Hello Stargazers! We're excited to announce that we're now on Patreon! Follow us for behind-the-scenes footage from LearnToStargaze and updates on the development of our stargazing retreat, "Stargaze Nova Scotia." www.patreon.com/LearnToStargaze
The 8" Dobsonian is the sweet spot, for sure. Commercially made 10s and 12s in a solid tube config are just entirely too heavy and unwieldy if you tend to move scopes around a lot... people will get bored of the weight and bulk and ultimately not do so.
I took my 8" Celestron Dob to Fort Davis this summer. My lord, the observing was phenomenal. My ONLY gripe with the scope is that it comes with a single 25mm eyepiece, and the collimation screws are hex and driver only. I wish they were hand screws. Besides that, it's a top tier scope, and the silver finish is hot.
They have it on a 12" now. 10" is only 50% more area than 8" it doesn't seem to be worth the cost, but 12" is over 100% more area if you don't mind the weight.
I have a Starsense 80 refractor on its way to me (arriving tomorrow or the next day). I already have dobsonians (in addition to other scopes) so I 3D printed an adapter to allow me to mount the dock on any scope with a Synta-standard dovetail shoe. Also repurposed my old iphone (11 pro) as a dedicated Starsense box. I've been star-hopping the old fashioned way for thirty years and this is the only digital setting circle system I've ever seen that doesn't get in my way, so I'm pretty excited to upgrade my scopes with it. I would have done it sooner but until they started selling the dobsonians, the object catalog was just SO limited. Adding in the SkySafari Plus database was a smart move on Celestron's part.
@@LearnToStargaze Update; it works! Accuracy is as good as any goto/dsc system I've used. The adapter is solid and the setup doesn't flex and shift. The tripod that came with the 80 is JUNK. I've never seen anything so plasticity and flimsy. I remounted the refractor on a different altaz and it's a pretty sharp grab and go.
Is there any chance you can send the adapter? I'd love to be able to use that for my scope. If you cant send it here then see if you can post it on thingaverse
Fun stuff. Great Video. It was like watching an 18 wheeler trying to race a Lamborghini. Poor Ralph. Maybe you can boost his spirits by having a scope portability contest where Ralph pulls the upset.
Yup. It’s cool. Anyone can access the robot (via the internet) as long as they have a good reason: observatory.smu.ca/bgo-useme/mini-robotic-observatory
They won’t because they are proprietary to there beginners scopes. They told me that. You would have to buy a cheap scope and swap it over to a different scope.
@@MountainFisher that's what I'm doing. Ordered the 80mm at a discount from Costco and 3D printied an adapter to mount it in any standard finder bracket. Considering the fact that getting an encoder-based digital setting circle system outfitted to my scopes a few years ago would have cost $600 or more, cannibalizing a $200 scope to get the same functionality is kind of a no brainer.
@@LearnToStargaze The Celestron Dob comes with a 25mm eyepiece. I ordered 6mm and 9mm 66-degree goldline eyepieces and an SVBony 7mm-21mm zoom, as well as a 2x Barlow.
This video reminded me when I had a telescope next to the Burke-Gaffney back in the late 70's. They were trouble shooting my scope and found out the mirror was installed incorrectly.
Hi great video im struggling to figure out whether to buy a 8 or 10 inch starsense dob. I live in Brooklyn so there is a lot of light pollution. Thank you
If you plan to travel with it, get the 8. There is quite a bit more light gathering in the 10, but it’s also quite a bit larger. I plan to do a comparison video of an 8 inch dob vs a 12 inch dob within the next few months.
Are the bases for the 10" and 12" version of this line really as bad as some have claimed? I've heard the base is not fluid so you can't find objects since it's jerking around.
Superb channel for beginners like myself.I’ve recently bought the stellalyra 8 inch dob and have decided to buy the full range of BST starguider ED eyepieces.just wondered what your opinion is on them?
I just received my Celestron 8" Dob. Is it supposed to come with locking and adjusting thumbscrews for the primary mirror? Mine did not. It came with phillips-head locking screws and no adjusting screws.
There should be 6 screws on the bottom of the primary (large mirror at the bottom) and three Phillips-head screws on the secondary (mirror in the spider).
