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Posts Made By: Amy M. Stone

July 5, 2006 12:32 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

questions about new NexStar 8i SE

Posted By Amy M. Stone

I just received my new NexStar 8i SE. I have the Celestron power tank, which I intend to use whenever I take the 'scope out. I also installed the AA batteries. Is there any reason to keep the batteries in if I'm going to be using the power tank? If the batteries are installed and I attach the power tank, does the scope automatically use the power tank as a default? Do I need to attach the hand contol to the Aux connection or should I leave it hooked up in its cradle when the power tank is attached?

I couldn't find answers to these questions in the manual so I'd appreciate some help.

July 12, 2006 12:58 AM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

first attempt at star clusters

Posted By Amy M. Stone

I just got my NexStar 8i and am new to astronomy. We've had lots of hmidity and hazy skies here but I had to try it out anyway. Last night, I tried to observe M5 and M13. I saw nothing but a very faint haze. While observing Jupiter, I was able to pick out at least 2 dark cloud bands and 4 moons easily. But that was really all that was visible except the rising full moon. I know that a full moon really hurts the seeing as do haze/humidity. (It was so hazy, I could barely make out the handle of the Big Dipper at 10:30 pm).

Will I be able to see much more detail of these objects with good conditions?

July 18, 2006 05:18 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

anti-backlash settings for new NexStar 8i

Posted By Amy M. Stone

I just received my NexStar 8i two weeks ago. It's really my first telescope. I've read the manual about adjusting the anti-backlash settings but I'm just not sure how to do it and get good results. I've been having some difficulty controlling the movement of the telescope at the slower rates (below 7) and I've noticed quite a bit of backlash at these low rates.

Any suggestions as to good starting points?

July 31, 2006 09:08 PM Forum: Celestron

loose power cable connection on NexStar 8i

Posted By Amy M. Stone

I just got a new NexStar 8i. It's my first scope. I also have a celestron power tank with the supplied cable. The connection on the scope is not very tight. When the cable moves, such as when the scope is slewing, the connection gets jiggled, which causes the power to be interrupted. This causes me to lose my alignment and I have to start over. This is extremely frustrating.

I just put a piece of duct tape below the cradle for the hand control, and attached a velcro strip to that. I can make a loop of cable between the connection and the velcro so that when the scope moves, the cable does not tug at the the connection. There has to be a better way.

Any suggestions?

September 21, 2006 02:09 PM Forum: Celestron

sky align -- reticle eyepiece helps!

Posted By Amy M. Stone

I have a new NexStar 8i SE. Until last night, aligning the scope was hit or miss. Some nights it worked great, others not at all. I tried de-focusing the stars to help with centering but that did not work well for me. So I ordered an illuminated reticle eyepiece.

Even though the wind was blowing and the scope was shaking, centering the objects in the reticle eyepiece was a snap, and I'm sure, much more accurate than any past attempts I made at estimating the process. And the alignment worked well. While not all objects were perfectly centered, they were all in the field of view. grin

I'd recommend one of these eyepieces to anyone who has been having difficulty with the alignment process.

September 25, 2006 01:43 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

denkmeier power 2x diagonal

Posted By Amy M. Stone

Has anyone tried one of the Denkmeier power 2X diagonals? I'm thinking of getting one for my NexStar 8i. I like the idea of getting the focal reducer and barlow all in one.

I'm trying to find out if provides a significant improvement of the image compared to the stock diagonal that comes with the NexSTar. I'm also wondering if the dialectic coating is worth the extra cost over the enhanced silver coating.

October 2, 2006 10:47 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

denkmeier power switch: which eyepiece?

Posted By Amy M. Stone

I just ordered a denkmeier 2X power switch diagonal for my NexStar 8i. I'd like to get one premium eyepiece for now. Any suggestions? I was thinking possibly the TV panoptic 24mm.

April 10, 2007 10:06 PM Forum: Mounts

Newbie questions re: Sphinx SX

Posted By Amy M. Stone

I just got a Sphinx mount this weekend and have a few questions for other Sphinx users.

First, my mount makes quite a bit of noise. I expect noise while its slewing but not while tracking. Have others experienced this? Does it affect observing? I'm concerned that it will result in visible vibration while I'm observing. Is it possibly related to improper balance of the OTA or backlash settings?

Speaking of backlash settings, how does one determine the best backlash settings? With my NexStar 8i, I adjusted the alt+ and - and az + and - settings until the scope stopped jumping when I changed slewing directions. Is it the same for the Sphinx?

REgarding balancing the OTA, it seems like the axes are a bit stiff, making an accurate balance mostly guesswork. Any suggestions?

Thanks

Amy

September 30, 2006 02:48 PM Forum: Eyepieces

How good are they? Orion Stratus

Posted By Amy M. Stone

I have the 13mm and 21mm and like them alot. There was a very good review of the stratus eyepieces on either this website or www.Cloudynights.com.

August 22, 2007 10:11 PM Forum: Maksutovs

Intes 603 Collimation

Posted By Amy M. Stone

My understanding is that you have to collimate the primary first. I just got the 703D and made the big mistake of having the vendor replace the collimation screws with Bob's knobs. As a result, the scope was way out of collimation when I got it. AFter much screwing around with it, I decided to send it for professional help. These are not easy scopes to collimate but my understanding is that once collimated, they hold it very well.