 1.6 inches (33 to 41mm) so it should work ok, but it will be near the end of the thread of the eyepiece clamp.

Browsing Amazon I ran across another phone adapter by SBVONY with the same design but it's a little smaller. The SBVONY eyepiece clamp accommodates 25mm-48mm eyepieces. Your 1.25 telescope eyepieces are right in the middle of that range. I think this one would be a better fit.

Any other differences between the Gosky adapter and the SVBONY? About $7. hehe I'm happy with my Gosky adapter. The build quality is good. I got it to use with this monocular which has a large eyepiece.

If you go with the SVBONY, and I don't see why not, it actually suits your scope better, you could add a Bluetooth remote for $7. A remote lets you snap pictures without touching the equipment. This helps reduce vibrations, which is good.

The design of the Gosky and the SVBONY adapters is basically the same. You loosen both of he clamps, get the phone's camera in position over the eyepiece, and then tighten them up. This can be a bit tricky at first as you angle the phone to get its camera in position, but you get the hang of it. I took a look at the video of the Orion SteadyPix EZ Smartphone Telescope Photo Adapter and it has a better design that makes the setup easier. It has an auto-centering feature and longer fingers on the part that clamps down on the eyepiece. The only downside is it costs $90. If you're thrifty like me, go with the SVBONY unit.

Suggestion: Get a good 25mm eyepiece. Unfortunately for me, I've discovered older ones tend to be better, in any sort of generic kit like that. I tend to use a MA25 (came with the Meade 6600), 9mm (also came with the Meade) and a 4mm (Celestron Omni)

For visual observing, I wasn't a believer until I compared the MA25 from my Meade 6600, with one from an ETX-70, and a Celestron 25mm from a 130SLT. Each was an easily observable step down. (I have some Tasco ones which are worse still.)

Alternatively, if you have a DSLR, get a t-ring and adapter. You'll be able to do a bunch of cool things. If you've got good tracking, you'll be able to get good images. https://imgur.com/a/1QGAI - Most are from a Meade 6600, which is almost exactly the same as yours. 152/760 f/5 in terms of optics, and if it's the sky view deluxe as your last post indicated, almost the same mount.

I can't recall if that Orion image in the album was with just a tracking system, or with Onstep. It's not Hubble, or even one of the big scopes, but you'll be surprised what you can find using a camera on a scope like that.

I've motorized mine with an Arduino using OnStep (https://groups.io/g/onstep/wiki/2D-RAMPS14) Which also gives me the capability to guide it for longer exposures. (Though I've almost gotten the tracking good enough, that when I use Ekos/kstars to help align it, I can often get 180 to 300 second exposures with minimal issues, without guiding.)

I have this barlow lens (https://smile.amazon.com/SVBONY-M42x0-75-Connect-Interface-Telescope/dp/B0169QR8OE/), and I have no complaints, and it has a T-ring built into it, which is great for me. (Their 5x barlow, I do have issues with, as well as every other barlow I have. An old Meade one was so bad, I removed the lens and use it as an extension tube only now.)

Oh, and with a 25mm, your FOV will be close to what the pictures have (but with a round perspective.)

If nothing else for imaging, get something like this: https://smile.amazon.com/SVBONY-Universal-Binocular-Monocular-Telescope/dp/B01K7M0JEM/ which holds your cell phone, if you've got one that allows for any control over the camera, as it will work through your eyepieces. It won't be great, but most people would probably be surprised.

Hope that helps, and gives you some ideas. (Or someone comes and corrects me!)

Oh cool, that was my first scope! It still sits on my table, I have very fond feelings for it. It performs really well for its size, and it's a sturdy little thing. A lot of people count it out, but I think that's a great scope to get into the hobby with.

As u/schorhr and Submarine have already shared, it's definitely not the ideal scope for planets, but it will get you started! The 4mm schorhr recommends would probably be great. I personally (on his recommendation, back in the day, went with a 3.2mm). I think I bought this one. Knowing better now, I would probably look for one on aliexpress or ebay for cheaper. That eyepiece will get you around x125, which is definitely pushing the envelope for the scope.

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.

I would like to point this out:

>And don’t settle for a 99% partial eclipse just outside the path. “There’s no comparison between partial and total solar eclipses when it comes to sheer grandeur and beauty,” Michael Zeiler, longtime eclipse chaser and creator of the Great American Eclipse website told Universe Today. We witnessed the 1994 annular solar eclipse of the Sun from the shores of Lake Erie, and can attest that a 99% partial eclipse is still pretty darned bright!

Do yourself a favor and make the short trip up to the Nashville area where you can see "Totality" for up to 2 minuites and 40 seconds.

I also recommend a good pair of solar sunglasses and maybe a good pair of binoculars with a solar filter.

Do not ever stare directly at the sun without protective gear on

Ok there are a few ways that you can go about this. The first would be to start out the easiest and cheapest way and use a cell phone adapter.

Something like this Vankey Cellphone Telescope Adapter Mount, Work with Binocular Monocular Spotting Scope Microscope for iPhone, Samsung, HTC, LG and More https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01788LT3S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_qH3IDbVJMADH9

Because the iPhones native camera app sucks you’ll want to use a different app, I recommend camera + 2 which only costs a couple bucks. That way you can adjust the ISO and shutter speed so you can see the details of the planets through your camera.

