What is Reddit's opinion of MEOPTEX 1.25" 9mm 66-Degree Ultra Wide Angle Eyepiece for Telescope (9mm)?

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The cheapest I have found the Gold Lines on Amazon is $30, with prime shipping:

https://www.amazon.com/MEOPTEX-66-Degree-Ultra-Eyepiece-Telescope/dp/B07HHSZB18

That's almost as cheap as AliExpress and you don't have to wait a month for them to arrive. For your scope, I don't recommend the 15 and 20mm for a couple of reasons, but the 6 and 9 are good options.

Alternatively as /u/Biggen1 said, th Paradigm ED from Astronomics or the Agena StarGuider Dual ED from Agena Astro (same eyepieces) are excellent values.

I would do a couple of things:

1. Replace the 9mm eyepiece that it came with, with a better quality 9mm or 10mm wide angle. The 9mm the scope comes with is a cheap Plossl, Modified Achromat, or Kellner and has limited eye relief and apparent field of view. The focal length is good, but not that particular eyepiece. On a budget, I recommend a 9mm "gold line". Alternatively, the 9mm Celestron X-Cel LX, or 10mm Celestron Ultima Edge / APM UFF (there are a number of variations of this same eyepiece).

2. Get a 5mm eyepiece for conservative lunar/planetary observing. This will get you a nice 1mm exit pupil and 130x magnification, which is enough for when the atmosphere isn't very steady but you still want to observe the planets. The 5mm Agena StarGuider Dual ED / AstroTech Paradigm / BST StarGuider (all the same eyepiece) is a great value. Alternatively, the 5mm Celestron X-Cel LX would work.

3. For higher power planetary observing, get a 3.2 to 3.5mm eyepiece. The 3.2mm from the same series as the 5mm Agena/AstroTech is also a great option. This can be used when the atmosphere is more calm/steady.

You'll definitely want a 5mm eyepiece for higher power lunar and planetary viewing. This gives you 130x magnification, which will be useful on most nights.

I recommend the 5mm Astro-Tech Paradigm or 5mm Agena StarGuider (same eyepiece). This same eyepiece is sold under different brands in different countries. For $60, it's a great deal.

If you find that the 5mm eyepiece gives you excellent results (that is, the view is nice and sharp and it looks like it can handle higher magnification), then also consider the 3.2mm from that series. That will get you 203x, which is about the useful limit of magnification for that scope.

I would also consider upgrading the 10mm Plossl with a 9mm "gold line". 9-10mm is a good general purpose DSO focal length for this scope, but the 10mm plossl it comes with is hard to look through and has a narrow apparent field of view. The 9mm gold line will give you a wider apparent and true field, with longer eye relief.

Then consider getting a good quality UHC or O-III for viewing nebulae with more contrast. It will pair nicely with your 25mm eyepiece. On a budget, the Orion Ultrablock or O-III filter is a good choice. Barring that, I would get an Astronomik, Lumicon, or Tele Vue filter for a bit more contrast and transmission. A good filter is worth the money. Favor the O-III if you live under very light polluted skies and really need better contrast. Else if you live under rural or dark skies, consider the UHC instead. It will cost you around $100 for a quality 1.25" nebula filter, but it's well worth it.

After that, I would l look at a nice foam hardcase for your accessories to keep them safe.

Beyond that, you don't need much else.

I would consider getting a pick and pluck foam hard case to store the eyepieces safely, and for the eventual expansion of your collection. Harbor Freight Apache cases are decent for the price. The Plano Large and Extra Large Seal Tight cases from B&H Photo Video are excellent.

Though by no means necessary, I would also consider replacing the 9mm Plossl the scope comes with, with a 9mm widefield like the "gold line". It will be more comfortable to look through and offer a wider field of view. The 9mm focal length in that scope is actually a good focal length, but in Plossl form it's very hard to look through. The fairly low cost of that 9mm is deceptive. I have it, and it is very, very comparable to my $250 9mm Tele Vue DeLite.

