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So I fucking knocked over my brand new Celestron AVX mount. I was trying to mount my C11 on it and I couldn't get it to fit into the mounting head, and the mount tipped over. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of putting the counterweights on first, so when it tipped it broke the housing between the EQ head and the counterweight bar. I'm wondering if it will still work and, if not, if someone could direct me to the nearest ledge. Thanks in advance. PS please forgive the typo in the title I don't know how to fix it.

https://preview.redd.it/71ibxhbgu4zc1.jpg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c3a1d3e1a11531d4e04992896e03ec65648c725

https://preview.redd.it/sw19m06au4zc1.jpg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=76726e705723e278275f4897babbe5b680708655

I’m looking into getting a 6” / 150mm mak or sct. I don’t want a motorized mount but a sturdy manual mount. Current contenders for the OTA are celestron C6 or SW skymax 150mm.

I live in bortle 8 skys so really only focused on planets and the moon.

Any recommendations on a nice sturdy tripod mount?

https://www.facebook.com/share/WwAnxsbQ1GPQstag/?mibextid=kL3p88

A C8 on a Super Polaris mount for only $380... looks like it's in excellent shape too. Figured Id share in case anyone is interested

How do I get more detail with planetary targets? I waited till about 10 minutes before sunrise so that the sun would illuminate the background then I started taking pictures with my iPhone on the eyepiece of my Celestron 8SE. I would like suggestions that do not involve post processing.

Good day!

I cannot choose a telescope for myself.

I will tell you about my wishes and approximate goals.

I move a lot from place to place, so I want to choose something not too heavy (not EQ6-r mount ). At this point, I chose to mount the EQM-35. Total weight up to 30 kg in full assembly. But I can't decide on an optical device. At first I wanted a 150mm Newton f/4 with a tube length of 53cm and weight around 6kg (TS Photon). But also considering a 6" or 8" SCT. I know that the maximum weight of devices for this mounting is somewhere around 8 kg, so I am thinking about SCT.

I have not had professional telescopes yet, but I have many years of theoretical knowledge about various optical schemes, astronomy and astrophysics.

First of all, I would like to observe distant space objects like Messier objects or bright galaxies from the NGC catalog. Observing the planets would be a nice bonus.

I have a DSLR camera, with which I would like to start doing astrophotography, and then (unknown when) move on to other more specialized devices.

Considering the long focal length f/10 SCT, I heard that they are too dark for visual observations. In my current area of residence - the night sky on the Bortle scale changes from 5 to 3 or even 2 on the most favorable moonless nights.

So I am torn by doubts about the 130-150mm fast and short Newton, or the closed tube 8" SCT, because there is enough dust here.

I've heard that the 8" SCT performs quite well in all types of observing. The Newton for deep sky astrophotography is even better.

But I'm not sure that working with Newton on this mount will bring pleasure. Maybe the 8se on a different one than the EQM-35 pro would be much better with minimal weight change?

Please share your impressions of your "portable" SCTs and Newtons, and help me choose a cool thing for my own birthday. Thank you.

By the way, the bank - up to $1.8k +-

Model: ST-60900 by “Greika optimal instruments”

Found it today and would like to know more about it. 1- Is it supposed to be point to the moon, stars or really-far-objects? 2- The image looks a little bit dark, should I open it and clean the lens?

there are more doubts that would come when those are answered so i’ll be checking comments all the time ps: I’m a complete newbie with this so please help :)

So last night I was star hopping to find m81 and m82. After a while I found the two galaxies and it was so exciting and cool. While observing I swear that I could see some of the galaxies structure. And I have a 80mm refractor. Now what did you see when you found these two amazing objects?

I've previously owned a 6" dob which had a 1.25 focuser, but after selling it a few years back I now have an 10" dob with a 2" focuser.

The eyepieces in question are a 6mm Delos & a 24mm Panoptic, both of which are 1.25"

The thing is these eyepieces are expensive, so I'm just wondering if there will be any issues getting them to focus or a loss of quality when using the 1.25" adapter?

It’s a zhumell z8 dob telescope. Available for 300 dollars. The person just dropped it from 400. Check the picture. What do you guys think is it a good deal? What questions should I ask the person before going to check it or finalizing it, if at all? Thank you.

did I nake any bad decisions?

So I’m kinda trying to find a good beginner telescope under 200$. I just want a decent all around telescope. I mainly want to see planets and maybe some DSOs. I’ve been thinking about a dobsonian. Any advice?

