Accessories

Re: Astronomy shopping

Astro Newbie — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 11:08:03 GMT

Bo Lang, I didn't get the green laser on Ebay, I bought it at Telescopes.com for $79.95. The brand name is Zhumell. No problems at all with it.

Re: Astronomy shopping

Bo Lang — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 03:13:07 GMT

Astro Newbie, heard from a lot of people who buy laser pointers on ebay that they often way below the specified power levels, modified to boost power beyond manufacturers specifications, have infra red filters removed to boost power or simply deteriorate/break down very quickly. Did you have any problems with your ebay laser pointer?

Re: Astronomy shopping

Kevin Bozard — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 00:23:42 GMT

I bought all of my stuff online too, because we don't have a store near here either. And if this counts, I will probably renew my Astronomy magazine subscription online too!

Re: Astronomy shopping

Bert — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 23:30:49 GMT

There are no astronomy stores near where I live,so I've done all of my Astronomy shopping either on Ebay or Astromart or cloudynights. I've bought my 10" LX200 Classic on ebay,got my dew shield on ebay,a polarizing filter on cloudynights and now got two naglers one on ebay(7mm nagler,and no I did not pay $260 for this one LOL) and the other on astromart(11mm T6),I'm just getting warmed up LOL

Re: Astronomy shopping

mstrozier — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 21:21:48 GMT

I do not have an astronomy supply store within a hundred + miles of my location so everything I do is online :)

I purchased the Meade 60mm refractor from Walmart for the kids. However the Celestron powerseeker and the Celestron 9 piece kit both were ordered through Astronomics. I paid only $186 shipped for the scope and the eye piece kit :) and the staff at Astronomics are awesome! I perfer them MUCH over telescopes.com!! The only downside is that it seems they perfer to deal only with Celestron, coronado and Meade. A few Vixen parts but that's about it. Telescope has a much more diverse market.

My next target is a 8 x 22 Digitial camera Bino's and a CCD for the scope. I'm currently testing around with a webcam and hopefully tonight if it stays clear I will be able to find the time to test and see if it'll work for me.

As for the bino's, there are some closer objects that even at 32mm ep in my scope the view doesn't capture the whole image. Where as in my 7x35 bino's on the other hand does. One image that comes to mind is the M45. I want to be able to take some snap shots of the cluster when it's still somewhat faint.

Re: Astronomy shopping

Astro Newbie — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 17:44:59 GMT

I've bought all my astronomy stuff online. Don't have a brick and morter store anywhere close. Ebay - Meade DS2114ATS, Zhumell 20 x 80 Binoculars. Telescopes.com - laser collimater, green laser pointer, eyepiece and filter set, autofocuser(not too happy with it), Coronado PST Telescope.

Re: Astronomy shopping

Bo Lang — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 15:32:18 GMT

Hi Arctic Star or anyone else who can help,

I'm in the business of astronomy and laser pointers so i'm very interested in your experience at using green laser pointers for astronomy.

Is it necessary to have powers of 55mW or higher? I was under the impression that the higher powers (say 40mW or above) are not that much more useful. Does the extra power make a difference in a polluted area of if your pointing for a larger group?

Cheers

Re: Astronomy shopping

Arctic Star — Wed, 24 May 2006 03:15:03 GMT

I just recently purchased a 55 mW green laser pointer for catching the attention of my students at the high school I teach at. Ever since I began using the laser pointer class participation has tripled. The students can clearly observe the constellations I pick out for discussion. This tool dramatically increased class particiation and I couldnt be more gratefull given that it has made teaching much more pleasant. I would like to mention that my purchase was completely safe and extremely efficient.

If anyone is ever interested in purchasing a good quality laser pointer for the best price in the market and wants customer appreciation visit this link: http://www.biglasers.com/site/1589403/page/45031

Re: Astronomy shopping

smashed39 — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 02:31:00 GMT

Hey guys i am thinking of buying a pack for me Celestron G6 N.

Will the

12 Piece Celestron set 1.25" work well with it. Sorry im new to telescopes so im not sure if i need a certain size but it apears that 1.25" is the be all end all size for this stuff.

It llooks to be a good deal as well

Re: Astronomy shopping

Govega — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 03:16:49 GMT

I bought quite a bit of eye pieces online, two of my scopes from Orion, some stuff off of Astromart, including a shorti tube refractor, and even some stuff off eBay. Usually I check a website out first and even if I don't order, when I get to star parties I have a good idea what the products may look like. I did a good amount of Christmas shopping online. (non astro stuff). I think it's a convenient way to shop.

Penny

Re: Astronomy shopping

LBCguy — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 02:38:10 GMT

Yes, I bought my Celestron 12" Starhopper online. I also shopped for eyepieces online but called the store to purchase them.

Let's see, I also bought several books, and, oh yeah, subscribed to a certain magazine online.

Jim

Re: Astronomy shopping

Jarsheart — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 23:57:51 GMT

I have purchased much of my astronomy equipment online. Most recently (9/2005) I purchased: an 8" Meade LX200 GPS telescope, televue diagonal, scope coat, 2 power plugs, 3 eyepieces, heat strap, microfocuser extension cord and Peterson mounting assistant. I am now broke, but very happy.

The newbie,

Michelle

Re: Astronomy shopping

startrailr — Tue, 16 Aug 2005 15:40:23 GMT

Bought a Celestron 114 firstscope reflector, a pair of Bushnell 10x50 perma focus binoculars, Canon S2 IS 5mp, 12x optical zoom digital camera, another Meade telescope, ----saving sales tax is a lot nowdays, especially with gas prices about to go in orbit, no problems with purchases, so far

Jimmie

Re: Astronomy shopping

cgate — Sun, 14 Aug 2005 05:24:36 GMT

Most of my stuff has been purchased on line. My Celestron 6" refractor along with several of my eyepieces and a couple of filters were bought at Astronomics. Most of my books and charts and my observing chair (one of the best purchases I ever made) were also bought at Astronomics. I live only about 35 minutes from Norman, OK.

Re: Astronomy shopping

chipdatajeffB — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 21:46:08 GMT

Yes, definitely! I also patronize our local full-service dealer here in Dallas a couple of times a year. I would like to see them stay in business!

Items bought online include those from manufacturers (Stellarvue Nighthawk, JMI Moto Focus, SAC-7b and SAC-8 CCD imagers, STI focuser, and several software packages: The Sky, Lunar Map Pro, etc.) and many accessory items from online retailers including HandsOn Optics, Kendrick, Orion, Astronomics, Anacortes, and a few others.

I've bought eyepieces, filters, solar filters, mounts, tripod upgrades (wooden legs), 35mm cameras, cases, dovetail adapters, small parts, TelRads and RedDots, optical finders, and OTAs.

I bought several mounts, eyepieces, and even a Celestron 6" refractor on eBay several years ago, but have pretty much stopped shopping there due to scams -- it's getting harder to tell the scammers from the good guys over there, although some reputable dealers still operate there.

Astromart is where I look for the big-ticket items.