No, the plus doesn't add enough value to justify the cost IMO. You're better off getting the normal version and putting that extra money into a set of eyepieces that compliment it well: https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Telescope-Eyepiece-Accessories-Astronomy/dp/B07JWDFMZ4
Adding a 32mm Plossl (Celestron Omni, Meade Series 4000, Orion Sirius, GSO), rounds out that set nicely. A 32mm Plossl gives you the widest true field of view possible in that scope, so it's a good focal length to have (especially for star hopping).
Generally speaking an eye piece won’t increase detail. Eyepieces can provided a larger field of view, eye relief, sharpness over the field ( stars looking like pin points over the field), and most importantly magnification (zoom).
Generally, the budget option would be the yellow lines, which would have a higher field of view and better eye relief then the eye pieces provided.
They only come in 6, 9, 15 and 20mm.
https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Telescope-Eyepiece-Accessories-Astronomy/dp/B07JWDFMZ4
I started with a 6mm since the higher mag kit lenses performed so poorly. I eventually bought the whole goldline set. They are very nice budget friendly eyepieces.
This is the best value 6mm on the market:
https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Telescope-Eyepiece-Accessories-Astronomy/dp/B07JWDFMZ4/
It's not perfect, but it's much better than a Plossl. Longer eye relief, wider field of view.
The two main issues are contrast problems on the Moon, and kidney beaning (also typically when looking at the Moon). It requires finicky eye placement to avoid these problems, but that's still preferable to trying to look through a 6mm Plossl.
Get a Gold or Redline 6mm Eyepiece to get the most out of your scope. Either will work well. Like this one
Aperture is 102mm, focal length is 660mm. Maximum magnification rule of thumb is aperture in mm x 2 which = 204X. However the higher the magnification the dimmer the target, and atmospheric conditions don't always allow for high magnification.
So, your 20mm = 20mm/660mmFL = 33X. 10mm/660mmFL = 66X.
A 4mm eyepiece will produce 165X which will be adequate for planets and lunar viewing. A 6mm is also good when conditions don't allow the 4mm.
I don't have a recommendation for a 4mm, maybe the Astromania is ok.
> What makes a good gold line? Wide angle & better eye relief? Or is the triple lens much better for planets than a plossl?
Just to level set, these are the gold lines being referenced:
https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Telescope-Eyepiece-Accessories-Astronomy/dp/B07JWDFMZ4
They always come in 6mm, 9mm, 15mm, and 20mm focal lengths. They are white label eyepieces, meaning they are made by one factory and anyone can pay to have their brand applied to them. The Orion Expanse series is identical, but they opted to have blue anodized trim instead of the common yellow anodized trim.
These eyepieces offer wider apparent fields of view than Plossls. Plossls are typically ~50-52 degrees, while the gold lines are 66 degrees (though the actual measurements vary a bit). In addition to that, the gold lines offer longer eye relief. The wider field and longer eye relief makes them more comfortable to look through, and the wider field lets the target stay in the eyepiece for longer. Plus it feels more immersive.
The 9mm is the best of the line. Very sharp on-axis. Has some contrast problems with the Moon, and suffers from kidney beaning (a kidney bean shaped shadow appears if you don't hold your eye just right).
The 6mm is the next best. Not as sharp on-axis (and not just because it's higher magnification). Has worse contrast problems, and also suffers from kidney beaning. Despite the flaws, it's still a good value for the price.
The 15mm and 20mm perform poorly in telescopes with medium to short focal ratios. They work best at F/8 and longer. The 6mm and 9mm work fine at shorter focal ratios.
Looks decent, but I would get new eyepieces. Those cheaper ones strain your eyes and aren't very good quality.
Goldline eyepieces are good quality and cheapish
SVBONY Telescope Eyepiece Fully Mutil Coated 1.25 inches Telescope Accessories Set 66 Degree Ultra Wide Angle HD 6mm for Astronomy Telescope https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JWDFMZ4/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_JWJJE0ZM16RAXEEFBFBJ
This one is good.
Also for a camera you will need to take off the 45° adapter and find a tring to 1.25" adapter (eyepiece slots are 1.25")
Might be able to see jupiter or saturn okish if you keep everything clean.
Moon definitely will show up, just except chromatic aberration.
I would also get stellarium for finding things. It shows celestial objects in real time to your location and can simulate telescopes FOVs.
If you're looking just for magnification for cheap, the gold line eyepieces are pretty good for a first set.
