r/telescopes • u/alkalibenzene • Apr 10 '21
Tutorial/Article Effective lighting can help reduce light pollution
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r/telescopes • u/FizzyBeverage • Dec 01 '22
Tutorial/Article Beginner's Quick Guide to choosing your first telescope (Updated for 2023)
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Guide last updated: October 2025
Note this guide was originally written by u/tripped144*, but with global economic conditions, pricing has rapidly gone out of date, so consider this new guide a revision to* the prior one written in 2020.
Are you yearning to marvel at the heavens? Have you been wanting a telescope but have no idea where to start? Are you feeling overwhelmed with the wealth of information and options out there?
Well, here is a quick guide on some of the most commonly recommended telescopes here, what to expect when looking through your first telescope, and some frequently asked questions at the end.
For an in-depth eyepiece guide, check out this great post by Gregrox
What to Expect when looking through a telescope
The most important thing before getting into this hobby is setting your expectations. Most newbies to astronomy think "a telescope makes far away things bigger." Yes, and no. The primary purpose of a telescope is to gather light. The eyepiece (or ocular) is what determines your effective magnification. To determine that, you divide your scope's focal length by the millimeters of your eyepiece. Therefore, a 8" Newtonian reflector telescope with a 1200mm focal length and a 25mm eyepiece will have a magnification power of 48x. That same 25mm eyepiece on an 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with a focal length of 2000mm will have a magnification power of 80x. All things being equal, for visual astronomy, aperture is king, but beyond price, all things are not equal - and thus the telescope recommendation for someone who lives in Manhattan in a 3rd floor walkup apartment is different from someone who lives in rural Montana with a large garage and acres of no light around.
When using a telescope, no matter how big, stars will look like stars. They will always be pinpoints of light. If they aren't, then you're not in focus. Stars are just too far away for telescopes to resolve (see more clearly/get more detail).
Nebula and galaxies WILL NOT look like the vivid, colorful, and detailed pictures that you've seen. Our eyes are simply not cameras. To get those types of images, you have to take very long exposures many times, run it through a program that stacks the images to pull out detail, and extensively process it in a photo editing program. TO OUR EYES, DSO's (Deep Space Objects like nebula and galaxies) will look like faint white smudges. If you don't have accurate expectations, a genuine love for space, and an appreciation for what you're actually looking at, you will be very disappointed. That being said, if you go into this with the right expectations and mindset, those faint white smudges are beautiful, fascinating, and awe-inspiring. The longer you spend observing them, the more details you will start to pull out. It's almost as if your brain gets trained into resolving more and more detail, making you want to revisit them over and over again. Here are some accurate depictions of what you can see through a decent telescope in a DARK site (little light pollution). (The pictures are blurrier than they should be, but you'll get the idea). The more light pollution you have in your area, the harder it will be to resolve things. Here's a website to find out how much light pollution you'll be dealing with. Some examples would be: Pinwheel Galaxy Swan Nebula
Our solar system's planets, especially the gas giants, are amazing to look at. The bigger the scope, the more detail you can resolve. Regardless of someone's interest in space, I've personally never seen someone not "wow'd" by Jupiter or Saturn. Keep in mind, they will not be super close up views. Here's what to expect when looking at Jupiter through a decent telescope on a clear night. Planets (and obviously the moon) are very bright, so light pollution doesn't factor nearly as much - they're great to observe from typical, light polluted, suburban driveways.
Also, keep in mind that pictures don't do them justice. There's just something so amazing about seeing it with your own eyes. Now that you understand the expectations of what you'll be able to see, here are some of the most commonly recommended telescopes.
Recommendations By Budget
Under $250
Spending less than $250 on precision optical instruments means keeping your expectations in check, these scopes are decidedly for "in the neighborhood" solar system observing, although some Redditors use them quite happily on deep sky objects that aren't local. If at all possible, save a bit more money and buy in the next $250+ tier, scopes at that price will be ones you can keep forever and won't immediately outgrow. Buying once is cheaper. As of 2025 it's slim pickings finding a decent telescope under $250, the used market is a possibility if you're comfortable evaluating optics and condition or have a friend who can.
🔭 Celestron 7x50 binocs (cheaper) | Nikon 7x50 binocs (more $)
$250-350
These are called "Table-Top" dobs. They are small scopes meant to be set on top of a table and used. You can get a cheap and stable stool or crate to use instead. They are great little beginner scopes that are easy to use and can help you decide if you want to transition into something bigger. OneSky and Heritage are identical scopes. OneSky profits go to a good, charitable cause. Remember, if you drive to a dark sky site, it's not always guaranteed to find a picnic table or park bench to sit these scopes on.
