Good luck Bob , great story 🙂

Not as young as yourself but my daughters surprised me with a Telescope for my 57th Birthday a week ago

Good to hear 😁✅

80 is not a tender age

Ditto

Me too. I recently bought a Nexstar 8SE (8" goto SCT), after first getting into Astronomy in 1979 at age 14. I got some Zeiss 8x30 binoculars for my birthday, and, after that, knew every star name or Bayer designation in the sky at one point. Time got in the way, and recently got back into it. I didn't forget much, apart from some Bayer designations!

Like what? Could you please explain?

Saw a 1 mm black dot transit moon today around 02:35 et.

This is due to light pollution. If you go out in the middle of no where with no light you will see many more

Who cares... it was a bird I think.

You can also just travel to somewhere that’s dark

I am 68 and wanted one for 50 years and got one this past Christmas . It is a lot to take in but i am retired now so i am going to hit it hard . Good luck

שלום לך!

Welcome to the Universe, Michael, I hope you have as much fun and as many great adventures as I've had!

Who is the author of Astronomica?

​@@zainbaig5381 George Jetson

Thank you, Alice, much appreciated. Clear skies!

A 9mm eyepiece is rather powerful, and when doubling with Barlow you might be pushing the magnification limits of telescope. Just a thought

If necessary, use an extension tube to get into focus again, but that will not help if you need to move the focuser more inward. If the image is just bad, use a better Barlow lens or another eyepiece, like the Planetary HR shown in the video. If necessary, collimate the telescope, perhaps with a laser collimator.

If your focuser does not extend enough, use an extension tube. If the image is just bad, use a better Barlow lens or eyepieces with shorter focal length. A 12.5 mm Plössl gives roughly the same magnification as the 26 mm eyepiece with a 2x Barlow, but will have a similar focuser position as the 26 mm alone - and it will not compromise the image quality by itself.

Wolf, I guess it's a matter of personal opinion. But if you are on a budget, and want a set of different eyepieces, a zoom eyepiece is a good way to go. I have one made by Celestron and I use it frequently with very little complaints

@@darrellheath9776 A problem with being on a budget is that the zoom eyepiece would be a budget one, too. A set of inexpensive, but decent Plössl eyepieces might not cost much more but will give you a better view. Of course the latter does not apply to the Baader Hyperion Zoom 8-24 mm or the TeleVue Nagler Zoom 3-6 mm, but their prices are far higher, ruling them out as "budget".

Yes it is, even a small refractor can see a few deep sky objects.

Orion nebula can be seen in even smaller instruments, but don't expect it to look like the images.

Hello, Thomas. No, not all eyepieces are universal with all telescopes. The most important consideration is the diameter of your focuser. There are several different sizes but the two most commonly used are 1.25 inches and 2 inch focusers. The zoom lens I mention in the video is sold in either the 1.25 inch form or the 2 inch. The different focal lengths the zoom eyepiece affords is however suitable for most backyard telescopes.

@@darrellheath9776 The Baader Hyperion Zoom is sold with both barrel sizes included, so there is no decision necessary. But most telescopes with 2" focuser include an adapter to 1.25" as well.

All money that goes into the electronics cannot be used for optics or mechanics.

Hello! I'm not familiar with that scope but, judging by the reviews I've seen online, it appears to be a fine telescope. However, you will be limited by the aperture as to what all you can see with it. At 3.54" of aperture, the moon and planets will be accessible as well as a few of the brighter deep sky objects. It is a reflector scope so be sure that you allow at least 20-30 minutes for the mirror to acclimate to the surrounding air temperature before you begin observing. Quality eye pieces will greatly improve your images but $40 seems awfully inexpensive for a quality eyepiece. My own budget is rather limited but I can find lower priced, quality eyepieces from places such as Explore Scientific . If your budget is limited, I would suggest getting a zoom eyepiece like the one I mention in the video. You might also consider getting a Barlow lens (say, one that magnifies 2x) to help increase the magnification of your existing eyepieces. Finally, always and be sure that you start your observing with the lowest power eyepiece first, you have (in your case, that would be the 20mm). I hope this helps.

My eye pieces cost more than that. Try and save more .

hey man, you can look at r/telescopes pinned post to help you out with that. They've got a pretty good list there

Currently telescopes are quite expensive. I would suggest a 114/900 Newtonian on a better mount than an EQ2, but there is only one supplier and I am too (positively) biased to name that store, as my advices should be neutral.

I've used Celestron's Barlow lens along with the 25mm eyepiece and can see Saturn and Jupiter with them

There are websites for amateur astronomers, read the most often read threads for beginners and then ask your own questions.

As I doubt that it has a parabolic mirror, my suggestion would be to use it with eyepieces of rather long focal length for wide field observation. Large open star clusters and diffuse emission nebulae are good objects.

You will need a barlow lens. Maybe a 3x, last October was the best time for mars. You will have a better view this summer with jupiter and saturn.

Mars is now currently out of range for just about any backyard telescope (unless we are talking about one with an objective of a meter or more). Mars only gets close enough for us to see details every two years. And, due to certain peculiarities with its orbit, not every close encounter is good for observing. On top of that, an unsteady atmosphere can make seeing details difficult. It takes patience and constant attention at the eyepiece, hoping for that magic moment, before you might get a chance to see anything. As the late Sir Patrick Moore once noted, Mars is easy to see but very difficult to observe. But don't throw in the towel, you've got Jupiter and Saturn entering the evening sky later this summer. On top of that, there are going to be a number of bright deep sky objects that are within easy reach of your telescope: globular clusters, open star clusters, nebulae, and even few galaxies. Hang in there!

While it says they are sold out, I'm sure they will have more in stock before too long. Their products, along with many others are frequently reviewed in the BBC's Sky at Night Magazine. Astronomy magazines such as that one are good resources for reviews and for getting an idea as to what telescopes are available to fit your budget