Hmm. I would think you should be able to see some very faint detail of Jupiter, and it is odd Mars isn't at least a red dot. As another user mentioned, it could be the eyepiece (w/ barlow).
Hi! What kind of eyepieces do you currently own? It might be better to invest in a decent quality high power eyepiece than to get a barlow lens. This one is commonly recommended. A 6mm eyepiece will give you just about the highest magnification that your telescope can handle. Your telescope takes 1.25" eyepieces.
Personally, I wouldn't worry about filters for now. For planets and lunar viewing, in my experience you get the best views without a filter. Clear skies!
That is a 62 degree. Still pretty wide, but I recommend this. It has better eye relief and a wider field of view:https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Telescope-Eyepiece-Accessories-Astronomy/dp/B07JWDFMZ4/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=6mm+66+degree+eyepiece&qid=1602451368&sr=8-2
650mm focal, so 10mm eyepiece is 65x magnification. Planetary viewing doesnt get really interesting until you get at least 100x (people with larger scopes say 150x)
I have a similar setup. The stock lens is very 'bleh'. Jupiter is as your described, and Saturn looks like an oval, no definition.
Need a better lens. It'll be easier to look through (eye relief and field of view) and it'll have better magnification.
A 6mm lens will give you over the 100x mark, so go for that. The 'gold line' lens have coatings made specifically for planetary viewing.
https://smile.amazon.com/SVBONY-Telescope-Eyepiece-Accessories-Astronomy/dp/B07JWDFMZ4
If you want to save about $10 off it, you can find it on aliexpress for cheaper, but you won't get it for at least a month.
Don't buy the $80+ type lenses, those are helpful if you have much larger telescopes a d don't do much for you at this level. But the $30-40 scopes greatly increase your viewing.
The goldlines are about the same price, the one at this link is a little more expensive but they can be found cheaper.
SVBONY Telescope Eyepiece Fully Mutil Coated 1.25 inches Telescope Accessories Set 66 Degree Ultra Wide Angle HD 6mm for Astronomy Telescope https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JWDFMZ4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_JeZ7Db5HQEVBB
If you ask around at r/telescopes, goldline eyepieces are the standard recommendation for anyone buying a new dob.
I do not recommend getting a barlow, get a 6mm goldline their like $35 off of amazon and a 20mm wide fov one.
The reason i dont recommend a Barlow is its a temporary solution to a permanent problem, people think that their doubling their collection, but in reality it does, but at a cost, you cant see as much detail, which in my opinion is not worth it in a scope this size
This is actually a really great scope to start with. When you click on the Amazon link and look at the other suggested listings, they are all worse telescopes for a beginner, and worse in general, then the one that you have. Obviously this person knows a little bit about what works and what doesn't with low cost astronomy and really optimized what's needed to get you started. In other words they done well.
The Good:
The large aperature (for a beginner refractor) will actually give you decent and bright views. The camera style mount is intuitive to operate for beginners unlike an equatorial mount and allows you to get your feet wet in astronomy and see cool stuff your very first night without fussing around learning how to polar align. The short focal length gives generous views that make it easy to 'star hop' around the sky, which means to locate a bright and easy to find object and then move towards dimmer and harder to locate objects. The included eyepieces, while nothing to write home about, and you'll quickly outgrow them if you stick with astronomy, are actually pretty decent for the price of the package compared to what usually comes with a lower cost telescope.
The Not-Awesome, But you Can Deal With It:
Refractors (low cost anyways) with fast focal lengths have a lot of chromatic aberration. That means when you look at the moon you'll be able to see detail well but there will also be a strange blue and yellow haze as well. This is normal so don't be concerned with it. Only expensive refracting telescopes or well designed reflectors can reduce this. So just roll with it. Also the mount is a bit flimsy and that means at high magnifications when you're adjusting your focus the object in the eyepiece will bounce around a lot. This also can be worked around if you just make careful adjustments to the focus and take a few breaths while the shake settles down. If you can find a brick and hang it from the tripod underneath the telescope with a string around the legs, it actually makes it much more sturdy, and settles down the shake much more rapidly.
What You Should Do With It:
Right now immediately after dark Venus is a great target, and because it is closer to the sun than we are, it exhibits phases like the moon, so right now it'll look like a crescent shape.