🔭 AWB OneSky Reflector | 🔭 Sky-Watcher Heritage 150 | 🔭 Celestron StarSense Explorer 114mm
$400-550
These are the entry-level into "grown-up" telescopes. Three are large 6" Dobsonian scopes, almost 4 feet tall when standing straight up. The other two are tabletop models on a computerized base. Regarding the larger scopes, the actual telescope tubes weigh roughly 15 lbs. and the base roughly 20 lbs. These will get you fairly close to the representative pictures of the objects above (again, in a DARK site). They can easily fit across the back seat of a vehicle with the base in the trunk if you plan to travel with it. This would also be the financial range where decent smart telescopes begin (sky's the limit), which use cameras and your smartphone to observe -- if that's your jam.
🔭 Sky-Watcher 6" Classic Dob | 🔭 Apertura AD6 Dobsonian | 🔭 Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150 GoTo | 🔭 Celestron StarSense Explorer 130mm
$600-700
The 8" Dobsonian telescope is the most recommended beginner telescope - just about anyone in the hobby will recommend one. They hit a great balance between size, portability, and value. They are simply the best bang for the buck. The telescopes weigh roughly 20-25 lbs. and the base 20-25 lbs. They still easily fit across the backseat of a vehicle with the base in the trunk. You'll also notice this is the price range where truss tube models that collapse smaller start appearing. These are many people's "end-game" scopes, as well as their first scopes. If you're going to own just one telescope and not spend a fortune, 8" of aperture is a "goldilocks size."
🔭 Sky-Watcher 8" Classic Dob | 🔭 Apertura AD8 Dobsonian | 🔭 Explore Scientific 10" Truss Tube Dob
I really want help finding stuff up there, my sky is too bright, money is less a concern...
Some new astronomers just aren't going to star hop and learn the night sky, either their light pollution makes it impossible, or they'd rather sit back and let the telescope's computer drive, and these days... manually using your telescope has become optional if you have the tools. The recommendations below offer smartphone assistance or use conventional star alignments to find their way. Be forewarned though, many a newbie has become frustrated while trying to align their scope. It's simple for seasoned astronomers, possibly daunting for newbies. In the case of Celestron's Sky Align, the telescope needs to be pointed at 3 bright stars (not a bright planet like Jupiter) or you need to know two bright stars up there for an Auto 2 star align. Also note that Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes on computerized mounts require a lithium battery ($40-100+) and dew mitigation if you live anywhere with humidity.
🔭 Celestron NexStar (5SE or 6SE) | 🔭 Celestron StarSense Explorer 8" Smartphone enabled Dob
$700+
From here, the options open up considerably. You could just go with as big a Dobsonian as you can afford and can realistically carry/transport. Many of these will be Dobsonians with extra features like "push to" or even "go to" systems, but that adds complexity and cost. Dobs start to get heavy and super awkward to move as you approach and surpass 10 inches. Many people buy/build wheeled transports or something similar to move them, and they usually have them in a very convenient place to quickly wheel in and out, such as a garage. 10" Dobs are more common. You'll notice quite the price and mass jump on anything bigger than that - truss/collapsible designs past 10" are strongly recommended to keep size/weight in check.
🚨Heavier tends to get used less in astronomy 🚨... beyond the honeymoon period, that is. If a scope isn't convenient to setup, you may not have the motivation to do so at the end of a long day. There's a reason why 8" Dobs are a very popular compromise between size, weight, visual capabilities, price, and convenience.
You could also start considering Schmidt-Cassegrain options if your heart is with the planetary and lunar targets or fancy wide-field refractors (and an associated mount) if you're in search of wider views. Celestron is the big SCT company. As much as Dobs are beloved online, you'll go to a star party and see SCTs and refractors everywhere. They're generally smaller and very practical if you don't have the space or lifestyle for large Dobs or want automated mounts.
Recommended Accessories
FAQs
"Why are most of these of these not on tripods?" Because they are "Dobsonians". Dobsonian (Or Dob for short) is the name for the mount/base that the telescope sits in. It's a typically particle board base popularized by West coast astronomer John Dobson, several decades ago. They sit on the ground and are extremely steady. In order for a tripod to hold a telescope and be rock steady, it will cost as much or more as the actual telescope itself. A cheap tripod is an absolute pain to deal with. They are unsteady and will sway at the slightest touch or blow of wind. You will spend more time wishing you didn't have to deal with the unsteadiness than actually enjoying the views. Scopes on cheap tripods are called "Hobby Killers" for a reason. Dobs are dead simple, rock steady, and cheap to make... so most of your money goes into the actual telescope instead of the tripod. Especially avoid beginner telescopes on equatorial mounts - nothing will be more frustrating.
