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Hi Nige, Your H12.5mm EP is an old design, and won't do your scope any favours, but, your scope should knock the socks off a cheap 60mm
refractor with just about any EP, so something has to be wrong, either
with the scope, or your efforts with the scope.
Firstly, if Venus is a slightly enlarged star something is very wrong.
Have you checked that the scope is at least reasonably collimated?
If it is really badly collimated, nothing will look good.
I don't understand what you mean when you say you couldn't see
Jupiter; did you mean that you couldn't locate it, or that the view was
as bad as Venus.
Don't worry about using your high power EPs like the 6.4mm until
you have got the scope up and running properly.
You should get stunning views of the moon with an 8" Newt, but it seems that the scope is not coming to focus, so being that you got it
second hand, maybe a focuser extension tube is missing.
Try focusing on something in the distance during the day and see if
you get a sharp view. If not, note whether it is because the focuser
won't rack far enough out. If that is the case, wind the focuser fully out, loosen the EP and slide it out further whilst looking through it.
If it focuses then you need an approptiate length extension tube.
Try this first, and we'll take it from there.
raymo
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