The follow is a still shot of Jupiter I got this way on a 6 inch dob.

https://imgur.com/7t2SaBq

If you try this route first you can see if you have a higher level of interest in using the dslr, and this process will only cost you $20 or less.

Going the dslr route you’ll need a camera with live view and preferably digital zoom, I don’t know which one you have. You can get something like a T3i used for a couple hundred bucks and you’ll need a t ring adapter.

Once you have that you’ll follow the process shown in this 4 minute long you tube video below. This is the best and most concise video I’ve ever seen on dslr planetary imaging.

You’ll need to shoot live video and then process the image. All of the software seen in this video is free.

https://youtu.be/6CVxcPoM8Xg

The other option would be to use a dedicated planetary camera but I have no experience with that.

Those cameras I believe need to be hooked up to a computer for live viewing but may produce better images in the end.

I think the good ones (ZWO lineup) are a bit pricy and of course you can only use them for this specific purpose. Investing in a suitable dslr will allow you to take photos of planets and still have a great all purpose camera if you want to ever try to photograph the Milky Way, etc.

With $100-150 you could probably either (1) get a nice tripod and try to take some wide-field shots of the Milky Way or certain constellations from a dark location (i.e. very far from Chicago) or (2) Get yourself an okay-ish telescope and take lunar and planetary shots. I took this and this with a ~$120 telescope + $35 barlow lens + $10 camera adapter and a very similar camera, and while they're definitely far less impressive than what most people on this sub can do, they were a lot of fun to take and (imo) a great way to get into the hobby. I'd recommend paying a bit more for a better telescope since this one is definitely not ideal, even for this price range. Unfortunately, AP gets expensive really quickly, so you'll most likely have to shell out at the very least a few hundred dollars to get some nice and crisp space shots. It's probably better to pay more now to avoid later feeling the need to upgrade your equipment immediately, especially if budget isn’t a big issue. I say this as someone who’s been using the same cheap equipment for several years, though, so it definitely depends.

Edit: The t3i also has a really great crop video mode that’s perfect for planetary photography, if I remember correctly.

If you’re trying to photography the Milky Way or galaxies/nebulae/etc, going for a sturdy tripod (and then eventually getting a sky tracker for ~$300 to really kick up your shots, if you enjoy the hobby) might be the move to get your feet wet without breaking the bank. Check out the “What Telescope?” page on the wiki for more info, but I’m not sure how recently it was updated. Hope you can find the equipment that’s right for you

Thank you so much for the help! Watched a few youtube videos on it and that also helped, thank you for the suggestion. If you wouldn't mind checking this and letting me know if I need anything else if you have any time, I would highly appreciate it.

mount

Telescope tube rings (Does the size matter, like is there a way to tell if it's good for the telescope or not? this is my telescope

mounting plate

[T-Ring adapter] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0140U9IWQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) (The camera I am using is a Nikon D750)

camera adapter

And possibly this autoguider

Once again, thank you for the help.

SkySafari, and other apps like it, are super easy to use, and extremely helpful. Download it and give it a try! Start the app, and just point your phone/tablet up, like you're taking a pic of the sky. It'll show you what constellations/planets/objects you're pointing the phone at. Play with it indoors to get the hang of it. Turn down your phone's brightness at night. And many apps like this have a "red" or "night mode" setting, that doesn't blind you at night.

Telrads are nice ( https://www.amazon.com/s?k=telrad ). I personally prefer them to traditional finder scopes, but that's just my opinion. Unlike a finderscope, Telrads don't give any magnification at all. This lets you see more of the stars that you're using for reference.

That makes it easier to do things like, "I want to aim exactly halfway between those two stars," or, "I want to aim just above the tip of that triangle."

Smaller "red dot finders" work well too, and are dirt cheap: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009X3UU/

But if you do get one someday, remember to keep both eyes open while using it!!

I know you asked about bins+camera phones, but I think your success will be limited. Expensive DSLR isn't absolutely necessary, though, I have gotten a lot of great pictures out of my cheaper-and-smaller Panasonic Lumix FZ200, which has a builtin 600mm non-DSLR lens -- getting a lot of optical zoom is critical.

I've done some digiscoping with a spotting scope plus this relatively cheap Gosky adapter from Amazon (this one would fit bins: https://www.amazon.com/Gosky-Universal-Smartphone-Telescope-Microscope/dp/B01D5W0WES/ref=sr_1_sc_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1486338210&sr=8-3-spell&keywords=gosk+y+spotting+scope). It's ok, but it takes a bit to setup -- you're not getting any warbler pics with this kind of setup, but it serves for ducks and other things that tend to be not moving.

What kind of birds are you hoping to take pictures of? And are you looking for pics-for-ID or pics-for-aesthetic-beauty?

If I still had the webcam, I'd show you a picture. It's so laughably simple!

Take any old cheapo webcam, and remove the lens. Really, that's the only important thing that you have to do - you want the CMOS (or CCD on newer ones) chip exposed, and not going through two lenses.

