The 8SE was incredibly easy to set up. I was initially worried that I had picked out a far too complicated scope for the first time out but it turned out to be a good experience. I had read the instruction manual first, watched several YouTube videos on set up and use, so the set up was fairly smooth for a first timer. I had loaded the Celestron SkyPortal onto my cell phone, and used it to identify and name some bright stars in the sky, and enter them into the two star alignment. I had also previously aligned the spotter scope during the way, spotting a cell phone tower on the other side of the lake, so the alignment was pretty close.
After alignment, I set the controller to find the Moon, which it did. After some fumbling with learning the focus method, the moon came into crystal clear view. I was reminded of the Outer Limits TV series introduction when the photo of the moon was fuzzy, and then came into sharp focus, plus all the creepy music in the background.
""""There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can roll the image, make it flutter. We can change the focus to a soft blur, or sharpen it to crystal clarity. For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat: There is nothing wrong with your television set. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to...The Outer Limits."""""
I also figured out how to implement the moon attenuation filter. That was a big relief to my eyes.
I spent some time viewing the moon and craters, then took a look at Jupiter. It sure was smaller sized in the viewer than I expected.
I have a couple of questions.
1. My hands were freezing cold, and I only came in because I couldn't stand it anymore. What do you winter viewers use to keep hands warm? I'm thinking of digging out my old ice fishing gloves that glove the hand but present the fingers, and put a hand warmer packet in each one. I found that regular gloves are too clunky for pushing buttons on the controller or manipulating lenses.
2. I used a 25mm Plossl lens for planet viewing. Is that what I should be using?
3. I tried the Barlow lens. I put it in the diagonal, secured it with the thumb screws, then put the 25mm Plossl lens into the Bartlow. Is that how it's supposed to work? I didn't see any thumbscrews on the Barlow, so the Plossl was sort of loose in there. That doesn't seem right.
4. I don't know anything about telescope magnification or the different Plossl lenses yet, so I need to go online and learn about them. I looked at the 25mm Plossl and the 6.something Plossl and see the openings are different, so the 25 or 6 is defining the size of the viewer. I still need to learn about magnification.
All in all, it was a wonderful evening viewing the skies. After this viewing, it's clear to me just how little I know about astronomy. Scott F