If you get up early in the morning Jupiter and Saturn are present, and because I have this exact same scope as a fun and easy 'grab and go' , in addition to my other scopes, I know that you will be able to see the rings of Saturn and resolve Jupiter into a disc instead of just a dot and see its moons. With this scope on an awesome night, I could even see some of the most prominent cloud bands of Jupiter!
Those are amazing experiences for the first time, so I envy you, even though I've enjoyed the astronomy journey thus far, the joy of seeing those objects for the first time.
Next, try looking at the moon with it. It will be bright in the large eyepiece, and will ruin your night vision, so do it after you've looked at everything else for the evening. I think that you'll be amazed.
Next try looking at some double stars. Our star, the sun, is unusual in that it's a single star with its own planetary system. Many of the stars we see in the sky are double stars. That means the two stars orbit each other. Mizar and Alcor are great ones to look at. These are in the handle of the big Dipper, and for the unaided eye look like a single star. I would tell you exactly which one it is, but I'll give you the opportunity to discover it yourself. but it's super dope to see it yourself for the first time. There are a lot of other famous and fun doubles to explore.
Next I would suggest looking at some of the brighter Deep Sky Objects, which can even be seen in light polluted areas such as in cities or with street lights around. My suggestions are the Orion nebula and Andromeda Galaxy. They won't look like the pictures, because at night we basically only have the ability to perceive black and white rather than color with our own eyes, but to look through the telescope that you've aimed yourself, and to see the actual object in real time, knowing that actual photons (which are actual physical particles emitted from those objects) have traveled across space and time, and that their path has been directed by your telescope, focused by the eyepiece, and are actually striking your eyeball, meaning that there's an actual physical chain of contact between you and that object, is a mind-blowing experience, and they are very forgiving objects to locate. But do the other stuff first because while they are forgiving (for DSO's) that isn't to say that they're necessarily easy for a beginner. Also they are much dimmer than planetary viewing, and even stars, so if you look at something bright like Jupiter and then immediately try and swing your scope around and try and find Andromeda, you're not going to see it even if your scope is pointed right at it. Your eyes will need to light-adapt.
Next you're going to want to start looking at eye pieces. Each of your eyepieces has a focal length printed on it in millimeters, and the shorter the focal length, the greater the magnification, and the relationship is linear. That means that your 10 mm eyepiece will give twice as much magnification as your 20 mm eyepiece.
I found that the 6 mm gold line eyepiece actually does pretty decent in this telescope, so you might want to pick one of those up. It will give you almost twice as much magnification and really gorgeous views, compared to the 10 mm that comes with the scope. If you read around this r/sub long enough you'll hear about users extolling the virtues of the gold line eyepieces, which are generics but are often rebranded and sold at higher prices by the big name telescope companies.
Caution though, it can be confusing which one is the right one.
Buy this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JWDFMZ4/ref=cm_sw_r_fm_apa_i_vQzVEb7YMC1E2
NOT THIS ONE:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J7Z1YV2/ref=cm_sw_r_fm_apa_i_XSzVEb39K96EK
The first ones are dope and pack really good optics into a cheap package, but the latter are terrible.
Happy viewing and clear skies my friend!
Ok if it's a dob then it's 1,200mm. Virtually all 8" dobs are 1,200mm.
Generally I'd recommend a spread of focal lengths like this:
Some good mid-range options:
Note, go with either the 30, 12, 8, 6, 5, 4 spread or the 30, 12, 9, 7, 5, 4 spread.
If you have some more cash to burn, then we can talk about more premium or ultra/hyper wide field options like APM Ultra Flat, Astro-Tech UWA, Astro-Tech XWA, or Baader Morpheus, Pentax XW, Nikon NAV-SW, or various Tele Vue offerings.
If you had a total budget in mind for eyepieces, or at least a budget for starting out with a couple good quality ones, I can make further recommendations.
> the higher magnifying one never seems to focus very well
This is typically because of various observing conditions that can prevent you from getting sharp views. The higher the magnification, the more often you encounter bad/fuzzy views. I recommend reading this article to better understand how to get better views of the planets and the conditions that can negatively impact them.
You need a higher power eyepiece with a larger aFOV, something like a SVBONY 6mm 66 degree goldline.
The PowerSeeker 127EQ is what is known as a Bird-Jones design. It uses a short focal ratio spherical primary mirror and then a corrector lens in the focuser tube to fix the spherical aberration, while also acting like a bit of a barlow to extend the focal length of the telescope.