The end of a water bottle (or a film canister, which was mentioned above) fits perfectly into the aperture of a telescope, just like any old lens would. The beauty (?) of a water bottle is that you can just cut it in a way that will allow you to glue it to the webcam, it's easy. Got some testors model glue? Or, heck, even some of that crappy white school glue - it'll work just fine.

Nowadays, I use the NexImage, but it's pretty costly. And, y'know, I always thought the old CMOS webcam had better colour quality anyways!

You don't need very much magnification at all, as they're visible with the naked eye. But if you want a really clear, detailed image, you want to collect a lot of light, so the diameter of the telescope is what really matters. The bigger the better. This one is a pretty good bang for your buck, especially if you also get this to go with it.

This is amazing! Even though I do not have a telescope yet, I want one for my binoculars. That would be awesome for wildlife watching.

​

Oh wait, I'm in Canada and it costs a lot more here, about 38 USD instead of under 15 USD :-(
Will have it in my wish list for now.

Edit: Found a similar one that has a more reasonable price when bought from the North. This one is less popular based on reviews so I hope it is as good!

Yes, I use this cell phone adapter: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D5W0WES/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The claim of 32-62mm eyepiece diameter doesn't mean the focal length of your eyepiece. You can attach this to something as small as a 4mm eyepiece (although I don't recommend it because of the difficult process of aligning your camera to the small eye-relief, it's better to use a larger eyepiece with a barlow).

Depending how thick your case is (mine is fairly large) if you have one, you may have to take it out because it will not fit in the clamp. No problems after that however. Finding the sweet spot for the camera lens and the eyepiece can be harder than collimating the telescope, in my opinion. The easiest way to do so is by using the moon as a "preview" through your camera app. If the moon isn't out, then a bright object such as Sirius or a distant streetlight worked just as well. Adjusting iso and exposure/shutter speed
during the process helped a lot. Once you have everything setup, it made capturing whatever you want much, much easier. You can do stable videos of planets and 1-2 second exposure photos (untracked) with a 24mm eyepiece on whatever you want without glaringly obvious star trails. This is a single, raw image of the orion nebula from my light polluted city: https://imgur.com/a/2Srr0Ob If you took several of these shots and stacked them together with some dark and bias frames, you could probably get a decent looking image. If you're wondering what star trails start to look like after more than 2 seconds, here you go (orion nebula again, raw shot 10 second exposure): https://imgur.com/a/M2QF8l1 Overall, definitely worth it to use a mount for any kind of space pictures. P.S adapter/mount doesn't have to be used for just a telescope, you can attach it to a microscope and get stable videos of microorganisms/other tiny objects if you're into that as well

I'm looking at getting a barlow lens to do some planetary imaging. I currently have a D3300, which I hook up to the scope with a 1.25" T-adapter and a T-ring. If I want to include a barlow in this setup, do I have to get an item that is a T-adapter and barlow, such as the Celestron barlow here, or can I get any barlow and insert it between the telescope and the T-adapter?
Also, is there a big quality difference between cheap barlows? I'm looking to spend <$50. I've heard that the Celestron one I linked is alright, as well as some GSO and Astro-tech barlows, but I'm wondering how much better they are compared to a cheap alternative like this.
One more problem- I have two telescopes, one is an old Meade alt-az goto that works fine with the current D3300 setup, and the other is an old 8" Bushnell dob. With the T-adapter and T-ring on the dob, the sensor on the camera is too far back to focus, even with the focus scrolled all the way in. How would I go about fixing this? Will a barlow make this problem worse, or fix it?
Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read through all this!

That setup is similar to what I'm doing. My prime camera will be a 600mm on my Nikon D810, and then I have a GoPro on a rotating head shooting panorama movies, and a Nikon D600 on a Syrp Genie Mini shooting still panoramas. The environment on the ground during an eclipse is also interesting, but it's never anything I get a chance to look at.

If you plan to shoot the partial phases, you MUST have a proper solar filter on the front of the lens. If you already have one, then go out today and start practicing with it NOW, the correct exposure depends on the filter.

For work with the 500, the correct exposure during the partial phase will not change. More of the Sun is being covered, but the part that is exposed is still the same brightness. For the wider lenses, exposure obviously will change as it gets darker.

I see that Amazon is still advertising a 4x4 sheet of Thousand Oaks filter, but the price has gone up a buck just in the last hour:

https://www.amazon.com/Solar-Filter-Telescopes-Binoculars-Cameras/dp/B00DS7IFQS/ref=sr_1_1

Thousand Oaks is one of the very best manufacturers of optical-quality solar filters.

For shooting totally, bracketing is your friend. Set the camera on manual and then just bracket like mad, at least five stops in both directions of what your camera claims is correct. Different exposures will give you much different details in the cornoa, there is no one "correct" exposure. If you have a whole range of exposures, you pick the one you like, or combine them all with HDR software.

Needless to say, the 500 MUST be on a sturdy tripod, and you should also use a cable release.

Equipment:

• Orion Starblast 4.5 EQ Newtonian Reflector (450mm focal length, 113mm aperture). Standard aluminium tripod that comes with it.
  
• GSO 2x Barlow Lens (Turns out without the Barlow, the image plane of the telescope lies too far down the focuser for the camera to be able to focus properly. With the Barlow, it can focus nicely.)
  