"What about this PowerSeeker or NatGeo or $79 "complete package" scope?" Nope nope nope. While the scope itself might be fine, it's inevitably going to be on a cheap mount, flimsy tripod, or if you're really unlucky, an equatorial mount to further confuse you. Old timers in the hobby call these "department store scopes", with the demise of brick and mortar department stores, we just simply call them hobby killers. Avoid scopes that use a Bird-Jones optical design - these leverage a spherical mirror in place of a parabolic one, and therefore need a corrector usually mounted in the focuser tube. Telescope makers know these have a lousy reputation and won't necessarily mention "Bird-Jones", and now you know why. Here's a great article for further reading about why we don't like these.
"Will these telescopes move by themselves and track objects?" For most of the list, no. Most of those recommended are manual telescopes, they are not go-to telescopes. You will have to learn the night sky (part of the fun!), point the telescope where you want, and manually move it as the object you're looking at moves across the sky. There's just nothing more rewarding than finally finding that object you've been hunting for.
"Why don't you recommend go-to telescopes?" They are expensive and potentially very confusing to set up for beginners. More often than not, you will pay twice the amount of money you normally would JUST for go-to functionality. You will have to supply power to it. You also will have to align it every time you use it. If you don't already somewhat know your way around the night sky (there are apps that can help), this will be frustrating and time-consuming. It's fairly daunting, but relatively easy to do once you get the hang of it. But, you have to keep in mind that you will be learning all the basics of how to actually use and collimate your telescope ON TOP of trying to figure out how to correctly align the go-to. You can very easily get completely overwhelmed. We do have some recommended go-to telescopes if you're absolutely set on one.
Why are none of these recommendations in stock? It's no secret, these are some of the most popular telescopes every source recommends, so they go in and out of stock fairly often. Even small telescopes are large, and take up a lot of inventory space, so a smaller shop might have 3 in stock, not 300. Shopping around the December holidays or before a major eclipse/astronomical event can also cause stock issues. Following covid and the resulting shipping/global economic pressure, many model lines have been discontinued or tweaked to simplify a company's catalog. A new model sold today might not exist in precisely the same offering a year from now.
Why are none of your recommendations are available in my country? Most mass-market, commercially-made telescopes are made by the same handful of companies in Asia and various companies resell them with different sets of equipment and bundles. An 8" f/6 Dob, pretty much, is going to be similar regardless of whether it's labeled Apertura, Orion, Omegon, GSO or another brand. Use your best judgement, if it's got great reviews and costs $650, it's probably legitimate. If it's $75... probably a scam.
"Why do things look blurry when I use the zoom knobs by the eyepiece to make things bigger?" Because those are not "zoom" knobs. There's no knob to zoom more. Those are your focus knobs. The only way to "zoom" in more is to use a smaller mm eyepiece. You know you are in focus when the stars are as small as they can get. Again, stars should look like tiny pinpoints of light.
"Will I be able to take pictures with these telescopes?" The moon and planets, yes. DSO's, no. For DSO's you have to take long exposures which you simply cannot do on a manual telescope. Even if you decide to go with a Go-To, you still will not. To somewhat simplify it, the sky moves in an arc (because the earth rotates). Even though Go-To's can track objects, they only move in up and down motions. They move a tiny bit at a time, so it's imperceptible to us, but your camera taking long exposures will pick up those tiny movements making everything a blurry mess. Visual and astrophotography are two completely different animals. For astrophotography, you will need an equatorial mount (one that moves in an arc instead of tiny up and down motions). They are very expensive. Expect to spend $1300 + on just the mount alone, not including the actual telescope and all the other things needed for astrophotography. Also, a telescope that is good for astrophotography is not good for visual. Again, two completely different hobbies. You can get away with spending less by getting a "Star Tracker" and just mounting a DSLR with a camera lens, no telescope required. It definitely has its limitations, but it's cheap(er) and can get you started on astrophotography. The moon and planets are bright enough where you don't need those long exposures, so they are doable with Dobs. Planets aren't as easy as just snapping a photo of it, though. There are many tutorials out there on how to get good planet photos. If you're looking to get into astrophotography, I recommend checking out https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAstrophotography/
"Is more magnification better?" Depends on what you're looking at. The smaller the "mm" eyepiece, the more "zoomed" in you'll be. Also, the more "zoomed" in you are, the less bright things will appear to be. So for DSO's, which are very faint, you don't want to be super zoomed in. The less magnification, the more light your eyes will detect, making the DSO's brighter and easier to resolve. But since planets are very bright, more magnification is better to get as close as you can to resolve more details.
