New member saying hello

[JohnA]

Hello to all

Another new member joining the flock so to speak. Recently my daughter announced she wanted to get into this hobby so i just purchased her first setup which should be delivered this week sometime.

Have been doing lots of reading and research and no doubt have much to learn.

I got the following equipment to start off with

Celestron nexstar evolution 925
celestron dew shield
celestron 6.3 reducer
ZWO asiair
ZWO EAF
ZWO 678MC

We will be starting off with just observing before getting into photographing planets.

Are there any other items i may have left out and are a MUST have, or have i covered all basis for someone starting out in just observing and photographing planets

[Nikolas]

Welcome :)
Maybe an equatorial wedge if you ever want to do deep sky later on

[Pierre_C]

Welcome, John.

That looks like a nice set up.

I would recommend considering some introductory guides such as:

The Backyard Astronomer's Guide by Dickson and Dyer
Collins Stars & Planets by Ridpath and Tirion
The Night Sky Planisphere (Southern Hemisphere edition)

Enjoy!

[JohnA]

Thanks for the welcome

the wedge did come to mind, but i figured if the daughter ventures down that rabbit hole, i may look into investing into a good EQ mount for her like the skywatcher AZ eq6

Pierre_C thanks for the recommendations, ill be sure to look into them

[Pierre_C]

Hi John.

I have been having a deeper look online into the standard eyepieces that come with this telescope.

The 40mm eyepiece will give x59 magnification, and the 13mm eyepiece will give x180 magnification. In my opinion, there is a big gap in between.

I think you might want to consider an extra eyepiece to cover the gap early on – it may help you to find and appreciate particular objects more easily and make the starting experience more enjoyable. Something like a ~20mm eyepiece for x117 magnification (2mm exit pupil) might be suitable. People who own this telescope may be able to comment on this better than I.

Have a look at the forums to see what eyepiece focal lengths might work well for this telescope. Some people will suggest buying a large range of additional eyepieces, but I think just a single eyepiece to fill the gap would be a good starting point. Alternatives would be a zoom eyepiece or a x2 Barlow lens. It could be something simple and inexpensive for now, as you may eventually want to upgrade all the eyepieces as a set later on.

Happy viewing!

[JohnA]

Hello Pierre

yes, i have considered that and doing some reading and research on good quality eyepieces.

The skies have not been great over the last couple of nights, so havent had a chance to even get it out. Daughter is eager to get out there and have a look

[JA]

Hi John,

Welcome to the forum. It's a noble pursuit you're on to help your daughter in to Astronomy. It looks like you have most of the gear you need.

BTW you're not JohnA, the JohnA I knew back in audio days. If so ... big hug and a handshake.

Best
JA

[JohnA]

Hello JA

wow what a small world, yes, it is I, the same JohnA
Big hug and handshake right back at you, good to hear from you my friend

[JA]

I'm so happy to hear that John. You just put a big smile on my face. It would be good to catch up.

PS .. if my memory serves it was SGR &/or Zu full Rangers with a Droplet.

Best
JA

[JohnA]

Would be great to catch up mate.

Yes it was SGR and droplet then went a little nuts and ended up with b&w 800D esoteric and a full analogue front end with VPI HRX