@@LearnToStargaze Thank you for your reply. After closer inspection, I saw the three sunken allen-head screws on the primary mirror. I was expecting the thumbscrews that seem to come stock on the Celestron 10". In my research, I've come across two different discussions of the two sets of screws on the primary mirror: locking screws and adjustment screws; and push screws and pull screws. Does the Celestron 8" have the latter?
@@LearnToStargaze No need, but thanks. I just found out it has the push/pull pairs of hex/Phillips screws. The 10" has the locking thumbscrews and the adjusting thumbscrews. Might you have any idea if one method holds collimation better than the other?
@@Jermainechandler-w5yit would be extremely difficult to take photos with a dob. Even if you could track, it’s difficult to get the camera sensor close enough to achieve focus. Telescopes designed to take photos are called astrographs, or APO refractors.
Great dobsonion but still can't get the app to work. Tried two phones. Both were approved by celestron one was new, app didn't work. I was a scientist for that Air Force and worked with High Point to solve this problem still doesn't work. Good telescope wish I had bought the Apatura.
@@LearnToStargaze I tried to contact Celestron and High Point never heard from Celestron after many attempts. High Point worked with me but ended up saying that it works great for some phones so I wish they had told me that to start with. Really enjoy your channel, thanks for all you do.
I have starsense on my sct. Its ok when it works. Alignment is real b**** sometimes. You have to use secondary phone if you want to use the phone at all. On Android switching apps in between, not a good idea. Something happens and it shows targets wrong places, other times it cant find telescope. Thinking of switching to something else.
This depends on your budget. A Dobsonian is the best all around scope of kids. If you're on a tight budget, my kids love their 102mm refractors from Costco. They have the Omni 102, and the Nat Geo 102 (both around $200).
I don't think it is fair comparison - also cool. Indeed SSE fast and really nice tech, but if you want to compare for real compare to DSC... In any case, the really interesting comparison would be SSE vs AstroHopper. I assume SSE will beat AstroHopper for ease of use for total newbie, but in general not being forced to buy a specific brand of scope to get SSE is worth it 🙂
The fact that this is sponsored makes me question this telescope as the only thing you were comparing is the single selling point of the Starsense line of scopes. Plus, being able to rapidly change targets is nice but it takes away the need to learn and understand the night sky. And, you know, easy come easy go. Want to find targets? Get a star map or even try out Stellarium. Find a route to your target using bright stars. Star hopping creates a challenge which is so satisfying to overcome.
During my work in outreach at the observatory and with Night Sky Network, I’ve taught over 10,000 people how to use telescopes. I’ve discovered that no one actually wants to “learn and understand the night sky”. What they want is to see cool stuff. To be amazed, and to be inspired. Star maps and Stellarium are simply not fun ways to find targets (choose targets, yes, but not find them). StarSense makes stargazing fun for people where those other methods fail.
@@LearnToStargaze I get that and I respect that. But why would these kind of people buy a telescope where they can join a star party or a public observatory event or better yet, search online for the immense amount of photos that are way better than what they can see with a telescope? The journey is more important than the outcome in amateur astronomy and it should be taught early as part of the "managing your expectations" chapter. At least, that's how I teach.
It's also very difficult to starhop in the city or suburbs, like where I live where only a few stars are visible naked eye. Starsense allows me to see objects I might never find trying to star hop. It's an incredibly helpful tool for letting people in light polluted areas find beautiful objects like star clusters easily. Otherwise us city-dwellers would get frustrated and quit.
@@scoutisabelle that’s a great point! I would never have been able to star hoo to the beehive (M44)! Too much light pollution and no nearby visible stars!
Hello Stargazers! We're excited to announce that we're now on Patreon! Follow us for behind-the-scenes footage from LearnToStargaze and updates on the development of our stargazing retreat, "Stargaze Nova Scotia." www.patreon.com/LearnToStargaze
Mrs Stargaze…. You need to slap Mr Stargaze for his flirting! 😅
😂
😂
I just got my 10” StarSense dob and your 110 things to see book last Friday! Can’t wait for a clear night to stargaze.
Awesome!!!!!
So what have you seen so far with that 10?
The 8" Dobsonian is the sweet spot, for sure. Commercially made 10s and 12s in a solid tube config are just entirely too heavy and unwieldy if you tend to move scopes around a lot... people will get bored of the weight and bulk and ultimately not do so.