I would also consider adding a Telrad or Rigel Quikfinder to aid in finding things and star hopping. The RACI optical finder the scope comes with is great, but can be hard to roughly aim. So a zero-power reticle finder like a Telrad or similar is helpful.

Also get some planetarium software for your phone, like Sky Safari Pro. It makes star-hopping to find objects easier.

I also recommend getting a red light headlamp for seeing in the dark. I use this one from Home Depot: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Coast-FL75-435-Lumen-Dual-Color-LED-Headlamp-with-Twist-Focus-21708/304615539

Other than that, just spend some time observing with the scope, and then start expanding your eyepiece collection when you have a feel for what you like.

Different targets benefit from different magnifications, so there's no one best magnification for your scope.

You calculate magnification by dividing the telescope's focal length by the eyepiece's focal length.

Your telescope's focal length is 1,000mm.

That said, the 114LCM is a Bird-Jones reflector so it probably can't handle very high magnification. I would stick close to 100x as the max. A 9mm eyepiece would probably be the limit. Anything beyond that might just look bigger but blurrier and dimmer. However, only you can make that determination based on what you see.

I recommend the following eyepieces:

1. A 32mm Plossl for low power, widest possible views in that scope.
2. An 18mm wide angle for general purpose deep sky viewing (such as the 18mm Agena StarGuider Dual ED)
3. A 9mm wide angle for higher power lunar, and basic planetary viewing (such as the 9mm "gold line"). I have this eyepiece. It's very good for the price.

I think your scope already comes with a 9mm eyepiece, but it's likely a Plossl or Kelner or Modified Achromat and isn't very easy or comfortable to look through, and has a narrow field of view. I recommend replacing it with the 9mm I linked above, as it will give you a more enjoyable observing experience.

Those would be the basic focal lengths that would make sense for your scope. You can add additional focal lengths as you feel you need them.

Planetary magnification for me starts at about 120x and goes up as high as the atmosphere allows, or until you've reached the point where your telescope's optics are the limiting factor (which depending on their quality, might be anywhere from 300 to 400x). Most nights, you should expect to be operating within 120x to 200x, which is plenty to see detail on the major planets. Only on the very steadiest of nights will you be able to push it higher than 200x.

The best options to start with are the 9mm and 6mm "gold lines" or "red lines". They are easy to look through compared to Plossls, and perform well for their price. 9mm will give you 133x for nights when the atmosphere is turbulent, and 6mm will give you 200x when the atmosphere is steady. From there you can add higher magnification eyepieces if you feel the views through the 6mm are frequently crisp and looking like the skies/scope can tolerate higher magnifications.

Both together will be well under your budget for just one eyepiece, so they're a good value.

For your scope, I would do the following:

1. Get a decent quality 5mm eyepiece for planetary viewing.

Something like the 5mm Astro-Tech Paradigm / 5mm Agena StarGuider Dual ED, or the 5mm Celestron X-Cel LX.

This would give you 150x magnification, which is plenty for planetary viewing without pushing the optics or the atmosphere too hard. You can definitely go higher in magnification, but the higher you go, the more stable the atmosphere has to be. 150x will be a reasonably conservative magnification. If the view looks blurry at 150x, it means the conditions aren't good enough for planetary viewing. If the view looks tack sharp at 150x, then conditions are good enough to see plenty of detail at 150x, and you can add more magnification later if you want

2. Upgrade the 9mm you have if it's just a Plossl/Kellner/Modified Achromat

Ideally you'd want to get a quality 10mm wide angle for general purpose DSO viewing. But anywhere from 9mm to 11mm is fine. A wide angle eyepiece with good eye relief will make viewing more comfortable and relaxing, and show you more of the sky at once. Quite a few choices to pick from, so I'd need to know a budget. At a minimum I'd upgrade to the 9mm "Gold Line". Performs way better than the price suggests. Comfortable, wide field, good deep sky contrast, good transmission, sharp stars on-center. But there are quite a few other options in the 9-11mm range that would depend on budget.