Unfortunately, there are a number of problems that can arise from this design:
The corrector lens cannot handle the short native focal ratio of the mirror, and suffers from significant astigmatism in much of the field of view.
The presence of the corrector lens makes it hard to accurately collimate the telescope, so blurriness from miscollimation is frequently a problem for users who use this scope.
The way the corrector lens travels with the focuser means it's not always at a consistent distance away from the primary mirror (different eyepieces = different focus points). As a result of this, it's not always providing optimal spherical aberration correction. Spherical aberration makes it impossible to achieve a single point of focus. Light rays converge at a distance along the focuser axis, rather than at a single plane. It effectively makes sharp focus impossible to achieve.
The focuser itself has slop and play in it, so the corrector lens can often be tilted relative to the optical axis, reducing its performance.
Generally speaking, the price point of this telescope means that all optical elements aren't even necessarily figured very accurately. The spherical mirror might not be perfectly spherical and might have various problems with its figure. The same is true of the corrector lens in the focuser.
All of these issues add up to problems being able to achieve a clean, sharp view at high magnification, so compared to other scopes of similar aperture, the 127EQ probably has to considerably limit how much magnification you use with it.
Even when you don't factor in optical quality, there's really no hard cut-off for maximum magnification. It depends on the target, the observer, and the night's conditions. The only way to know what you prefer is to just try it. I would wager that 9.7mm eyepiece producing roughly 100x magnification is about the limit of detail you can expect to see through that scope. The 20mm eyepiece, 4mm eyepiece, and 3x barlow are all poor quality. The 9.7mm Plossl is the best optical accessory you have.
The strength of this scope would be low to mid power observing of deep sky objects from a dark sky, as long as you don't mind the astigmatism present from the corrector lens. I would consider getting a basic 15mm to 16mm wide angle eyepiece for general purpose DSO observing, a 32mm Plossl for the lowest power, widest true field of view possible in that scope, and then use the 9.7mm Plossl for the Moon and planets. If you find that the views through the 9.7mm Plossl are sharp and that more magnification would be beneficial, get a 6mm wide angle for 166x magnification and see how that looks. Just note that increase magnification is not the same thing as increasing clarity. Most often it's the opposite. It requires good conditions (atmosphere, optics, thermal acclimation) to use high magnification cleanly. If the view looks the least bit blurry in the 9.7mm Plossl, adding magnification will just magnify the blur, and you won't see more details.
That's up to you to buy or not.
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07JWDFMZ4?keywords=svbony%20eyepiece&geniuslink=true
thanks for sharing, is this what you are referring to https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Telescope-Eyepiece-Accessories-Astronomy/dp/B07JWDFMZ4/ref=sr_1_3?crid=I8DE26RWRHGJ&keywords=6mm%2Bsvbony&qid=1654184486&sprefix=6mm%2Bsvbony%2Caps%2C109&sr=8-3&th=1
I kind of dislike the smaller eyepieces bc the glass region for viewing is so much smaller
Seconding the recommendation for a 6mm Goldline, it will give 150x magnification with the 114EQ. Here's the link to a Svbony branded one on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Telescope-Eyepiece-Accessories-Astronomy/dp/B07JWDFMZ4?ref_=ast_sto_dp
I'd also recommend a low power eyepiece for the larger deepsky objects (DSOs) like the Pleiades star cluster, the Orion Nebula, and the Andromeda Galaxy. A 32mm plossl eyepiece will max out the true field of view for your scope. Here's a link to the Celestron branded one on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-Omni-1-1-32MM-Eyepiece/dp/B00008Y0SS/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2SNLPP33F6IKL&keywords=32mm+eyepiece&sprefix=32mm+eyepiece%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-3
I own both of the above and use them with a similar 114/900 EQ Newtonian to great effect. You could find them on Ebay for slightly cheaper. You may also want to consider a 10-15mm eyepiece for general DSOs and a 20-25mm to replace the stock 20mm erecting eyepiece. The Goldlines mentioned above come in 9mm,15mm, and 20mm variants.
It's a good idea to also check the collimation or alignment of the mirrors to ensure things are lined up properly. Here is a guide for doing that: https://garyseronik.com/a-beginners-guide-to-collimation/
No, not a good deal. Great eye piece but the exact same one (SVBONY) is available for cheaper.
A good budget planetary eyepiece would be a 6mm 66* goldline. A nicer planetary eyepiece that I would recommend is a 4mm 58* TMB clone.
