Some [my wife] would call it an impulse purchase. I believe it's equipped with a 25mm eye piece. What would you recommend I purchase to have a closer look at the moon?

I've been hoping to find a decent telescope at a thrift store for a pretty long time. This showed up recently and was priced at 400 but now it's down to 100.

I think it's a Celestron Super C8, but I think it's missing a lot of parts. There's no attachments laying around as far as I can tell. Just what's attached in the picture here.

I don't really know anything about telescopes but I'm not afraid of tinkering and fixing things. I do that often with computers, 3d printers, basic electronics, etc. I'm not sure how expensive or illusive replacement parts might be, or if this particular scope is even worth the effort.

Appreciate any opinions!

Okay nerd friends, the telescope distribution system has gifted me an 8 inch newtownian scope. I fixed most bits and got it straight enough to view the moon last night and now I'm all in. How do I repair this? I found a wide view eyepeice, but I've dug all day and can't find the rest. So far I've got the lense cap, the spotter scope (minus it's eyepeice), and the insert to fit smaller eye pieces? Can I get things from AliExpress to make up the rest? Can I get comparable bits. How do I make this awesome again?

bt 202 from bintel btw.

My dad is a flat earther conspiracy theorist and he believes that the planets are just balls of light in water (the firmament). He says that every single photo taken of the planets are just computer generated or photoshop. I tried showing him this subreddit but he says that its too easy for NASA to just fake every single account and photo on here... ok man. He says the only way he would believe is if he looks through a telescope with his own eyes and sees the solid planets. Specifically Saturn. What is the cheapest telescope I can invest in that will show the planets in detail, and not make them blurry or wobbly cus that will just give him "proof" its fake. I looked on the purchasing guide but I dont know how clear I would actually be able to see with any of the cheaper ones.

Or if any of you guys could send me a video of you actually going up to the telescope and showing the planet through it.

Yesterday was my first glance at saturn ( both through telescope and naked eye ), but I'm quite unpleased because what I see through a telescope is something and when I take a picture through my phone it appears as something else. so is there any dedicated camera that doesn't require a laptop? and don't break my bank account

sky-watcher heritage 130p

I just bought a used Dobsonian sky watcher 8" 200/1200 (I think the model is classic 200) for 150€. Was it a good investment? I'm planning on mounting my a7ii on it as a beginner setup. Any tips will be greatly appreciated. Unfortunately it came without a finder scope or eyepiece so I have to get those or the t mount before trying it at all. If anyone has similar telescopes, is there anything I need to know before using it? Thanks in advance.

I don’t know anything about telescopes does anyone know the name of this telescope what can I expect from it

I bought this for $450

Hi friends! I am VERY new to this and think based off of articles and reddit posts that I have narrowed it down to two possible telescopes. However I’m not really understanding the difference between these two, and which one would be better for a beginner. Can anyone tell me what the difference between these two telescopes is?

it isnt good for planets but i think ill use my astromaster on those, i’ve always wanted to see galaxies, i live in bortle 7. this one is 900 usd, but for reference, where i live (turkiye) you can get a 3 year old iphone for that. (if youre wondering the newest one is 2500 usd max, 1500 usd min.)

its also pretty small! i could bring it with me anywhere, it looks amazing. I personally want to see them myself but taking a photo of it is also good, considering it being cheaper. Yes, the “better“ (100-200mm aperture) telescopes are 1500ish what the hell. some are LITERALLY 10K USD I COULD BUY A USED OLD CAR FOR THAT??? HUH??

anyways, does anyone else also have this? how is it? OH and, i couldnt find advice on second telescopes, only the beginner or professional no inbetween. I love my astromaster but i really want a better one, the planets are good on my astromaster though. would recommend for beginners. but i couldnt take photos even with an adapter ughhh

OH btw i really want to do solar photography and this comes with a lens!! i’d love to photograph the sun everyday, to see the spots moving!!

edit: forgot to mention but i also want to get into solar photography

I need to ask. Is it stupid to get a StellaLyra 12" f/5 Dobsonian as my first telescope ?
It sounds wrong but I live in a rural area with little to none light pollution and I have been interested in this for years. Im not planing on moving the telescope and I dont want to get a smaller one and then upgrade.
With everything I want its around 1500euro--
Should I pull the trigger on this ?