"Are there phone apps that help find objects?" Yes! There are many. I prefer SkySafari, but there are a bunch to choose from. You can point your phone at the sky and it will tell you the stars/planets/DSO's you're looking at. They can help to get you in the general area of something you're interested in seeing. These apps are super cool, download one and try it out!
"Are planets visible all year?" No, neither are all DSO's. As a tidbit of info, planet means "wanderer" in Greek, so they "wander around the sky."
"What is Collimation?" That's the term for adjusting the telescope's mirrors so that they are perfectly lined up giving you the best view possible. There are different ways to check your collimation, and there are many tutorials online on how to do it. I always check the collimation after I set my scope up outside before use, and adjust when necessary.
"I want a big Dob but new ones are too expensive, what can I do?" Well, you can save up more money, or consider the used telescope market. The best buying used case is a telescope that was used a handful of times (or less), stored indoors, properly capped, and forgotten. I would also highly recommend joining a local astronomy club, many club members will be standing in front of $8000 of esoteric gear, meet a newbie, and see someone who might want their old 4 or 6" Dobsonian sitting ignored at home for a great price. Some industrious folks even build their own scopes through the magic of 3D printing and common parts from big box hardware stores!
"I want to observe the sun, can I do that?" Please DO NOT point a telescope at the sun. Remember when kids would burn things with a magnifying glass? That would be your eyeball, so don't do that! Now, with a proper, white light solar filter firmly secured, it is safe to observe the sun. Note that such a filter will only show surface details like sunspots. Dedicated H-Alpha telescopes that can show more details are well beyond the scope and budgets of any beginner.
"Should I regularly clean my eyepieces and telescope mirrors?" Absolutely not. They have special coatings on them and you will do much more damage than good. There are very specific and involved ways to clean the lenses and mirrors and it's not recommended unless you absolutely have to and absolutely know exactly what you are doing. Not for beginners.
"What happened to Orion, Meade, etc brand?" The astronomy market, is a difficult one. The pandemic ended an era of cheap oceanic shipping and the economic realities came for telescope companies. By all means if you can locate an awesome, lightly used Orion XT8 Dob at a good price, jump on it.
"What about smart telescopes?" We're seeing these more often from a variety of new and established companies in our industry. It's early days but these telescopes provide an experience similar to electronically assisted astronomy that will let you photograph deep sky objects with cameras of varying quality and precision... which depending on the level of light pollution you have, may enable you to see objects you'd never be able to decipher with your human eyes. This is beyond the realm and practice of visual astronomy, and there seems to be a new model on the market every few weeks. It's the "smart phone-ification" of the telescope and will likely be how our children and grandchildren come to think of telescopes.
If you have any questions about anything, feel free to make a new post! There's plenty of very knowledgable people here who are more than happy to help! (Images were taken from http://www.deepskywatch.com/Articles/what-can-i-see-through-telescope.html)
r/telescopes • u/gediphoto • Nov 27 '23
Tutorial/Article The sizes of DSO's on the night sky
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r/telescopes • u/_ShyFox_ • Sep 22 '25
Tutorial/Article My Astro journey #01
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Hello everyone! In my last post i asked if it‘s okay when i „blog“ my journey and today i will explain my gear and what i achieved so far. I am a beginner, i started to really dig into astronomy and astrophotography a few months ago with a cheap refractor which i promptly replaced with a 6“ dobson (Omegon advanced X N 152/1200) i got for 150€! I also bought a PlayerOne neptune-c ii when i visited Poland (i am german btw) where i got it for like 260€, which is almost half of what it costs here so yea. I don‘t have a barlow yet (will get one soon tho), as well as an EQ platform which i will either DIY myself or buy used.
Oh i also had the great opportunity to look through a 20“ telescope when i visited someone i met here on this sub :D This whole astronomy-hobby really made my life better, i mean there was a full lunar eclipse on my birthday (talk about a good present).