3. Add a higher power planetary eyepiece

After getting the first two eyepieces, you can later add a higher power planetary eyepiece if you feel that you're frequently getting nice sharp views at 150x and want more magnification.

The next logical jump will be around ~50x to ~200x magnification or so. In your scope, that's a 3.75mm eyepiece, but that doesn't really exist, so you could go for the 3.2mm Astro-Tech Paradigm / Agena Dual ED, or a 3.5mm 58 degree "planetary" eyepiece, or go crazy with a 3.5mm Delos or Pentax XW.

Eventually you can consider upgrading the 25mm eyepiece to a wide angle like a 25mm Celestron X-Cel LX or even a 68 degree class eyepiece to get the widest true field of view possible in a 1.25" eyepiece, but it's not really a priority.

I would avoid getting barlows unless you plan to carefully build a set of eyepieces around the barlow with the express purpose of hitting the desired exit pupils/magnifications you want, while also avoiding redundant focal lengths. Every redundant focal length you create with the barlow and eyepieces, reduces the cost-effectiveness of using a barlow vs just buying the eyepieces you want.

I recommend reading this article: https://medium.com/@phpdevster/help-i-cant-see-detail-on-the-planets-ac27ee82800

We're at the end of planetary season now and unfortunately your scope is a Bird-Jones reflector, so it's going to struggle to show detail on the planets. The combination of the atmosphere and the scope's optics will be challenging.

Your best option is to at least get the right magnification going, which in your scope would come from an 8 or 9mm eyepiece.

This the best budget 9mm you can get: https://www.amazon.com/MEOPTEX-66-Degree-Ultra-Eyepiece-Telescope/dp/B07HHSZB18. Will give you 114x magnification in that scope, and comfortable eye relief. It's not a perfect eyepiece, but it's quite sharp on-axis.

114x will give you the best shot at seeing details on the planets in that scope, but there's no guarantee it will help. The atmosphere + scope's optics + thermal acclimation are by far the major limiting factors.

Sorta. The 10mm focal length that's included gets you enough magnification (120x) for planetary viewing, but it's a very narrow field of view and uncomfortable eye relief. May be worth upgrading to something easier to look through.

Either 9mm 66 degree "gold line" if you're on a budget: https://www.amazon.com/MEOPTEX-66-Degree-Ultra-Eyepiece-Telescope/dp/B07HHSZB18/

Else the 9mm Celestron X-Cel LX or 8mm Agena StarGuider Dual ED would be good upgrades over the 10mm that's included.

Just note that observing detail on the planets is tricky and requires good conditions. See this article for tips and troubleshooting in case the views of the planets just look blurry blobs of light:

https://medium.com/@phpdevster/help-i-cant-see-detail-on-the-planets-ac27ee82800

Yes, even without the extra accessories that HighPoint is trying to upsell, the Aperutra AD series is the best equipped / accessorized dobsonian series on the market. It has a lot of nice extras that make observing easier/better.

The secondary mirror collimation knobs are very nice to have and I definitely recommend you add those to the order, but I would not bother with the barlow. Better to put that $60 into one or two eyepieces.

Option 1: these two planetary eyepieces for $65 total

• 9mm (133x): https://www.amazon.com/MEOPTEX-66-Degree-Ultra-Eyepiece-Telescope/dp/B07HHSZB18/ (replace the 9mm that comes with the scope with this. More eye relief, wider field, better eyepiece overall)
• 6mm (200x): https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Telescope-Eyepiece-Accessories-Astronomy/dp/B07JWDFMZ4/ (useful for higher magnification lunar and planetary viewing when the atmosphere cooperates)

Option 2: This one general purpose DSO eyepiece for $65

• 12mm (100x, 2mm exit pupil): https://www.astronomics.com/astro-tech-12mm-1-25-paradigm-dual-ed.html (12mm is an ideal general purpose deep sky object eyepiece in your scope)

Basically, rather than spend $60 on that barlow, you'd get better eyepieces/focal lengths by spending $65 on the above options. That's not to say you have to, and if you have more budget for nicer eyepieces, then I can make additional recommendations, but if I had a choice between $60 on that barlow, and $65 for the above eyepieces, I'd pick those eyepieces.