I just got this Sans and Streiffe no.612 astronomical telescope from a friend and wanted to know how much it is worth, because I can't seem to find much about it online

Bode's Galaxy (Left) and the Cigar Galaxy (Right) form a captivating celestial duo within the Ursa Major constellation. Bode's Galaxy stands out as one of the most luminous entities, residing approximately 11.5 million light-years away from Earth. Meanwhile, the Cigar Galaxy earns its moniker from its elongated form as observed from our vantage point, possibly owing to its vigorous star formation activity. It resides approximately 12 million light-years away I will revisit these amazing galaxies for a closer look with my C5. Stay tuned!

2 hrs integration, 3 min subs, bortle 5, AT60 refractor telescope, 30mm Svbony guide scope, ZWO ASI183MC Pro, ZWO ASI120MC guide cam, Optolong UV/IR Cut filter, ASIAIR Plus, Celestron AVX EQ Mount, processed and stacked in Pixinsight.

Arrived today I hope to test it as soon as possible, obviously the sky will be bad until Saturday

Looking at RACI Finder Scopes. Is 6x30 enough or do I need to spring for the 8x50?

We just got our first telescope. It is a Zhumell z114 portable. How tricky should it be to look into the scope? I have to move my eye around and towards and away from the eye piece to get a full view (not tunnel or blacked out).

Is this just the way telescopes are or is this one faulty? I don't have this issue with binoculars.

It has been cloudy since it arrived so all we have looked at is tree branches across the field.

TIA

Has anyone recently ordered an Explore Scientific Truss Tube Dobsonian telescope? I ordered one (the 16" one) from B&H Photo (12 mos. interest free with Payboo credit card) on 3/27/24, but I have yet to hear anything from the shipper in China. B&H shows my order status as "drop ship," which means that they've pretty much washed their hands of any responsibility for shipping notifications. I've gone to other sites that show that particular scope (and similar) as "out of stock," and one shows an expected shipping date of 10/31/24! So, I'm curious whether anyone who ordered the scope from another dealer may have actually heard something about availability from the maker/shipper. Thanks for your help.

Hi guys, Found this scope on the market for about 300€ Can you tell what it is and if it’s worth? From what I can see it’s missing the finder and eyepieces.

What about a decebn tripod for this telescope, how expensive would that be?

I ordered a scope that's on backorder. Should I get something else instead?

I have an older NexStar 4SE. I appreciate the GOTO mount, but the scope has its limitations. I have a Starsense unit from another scope that I plan on adapting to use with the new scope.

I've ordered a Celestron Omni 150 OTA ($300) that I plan on putting on a Celestron Heavy Duty Alt-Az tripod that I have laying around although I think it's pushing it on capacity.

My plan is to ultimately upgrade the mount to a GOTO equatorial. Maybe I'll play around with some photography or maybe not.

The Omni 150 is on backorder. It's not to late to change my mind. Is there something else I should consider in that price range that might be equivalent or even an upgrade?

Thoughts on this model as a first telescope.

So my powerseeker 80 azs came with an erecting diagonal and people don't like those but what's wrong with it. And are there other recommendations?

Got my first telescope. It's a Celestron popular science az 100 with a 6" aperture and focal length of f/6.

I finally got everything lined up from the red dot finder to my phone which finds celestial objects for me.

2 nights ago I had the best night yet for clear skies. I don't know where the moon went except to say moon rise is like 3 am in my are so I poked around looking at stars.

I was looking at the beehive cluster with a 25 mm eyepiece and then changed to a 10 mm and then there just weren't as many stars. I was expecting to see a bunch of stars clustered in one place.

I switched back to the 25 mm. Every time I've used the 10 mm no matter how I focus it it's like nothing's there.

What am I doing wrong? Can anyone explain it to me? I'm new to all of this.

Hey guys. I want to buy my first telescope and I want it to be a reflector. Skywatcher Heritage looks awesome, but I’m not a fan of the tabletop scopes. Can I put one like that on a tripod? Or does that not work for some reason? Advice would be great here.

For some background i have been using a celestron travel scope 70 for a while now😭I have been saving up for a while for an actual telescope. i have a budget of $1000. is there any good options at this price or should i save up more and spend closer to 1500? thank you

I'm going cross country to California for two weeks in June and am taking my 12 inch dobsonian with me. We are planning to camp in a few desert locations on the way. Does anyone have any recommendations for camping or viewing locations? California death valley area. Utah Colorado New Mexico Texas and Kansas are some states I will be traveling through.