Goldline: https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Telescope-Eyepiece-Accessories-Astronomy/dp/B07JWDFMZ4
TMB Clone: https://www.amazon.com/Astromania-58-Degree-Planetary-Eyepiece-Telescope/dp/B013SBTIK0
The Celestron X-Cel eyepieces are also good but they are a bit more expensive than the others.
Other than that the eyepieces that it comes with a good enough to start with. Obviously not incredible but they get the job done.
This is the 6mm you see recommended (or any rebrand of it you can find). That will give you 108x.
I have a similar 130mm reflector, and I find on most nights I can use a 4mm (162x) and still get a crisp image on the moon and planets. I have a TMB Planetary clone. It's fine, and also a good first upgrade option. On nights of good seeing you might even be able to use a 3.2mm ( 203x)...beyond that I find the view gets dim for my taste on anything other than the moon.
I have the Z114 and you can see some cool stuff with it. If that's all you can afford, go for it. Just realize he might be upgrading sooner than he thinks. I started with a 114 and went to a 10. In the 114, you can see star clusters, nebulae, brighter galaxies (galaxies - as long as you're away from light pollution). If you get a 6mm eyepiece, you can also make out some details on the bigger planets (saturn and jupiter). Oh and the moon is great.
But if you can swing the Z130, I'd get that. A good bit more light gathering power.
6mm eyepiece to start with: https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Telescope-Eyepiece-Accessories-Astronomy/dp/B07JWDFMZ4?ref_=ast_sto_dp
The SVBony 2x barlow could pump up the power a bit more too.
“Goldline” is the term for a generic eyepiece that is sold under a few different brand names. They are all 66° and called UltraWide/UW/Ultra Wide Angle/UWA. And they all look exactly like this. They come in 6mm, 9mm, 15mm, and 20mm focal lengths. There are also the “Redline” versions as well. Those are essentially the same except they have 2 red bands and supposedly have 2° wider FOV. I bought my “redline” from AliExpress for $25, at the time the “redlines” were cheaper than the “goldlines”. Some people say they have exactly the same optics, others say the “redlines” might be a slight improvement. Either way, they are great budget eyepieces. I have the 15mm (supposedly the worst), and still get great views.
Here's the one I'm looking at.
Also, opinion on replacing the Shorty Barlow with this one?
Its definitely daunting but it's easy once you start doing it, the plus side is that the scope has a large focal ratio which will make collimating much easier than a short focal ratio scope.
If you're able to get it collimated this scope should be able to see the Cassini division in the rings of Saturn and the red spot on Jupiter as well as cloud bands, and some surface detail on Mars on good nights.
Plossls are good for this scope but will have trouble with any smaller than 10mm since their eye relief (how far your eye needs to be) is half the size of the eyepiece because of its design.
However you can get something like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JWDFMZ4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_DDdJFbA56AV19 and get higher magnification (150x=scope focal length 900÷eyepiece focal length 6) and much better eye relief 17mm iirc
You also may want to look at putting the scope on a dobsonian mount something like this https://10minuteastronomy.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/how-to-build-a-dobsonian-mount-for-a-5-inch-telescope/ will be much more steady than the broken mount and you can make them out of plywood and PVC pipe!
Clear skies!
Bought this gold line set https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Telescope-Eyepiece-Accessories-Astronomy/dp/B07JWDFMZ4 very happy with the upgrade from the plossls
Here's the one that I used: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JWDFMZ4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_NQxtFbX60DMCB
Apparently you can also get it from AliExpress for cheaper but it would taker longer to ship. However, I wanted it ASAP lol
> 6.7mm 82 degrees eyepiece from Explore Scientific though.
> investment
It certainly is :-)
That's a great choice, it's a high-end eyepiece at a mid-range price.
> haven't found
Both the HR Planetary and gold-line are available in Europe, but without knowing where you're at I can just link to Amazon, Astroshop. They are sold under various brands, names.
For $€20-40 they are good budget eyepieces.
For the price of the store brand ones the ES will certainly be a good alternative.
6mm 66°,
At Amazon, right now pretty expensive, usually ~€32 but not all are in stock
China, via Marketplace, Aliexpress
66° UK https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/skywatcher-planetary-uwa-58-eyepieces-125.html
6mm 58° HR Planetary
Teleskop-Express, https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p159_TS-Optics-6-mm-Planetary-HR----1-25--Okular--58---voll-multiverguetet.html
58° planetary UK https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/skywatcher-planetary-uwa-58-eyepieces-125.html
For the $20, $30 range they make great starters until you know what you really want/need, and then you can still use them for guests, outreach.