I recommend a couple of things:

1. The 9mm Plossl the scopes comes with is a good conservative magnification for the Moon and planets, but 9mm Plossls are annoying to look through. Consider upgrading it to a 9mm "gold line" to get a wider apparent field and more eye relief. That's a budget eyepiece. It's good, but has issues. A better eyepiece would be a 9mm Celestron X-Cel LX.

2. Consider getting a 12mm eyepiece as a general purpose DSO eyepiece. That will hit the recommended 2mm exit pupil for deep sky observing in your scope. A 2mm exit pupil balances magnification with view brightness for any given aperture. Again, the 12mm Celestron X-Cel LX is a great choice at a reasonable price. A cheaper, but still very good alternative is a 12mm Astro-Tech Paradigm / Agena StarGuider Dual ED.

3. For higher magnification observing (when the atmosphere is steady), consider a 6mm "gold line" (budget) or a 7mm Celestron X-Cel LX

So basically if you wanted to keep it simple, get these eyepieces to go with the scope:

1. 12mm Celestron X-Cel LX (general purpose DSO viewing)
2. 9mm Celestron X-Cel LX (for conservative lunar/planetary observing and to replace the troublesome 9mm that comes with your scope)
3. 7mm Celestron X-Cel LX (for mid power planetary observing for when the atmosphere is more stable)

When planetary season comes along again, then I would also consider the 5mm Celestron X-Cel LX for mid-high power planetary observing (240x).

An alternative arrangement would be the Astro-Tech Paradigms / Agena Starguiders:

1. 12mm
2. 8mm
3. 5mm

Just be warned that the 90x gap between the 8mm and 5mm is a bit too high, and you may be wanting something in between. The Celestron X-Cel LX line has a better spread of focal lengths than the Paradigm / StarGuiders.

For planetary viewing, first read this article to understand all the factors that can influence the view of the planets through a telescope:

https://medium.com/@phpdevster/help-i-cant-see-detail-on-the-planets-ac27ee82800

Second, I'd recommend two inexpensive eyepiecs to get you into planetary magnification range:

• 9mm gold line (133x): https://www.amazon.com/MEOPTEX-66-Degree-Ultra-Eyepiece-Telescope/dp/B07HHSZB18
• 6mm gold line (200x): https://www.amazon.com/MEOPTEX-66-Degree-Ultra-Eyepiece-Telescope/dp/B07H8YZHFT

The 9mm will be a conservative magnification for when the atmosphere may not be very steady.

The 6mm will be a higher magnification for when the atmosphere is steady.

They are not perfect eyepieces, but you can't beat their price/performance. They are excellent starter eyepieces for planetary viewing until you better understand how good (or bad) your atmospheric conditions tend to be. That influences how much magnification you can use more than anything.

You do not need a barlow.

Definitely recommend getting a decent 5mm eyepiece for planetary/lunar observing. This gives you 130x and a 1mm exit pupil, which will give you a good conservative, but useful, magnification for when the atmosphere isn't that steady. The 1mm exit pupil will help aid in visual acuity since it's the equivalent of your own pupils constricting down to 1mm. This will minimize aberrations from your eye (generally 1mm is a "sweet spot" exit pupil regardless of telescope). Later on you can add a ~3.2-3.5mm eyepiece for higher power planetary observing when the atmosphere cooperates.

I would also consider getting a 32mm Plossl for the widest possible true field of view and max practical view brightness.

You may also want to replace the 10mm that came with the scope with a more comfortable and wider field eyepiece. 10mm is the perfect general purpose focal length for DSOs in that scope, but that eyepiece has limited field of view and tight eye relief, so replacing it with something near that focal length will give you a better observing experience.

