Posts Made By: Joseph Milanese

March 25, 2005 09:47 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

Celestron Firstscope C102 AZ, Eyepieces?

Posted By Joseph Milanese

Hello Everyone,
I just purchased a new Celestron Firstscope C102 AZ Refractor which is actually my first telescope. Being new to the hobby I am wondering what eyepieces should I be looking for. Also, I already have a Meade #124 2X Barlow. I am considering looking for a used Televue 5X Powermate but someone suggested that to save money I could buy a Televue 3X Barlow and stack it with the Meade that I already have as an alternative to the Powermate. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks,
Joe Milanese
Northwestern CT.

April 28, 2005 10:19 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

Tracking with a Firstscope 102 AZ

Posted By Joseph Milanese

Hello,
Being quite new to the hobby I find myself in a bit of a fix. I bought a Celestron Firstscope 102 AZ which is a short tube refractor (4", f4.9). I have been trying to observe the planets, particularly Jupiter and Saturn but at high magnifications they very swiftly drift out of my field of view. The Alt/AZ mount is equipped with slow motion controls(cables) but I'm finding tracking these objects to be a feat of coordination far beyond my capabilities. I am considering purchasing an equatorial mount with tracking motors but the price of a sturdy mount(the 102 AZ weighs about 17 and a half pounds) is quite high and I'm wondering if I should just sell my whole set-up and buy a SCT with some of the bells and whistles to track and find objects instead of modifying my existing scope piecemeal. It seems that it would cost close to the price of a 4-5" SCT, plus the aggravation to jury-rig my refractor to do the same thing. Any suggestions? I now know that I probably should have done this research before buying a scope in the first place but this refractor does give some beautiful, crisp images. Thank you for any advise, Joe M. in Northwest CT.