I'm sure someone will be able to offer more of a detailed response but to just give some quick answers to your questions:
No, you definitely need eyepieces to be able to utilize the telescope. Please read this link as it helped me significantly in understanding eyepieces. https://www.reddit.com/r/telescopes/comments/8k8dah/how_much_of_a_difference_do_eyepieces_make/
The big recommendations here for people getting into the hobby are the gold lines and red lines. What exactly IS a gold line eyepiece though? It's kind of a vague term referring to relatively inexpensive eyepieces with a gold ring around them that have built up a reputation in the community as being solid bang for your buck. To provide an actual link though, I purchased my 6 mm and 9 mm goldlines from SVBONY on amazon. However, SVBONY is not the only brand that has gold lines. So I encourage you to research. https://www.svbony.com/1-25-inch-66-degree-eyepieces/#F9157A https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JWDFMZ4/ref=twister_B07JHKZQG9?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Depends on the telescope you have, orion usually has videos on their website that go over the basics of how to use their telescopes. The gist for reflector telescopes though is you take off the big dust cover, put the eyepiece in the crayford focuser, and point it at the sky (gonna need a finder scope or red dot finder if you want to see anything specific though!)
I don't have any info on this so hopefully someone else can answer it for you
You'll hear mixed answers on this. It seems that for deep sky objects (DSO), a narrowband UHC filter will give you the most bang for your buck in terms of providing some decent contrast. A moon filter is often recommended for larger telescopes since it can be quite bright and eye straining, but is not a necessity. The consensus I've seen on color filters for the most part is that they're a waste of money. Here is a link to an awesome articles where the author discusses various DSOs and what filters they benefitted from: https://www.prairieastronomyclub.org/filter-performance-comparisons-for-some-common-nebulae/
See the eyepiece thread, seriously it's so helpful. The sticky threads too are also really great in terms of getting your feet wet with understanding what you need to know to get started in the hobby.
Yes! Most eyepieces you'll find are 1.25" and will fit into the telescope. If you have an orion telescope, you don't NEED to buy orion eyepieces. Some telescopes also support 2" eyepieces and are adjustable for 2" and 1.25".
Hopefully I was able to answer your questions well. All the best!
Hello :-)
If you haven't already ordered it, consider the Skywatcher 8-inch or Apertura AD8. Especially the later comes with much better accessories.
> Barlow
Do not get a barlow. The budget ones reduce the contrast and cost as much as a decent eyepiece. Get a dedicated planetary eyepiece first.
Barlows often are recommended by old guides as short eyepieces with long eye-relief were not a thing back in the day^TM. Now you can get good affordable eyepieces.
> What are some other good
"Turn left at Orion" - the missing manual on how to observe :-)
Binoculars! Especially for deep-sky, it's easier to find them, get oriented
> He does want to take pictures with his Iphone as well.
Phone holders are a thing, but it's not as easy as press a button! Images you see are stacked frames, edited.
Clear skies :-)
Hello :-)
The 114LCM is a flawed bird-jones type telescope. You may try to go to ~150x, but the telescope is not as capable as Celestron may advertise.
A barlow will reduce the contrast. If at all, try a 6mm 66° eyepiece (not a short Plössl). These are usually $29 at Amazon, currently sold out. You can get them for $18 from China via Amazon Marketplace or Aliexpress.
6mm 66°
(From Amazon, a bit more than what they usually cost) https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Telescope-Eyepiece-Accessories-Astronomy/dp/B07JWDFMZ4/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=6mm+66+eyepiece&qid=1593965234&s=electronics&sr=1-1
If you have bought the telescope from Amazon, you should not have any trouble returning it. I know it sounds harsh, but the 114LCM is a flawed set and Celestron should be ashamed to offer sets like the LCM, Powerseeker, Astromaster, Starsense DX and so on.
> What would be a good upgrade from this for watching planets (little more closer) and other DSO's like Andromeda or other Nebulae's?
At low magnification the bird-jones optics actualyl performs better than at high magnifications. But it's still not good. For the same price of the 114LCM ($350) you can get a 6" ($299) or even 8" dobsonian ($359). Links on what to expect in different telescope aperture size.
