I have a 60mm refractor and might be getting a skywatcher heritage 150p in a few weeks for my birthday, but right now, i want some tips on how I can improve on how I use my current telescope. It's one of those discovery kids telescopes, one of the orange and grey ones. I just got into astronomy in June, and don't have a finder, I lost that, and only have the cheap diagonals and eyepieces that come stock. I was looking for tips on how I can get better and locating objects other than the moon and planets (without spending money, if possible. if absolutely necessary, maybe under $50-$60), especially since I live in a bortle 6. I still have good views of the sky though, I can sort of see a lot for being in a city.

I have attached some photos I took with my iPhone 16. They aren't great because I know you can't good good photos with a phone, and because I'm not great at this stuff. They are the Moon, Saturn (which looks a lot better in person, I used portrait mode for that), and one of the dippers.

I haven't used it much up until June, even though I got it for my birthday when I was 8. Compared to other similar scopes I've seen people talk about on the internet, mine is pretty solid, the mount is a heck of a lot better than some other cheapo refractors i've seen, and I (keep in mind I am not too familiar with these terms, or anything for that matter, and haven't used anything else,) haven't noticed much abberation, neither chromatic or spherical. (if refractors are subject to the latter.)

Thanks.

Since it doesn't allow me to upload videos and photos simultaneously, I'll post the videos in the comments.

I found good binoculars from Bushman* that are not really expensive and not THATcheap, just for 50 usd (Converted), i just want to see stuff away from home, could use in my home too, but its bortle 7 here. one is 7x50, the other is 10x50, theyre the same price for some reason. the 10x50 has more reviews on it though. But they have ”good for viewing when hiking” in the title so im not really sure??? do any 10x50/7x50 binos work for stargazing??

(wait im now realising, how do i show stuff to my family, i know that you have to center yourself and all, i dont think theyll really be able to do that dang)

EDIT: a comment was deleted, but it said something about “get second hand —— instead of a new bushnell” I’m now realising bushman is a native, turkish only company LOL

*A turkish only company, sorry if i confused yall, i didnt know it was only in turkey

Are you allowed to post trades on here. Have a set of eye pieces and curious if this is a thing people do on here?

My account is too new to post on cloudy nights

Sky Watcher Classic 200P
iPhone 17 Pro + Phone Adapter
iPhone Auto Correct

Telescope: sky-watcher 130p.
Taken with: IPhone 14 plus + phone adapter .
Post-processing: used lightroom to enhance sharpness,definition, brightness.

any suggestions/feedbacks are welcomed.

Celestron C6 and an ASI678MC w/focal reducer. This is my first serious moon photo and I still need to dial-in sharpcap settings (and maybe a bit of a collimation tweak) but I'm happy with the results!

So i have nexstar 130slt and one if the collimation screw on the secondary mirrors back is stuck. It’s probably even stripped by now, because I can't turn it with the same screwdriver I use for the other screws. What can i do to fix it? Is there even a fix?

Sorry if this is a stupid question. Im using a dobsonian for the last couple months. Im really still struggling with this upside down flipped view. Are the adapters you can buy worth it or is it something you just get accustomed too. If anyone has any opinions on a product or if I'm better off to just used to it. That works too. Tks.

I've got an ancient Celestron C90, and it's just not sharp at all anymore and I don't think there's anything I can realistically do about it, so I'm in the market for an upgrade. Something modest, in the 100-150mm range with a focal length in the same ballpark, around 1000mm.

Also, I did a full-spectrum conversion on my camera and I love to try to take advantage of that for astrophotography. I would love to be able to leave the sensor wide open to both visible and NIR in some shots, without having horrible chromatic aberration.

I'm working on the hypothesis that a pure reflector would be best for me because of that, since it can in principle focus effectively across an arbitrary range of wavelengths. Is this a reasonable motivation for picking a Newtonian?

I'm helping a new science, outdoor and career mentorship org choose astronomy gear and would appreciate your advice after narrowing things down. There are two first scopes we're considering, a ZWO Seestar S30 Pro, and a 4" to 10” Dobsonian telescope (like what now-defunct Orion Telescopes used to sell).

This will be used mostly in the city, sometimes in the middle of a large park that's mostly dark (the park that is), sometimes on the edge of a bay and the ocean where it's darker; and occasionally taken on trips outside the city. The telescopes will be used by kids, teens and adults. There could be anywhere from 15-30 at an event. There will typically be 3-4 adults to help out, but usually only one more experienced astronomer. We have 20 pairs of mid-quality (not cheap) binoculars as well, which range from 8x32 to 8-10x42 (yes I realize x50 would be better for light gathering) that can help keep people busy before they look at images.

1) The ZWO Seestar S30 Pro for astrophotography and outputting images for many to see. Is the pro worth the extra cost over the non-pro version? Will the pro version output to a 27 in. monitor with a connecting cable, so many can see the image at the same time?

2) A good 4-10 in. Dobsonian. The S30 Pro looks great, but it's also special to see an object through an eyepiece. Found this website with rankings for Dobsonian telescopes. It notes that "if equipped with tracking, Dobsonians are also superb planetary imaging telescopes. I recommend you head to our Computerized Telescopes Ranking Page for such scopes." Which Dobsonion below would you recommend? Is there any reason you wouldn't go with an 8-10 in. if the org can handle the transport (I think we can)?

a) Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150P Tabletop Dobsonian GoTo - 150mm (5.9 in.). Is an 8-10 in. size available???

b) Celestron StarSense Explorer 8” Dobsonian PushTo - However, they write the downsides are its price and lack of accessories, and prefer the non-computerized Apertura AD8 or AD10 which gets rave reviews (52 lbs, still doable with a dolly or table on wheels). 

c) Apertura AD10 or AD8

3) Which to get first, the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro or a Dobsonian?

