[Alphastara]

Originally Posted by iceman

HI Chris and Angela,

Welcome to IceInSpace! That telescope will be enough to get you started - I hope the EQ mount is not too wobbly. Is it motorised?

All reflectors need collimation from time to time - so this is a skill you need to learn. You need a cheshire/sight-tube to help you collimate, and then lots of reading and practise It doesn't have to be a scary prospect.

Get a planisphere, and a red-light torch, and a comfy chair to sit on while observing. The "stellar seat" is a great dedicated astro chair, but many people use an ordinary gas-lift stool.

The main thing is to keep asking questions and we'll be more than happy to help! Get along to the local meets if you can - you can look through other types of telescopes and get help collimating, too. It's a much more rewarding hobby when you can share it with other people.

Hello, thank you for the welcome and advice. I am assuming there would be plenty of advice on this forum abou collimating? Yes the telescope we have is motorised.

Thank you again for the welcome.... we are lookin forward to getting to know our universe and the forums hehe

Angela & Chris