ShadowCatcher Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 3 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said: Very nice setup When you get some funds, u1pgrade your mount to something like the SkyView Pro Equatorial Mount or an equivalent German equatorial mount. Be sure it has a polar scope as it is significantly easier to get a good North Celestial Pole (NCP) alignment. With a good NCP you will only need to use the Right Ascension slow motion knob to track objects and keep them centered in the field of view. The bigger mount will be orders of magnitude more stable and will make photography a lot more enjoyable Thank you! I've saved this info and will follow up! SC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 9 hours ago, Ace_of_Hearts said: This is an excellent BEGINNER telescope. It is also a wonderful backpacking scope and can be used for terrestrial viewing. https://www.meade.com/telescopes/etx80-observer.html#additional I might have to git one! Pretty good price. how about thisn? https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-31045-AstroMaster-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B000MLL6RS/ref=pd_sbs_421_8?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000MLL6RS&pd_rd_r=72bbff8c-311b-4bc2-a045-a866aff327f8&pd_rd_w=f5GYm&pd_rd_wg=atDJQ&pf_rd_p=703f3758-d945-4136-8df6-a43d19d750d1&pf_rd_r=55AV0M9W0GVH3GCEANXQ&refRID=55AV0M9W0GVH3GCEANXQ&th=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 1 hour ago, Utah Bob #35998 said: I might have to git one! Pretty good price. how about thisn? https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-31045-AstroMaster-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B000MLL6RS/ref=pd_sbs_421_8?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000MLL6RS&pd_rd_r=72bbff8c-311b-4bc2-a045-a866aff327f8&pd_rd_w=f5GYm&pd_rd_wg=atDJQ&pf_rd_p=703f3758-d945-4136-8df6-a43d19d750d1&pf_rd_r=55AV0M9W0GVH3GCEANXQ&refRID=55AV0M9W0GVH3GCEANXQ&th=1 The telescope its self is not too bad. However the mount and tripod are inadequate. The minimum mount I would recommend for that scope is this one. https://www.amazon.com/Orion-9829-SkyView-Equatorial-Telescope/dp/B0000XMXSO/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2LE6JQ0SRRPRC&dchild=1&keywords=german+equatorial+mount&qid=1597200280&s=electronics&sprefix=german+e%2Celectronics%2C193&sr=1-3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 As a good rule of thumb a telescope mount should be rated to carry at least 3 times of the weight of the telescope. Manufacturers are notorious for selling mounts in package deals that are no where near stable enough for the tubes installed on them. They can balance the weight but are unstable and will frustrate the user in short order. At a bare minimum a mount needs to have the ability to support a North Celestial Pole (NCP) alignment. All reflector style ( Neutonian ) scopes will require the main mirror to be realigned periodically. Not a difficult task but it does require some patience and practice. Refractor style scopes ( think rifle scope) are easier to use but their viewing quality is highly dependent on the quality of the glass used. They also cost significantly more than reflectors for the same light gathering ability. They require very expensive mounts because all that glass is heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace_of_Hearts Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 4 hours ago, Utah Bob #35998 said: I might have to git one! Pretty good price. how about thisn? https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-31045-AstroMaster-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B000MLL6RS/ref=pd_sbs_421_8?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000MLL6RS&pd_rd_r=72bbff8c-311b-4bc2-a045-a866aff327f8&pd_rd_w=f5GYm&pd_rd_wg=atDJQ&pf_rd_p=703f3758-d945-4136-8df6-a43d19d750d1&pf_rd_r=55AV0M9W0GVH3GCEANXQ&refRID=55AV0M9W0GVH3GCEANXQ&th=1 No electronic setup. The electronics easily gets you to where you want to go. Point scope towards magnetic north and level . Turn on alignment, scope will search out a bright star. Fine tune the star in the scope, scope will then search out another bright star, fine tune the scope, repeat one more time. Scope is properly aligned. Simply type in the star/panet you desire to observe and the scope will find it in the sky. Spend your time observing and less time trying to find something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 On 8/10/2020 at 7:18 AM, Utah Bob #35998 said: Yup. I might try some shots with my new camera tonight. You're gonna need a taller ladder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.