[Charla]

Hi everyone -
About a year ago my partner bought me a Guang-Sheng 8" Dobsonian with a bunch of eyepieces (including a 3.8mm ED).

We've had a great time checking out planets and the moon, but don't really know how to look for anything else. So I guess my question is whether my telescope is good enough to pursue more deep-space viewing or other objects (galaxies? nebulas), and secondly if it is good enough, how can we learn how to do it? Or should we just stick to planets?

We've also found the Dob mount a bit clunky and hard to keep up with moving planets. So I'm thinking of upgrading to an equatorial mount but I don't know if this is a good enough telescope to warrant the expense.

Thanks so much for your help. I've read through the forum a bit - it's great.