• Astromania camera adapter (it has an extendable bit that can be used for eyepiece projection, but I wasn't using the whole thing, no eyepiece, just the Barlow)
  
• Nikon D7200
  
  Camera settings:
  
  
• ISO 100
  
• 1/30s exposure
  
• RAW, max resolution (6000x4000 pixels)
  
  Processing:
  
  
• Some mucking about in Lightroom, I don't really know what I'm doing there. The wife uses it and she's taken the little one to visit her parents (hence why I had time to play).
  
• Also quite a bit of cropping and combining the two images into one.
  
  ​
  
  My actual first attempt at astrophotography, I've been a regular observer for quite a number of years but I only got hold of a camera adapter a little while ago. There were some challenges, mostly that the camera that I've got is too heavy for the lightweight telescope. A heavier counterweight (or a longer bar) might help to an extent. The camera adapter was in fixed mode for this image. I tried to put it into the extendable mode as shown in the link, so that I could include a 6mm eyepiece to try and get more magnification, but then it became physically unstable, and try as I might I couldn't get anything to show in the camera's viewfinder or on the screen. With the adapter in fixed mode though, it was easy enough. The standard rack & pinion focuser that the telescope came with was also somewhat fidgety to focus, but using the camera's live view and zooming right in to the planets themselves, I think I did alright.
  
  
  Would be happy to hear feedback from more experienced veterans! I know my equipment is not the best, I've had it for years though and acquired most of it when I was a student on a limited budget (not that I have much of a budget for toys nowadays...). I'm quite pleased with the results given the limits of my skill and resources though.

Wow, can't thank you enough for the awesome response. I think my course of action at this point will be to get a CCD webcam, read a lot more, and just experiment a lot. Everything you said makes perfect sense, but I think it'll be a lot more obvious to me when I actually take some pictures and make some mistakes.

One final question. It seems most of the popular cheap webcams which are popular for astrophotography are discontinued. This unit from Celestron seems to use the same (or very similar) sensor as the Phillips Toucam.

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-NexImage-Solar-System-Imager/dp/B0002X5Q72

I'll probably just pick one of those up so I don't have to track down a discontinued item. Would I be shooting myself in the foot for any reason for buying that?

An ok scope on a flimsy/shaky tripod will annoy you real fast. And a shaky equatorial mount is doubly annoying. The scope you list may be ok but their mounts are suspect.

You should leave some room in your budget for additional decent eyepieces (think plossl), a moon filter, and maybe a 2x barlow (don't go crazy with 5x.. you won't be happy). An ok zoom eyepiece may be pleasing to start.

Dobsonians have a sturdy base and are great suggestions. You may need to columnate them now and then and they can be bulky so travel is tough even sometimes getting it in and out of house/apt especially if stairs are involved.

Consider a small Maksutov such as Celestron c90 on a sturdy photo tripod. That should leave you plenty of room in your budget for accessories.

The c90 comes with erect image finder and diagonals so you can use this system during the day, too, for bird watching or whatever.. increasing its usefulness.

https://www.amazon.ca/Celestron-52268-Spotting-scope-Black/dp/B0038QYRDO/

https://www.amazon.ca/Celestron-93230-24mm-1-25-Eyepiece/dp/B0007UQNV8/

https://www.amazon.ca/Gosky-Variable-Polarizing-Telescopes-Eyepiece/dp/B010UH5SL8

https://www.amazon.ca/Celestron-Omni-2X-Barlow-Lens/dp/B00008Y0TM

edit:
Don't forget to save some budget for a solar filter such as....

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OXKGUS4

As a recent XT8 owner, here's what I've purchased so far:

Rigel or Telrad finderscope. I bought the Rigel as I think it will be a little easier to use than the Telrad and take up less horizonal space.

Right Angle Correct Image finderscope like the Orion 9x50 is also helpful.

Wide angle 2" eyepieces, between 26mm and 38mm is what people talk about. It will probably become your primary eyepiece too. I picked up a set of used Orion Q70 that I'm waiting to be delivered and try out. Explore Scientific is also a brand that gets good reviews.

As for mods, I've installed an Ebonystar ring laminate kit on the azimuth base to provide smoother rotation. And replaced the teflon pads with higher quality pads on the altitude base. Though I think I probably should have only replaced 2 of the 4 pads. I have too little friction now so the scope (being top heavy) tends to slip downwards on its own.

The scope was used and it came with the Celestron accessory kit listed below. I only use the 32mm Plossl, the Barlow, and maybe one other eyepiece. The rest of the eyepieces (the ones with small aperatures) are almost impossible for me to use since I wear eyeglasses. I've used the Moon filter a couple of times. The rest of that kit is useless IMO. I wouldn't purchase the kit, and would recommend simply picking up the eyepieces separately, preferably used on one of the many astronomy forums.

There are quite a few out there and it really depends on your budget. Here a few that I believe are good for DSOs.

http://www.telescope.com/Accessories/Telescope-Eyepieces/32mm-Orion-Sirius-Plossl-Telescope-Eyepiece/c/3/sc/47/p/8728.uts

https://www.amazon.ca/Celestron-Omni-1-1-32MM-Eyepiece/dp/B00008Y0SS

http://www.amazon.com/Televue-32mm-Plossl-1-25-Eyepiece/dp/B0001GO16W

I like the Celestron because it is fairly priced and it is a decent eyepiece. If your budget can fit a Televue, then go for it!
Hopefully this helps.