Clear skies!
gold lines and red lines seem to be the best cheap eyepiece suggested by most people, Perhaps you should first upgrade to the standard 6mm.
I also saw this on amazon, i'm no expert and i haven't heard much about the 4mm by the same brand but it's even cheaper yet so something to look at. https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Eyepieces-Telescopes-Aspheric-Astronomic/dp/B01J7Z1YV2/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=svbony+eyepiece+6mm&qid=1585116139&refinements=p_89%3ASVBONY&rnid=2528832011&sr=8-3
I would get a 6 over a 3 or a 4 to be honest though. And then after that look into the 9mm and then maybe the barlow. I'm not too familiar with your scope as others might be.
Coulter Dobs were pretty nice inexpensive no-frills scopes back in their day. Sorry to hear he passed, but you've inherited a nice basic scope. If it's been cared for, which it appears it has, it should work very well for you.
Ok, so as u/Gusto88 said, you're missing a Telrad. That long black thing next to the focuser is a mounting shoe for a Telrad. You can buy them new from several places online or find one used on CloudyNights.com or eBay. A Telrad is what we call a reflex sight or a zero-power finder. It was based off a WWII gun sight from an anti-aircraft gun. It doesn't magnify at all, just provides an illuminated target reticle. They're very easy to use and worth getting.
I don't see any other mounting shoes for finders, but it's not all that difficult to mount one if you want. You can find them from nearly any telescope vendor site. Telescope.com, OptCorp.com, or Astronomics.com are some good options. You can usually find them used on CloudyNights.com as well.
To mount one, you could use glue or double-sided tape, but you'd be better off drilling a couple small holes through the tube (it's cardboard) and mounting with screws (being very careful not to drop them down the tube onto the mirror).
Personally, I'd just get a replacement Telrad.
It looks like you only have one eyepiece, a 12mm Kellner. Kellner is the optical design, and isn't commonly made anymore. It's ok, but there are far better options out there, and you're going to want more.
It's hard to tell the size on that. From the looks of it, it might be the 13.1 inch. They made an 8 inch, a 10.1 inch, a 13.1 inch, and a 17.5 inch model. These are the diameters of the primary mirrors of the telescope. The diameter of the tube will be an inch or two more than the mirror. The focal length of these (the distance from the surface of the primary mirror to the point where light comes to a focus) is going to be between 4 and 5 times the aperture. If you measure the tube length and width, we should be able to figure out the correct aperture and focal length for you. The focal length is helpful for determining the magnification factor you get with a given eyepiece.
One of the downsides to Coulter Dobs was their low-tech focuser - the part that holds the eyepiece and adjusts it to focus the scope. They use a very simple helical focuser which you rotate to focus. I've got one sitting in my garage somewhere when I replaced the focuser on one of my club's Dobs (an 8" Coulter). It's an upgrade worth considering down the road, but will require a little telescope surgery, which you probably don't want to do right now.
Eyepieces come in 2 main formats, 1.25" and 2". These are the diameters of the barrel flange that fits into the focuser. That one you have is a 1.25" and it looks like the focuser only accepts 1.25". Those are the most common and typically less expensive. You can find new eyepieces on the sites I listed before as well as several others and even Amazon.com. I'd recommend getting 2 or 3 decent eyepieces. The "Gold Line" 6mm is a common recommendation (Gold line isn't a brand name, it's a description, they're sold under several brand names but all look the same and are actually made by the same manufacturer). A 6mm eyepiece is good for planetary observation and other higher-magnification uses (the shorter the eyepiece, the higher the magnification). Here's one on Amazon for about $36. You can often find them cheaper if you look around. If it looks the same and has the same focal length (6mm) odds are it is the same. You'll find this same eyepiece sold by Orion as an Orion Expanse 6mm with a blue line instead of a gold line. Same eyepiece, just different brand name slapped on it.
I'd also recommend a long eyepiece, something like a 30 or 32 mm, for wider field views. This Meade 4000 Series 32mm would work out ok.
You might also look for something in between, around 20mm. This would give you three different levels of magnification and field of view. Decent beginner eyepieces typically run between about $40 and $75 each, but you can often find them used somewhat cheaper. If you go looking and have any questions about ones you find, feel free to post a link and ask for opinions.
Ok, now for maintenance/upkeep...