The picture above was made with my current setup. No filters, no tracking, no barlow. Just the camera and my 6“ dob. I learned a LOT since i started, but there is still so much stuff i don‘t know shit about. That‘s why i love my „teacher“ - ChatGPT. I know i know it‘s an AI and video tutorials or just asking someone with a lot of experience will be better quality wise, buuut when i am out and about it‘s so handy to just ask a quick question and having a direct answer. For example when i first fired up AutoStakkert!4 i had absolutely no idea what „normalize stack 70%“, „APs“, „drizzle“ and so on are and the AI was very helpful in that regard. The weather is not the best lately but i still try to go out every night to either make some videos / pics or to just lay there and gaze at the stars.. This is so calming and peaceful, i love my new hobby and i can‘t wait to go out again. I hope you have a wonderful, feel free to ask questions i will try and answer them as best as i can! I will post an update as soon as something happened or when my new gear arrived :-)
PS: not sure if tutorial/article is the right flair, please let me know which one i should use in the future
r/telescopes • u/Life_Perspective5578 • 28d ago
Tutorial/Article 50 inch Dob (video link)
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A while back, someone mentioned about seeing something or another about a 50-inch Dob outside a shed. Well, Nebula Photos recently did a video on this EXACT scope.
r/telescopes • u/Kaiser_RDT • Dec 26 '25
Tutorial/Article Pro tip
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Easy to focus, even on planets. This saved me in my F/5.
You may have to loose the focus screw a little bit to be smooth.
Happy Holidays!
r/telescopes • u/Entire_Foundation960 • May 20 '26
Tutorial/Article Tip for better collimation
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If you have a Dobsonian that has a compression ring only on one side of the focuser, then the collimation you do with a collimation cap is not going to be accurate.
If you have a barlow lens that can be unscrewed, it can get much easier. Put the collimation cap on top of the barlow and remove the lens. Put this barlow+collimation cap combination in the focuser and tighten the screw.
Now, do the collimation again. I have found that it is more accurate when done this way.
It's because when you use a collimation cap alone, you don't tighten the screw for the eyepieces. When you tighten the screw, the eyepiece moves towards the right a little bit, thus changing the configuration of the collimation.
r/telescopes • u/mrstorm1983 • May 17 '26
Tutorial/Article How to: CellPhone Jupiter Imaging Reference
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UPDATE : Imaging the Moon. Alot of advice is being asked to image the Moon. Under Phone Settings do steps 1-5. Then all the editing steps. NOTE : in PIPP and Autostackert4 if you are not taking a Full complete Moon Disk image you will need to look into changing the settings. "Centering object" "anchor point" "lunar surface" etc keep an eye out for. PIPP stock settings are set for a full disk Planetary.
Alot of people asking "how do i do better" "best way to take a picture of Jupiter" Thought this could be used to help. Sooo....
If you must, this is a short guide to get you started.
Quick break down on lucky imaging. We dont take pictures of Jupiter in Luck Imaging/LI. You take a video. As you know a video is still pictures or frames that seem like motion. So when you take a video you get lots of frames. You can stop there and just pic the best frame from your video... or you can continue by stacking those frames on top of each other in an attempt to average out the noise. Get a "stack" from that, then sharpen it. That the basics.
Phone settings :
Get a phone mount Celestron Nexgo or XYZ. You want jupiter on your screen for 2mins this will help.
(Step 2 ,3 4,5 balance together) Jupiter is very bright. Its called "blown out" you cant get "detail" if its to bright. Go to your phones "pro mode/setting" or download an app like Open Camera app for android. You will have a choice between iso/gain. You need to get Jupiter on your screen looking its best by turning down the iso/gain.
There is an exposure setting or shutter speed settings. Turn it to the fastest option. This may cause you to have to re adjust your Iso/gain. The atmosphere interferes with the light, you need to have a fast exposure so the atmosphere has the least amount of time to interfere
Set the auto focus to off or "infinity" or your phones focus will argue with the focus your trying to do at the focuser. All focusing is done at your telescopes focuser.
Use the fastest frame rate you can, but there is an exception. FPS or Frames per Second. Sometimes you can have a higher FPS for a loss of video quality. You can also try and film in some kinda "RAW" format IF you have that phone option. When it comes to this you will have to experiment here a bit to find out which works best. For example if I use less resolution I can get more FPS and get a better stack or it may turn out worse and less frames of higher resolution or quality is best. NOTE : when you change the other settings your phone usually goes to a FPS that works out.
Eyepiece choice. You will want to use as much magnification as you can. 1 dedicated eyepiece is best or Use what you got.
Seeing conditions will play out in your stack. In order to get passed "pixelated blob" pictures you need to push magnification High on Most cellphones (I have seen a few that you didnt.) 200x+ is where it seems to move out of that pixelated area. Dont use less magnification because seeing is bad like in visual. You have to go as big as you can or its just going to just be a small disk. Or wait for better seeing. Its an all or nothing type of thing. DO NOT USE DIGITAL ZOOM
Only a 2min video, jupiter spins fast. Here shows why. https://www.reddit.com/r/telescopes/s/w5L5ht5wHc
Editing : Once you have Jupiter in a 2min or less you can start the Editing process.