Recommended eyepieces:

• 3.2mm Agena StarGuider Dual ED: https://agenaastro.com/agena-1-25-dual-ed-eyepiece-3-2mm.html (for higher power planetary viewing)
• 5mm Agena Starguider Dual ED: https://agenaastro.com/agena-1-25-dual-ed-eyepiece-5mm.html (for conservative planetary viewing)
• 9mm "gold line": https://www.amazon.com/MEOPTEX-66-Degree-Ultra-Eyepiece-Telescope/dp/B07HHSZB18 (fantastic eyepiece for the price, replace your 10 with this)
• 32mm GSO Plossl: https://agenaastro.com/gso-32mm-plossl-eyepiece.html (or any name brand from Meade, Celestron, or Orion).

It’s tough to say what type of lens that was but I would bet it’s either a Kellner or Plossl

Check out this website about 2/3 or 3/4 of the way down you can see some diagrams of how the lenses should be laid out https://www.handprint.com/ASTRO/ae5.html

It’s pretty likely they’ll be able to put them back in in the right order/orientation but it’s probably gonna take some trial and error… 

Now that said, you can get yourself 9mm Goldline on Amazon for like $30 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HHSZB18

~~The 9mm 66mm usually costs less ($29- 1, 2) than what the Astromania is listed for atm ($52).~~

EDIT: Oh, never mind, I misread, The 58° from Astromania is cheaper than the Astromania 66° (for whatever reason). (You could also try the 7.5mm but more will be pushing it)

> I am able to view planets like Jupiter, Saturn and Mars through my current setup, however, they appear extremely small and I am unable to clearly observe the characteristics of the planets

I strongly recommending reading this article:

https://medium.com/@phpdevster/help-i-cant-see-detail-on-the-planets-ac27ee82800

Unfortunately, getting appropriate magnification is only one small piece of the puzzle when it comes to viewing the planets. Making sure the planet is high enough in the sky (20-30 degrees at least, the higher the better), that the telescope is thermally acclimated, reasonably well collimated, that you aren't observing over obvious heat sources (such as with the planet being only a few degrees above a roof top), and that the atmosphere is fairly steady, are all vital to seeing detail on the planets. If those conditions aren't met, even a huge expensive telescope will show nothing but a mushy ball of light with no detail on it regardless of the magnification used.

Regarding the eyepiece, the only planetary combination you can use is the 2x barlow + 10mm eyepiece, giving you 120x. 48x is too little magnification for planetary observing. 120x is the starting magnification for planetary work.

That said, the cheap eyepieces the scope comes with may be an impediment to the view. The barlow may or may not impair the view as well. The Omni barlow isn't bad per se, but the cheap Kellner its paired with will leave something to be desired.

On a budget, the 9mm "gold line" is a superb value:

https://www.amazon.com/MEOPTEX-66-Degree-Ultra-Eyepiece-Telescope/dp/B07HHSZB18

I own one, and for on-axis sharpness, it keeps very close pace with a more expensive Tele Vue 9mm that I have. You cannot beat that price/performance in this hobby. Only downside is the eyepiece suffers from some kidney beaning, which can make eye placement a bit finicky, especially when looking at the Moon. If you have a bit more budget, the 9mm Celestron X-Cel LX is a good choice.

Either would give you 133x magnification and good eye relief. Good for observing planets when the atmosphere won't cooperate that much, and plenty of detail will be visible when all conditions are right. They will still be relatively small, but with some observing practice/experience, you can see plenty of detail when conditions are right. Bumping up to a 5mm or 6mm eyepiece for more magnification would help for when atmospheric conditions are excellent, but those nights are rare. A lower magnification (like 120-133x) will be useful on more nights.

All of my recommendations are this 5mm eyepiece if it wasn’t out of stock, this 5mm eyepiece because that first one is out of stock, this 9mm eyepiece , this 20mm eyepiece, this moon filter, and finally, this UHC filter (for DSO’s).