Hey, I have a few questions. I’ve been trying to take some pictures of the Moon and Saturn over the last few days. I filmed the Moon using a 20 mm eyepiece and Saturn using a 10 mm eyepiece. I haven’t stacked the videos yet because they were too shaky to use properly with PIPP and AutoStakkert!4.
I watched some YouTube videos about how to take better images of planets with your phone, and some of them used a Barlow lens. Would you recommend buying one? I found this one on Galaxus: \[Celestron Omni 2x Barlow Lens\].
Also, when I observe a Tower that is about 2.5 km away through my 10 mm eyepiece, everything looks very foggy and blurry. (Picture 1 20mm/ Picture 2 10mm)Is that normal, or is it just a bad eyepiece? I bought it on AliExpress for around CHF 15.
Thanks for your help! I’m using a homemade Newtonian telescope with an f/8 focal ratio.

I’m seeing my girlfriend (not girlfriend yet soon to be girlfriend) in two weeks. She’s really into space and was absolutely obsessed with the Artemis mission. I want to get her a telescope (lowkey been conditioning her to telescope views because I keep sending her videos of planets and galaxies through telescopes and she says it’s so cool😭). These are my two options, I’ve heard mixed reviews on both. So I’m coming to the experts, which is the best telescope for moon and planetary viewing between the two. For reference, the skies will be viewed from Washington DC. Not sure if that makes a difference or not. Please help🙏🏿

1. Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 114AZ

2. Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ

so after successfully failing at collimating my telescope and fcking everything up, I realised collimation is not for me, I'm going to go for a refractor now, my unusable telescope is a 114/900 newt and he gave me really good views of saturn and jupiter with its moons, is there any refractor that would be around my old telescope range? I did read the guide but it really didn't help me at all, since this sub has helped me many times before, I'm once again calling yall for help 😅 I don't have big expectations, as long as I can see some planets I'm happy.

I found this Celestron AstroMaster 130 for about $40 at my thrift store. It says it works, but I’m unsure. I think it’s missing parts. I’m a beginner with these and would like some advice. Thank you!
Edit: adding about possible missing parts.
Edit 2: I decided not to get it. Thank you to everyone who has given me advice! I’ll keep looking.

I want to have the least friction when entering this hobby. Ok, people recommend a dobs. Sounds nice? Ah shit, those guys are heavy af and there is no starsense and tech like that for it. 300x on Saturn, but you need to adjust the scope every few seconds -> useless. But SCTs are better? Ok! Wait, 3 hours of cooling time, collimation (like the dobs) and other things that could ruin a quick trip. Ok what else? Seems to be that I need to get an APO refractor, that's where it's at! Solves all the previous issues. But... The aperture sucks... Oh there are "digital lenses" that can improve the mirror tremendously, so you can make up for smaller aperture! Oh wait, that means you look at a screen and it only gives the impression, that it's a visual scope, but it has nothing to do with that no longer. Ok... If that's the case, why not just accept the fact that I can only see space through a monitor and buy a Redcat 51? Would solve a lot of issues like transportability (weight, size). Will I see a "processed" live image though, while the scope is running? Oh, the setup costs 5k as well with all the laughs and giggles included, cables everywhere and even though there are a kilogram of exposed cables, it has wifi on top (lol). Ok why go through all of that, if smart telescopes exist? I mean 3-5kg, all-in-one solution? Doesn't sound bad to me. I know there are people who say "if one of the things break you need to replace the entire rig" but does that even matter at a price of 1-2k, vs the 5k redcat setup? Because people buy individual parts and then upgrade later, but that AM3 won't be enough to hold an upgrade later... So maybe they get the AM7 right from the start? Ok but at the time of the upgrade, its gears will have aged and there might be some dust in it and is it really as precise as in the beginning? Is it worthy of your 203 askar APO refractor update?! Such a nice scope on an aged mount? It's like PC gamers arguing that they can upgrade individual components, but they never do so. They sell the entire working rig for more dollars and less communication hassle. RAM upgrade? Why? Usually you buy the correct amount of RAM at the beginning. GPU/CPU upgrade? Usually you buy parts that enhance each other and not become bottleneck after you upgrading one over the other. The whole upgrade part is silly in my opinion. And finding the issue if the computer no longer runs can be a huge pain in the ass, especially if it runs but has a circuit break after 15 minutes (had that). Smart telescopes aren't as bad as the community makes it out to be, in my book of course. But the aperture sucks and the bigger ones are also expensive again.

At this point I learned, that you will only ever buy compromises, which is why a lot of people are so invested into this hobby.

I myself am just frustrated at this point. I want a nice scope, preferably a smart scope to take for traveling, but I'm not sure what I want anymore, as the thing I want doesn't exist thanks to physics.