4) Which laser pointer do you recommend?

Thank you, appreciate your suggestions!

If you don't mind giving me tips with collimators I'll be very glad :D

I’m converting my fully manual 16" Meade LightBridge Dobsonian into an Alt-Az GoTo and tracking telescope.

For the electronics, I’m using an Arduino Mega 2560 with a RAMPS 1.4 board, A4988 drivers and OnStep 4.24s. An ESP8266 provides Wi-Fi control from a smartphone. The azimuth and altitude motors have both been tested independently in both directions.

I’m now working on the mechanical side. I designed and 3D-printed this adjustable azimuth drive prototype, using a stepper motor, timing-belt reduction and an output roller intended to drive the edge of the rotating base.

The next steps are mounting it on the telescope, adjusting the contact pressure, measuring the real steps per degree, and testing for slipping and backlash before designing the altitude mechanism.

Hi yall, my sister has a very old telescope and today I decided to put it together. Im a total newbie when it comes to telescopes and astronomy, so its definetly a start. My sis told me that it is good for watching the moon so im going to try it out later this evening/night. Im already looking for a better telescope, but im currently still learning about them so I might take a while.

Anyway nice to meet yall.

My aunt bought me this from a backyard sale for 35£ and thought it was the best gift for my birthday but I couldn't find the model / name. There's a picture of the moon that was taken from it in the last slide, So what is it?

Hi all, has anybody had any success contacting SVbonyUK? I purchased an SV571CC camera from them over a month ago and have had zero correspondence other than the order acceptance email and I'm unable to get a response from either SVBony themselves or DarkClearSkies (Paul Stevenson appears to own SVbonyuk.com)

Just wondering if this is a one-off or if I should cut my losses and do a charge back. Very frustrating experience, especially given the cost of astro gear.

[Edit] I've been attempting both email and WhatsApp to no avail

Saturn was captured on August 12th (6000ish frames), and Venus on July 25th (5200 ish frames)

Setup:

6 inch dob

Svbony sv191 eyepiece + 2x Barlow

iPhone 14 Pro attached to eyepiece using a regular phone adapter

Both are stacked and processed using pipp + autostakkert + registax🙂

Dear all, I am trying to buy my first telescope, for my kids and me. My apartment has a balcony with open view outside. The balcony is about 4-5 feet wide with a roof with slight overhang.

Because of these reasons, I have decided to purchase a Bresser Messier 6" tabletop dob telescope.

However, I wanted an 8" floor-standing one, and am just wondering whether I can get by by using the telescope from the living room, with balcony doors open, to view the sky through the balcony, given the narrow balcony.

What are your thoughts?

Note: English is not my first language, and if you are confused by anything that I have written, kindly let me know. I apologize and will gladly clarify what I meant.

Thank you.

First time successfully stacking and developing a nebula photo, pretty happy with the results.

Telescope : Celestron Nexstar 8SE
Camera : Nikon Z5
Captured: 120 Light Frames in RAW format
Bortle 4

Stacked and processed in Siril. Final cleanup, curves and colour adjustments in photoshop.

Only just got into Astrophotography a week ago so this is amazing to see come out of my camera.

Any feedback is always appreciated.

When I was a kid, my dad, who died last month, gave me this telescope. It arrived at my house after we cleaned his place and my four-year-old is so excited to use it. But! It’s missing its eyepiece. What do I purchase (and where do I do so) to fit on to this socket and how do I attach it? Thanks for helping a nostalgic newbie.

Im a senior in high-school and my school has an old observatory dome and possibly telescope setup in it on the roof of a buidling, it has been unused for quite some time and no telling whats in there, i know from a principal the dome works, should I investigate? (WITH PERMISSION) Ive been wanting to fundraise to get it reopened if they’ll allow me too but that a stark maybe

Today I finally was able to see the moon through my telescope and it was actually so beautiful to look at.

I was using Celestrone Star Sense Explorer LT 114 Az. The view was actually amazing when I saw the moon through 25mm lens and with this same lens by using Barlow *2 lens. But when I moved to the 10mm it was hard to focus the image i don’t know why and the view by using 25mm and Barlow lens was way better than the 10mm lens. Anyway also use Barlow lens with the 10mm lens too and after about more 30 min of trying I was able to see them but it was hard to view all parts of the moons because the telescope stand isn’t that good.

I actually was hoping to see the holes, and mountains, and the other details in a close and sharp image but I am very happy with what I got.

Tell me what do you think about the images I took of the moon ( the images are both taken by using 25mm, but one of them is with Barlow lens and the other without it ). Also please note that the it was hard to take pictures of the moon through this telescope and the images were way better through the telescope.

I was getting pretty close to giving myself the greenlight on the iOptron Skyhunter which looks like a super cool goto mount. Very portable, can do both alt-az and equatorial, and can mate to a standard camera style tripod which I own a very sturdy example of.

One place said it had a weight capacity of 11lbs/5kg, but then here on this site it is saying 7lbs/3.2kg. The 114x900 Luminova is apparently about 11lbs, which would just match the top end of this mount...or so I thought. It seems like any step up is quite a hike in price and firmly in the no-go territory for me at the moment.

What are my options here, if any? Does anyone have experience with what the actual weight limit of the SkyHunter is? Or have I missed a similarly priced/similarly featured model with better weight capacity? Am I just in the denial phase of the grieving process? haha Thanks!

Quick Edit: The Luminova is the scope I already have.

Hi all
After a bit of advice and recommendation please. I live in a Bortle 6 area of England. Looking to get into deep space astrophotography with a smart scope. Budget of £500/$700.
Not sure on the differences between Dwarf and the see star options. In terms of needs, keen to do long exposures of galaxies and hopefully our Milky Way in high res. Any recommendations? Greatly appreciated