Which dob do you have? Since you mentioned you have a 30mm eyepiece, that tells me it may be a GSO dob that comes with a 30mm SuperView eyepiece and a 9mm Plossl.

If that's the case, I do recommend upgrading the 9mm Plossl with the 9mm "gold line" (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HHSZB18/). 9mm is a good general purpose focal length in that scope - capable of the low end of planetary and lunar magnification, and also good for smaller brighter DSOs like planetary nebulae and globular clusters. The problem is the 9mm Plossl has a short eye relief and a narrow field of view, so the 9mm "gold line" is going to deliver a better overall viewing experience for not that much money. I own the 9mm and 6mm from this series. The 9mm is very good. The 6mm is ok.

Regarding the 30mm, you do not need to upgrade that at this time. A future upgrade might be something along these lines:

• 30mm APM Ultra Flat Field (semi-premium)
• new 30mm Meade Series 5000 UHD (semi-premium, same as the APM, but just Meade branded)
• new 30mm Celestron Ultima Edge (semi-premium, same as the APM but just Celestron branded)
• 34mm Explore Scientific 68 series (semi-premium)
• 30mm Explore Scientific 82 series (semi-premium)
• 30mm Pentax XW (premium)
• 35mm Tele Vue Panoptic (premium)
• 31mm Tele Vue Nagler (premium)

But these are anywhere from $200 to $650 in price. However, they will deliver cleaner stars near the edges of the field of view than the 30mm SuperView you have.

> Also would a 6mm eyepiece work fine in my 10 inch (depending on atmospheric conditions of course)?

Yep, 6mm will give you around $250. The 6mm "gold line" is a good value to give you some extra magnification without breaking the bank. If you wanted to invest in some better long-term eyepieces, then consider the Explore Scientific 82 degree line. The 6.7mm would be a better alternative.

> What's the biggest mm in size could I go with my scope?

Given the focal ratio of that scope is ~F/5, I would not exceed 35mm focal length else the exit pupil is too big and your eye cannot receive all of the light leaving the telescope, so aperture is wasted. A focal length around 30mm is fine as your lowest power, widest field of view eyepiece. You don't need a longer focal length, just may want to consider upgrading it at some point down the road to either give you a wider apparent field of view, or better overall view quality across the field.

That's really, really expensive for a 6" scope.

The standard Orion XT6 full size F/8 dob is $300.

https://www.telescope.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=102004

It also has the advantage of being a longer focal ratio (F/8 vs F/5), which means it will have a cleaner view with no distorted stars near the edges of the field, and will work better with cheaper eyepieces.

Just note that it's a fully manual scope. The one you linked to uses encoders to help you locate objects, but that requires a power supply, an alignment procedure, and some basic knowledge of the night sky. It seems like it makes things simpler, but it can make them harder. And it drives up the cost quite a bit.

The eyepiece that XT6 comes with is enough to get started but doesn't offer enough magnification to see the planets. At a minimum, you would want to buy this eyepiece for planetary viewing, along with the scope.

The 9mm that comes with your scope is a Plossl, so it has a narrow field of view and is hard to look through, and it will get loaded up with eyelash grease in no time, further degrading the view.

I recommend upgrading the 9mm to this one: https://www.amazon.com/MEOPTEX-66-Degree-Ultra-Eyepiece-Telescope/dp/B07HHSZB18

That gives you a wider field of view and longer eye relief. 9mm produces 133x in your scope, which is enough magnification to start seeing details on Mars, and works well if the atmosphere is turbulent.

But because Mars is so bright and still relatively small compared to Jupiter, higher magnification is preferred.