Yup.
exactly, a good telescope is the one with you, not within the wardrobe
I took my 8" Celestron Dob to Fort Davis this summer. My lord, the observing was phenomenal. My ONLY gripe with the scope is that it comes with a single 25mm eyepiece, and the collimation screws are hex and driver only. I wish they were hand screws. Besides that, it's a top tier scope, and the silver finish is hot.
Yes, an eyepiece upgrade is a must!
You can change out those secondary knobs with thes www.highpointscientific.com/apertura-secondary-mirror-collimation-screws-cke
I just got this scope - I’m very excited! What eyepiece do you recommend for the first upgrade? I’m just getting started with this stuff.
Brings back great memories!! A+ for the creativity
I had a Celestron C5 back in the 90's...sure would love to get one of these Dobs.
I love having StarSense 8” dob. I just wish I had cash to buy the 10” to get a little more detail in Nebula and galaxies.
They have it on a 12" now. 10" is only 50% more area than 8" it doesn't seem to be worth the cost, but 12" is over 100% more area if you don't mind the weight.
I have a Starsense 80 refractor on its way to me (arriving tomorrow or the next day). I already have dobsonians (in addition to other scopes) so I 3D printed an adapter to allow me to mount the dock on any scope with a Synta-standard dovetail shoe. Also repurposed my old iphone (11 pro) as a dedicated Starsense box.
I've been star-hopping the old fashioned way for thirty years and this is the only digital setting circle system I've ever seen that doesn't get in my way, so I'm pretty excited to upgrade my scopes with it.
I would have done it sooner but until they started selling the dobsonians, the object catalog was just SO limited. Adding in the SkySafari Plus database was a smart move on Celestron's part.
Nice! Let us know how it works out!
@@LearnToStargaze Update; it works! Accuracy is as good as any goto/dsc system I've used. The adapter is solid and the setup doesn't flex and shift.
The tripod that came with the 80 is JUNK. I've never seen anything so plasticity and flimsy. I remounted the refractor on a different altaz and it's a pretty sharp grab and go.
@@tjzambonischwartz Great to hear!
Is there any chance you can send the adapter? I'd love to be able to use that for my scope. If you cant send it here then see if you can post it on thingaverse
@@stewartgibson5802just fit a synta shoe on the Starsense unit. No adapter required 👍.
Fun stuff. Great Video. It was like watching an 18 wheeler trying to race a Lamborghini.
Poor Ralph. Maybe you can boost his spirits by having a scope portability contest where Ralph pulls the upset.
There is a portable version of Ralph! It’s called the MRO.
@@LearnToStargaze Nice. Here I thought I was joking yet it turns out Ralph is planning ahead for the next challenge.
Yup. It’s cool. Anyone can access the robot (via the internet) as long as they have a good reason: observatory.smu.ca/bgo-useme/mini-robotic-observatory
@@LearnToStargaze Wow, that IS cool! Thank you for the link.
I'm waiting for Celestron to sell Star Sense as a separate system from their scopes.
They won’t because they are proprietary to there beginners scopes. They told me that. You would have to buy a cheap scope and swap it over to a different scope.
@@fredaw61 Yeah, I saw someone buy a $240 scope just for the SS and put it on a 12" dob.
@@MountainFisher that's what I'm doing. Ordered the 80mm at a discount from Costco and 3D printied an adapter to mount it in any standard finder bracket.
Considering the fact that getting an encoder-based digital setting circle system outfitted to my scopes a few years ago would have cost $600 or more, cannibalizing a $200 scope to get the same functionality is kind of a no brainer.
@@tjzambonischwartz I heard that!
I'm about to buy the Starsense 8" DOB. Are there any recommended eyepieces to get?
Hi! I’m working on a video about that right now.
@@LearnToStargaze Thanks. Looking forward to the video.
@@LearnToStargaze The Celestron Dob comes with a 25mm eyepiece. I ordered 6mm and 9mm 66-degree goldline eyepieces and an SVBony 7mm-21mm zoom, as well as a 2x Barlow.
This video reminded me when I had a telescope next to the Burke-Gaffney back in the late 70's. They were trouble shooting my scope and found out the mirror was installed incorrectly.
I removed the Starsense unit from a small refractor and fitted it on my 12" dobsonian. It was great but I have now bought a go to.