Mount: ZEQ25 is a solid mount, I own the Sirius because I went used and Orion has a better track record for reliability. The AVX is another option. ($800-$1200)

Guide scope: + guide camera http://www.amazon.com/Orion-Magnificent-Mini-AutoGuider-Package/dp/B00QAAZLMQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1451689935&sr=8-2&keywords=Orion+mini+guide+package $360

That leaves at around $900 for a scope. I suggest a refractor. They are sosososososo much easier for beginners.

Here are my suggestions

http://www.optcorp.com/william-optics-gt81-triplet-apo-refractor-telescope.html

http://www.optcorp.com/vixen-ed80sf-80mm-f-7-5-refractor-telescope-2617.html

http://www.optcorp.com/explore-scientific-80mm-f-6-essential-series-triplet-refractor-ed0806-01.html

http://www.optcorp.com/sw-s11100-pro-80-ed-apo-refractor-telescope.html

http://www.optcorp.com/orion-80mm-3-15-ed-apo-refractor-telescope-ota.html

http://telescopes.net/store/astro-tech-ed-four-element-65mm-f-6-5-apochromatic-refractor.html

My favorite above, from 3rd to 1st pick if it were me, being the the 80mm ES triplet, WO 80mm refractor, or the AT65EDQ.

If you are insistent on reflector, I would not put an 8: on the ZEQ, get the Sirius if you want an 8"

http://www.optcorp.com/tpo-6-f4-imaging-newtonian-ota.html or 8" variant

http://www.optcorp.com/skywatcher-8inch-quattro-imaging-newtonian-s11210.html

http://www.optcorp.com/tpo-8inch-f4-imaging-newtonian-steel-91519-package.html Comes comboed with the AVX and saves you a few bucks

Are you set on a collapsible for portability reasons? It will still be just as heavy and awkward to move as a closed tube, the only benefit is really the length reduction so it can fit along the backseat of a car. You might consider getting something a bit smaller if you plan on moving it around a lot - You could get an Orion Xt8i for about the same price... it will show slightly less bright images, but the trade off is extra portability and a push-to system. Dobs can be a bit frustrating to find targets with sometimes, especially if you don't have good dark skies. If you have dark skies and you're planning on mostly just using it in your own backyard though - the 10" is the better deal.

If you do get a dob without a goto or push to drive, make sure you also add in some budget for a better quality finder like a Telrad and possibly a magnified finder. Your viewing will be much less frustrating with them included.

With a budget of ~$140 I'd definitely suggest the ES 82 degree line. I've got a 6.7 like this and it'll only be about $20 more than the allotted $140.

For planetary it's a fantastic eyepiece and the FoV is breathtaking under the right skies.

Wow these are quite pricy for my broke college student budget haha. Right now I have a Celestron 127EQ telescope with a German Equatorial stand and a lens adapter for my DSLR. Could I just use a motor like this one (compatible with my telescope) for tracking?

I've also found a few instructables on how to build tracking systems and I'll probably try my hand at these if you don't recommend the motor in the link above.

Just starting out, I'd suggest just using your dslr with a wide lens and a simple tripod. This will get you nice scenic shots of the Milky Way and constellations. Longer exposures will get you nice star trails. To do anything through a telescope requires a mount capable of tracking the stars very accurately. The bottom of the barrel for this kind of mount will set you back at least $500+ for a used Celestron AVX mount. And even then, you would need to add a guider setup to get exposures more than a minute or so without the stars trailing and ruining your image. You would also need a computer or laptop to control everything. Not to mention all the little do-dads that connect it all together. All told, even for a basic AP setup, that includes mount, guider, and accessories (no laptop), will set you back at least a grand if you bought used.

Get a good EQ mount and put the 450d on it, you can use this to make it fit in the dovetail. You can have a ton of fun shooting widefield until the start of Spring, when it may be time to add a telescope to the mix. Everything you learn with the DSLR will transfer right over.

Guessing that the top of the stellarvue rings have 1/4" taped holes. You could attach a dovetail adaptor to the top of one of these rings with a short 1/4" bolt and then add a short Vixen dovetail to your DSLR to clamp into it. Same idea as attaching a quick release clamp and qr plate but with a bit more flexibility in balancing the rig. I will also mention that /u/starmandan brought up last week the possibility of that single bolt holding camera on to the scope could loosen, so he wouldn't take the risk, so alternatively you could buy a longer Vixen dovetail that goes from the back ring to the front ring and then figure out a way to securely mount your DSLR to this new top dovetail.

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!

He's right, I too own one. I struggled with this for a while before I realized what the problem is. If you feel like messing with it for hours you can get it close. That scope isn't really powerful enough that your going to notice if it's a little off anyway. That being said. It's a great beginner scope. Buy the RA drive for it and it can provide fun viewing of the planets and SOME dso's just get used to squinting and asking yourself, is that what I think it is?! Eventually I upgraded to a XT8 and now really know the difference between Bird Jones 1000mm Focal length and true 1200mm focal length.