A Dob is very, very easy to use and maintain. The primary concerns are keeping the mirrors clean and aligned. Cleaning is tricky. The reflective coating on a telescope mirror is on the front, not back, of the mirror, so if you touch it, you're touching a very thin coating that can easily be damaged. The general recommendation is just don't. But if the mirror is really dirty, there are some techniques to use to clean it safely. I won't go into those now, but if you need them, let us know.
If there's some dust on them, that's usually not a problem. If there's a Lot of dust, then you can try using GENTLE air currents to blow it away. One of the best options here is a hair dryer on low power, particularly if it has an air-only (no heat) option. Just aim it down the tube (best if you aim toward the side and let the air blow around, but not directly on it). This is good for removing loose dust and cobwebs. When you store it, if you can store it horizontally, that's best, if not, if you can store it mirror facing down, that's the next best option. If you can't store it that way, vertically with the mirror facing up isn't ideal, but as long as you keep it in a place with little dust, it should be ok.
Speaking of, I see you don't have a true dust cover. A shower cap is a good cheap option, especially if you can get one of the heavier-duty ones (not the cheap throwaway kind). Other than a trash bag covering the tube works ok, and the piece of wood you show in the pictures will work to some greater or lesser extent.
As I said, the other key issue is alignment. This is known as collimation. Collimation is the proper optical alignment of the elements of the telescope. In this case you have the primary mirror, the secondary (the diagonal mirror held up in the front portion of the telescope) and the eyepiece. These need to be adjusted regularly to keep them properly lined up and provide the best view possible.
The primary mirror should have either three or six screws/knobs on the back of it. If it has three, they should be 120° apart and each should be used to adjust the tilt of the mirror inside the tube slightly. tightening one should cause that side of the mirror to move forward slightly in the tube, and loosening to rock back. With three, you can adjust the angle in any direction to get the alignment just right. IF there are six screws, they should be in pairs, and one of them is used to lock down the other member of the pair.
For the secondary mirror, Coulter did something a little unusual. Most Newtonian designs use a set of vanes we call a spider to hold the mirror in place. These typically have 4 vanes, though some have 3, and others use an unusual curved vane. Coulter used a single bar straight across in most of their scopes. I see the adjustment knob on the side for one side of that bar. This should adjust the tilt of the bar and the mirror should be mounted to the bar in such a way as to be able to tilt the other direction. Lining this up is a bit tricky, but can be done with a little practice.
Knowing just how to align them is where the real trick comes in. You can get a collimation eyepiece, build one yourself from an old 35 mm film container, or get a laser collimating tool (basically laser pointer made to mount in the focuser). There's dozens of tutorials online to follow. The key to yours is understanding that the secondary is mounted in a different way than most, and that will require different adjustments, but you're trying to do the same thing.
And here's where my biggest piece of advice comes in: find a local astronomy club or society. If you need help finding one, let us know where you live and we can look one up for you (though a google search can usually do it). Join a local club (dues are cheap) and go to a meeting. You'll almost certainly find someone willing to help you learn to collimate it, as well as to put it to good use.
Again, this is a pretty good scope. I wouldn't mind picking up an old Coulter myself. Taken care of, it'll last a good long time (this one is probably well over 30 years old) and provide great views once you learn how to use it.
If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Clear skies!
The 6mm and 9mm "gold line" eyepieces would be your best bet.
6mm: https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Telescope-Eyepiece-Accessories-Astronomy/dp/B07JWDFMZ4?th=1 9mm: https://www.amazon.com/SVBONY-Telescope-Eyepiece-Accessories-Astronomy/dp/B07JHKP9D2?th=1
Theyre not too expensive, offer a wider apparent field of view and longer eye relief than the eyepieces you have, and will give you decent magnification for planetary observing when the atmosphere cooperates.
You'll also want a better low power eyepiece for DSOs, but I don't know what size focuser your scope has. Ideally you'd get a decent quality 2" eyepiece, but on a budget, a 32mm GSO Plossl for around $33 should fit the bill: https://agenaastro.com/gso-32mm-plossl-eyepiece.html
A better choice would be the 24mm 68 degree Explore Scientific: https://agenaastro.com/explore-scientific-68-deg-series-argon-purged-eyepiece-24mm.html, but that's obviously quite a bit more money.
And the Goldline Svbony 6mm is like $35 new vs the $100+ for a good Barlow.
Hmmm lemme triple check with u if its ok. I got this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JWDFMZ4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_--RdDbB4V02XG
Is it the proper gold line?