We did that in a previous video!
Hi there can I take the starsence Explorer device of the 70mm telescope and but it on my 12" dobsonian telescope thanks
I did just that in an earlier video. It worked great!
Where can I see the results of the images?
Raw images may be here somewhere: observatory.smu.ca/~bgo/sm/donequeue.php
Hi great video im struggling to figure out whether to buy a 8 or 10 inch starsense dob. I live in Brooklyn so there is a lot of light pollution. Thank you
If you plan to travel with it, get the 8. There is quite a bit more light gathering in the 10, but it’s also quite a bit larger. I plan to do a comparison video of an 8 inch dob vs a 12 inch dob within the next few months.
finally after so much wait.....
a video!
This one took over 3 months. Mostly due to scheduling, but it was a lot of editing.
@@LearnToStargaze worth it man 👏
Awesome video!
Thanks!
Are the bases for the 10" and 12" version of this line really as bad as some have claimed? I've heard the base is not fluid so you can't find objects since it's jerking around.
That doesn’t make sense. You control the tension of the base with a giant knob.
Hello LearnToStargaze can you review a Celetrson 5se? I am thinking about buying
That would be the same as our 8se review. Just with lower resolution.
Superb channel for beginners like myself.I’ve recently bought the stellalyra 8 inch dob and have decided to buy the full range of BST starguider ED eyepieces.just wondered what your opinion is on them?
Congrats on the telescope. I haven’t used those eyepieces, but they seem great!
How do you take the photos?
I generally use a 102mm refractor to take my photos. This telescope is not designed to take photos.
I just received my Celestron 8" Dob. Is it supposed to come with locking and adjusting thumbscrews for the primary mirror? Mine did not. It came with phillips-head locking screws and no adjusting screws.
There should be 6 screws on the bottom of the primary (large mirror at the bottom) and three Phillips-head screws on the secondary (mirror in the spider).
@@LearnToStargaze Thank you for your reply.
After closer inspection, I saw the three sunken allen-head screws on the primary mirror. I was expecting the thumbscrews that seem to come stock on the Celestron 10".
In my research, I've come across two different discussions of the two sets of screws on the primary mirror: locking screws and adjustment screws; and push screws and pull screws. Does the Celestron 8" have the latter?
@@pequodexpress I have no idea. I donated it to the university observatory so I'd have to drive over and look.
@@LearnToStargaze No need, but thanks. I just found out it has the push/pull pairs of hex/Phillips screws. The 10" has the locking thumbscrews and the adjusting thumbscrews. Might you have any idea if one method holds collimation better than the other?
Great video!
Any plans of a new live Q&A with Tiffany again?
Great idea! We should do that!
1:30 ... 🎶 In the middle of the road🎶... Channeling my inner Beatles
no pictures from the dob????
Why would you want pictures from a Dob? That doesn’t really make any sense.
@@LearnToStargazewhat do u mean u wouldn’t want pictures? Asking cause I’m looking to purchase and also would like to take photos with it
@@Jermainechandler-w5yit would be extremely difficult to take photos with a dob. Even if you could track, it’s difficult to get the camera sensor close enough to achieve focus. Telescopes designed to take photos are called astrographs, or APO refractors.
Hello is a 8 inch Newton good for a child which I am 9
Yes! You may need help lifting it, but an 8 inch Dobsonian Newtonian is the easiest most capable telescope to use.
@@LearnToStargaze nah I’m ok with the eq5 mount :)
What’s the app on your phone mate?
Starsense.
Yes gives me memories from the video of last year absolutely Awsome thanks Learn to database
Great dobsonion but still can't get the app to work. Tried two phones. Both were approved by celestron one was new, app didn't work. I was a scientist for that Air Force and worked with High Point to solve this problem still doesn't work. Good telescope wish I had bought the Apatura.
Oh and I really like your books. My grandson pours over them when he visits, pretty good for a 7 year old.
Great to hear! Does he have “Learn To Stargaze For Kids” ?
Tiffany had some issues with her own phone & Starsense a week after we filmed the video. I’m wondering if Celestron might be able to help?
@@LearnToStargaze yes we do!
@@LearnToStargaze I tried to contact Celestron and High Point never heard from Celestron after many attempts. High Point worked with me but ended up saying that it works great for some phones so I wish they had told me that to start with.