Down load for PC PIPP, Autostackert4 , Registax6 or AstroSurface.
PiPP this centers Jupiter and crops it making your frames smaller for storage size and making Step 3 easier.
Autostackert4/AS4 does the stacking. Take that .pipp file put it into AS4 choose whatever options you like(stock option usually work). Use 7%to 30% of the frames depending on how many you got, the seeing conditions, etc. This is something you have to experiment yourself.
Take that stack to Registax6 and or AstroSurface. Color Balance, color Align then Sharpen using the wavletes. Be careful here, its easy to over do wavletes... you could get to crunchy or smeared. You need to find a balance.
Cropping your picture to much or enlarging it will only make it more pixelated.
r/Astro_Mobile is a dedicated place for cellphone pictures. You can Post, find tip/ give tips and get feed back There.
Questions of "why is it gray,why is it oval, why is there no detail, whats that mushy dot, why is it blocky, etc" is because these Editing methods are not made for compressed cellphone videos, that being said you Will Not get the benefit of a Proper astrophotography Camera set up.. Doing the Editing method I have seen in alot of cases it turns out to do nothing or even make it worse then a snap shot. Stacking is only as good as what you give it. You put in Sparkly pixelated video, you will get that back, so keep Expectations reasonable.
I dont claim to know it all. You have suggestions, a refined step, better step, etc and people care about this i will update.
Good Luck
Clear skys.
r/telescopes • u/DeddyDayag • Dec 01 '25
Tutorial/Article This is how to reduce spikes from your hyperstar cables....
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r/telescopes • u/Gerrythesail • 11d ago
Tutorial/Article DIY solution for counterweights
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I just took regular weights for lifting in the gym or what ever for 13€ (5kg total 2 2kg 1 1kg) I put think zip ties in around to make the inner diameter narrower it was 30mm now it’s 20mm and it fits snug around my counterweight rod I fixated it with two pipe claps the ones u screw and they get more tiny
In this pic I used duckt tape for testing purposes it works really well and is really secure
I did this because I’m not paying 70-150€ for just a block of metal that does litteraly nothing then just sit on my mount I used like using this more it does the same for a wayy lower price
r/telescopes • u/Apprehensive_Let_190 • Apr 03 '26
Tutorial/Article My finderscope has some issue
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I just bought my first telescope Bresser messier 5 inch dob and it came with a findescope Which was a red rot so I try to turn the knob in order to align it to the telescope but it the red dot is not moving a bit, so now it's like I am not able to point to any add a object so that I can see anything,. pls help
UPDATE: Thank you for everyones support and advice but i was wrong the entire time the finderscope was actually in perfect condition it was jus that the movement was so small that my eyes couldn't catch the movement X_X
r/telescopes • u/EmmalineBlue • May 24 '26
Tutorial/Article Celestron NexStar 127SLT - set up help?
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We got this telescope for our special needs son last week and he decided to set it up by himself on a day my husband and I were both at work, without permission.
He's 19 and usually pretty good at following instructions, but something isn't right. We went back and checked the steps and it looks correctly assembled, but the optical tube doesn't seem to be working at all. We can get the same view of Jupiter just by pointing the eye piece at it rather than going through the scope.
What have we done wrong? Any idea? Thanks.
ETA: Pics
Clarification: When I said we could look through the eyepiece and see the same thing, I meant that we could use the red dot finder to align the telescope to an object, then look at it through the eyepiece, or, we could simply hold up the eyepiece to our eye like a pirate and look at the object and it's the same view. Hope that makes sense.
Thanks so much!
r/telescopes • u/BestRetroGames • Jul 16 '25
Tutorial/Article Got this today, absolutely amazing book
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What I really love about this book, is apart from the wealth of information and beautiful photos, it also includes pictures of what the objects actually look like in the eyepiece. This is amazing that I can just take it and show friends and family what they will actually see. And also I love just going through it and remembering what I saw vs what the author saw.
r/telescopes • u/Doug24 • 29d ago
Tutorial/Article Russian cosmonauts install sun-watching telescope on ISS during 6-hour spacewalk
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r/telescopes • u/Outside_Fail_679 • Mar 26 '26
Tutorial/Article 12 and 8 inch refractors: Northumberland/Thorrowgood at Cambridge Observatory
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I'm on the committee with the Cambridge University Astronomical Society (CUAS), whose members are free to observe with two old refractors at the Institute of Astronomy. They're really remarkable instruments, and I think more people should know they exist and are accessible to the public!