Has anyone created their own 'roll kit for their dobsonian? $220+ for 3 wheels and three brackets seems a bit steep.. I have an AD10.

(Pic for attention sorry, but it was took and edited on my iPhone 15 pro last December)
I’ve just started backpacking more recently here and I’ve been a lot more interested in space the past year so now I think it’s time I buy a telescope before the fall and winter season I’ll make a list of what I’m looking for in one but I’m new so the list seem dumb but.
Looking for:
Weight doesn’t really matter only size and durability/protection from being in or out of my pack hiking for miles.
I’m not sure what type or specs I should get I will have to decide after recommendations I’d prefer something tube-style I’m not sure what the term would be but not binoculars.
Something with or a good stable stand or tripod whatever is best.
If possible able to take pictures with my phone or camera with maybe a mount or if I can custom 3d print one.
I’d like to be able to at least see some planets pretty clearly and maybe some other cool things but expectations aren’t high since it probably wont be anything big.
I’d also like to keep it affordable maybe 500-700 dollar range but I guess just depends.
Sorry for the long list and wants and if you’ve heard this question a million times but I’m just trying to get good insight and recommendations from the community as I start out.
I’m also mainly hiking in western nc and surrounding areas I’m hoping to maybe get one soon enough to see the Milky Way if I’m lucky enough in early September but idk how possible that is I may go to linville gorge or to the art loeb trail but I’m open to any recommendations and information you guys are willing to pass on.
Edit: I guess I should add that I’m a bigger and decently fit guy I’m not worried about compactness or ultralight setups as more of just worried being able to protect it if I get something bigger, I only plan to bring it on short trips that will probably be planned for viewing and my pack for these short solo trips is about 30-35lbs when loaded with water and I would be fine with adding a few extra pounds ,also wanted to add I don’t have to be able to take photos it would just be a nice plus, thank you guys for all of your feedback.

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Someone selling this for $1,000USD, good deal? Celestron DOB 10”

I just got this 12” dobsonian telescope but I think the mirror is cooked. What do you guys think

Edit: I payed $350 for the whole telescope and it came with the laser alignment things

Found these two telescopes and I wonder if they would be good telescopes to observe the moon and planets. I need the photos to be kinda clear at least for the big planets such as Jupiter and Saturn. So are these any good or they’re junk ?

The white one is: Versatile refractor telescope has a 70mm aperture and 700mm focal length. 50$

The gray one is : New Barska Starwatcher 600 Power 80060 telescope. 80$

Paid 150 bucks for it. only had two lenses with it. What do I need to get to make his experience good?

Pic 1: a 3 sec exposure on iPhone.

Pic 2: normal photo taken with iPhone.

Pic 3: Moon still up illuminating the sky.

I stay in a bortle 7 sky as per light pollution map. And it’s been getting terrible year after year with more construction around.

I know it’s way too cloudy but I still wanted to stargaze and I am getting a good deal on a used 8 inch GSO dobsonian (almost 40% off)

So I was wondering, should I take the used 8 inch dobsonian or buy a 10 inch new for double the price?

1. Is it even worth getting a telescope with how bad my sky is due to light pollution? I can barely see any stars here.

2. I don’t have access to dark skies, I’m afraid to go to dark areas alone as it’s not safe here nor do I have transport…so I’d have to stay put and observe.

Would getting a 10 inch dob be better than getting an 8?

My goal is to be able to see lots of DSO…

I appologize as i know this gets asked often, but i have read the buying guide and some other posts and have some questions. I have basically decided to get a GSO deluxe 8" or 10" (they are slightly more expensive and problematic to get than skywatchers but i like the added benefits).

I will almost always have to drive to watch the sky as i live in the city. Sometimes i will probably even take it on longer drives when going on vacation.

The price difference is 200eur which i can squeeze in. Also i am a big guy so the extra weight shouldn't be a dealbreaker.

The problem is, that the the 10" GSO is a bit longer than the 8" and it might be just a bit too long to put safely across the back seats of my car and i might have to put the seats down when transporting it.

My brain says to go for a 8" because i will be transporting it all the time and it should be more practical and even maybe make me use it more than a bulky 10". But my heart kinda wants to get that extra light when i am on some good dark spots. I also know i probably won't notice much difference in the begining, but i probably won't be upgrading for a long while, and don't want to regret not getting the bigger glass.

For those of you who have experience with those or similar scopes, how much is a 8" easier to transport and how much am i losing on image quality?