Really enjoy your channel, thanks for all you do.
Great experience !
I'm from India
Another great video I really enjoyed watching this video with the observatory and I won’t bring up anything about Uranus.😊
I have starsense on my sct. Its ok when it works. Alignment is real b**** sometimes. You have to use secondary phone if you want to use the phone at all. On Android switching apps in between, not a good idea. Something happens and it shows targets wrong places, other times it cant find telescope. Thinking of switching to something else.
Just buy the official starsense scopes
Hey coud you tell me what is cheapiest, 80mm(or 70) telescope for planets for around 150, 200 bucks
Used 6 inch Dobsonian. I got mine for $150 on Facebook.
@@LearnToStargaze but from what i heard 6 inch is too smal and minimal for good pictures shoud be around 70, or 80"
@@OperatorAron personally I like no more than 3 inches for taking pictures. No less than 8 inches for visual astronomy.
The joke NEVER EVER GETS OLD!!!
Can anyone tell me if GSO's 8" dobsonian have similar optics
There is a good chance the mirrors come from the same factory.
Is this kind of telescope that you should buy with your 10 year old daughter?
This depends on your budget. A Dobsonian is the best all around scope of kids. If you're on a tight budget, my kids love their 102mm refractors from Costco. They have the Omni 102, and the Nat Geo 102 (both around $200).
Now, sir, this is a smart way of advertising
Technically, this is promotion. ;-)
That was cool
Im Sorry but I switched it off very quickly. I thought this would be about the telescope?
I’m sorry you don’t seem to like astronomy.
Celestron decided 8 and 10 inches wasn’t enough, so now they have a 12 inch version for pre-order
Nice!
I really dislike 12" solid tube Dobs. They're unwieldy monsters.
I know, cause now I have one :]
How do you find it? As an 8" SCT owner, I feel like that's the logical Dob size to buy, but probably as a truss model -- it's such a beast.@@klttrll
I don't think it is fair comparison - also cool. Indeed SSE fast and really nice tech, but if you want to compare for real compare to DSC...
In any case, the really interesting comparison would be SSE vs AstroHopper. I assume SSE will beat AstroHopper for ease of use for total newbie, but in general not being forced to buy a specific brand of scope to get SSE is worth it 🙂
The fact that this is sponsored makes me question this telescope as the only thing you were comparing is the single selling point of the Starsense line of scopes.
Plus, being able to rapidly change targets is nice but it takes away the need to learn and understand the night sky. And, you know, easy come easy go.
Want to find targets? Get a star map or even try out Stellarium. Find a route to your target using bright stars. Star hopping creates a challenge which is so satisfying to overcome.
During my work in outreach at the observatory and with Night Sky Network, I’ve taught over 10,000 people how to use telescopes. I’ve discovered that no one actually wants to “learn and understand the night sky”. What they want is to see cool stuff. To be amazed, and to be inspired. Star maps and Stellarium are simply not fun ways to find targets (choose targets, yes, but not find them).
StarSense makes stargazing fun for people where those other methods fail.
@@LearnToStargaze I get that and I respect that. But why would these kind of people buy a telescope where they can join a star party or a public observatory event or better yet, search online for the immense amount of photos that are way better than what they can see with a telescope?
The journey is more important than the outcome in amateur astronomy and it should be taught early as part of the "managing your expectations" chapter.
At least, that's how I teach.
@@zevapini6485 the reality is that only a very small percentage of those that own a telescope ever plan to go to a stargazing event.
It's also very difficult to starhop in the city or suburbs, like where I live where only a few stars are visible naked eye. Starsense allows me to see objects I might never find trying to star hop. It's an incredibly helpful tool for letting people in light polluted areas find beautiful objects like star clusters easily. Otherwise us city-dwellers would get frustrated and quit.
@@scoutisabelle that’s a great point! I would never have been able to star hoo to the beehive (M44)! Too much light pollution and no nearby visible stars!
Next time Ralph should be scripted! Then it will kick butt against any Cele$tr0n.
Next time!
I miss Mars....
Once you plug your phone into the dock, you cant use it for the rest of the night. Difficult if it is your sole means of communication.
I’ve totally taken calls, and even done live streams, with the phone connected to the telescope. I also have an old phone with Starsense.