Celestron R/A Single Axis Motor Drive for the AstroMaster Telescope https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00039R23G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Gvs3xbDQXJDN1

Celestron Collimation Eyepiece 1.25" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009R7RJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_xws3xb7FXWMSM

(Edit: Links)

I like the onesky due to the portability.

My budget only allows for one more eyepiece. These are the ones I'm looking at:

[4mm] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013SBTIK0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_5OHCzbMBC9ZNR)

[6mm - is this gold line? It doesn't say... ] ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0140UAI8E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_wRHCzbG7YQV8B)

Edit: found the Orion expanse, probably a better 6mm

Both cost the same. Which do you recommend?

I love my C90. It has really clear glass for the money. I'd recommend getting a 2x Barlow to double the power. If you don't plan to ever hook a DSLR to it, this is a good one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00008Y0TM/

If you want the flexibility of hooking up a DSLR to the Barlow, I have this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00009X3UV/

You'll also need a hefty tripod. I have this one, but I also use my C90 for astrophotography and track planets with it:

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-93607-Heavy-Duty-Altazimuth-Tripod/dp/B0007UQNY0

EDIT: Forgot to mention Celestron has a lifetime warranty (not like Vortex, but still good). I had trouble with the little finder scope. They helped me troubleshoot it and then sent me a new one without asking for anything but the address.

I'd also be interested to hear about what people recommend. I was looking for one myself but I was not sure if the branded solutions from Celestron or Tele Vue, that I've seen, only work for their eyepieces or do they will they work on any eyepiece.

I saw this one Amazon and for the price I thought it would be good just to try it out.

https://www.amazon.com/Gosky-Universal-Smartphone-Telescope-Microscope/dp/B01D5W0WES/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474065298&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=telescope+smartphone+adapter&psc=1

You want something like this. Basically you need a dovetail that hooks up to your mount (that one is a vixen dovetail, which is popular), then the 1/4" screw for your camera (same as you'd use with a tripod).

I don't think you need to be aware of anything in terms of alignment. The mount will track the stars regardless of the orientation of your camera. Just don't point it at the ground and you should be good to go.

If you have a huge lens (like a big telephoto), then in theory you want to hook up the telephoto to the mount directly instead of the camera (for balance).

Thank you, I will look into AutoStakkert.

I built my own cradle (I realise I've made the pivot point too far back, will be fixed later) for the scope as it didn't come with any accessories and the next mod is a linear actuator or a stepper motor so hopefully I can set it up to track slowly enough, maybe with the assistance of an arduino.

This is the barlow I have, its not Celestron branded however looks super similar. When you say nosepiece do you mean the end closest to the camera or furthest?

Thank you for your response! So, pretty much, I have [this] (https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-31045-AstroMaster-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B000MLL6RS) and if I want to see the planets / deep sky objects (given that I'm in the right place to do them), purchasing this one would do the trick?

I started off with a 100 dollar 4.5 inch (70mm is 3 inch i think) orion tabletop. Then I added a barlow lens and a 6mm eyepiece for about 40 dollars each. You can find cheaper pieces though.


The tabletop I had is pretty good for beginners, I could see dark objects like the andromeda galaxy and orions nebula. Planet views are good too but the eyepieces that come with the scope dont get you a lot of zoom which is why i got a 6mm and a barlow.


https://www.amazon.com/Orion-10012-SkyScanner-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B00D05BIIU/ref=sr_1_11?keywords=orion+4.5&qid=1562969551&s=gateway&sr=8-11

https://www.amazon.com/Orion-8920-Expanse-Telescope-Eyepiece/dp/B0000XMXXO/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=6mm+orion+eyepiece&qid=1562969593&s=gateway&sr=8-2
https://www.amazon.com/Orion-08711-Shorty-1-25-Inch-Barlow/dp/B0000XMWQW/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=orion+barlow&qid=1562969613&s=gateway&sr=8-3


You can find cheaper eyepieces and barlow lens though.


The smaller the eyepiece, the more zoom you have, the barlow lens doubles your zoom.

Hey man thanks for remembering! I appreciate your advice.

So GOTO is something to consider when upgrading from my first setup. Got it. For beginners, it's best to go for something a little bit more complicated to learn, correct?

I've looked around in Amazon, but I couldn't find anything on 8" Doby. Could you give me a full name or link it for me, please? I'm going to be in the US next week and I will order it there and then fly back with it to home. Is that something you see any problems with (if properly packaged of course)?

How about the 32mm 2" widefield? Is this it?

Well it depends on your budget. Wide angle 2" eyepieces can be expensive. The Explore Scientific 82° 30mm is considered to be excellent.

I have an older Agena UWA 80° 30mm that I got used. I believe this Astromania eyepiece is the same thing.

What exactly do you mean by "blurry"? Like it won't focus, or the stars at the edge are distorted, or stars across the whole thing have a comet or seagull shape to them?

You have to have a solar filter. To save money you can buy the solar filter sheets like - https://www.amazon.com/Solar-Filter-Telescopes-Binoculars-Cameras/dp/B00DS7IFQS and cut your own filter and mount on like a UV filter...

Before I bought my camera, I was using a phone mount to take images with my phone.

Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Vankey-Cellphone-Telescope-Binocular-Microscope/dp/B01788LT3S/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525795847&sr=sr-1&keywords=microscope+phone+mount&dpID=41M7SwNIviL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

That, along with casting your phone to the TV should work well for what you are looking for. Android has the ability to cast the screen to a device on your wifi network.

I'm not familiar with other digital cameras in your price range that have the capability you're looking for, though they could exist.

I wish I could help :/

I use something like this for my microbial photography. If you're interested.

A lot of widefield Astrophotography is just done with a widefield camera Lens, the camera+lens is either piggy backed on the OTA itself or on the mount itself with some attachments or on a purpose built camera tripod like this or a tripod attachment.
There's a nice video about recommended lenses here.

You could get a solar film kit and make your own. Then the size doesn't matter quite as much since the film itself doesn't need to cover the full aperture (obviously the cardboard or whatever you're using to frame it still does).

Shipping depends on where you live - for me the 4" version of this Thousand Oaks Optical is the only one that says it will be delivered before Monday, but YMMV. I ordered the 8" version of that yesterday thanks to someone else posting about it, and should arrive tomorrow.

I have this Barlow which, combined with this t-ring adapter allows me to shoot with my Nikon at prime focus with an additional 2x magnification.

I think the way the magnification is going to work is you take the focal length of the telescope divided by the size of your camera's sensor, which is the magnification you'd get with just the camera and the telescope. So with that 500mm focal length scope and your camera's 35mm sensor (although I think the sensors aren't exactly 35mm) then you'd end up with 500/35 which is a 14x magnification. So with the 2x Barlow I linked you'd get 28x, although you'll also have to compensate with the slightly dimmer magnified image.

Thanks! I used a Mylar solar filter that I made out of a sheet. You can get one from here when they become available again: https://www.amazon.com/Solar-Filter-Telescopes-Binoculars-Cameras/dp/B00DS7IFQS

(Solved)

I'm looking to autoguide with my Canon 7D. I could be wrong but I think I need this adapter to connect the camera to the side by side plate and would the guidescope fit right in the other dovetail rail? All going on a Sirius mount.

These are the ones I got:

Orion 10145 Dual Finder Scope Mounting Bracket https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D2LEHIU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_oSjVxPVZ51A15

Orion 07212 9x50 Right-Angle Correct-Image Finder (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000XMVE0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_7h39sWAS4QOcB

And the 40mm eyepiece (great for M31, because damn that thing is huge):

Screencap because eBay and I'm on mobile

From my suburban neighborhood, I can almost always see Messiers 31, 81, and 82. If the seeing and transparency are good, globular clusters and M47 are easy to pick out.

From just outside of my neighborhood, I can see a fair number of clusters, galaxies, and nebulae, but from a really dark site I've been able to find every Messier object I've looked for with the equipment I mentioned.

Or you can buy one of the many astronomical imaging cameras out there already designed to fit in a standard 1.25 eyepiece such as the Celestron or Orion...and it's cheaper!

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-NexImage-Solar-System-Imager/dp/B0002X5Q72/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1324316536&sr=8-3

SVBONY Universal Cell Phone Adapter Mount for Binocular Monocular Spotting Scope Telescope Support Eyepiece Diameter 25 to 48mm https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K7M0JEM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_eLP2Db6KQYYXH

>T-adapter

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01788LT3S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought this for my binoculars a month ago when I'm out wildlife watching. I can use it in the lab on a microscope, when I'm at work (circuit designer). And I can use it on a telescope for the purposes here as well.

I have this one from Gosky, but I didn't check the specs. It doesn't fit my 2" focuser, (I need this one) and I have yet to try it on my binoculars, but it's very well made for a cheap phone holder. Made of metal; quite heavy, too.

For imaging? I have serious doubts. Firstly, I doubt that that mount will prove reliable or extensible enough. A one-armed alt/az mount just isn't going to be stable. And the 640x480 color CCD is again more suited for planetary imaging.

A solid German equatorial mount - the CGEM is a comparatively inexpensive 'serious' example - and a proper camera are the way to go. I'd consider the Celestron C-6 as an inexpensive starting point.

And then, naturally, you'll need a camera. Even the Orion starshoot is $1300 before you invest in filters. I'd start with a commercial DSLR just to begin. In fact, I did.

And then some sort of tracking/guide scope setup. I use an Orion short-tube refractor with a Celestron NexImage - essentially just a webcam - and Metaguide.

*You know what, I take it back. The price difference isn't that great, and the results are well worth it - if you can at all, skip the DSLR and go straight to a 'real' camera.

After doing more research I narrowed it to these 3, for a moon filter, planetary viewing and wide-angle viewing to spend around $180. I am open to outside amazon if you know anywhere that has these. Here they are:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000M89H72?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000XMUWS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_2&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000XMWXA?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_3&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I have a 8" Celestron SCT I picked up used. It came well equipped except for eyepieces, it only had a 25mm plossl. I ordered the Celestron set, but based on your posts here and in other threads I'm thinking I should return those and get this set, unless you suggest something different.

My pockets are not super deep, but I would go up to ~$200 for a decent set. Maybe a bit higher if I could find a 2" set, but I am doubting that will be in my price range.