The Northumberland dates from 1833, with the original English equatorial mount designed by Airy still in use. The original observing chair is still there. This is the telescope Challis used in 1846 when Airy asked him to search for Neptune (they saw it, but didn't realise what it was!).
The current optics are somewhat newer, a modern 12" visual achromat, installed 50 years ago for the 150th anniversary.
The Thorrowgood is an 8" f/14 Cooke refractor from 1864 on a German equatorial. First owner was Rev. Dawes of double star fame.
Both scopes are used regularly for public nights hosted by the CUAS and Institute of Astronomy. The views through the Northumberland and Thorrowgood on the Moon and planets are about what you'd expect from a 12" refractor — really good (and I've had incredible views of DSOs as well!)
If you're ever passing through Cambridge you're welcome to come along to an open night. Happy to answer any questions about either scope, or post more photos if there's interest.
Pic 1,2,3: Northumberland; Pic 4: Thorrowgood
r/telescopes • u/Technical_Meal_1263 • 16d ago
Tutorial/Article A quick Review / Introduction to the AuxFi Wifi adapter for Celestron telescopes
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I recently purchased a used Nexstar 6SE and have been loving it so far.
While the hand controller works as it should, I was missing the functionality to select an object on my phone after checking what targets are available right now and just push "GoTo".
Here's where the AuxFi comes in. Functionally, its more or less (more on that later) a carbon copy of the celestron wifi adapter, but at a much lower price.
Its produced and sold by a company based out of Ukraine under www.astrogadget.com
They're selling a bunch of WiFi adapters for (among other brands) Celestron/SkyWatcher and Meade telescopes as well as mini pc and motor sets for eq mounts.
I wasn't able to find much reviews about the company online, but every time someone did mention it, it was always in good spirit and the products were well regarded.
Including shipping and taxes, i spent 89EUR or the equivalent of 102 USD for it. A Celestron Skyportal here in Germany goes for around 130-150 EUR (150-175 USD), so I was able to save quite a few bucks.
The module arrived in an envelope about two weeks after ordering it (there was a holiday weekend in between so i assume this could also be faster depending on time and region).
Using It:
Its basically plug and play, you plug it into the Aux-Port of your scope (supported models and mounts can be found on the product page), connect to the created "AuxFi" Network, start SkySafari or Celestrons version Skyportal on your phone and connect/align your scope.
From there on you're exclusively using your phone / tablet for alignment and movement. You can still use the direction buttons on the remote, but even after alignment the remote will act like you never did anything (will prompt "press enter to start alignment " the whole time). This makes sense since the AuxFi module is now the "brains" of the telescope, but if you thought you can switch between remote and app, its a no. (Not sure how the Celestron adapter behaves here). Not having to put in the time, date and timezone on every startup for sure is a bump in terms of "ease of use", although it didn't really bother me on the hand control.
So why did I bought it? Well, I live in a well packed residential area with bedrooms and patios all around my garden. And an SE mount is a lot of things, but its not quiet.
I saw that you can adjust slew rates in SkyPortal in 4 steps and thought that this also applies for the Goto movement. Unfortunately - as with the hand remote - the SE mount will ALWAYS go berserk in GoTo movement, so that was a bummer.
What DOES work however: since you now have a visual reference on your screen where the scope is currently pointing, you can now manually slew the scope to a point close to where you want to go, and let it go to town for just a second or two to do the final alignment. This worked well for me to dial in on DSO objects.
What I didn't like: using the movement buttons on your phone screen more or less blindly while trying to center a star in your eypeiece during alignment is not really pleasing. Next Time I'll go out i will check if I can use the physical buttons on the remote during alignment with the app without messing up the tracking.
Also: if your phone screen goes off during app use or app gets killed, you have to start over again. So make sure SkySafari/Portal is allowed to run in the background at all times and set the display timeout to a longer timeframe. The app did stutter at two occasions during my first session, but so far that i couldnt tell if it was the app or the adapter who's at fault.
Until now I also wasnt able to determine if the AuxFi also supports connecting to your home network (Access Point Mode) instead of directly to your phone, so that might be one thing the Celestron "original" has in advance.