Either the 6mm version of that same eyepiece line: https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Telescope-Eyepiece-Accessories-Astronomy/dp/B07JWDFMZ4/

Or a 5mm StarGuider: https://agenaastro.com/agena-1-25-dual-ed-eyepiece-5mm.html

Or 5mm Paradigm: https://www.astronomics.com/astro-tech-5mm-1-25-paradigm-dual-ed.html (same eyepiece as above)

or 5mm 58 UWA Planetary: https://agenaastro.com/bst-1-25-uwa-planetary-eyepiece-5mm.html

Many of these are out of stock for now, unfortunately. That last one (the 5mm UWA Planetary) is a fairly generic eyepiece sold by lots of people. You can find them on Amazon, AliExpress, and Ebay. I would shop around to look for one. Should cost around $35 or so.

So basically

1. Replace your 9mm with one I linked to for when nights aren't very steady
2. Get a 6mm or 5mm for high power viewing when nights are steady

Hello :-)

I have the telescope; The SLT mount can be quirky.

I got my SLT90 refurbished for a very, very low price and use it on a camera tripod as travel telescope and daytime spotting.

 

While a 90mm Maksutov is a nice spotting scope, but a bit limited. More magnification won't make things better.

 

> Barlow

With 2x barlow you'd get 278x which is way too much even for a larger telescope.

Budget barlows reduce the contrast, don't get one. More expensive ones cost more than a bunch of good eyepieces. So get a dedicated planetary eyepiece instead.

Maximum magnification is often specified as 180x, but I'd stay a bit under. Else the image just gets dim and dull!

 

The 9mm kit eyepiece is about there, but of course you could get one with better viewing properties.

A 8mm would give you 156x magnification. Cheap 8mm Plössl have pretty poor eye-relief. A 8mm 58° HR Planetary clone costs $30 or so via eBay, Aliexpress. Locally they cost $50 though :-/

A 9mm would give you ~139x. A 9mm 66° wide-angle eyepiece costs $20 via eBay or Aliexpress, or $30 via Amazon, It has a longer eye-relief than the kit eyepiece. But while it has longer eye-relief, wide-angle afov, it provides the same magnification.

 

> We got approved for a return and I got them to give me a $130 credit for the inconvenience

May I ask if returning it all together is an option?

For the price of the SLT90 you can almost get the SLT130 (if it's in stock...). Or, just get a decent manual telescope that's capable of showing more.

While a computer mount like the SLT is a nice gadget, any object interesting in the small aperture is easy to find manually very easily. Free apps on your phone can literally show you in what area to point your telescope.

Clear skies!

Hello :-)

> GoTo

Wow, that's a big gift! :-)

> eyepieces

• Field of view simulation for several eyepieces

• 6mm 66° wide-angle, long eye-relief eyepiece;

  • Aliexpress
  • eBay (some US sellers for $22-$25)
  • Amazon 2 (Before COVID-19 you could get it for $23-$26 directly from Amazon / Prime, now it's a bit more expensive)

(Avoid Plössl 52° eyepieces under 10mm and the bad copper top 62° in general. Short Plössl have poor eye-relief. Random links, check seller / item reviews. More than 200x often won't work due to atmospheric seeing preventing this on most days)

Do not get a set. Never worth it, overpriced, overrated, mediocre.

 

> pictures

> easiest way to get pictures

Taking pictures is MUCH more complicated than attaching a camera and pressing a button. The telescope has a very long focal-length. Deep-sky objects are incredibly faint... And earth rotates.

With a phone and holder, snapshots of moon and planets are possible and can be good practice.

> laptop in real time

For anything beyond planets:

Video astronomy is a thing, but it's low res, high noise. The long telescope focal-length and type of mount is less than ideal. You need a dedicated camera, this won't work with webcam/phone/DSLR.

 

For serious deep-sky astrophotography you need an equatorial mount to counter field rotation. Planers/Moon is possible though. A DSLR won't reach focus on most reflectors intended for visual, but a (good) barlow will extend the focus and make the planets appear larger on the big camera-sensor.

 

Get her "Turn left at Orion", even with GoTo, it's important to have a good guide.

Clear skies :-)