Edit: I definitely want at least one wider field eyepiece, so if I got that set I was to get that set, would this be a good choice for a wide field option?

Oops! Here you go:
https://www.amazon.com/Orion-5691-LaserMate-Telescope-Collimator/dp/B008XEGXMO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1510608062&sr=8-3&keywords=orion+laser+collimator

https://www.amazon.com/Orion-07212-Right-Angle-Correct-Image-Finder/dp/B0000XMVE0/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1510608102&sr=1-1&keywords=orion+9x50+right-angle+correct-image+finder+scope

Works with Microscopes too! I do it at work every day. If I have to take several pics, I bust out this thing; which is meant for telescopes, but I use it on several microscopes.

https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-51630-Pointer-Telescope-Finderscope/dp/B00009X3UU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542079090&sr=8-1&keywords=red+dot+finder+telescope&dpID=31-Jx3%252BOMsL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

I use one of these

https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-Adapter-Barlow-Universal-T-Ring/dp/B00009X3UV


And

https://www.amazon.com/Astromania-Metal-T-ring-Adapter-Cameras/dp/B0140U9KLK/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1541163075&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=canon+t+ring&dpPl=1&dpID=410nlYU2LYL&ref=plSrch

How's this for viewing planets? https://www.amazon.com/Orion-8920-Expanse-Telescope-Eyepiece/dp/B0000XMXXO/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?adgrpid=57148604158&gclid=Cj0KCQjww47nBRDlARIsAEJ34bn5dycoQsFgRFv3aaNTaKQOzs1WRqUZGf4t953qBn7PWATNrNCtfjgaAnYFEALw_wcB&hvadid=274704133880&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9005446&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=5705772407720476159&hvtargid=aud-647846986281%3Akwd-307605899414&hydadcr=19696_9664363&keywords=6mm+eyepiece&qid=1558484318&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

Couple bucks cheaper here.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000XMVE0/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_Nxxwub0F5RMEA

Can I use either of these as a solar filter?

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1319799-REG/daystar_filters_ulf90_90mm_universal_lens_filter.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1340604-REG/celestron_94220_eclipsmart_white_light_solar_filter.html

https://www.amazon.com/Solar-Filter-Telescopes-Binoculars-Cameras/dp/B00DS7IFQS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1502359266&sr=1-1&keywords=solar+filter+sheets

The barlow is built into the adapter

As an alternative, I bought this Celestron red dot finder and it came with a slew of different mounts.

another option is to buy binoculars and buy a phone to binocular adapter ,zoom will depend on the binoculars not the best choice but it is an alternative option

Not sure what your budget is, but you could get a 4"x4" Solar Filter Sheet from Amazon for $14 and try to rig up a filter for your lens.

Here are a couple pics. These are screenshots because I was having trouble uploading CR2 files. I'm using a Celestron C8 with the Canon 450D. I'm using a T ring adapter with this barlow but I take out lens so I don't get the 2x magnification. I was using BackyardEOS and was doing at both ISO 800 and ISO 1600. I was also varying the exposure time between 30 seconds and 1 minute (I even tried a few at 10 seconds). DeepSkyStacker kept telling me I only had 1 frame to stack, even when the threshold was set as low as possible.

You’re welcome! I can’t find mine at the moment, but it’s very similar to this one. You can find ones that are electronic but they can be crazy expensive.

Vankey Cellphone Telescope Adapter Mount, Work with Binocular Monocular Spotting Scope Microscope for iPhone, Samsung, HTC, LG and More https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01788LT3S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_vYhzCb3MVZW20

It's just lens flare. If you try the same experiment with a solar filter, you will see that the size of the sun does not change. Getting a solar filter is not expensive, either. So why not try this experiment and see if you can prove us roundies wrong?

If you don't have a solar filter yet and would like one, there still is some available in stock at various places if you're willing to pay for expedited shipping!

Agena Astro - Baader Astrosolar Sheet 7.9”x11.4”

Agena Astro - Baader Astrosolar Sheet 5.5”x6.1”

Cloud Break Optics - Baader Planetarium Filter (see drop down for sizes)

Cloud Break Optics - A4 size sheet

Cloud Break Optics - Star Guy Slip Filter (see drop down for sizes)


Cloud Break Optics - Threaded Camera Filters (see drop down for sizes)

Cloud Break Optics - Vixen Threaded Camera Filters (see drop down for sizes)

Amazon - Baader Astrosolar sheet 5.5”x6.1”

Amazon - Baader Astrosolar sheet 7.9”x11.4”

Amazon - Thousand Oaks Optical 4”x4” sheet

Let me know if any of these sell out and I'll remove them - I'll try and update with new ones if I come across any!

Edit: Well looks like they're all sold out!

I am using autofocus, but sometimes it doesn't want to focus. When that happens, I manually focus as close as I can get and then autofocus and it works out.

I am using this filter but I don't know how many stops that equates to. I cut out a circle of it and applied it to one of the cheap Vivitar UV filters. I haven't done anything with white balance; the only things I have adjusted are the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.

I am brand new to this, coming from phone cameras, so my knowledge is based on a 12 minute youtube video and some light googling.