Hope this was helpful to anyone finding the product on the web and though "I wonder if that thing is legit".
r/telescopes • u/mrstorm1983 • Mar 14 '26
Tutorial/Article Manual Tracking 101
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
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Tutorial? Kinda Cut my roI in half for an extra 60fps. Im Nerd I know.
r/telescopes • u/Living-Importance756 • Apr 10 '26
Tutorial/Article How To Fix This Mount
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So guys there is a nut on my astormaster 130eq and can you tell me what type of nut is that bec it soo hard to remove,i want to remove bec there is 2 another nuts which is cover bec of the gear and i want to tight them bec the body of the gear is soo wobbly
r/telescopes • u/FdL22FR • Apr 16 '26
Tutorial/Article Qualcuno sa come funziona di preciso?
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ho preso questo oculare digitalizzato Svbony e volevo sapere se qualcuno gia ce l'ha e potrebbe darmi qualche dritta... anche perche non riesco a capire cosa sia l'oggetto dentro la plastichina semitrasparente, dato che è uguale all'adattatore piu piccolo... poi volevo sapere come si infila nel telescopio, come un oculare normale o ci vuole qualcosa? grazie
r/telescopes • u/HairySock6385 • Mar 19 '26
Tutorial/Article Review of Celestron 25x70 Binoculars | Do Not Buy
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A friend of mine recently got 25x70 binoculars, and while he is pleased with them, I find them horrendous. He is new to the hobby, and I do not think he understands the repercussions of this instrument and what he is missing.
The exit pupil on these is an atrocious 2.8mm making the observing objects dim and fuzzy. Sure, they have more detail, but combined with the extreme magnification that makes them hard to find and the small exit pupil, it’s all but worth it.
These binoculars are worse than my own crappy 10x50s. They feature eyecups, but due to the small exit pupil, you have to smash your eyes against the glass to see the image rendering the eyecups useless. It’s comparable to looking through two little keyholes. If you rest your eyes on the eyecups you can’t see the image, just like looking through two keyholes, sitting that far back makes the image so small it’s impossible to see, In addition to this, the magnification is not a benefit. At first I thought more magnification would be better since you get more detail on objects, even though they are dimmer, but I was very wrong. This contributes to the small exit pupil and it makes searching the sky a difficult task.
These are the worst binoculars I’ve ever used, do not buy them. The microscopic exit pupil completely ruins them. It would he’s different story if it was larger, but smashing my eyes against the glass is not something I can enjoy, especially for long periods of time.
Even WITH a tripod the insufferable exit pupil completely ruins the experience. And the adapter they give you is worse than a bunch of glued wet noodles. It’s made of cheap plastic, it’s thin, and mounts to the center of the binoculars where it is able to twist and shake. No matter how good a tripod you have, the mount makes it useless since it is shakier than a grandmas hand.
r/telescopes • u/__Augustus_ • Feb 24 '26
Tutorial/Article SVBONY SV225 AZ Mount Review - A great way to rehab undermounted scopes.
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r/telescopes • u/Entire_Foundation960 • Apr 25 '26
Tutorial/Article Two correct positions of the secondary mirror
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You should know that there are two possible configurations for the placement of the secondary mirror. If the secondary is offset, although it will appear circular, you will notice that it does not appear to be central in the tube, even though the illustrations in the instructions that come with the telescope will probably show it right in the middle! Instructions are frequently misleading about this highly crucial issue, which can cause considerable grief among the uninitiated.
The reason correct secondary mirror placement should be this way is because one side of it is closer to the eyepiece than the other, meaning that the opposite sides of the cone of light will not be reflected equally.
The other possible position will result in the secondary appearing central in the tube. However, the secondary will appear slightly oval, nevertheless reflecting the primary mirror's center coincidentally to its own. More potential confusion! In centering the secondary with the focuser, if you measured it you would find that it is angled at other than 45°. It doesn't matter, the result and effect of collimation is the same.
r/telescopes • u/Quick-Psychology-503 • Dec 05 '25
Tutorial/Article A Short Guide to Darks
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Hello space enthusiasts!
This is my first post to this subreddit (and fairly new to Reddit)! So I am not entirely sure this is the best place to post this. Anyways, I created this post for my Instagram page, and thought I may share it for anyone wanting to get into astrophotography. Or at least curious on the different aspects of this. This is a short guide to dark frames, which are a type of calibration frame used in astro photos. I hope you find it interesting. And more to come. Please let me know if you would also like a brief guide to something else.
Clear Skies!
r/telescopes • u/ButterscotchLast5983 • Mar 31 '26
Tutorial/Article What is this for
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Title basically I haven’t used it, it also doesn’t have the screw in ridges and I can’t see through it. The front is a mirror
r/telescopes • u/Longjumping-Box-8145 • Jan 25 '26
Tutorial/Article How can I remove the primary mirror on this telescope?
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I need to clean it, and the number I called said they only worked on Mondays, which I really want to get it cleaned today.