First telescope, Celestron NexStar 5SE, Need advice on lenses, filters
Hi All! I just bought a 2nd hand Celestron 5SE as my first telescope. I live in Perth, and would like to get some filters and additional lenses for it. I have 2 young kids below 7 years of age and would like to build this hobby with them.
Any advice as to what lenses to get and what filters? And where do I get them?
The unit came with a 25mm Plossl and the full moon is just too bright....had to hold my iphone camera to the eyepiece. Haven't been able to see anything else yet as we are still trying to understand how to align the scope.
Hi Luke. Congratulations on your purchase. It is a great scope and you will have lots of fun with it.
The first purchase I would make would be a moon filter. I think a neutral density filter is best as it doesn't give you the green tinge like the cheap moon filter do. As for eyepieces, I suggest a 10mm Plossl, which will give you 125X, as well as a 32mm Plossl, which will give brighter wider angle views.
You can purchase these at any good astronomy shop, there are a couple in Perth, or there are quite a few very good Australian online stores.
I have written a simple setup sheet for the Nexstar SE scopes. It is in pdf format and I could send it to you if you like.
Yeah the moon is really round now, but it is just too bright as I don't have a filter yet. I had to use my phone to view it comfortably.
We also managed to catch Saturn two nights ago (when it was clear here in Perth). It was tiny on my scope...but we made out the ringed planet. Hopefully the 10mm will make it better. Looking around for shops to get accessories.
The Celestron filter looks a bit cheap IMO. SkyWatcher and Saxon make some better filters from metal, rather than plastic. I thought there were more Telescope shops in Perth. All I can see at the moment is the Australian Geographic stores.
Barlows can be useful but make sure you buy one that is multi-coated or preferably fully multi-coated. You would be able to use one with any eyepiece down to 15mm, or maybe 12mm, but you couldn't use it with a 10mm or smaller as the magnification would be too high.
That filter looks like it might be in a plastic housing, which would not be the most durable thing.
I have one of the Bintel ND "Moon" filters and it is quite effective, the cost is the same as the one at Aus Geo as well so the only difference might be postal cost.
The Celestron one is also a green filter rather than ND so it will introduce a colour cast where the Bintel one is quite neutral in use. I am not sure I would like the green on the moon myself but that is a personal choice..
In the SCT (the 5SE) you could screw at least the Bintel one into the telescope side of the diagonal so that when you change eyepieces you do not have to swap the filter between them. You would only have to remove it to view other objects. Not an option for Tim's Newtonian though.
In general, the Moon is much more interesting to view when it ISN'T full. Near Full Moon, with the Sun shining straight down on the Moon's surface, there are no shadows, so it all looks washed out.
As the Moon's phase changes, take a look along the Terminator (the curve which separates night from day, marking the line of sunrise / sunset on the Moon's surface), as you get nice long shadows, which makes the surface relief really come alive. Each night will present a slightly different view to the previous evening - in fact, sometimes, even a few minutes will make a difference, as the first rays of the Lunar dawn hit the top of a mountain, so that it almost seems to float in the darkness which surrounds it.
eBay has polarizing filters for less than $20 (similar to ND, but they have two lenses that twist so you can adjust the brightness level). I find these great for the moon, and sometimes Saturn / Jupiter to bring out the details.
I've placed an order for a couple of polarising filters and also a 8-24mm zoomable lens. Waiting for them to arrive some time this week (hopefully today!)
Meanwhile, the weather hasn't been too good. Rain and cloudy recently. Was hoping to catch the moon again at half face.
