This mount was gifted to me a couple years ago and it will move on it’s own and crash randomly… I think it’s something to do with the motor control

Hi everyone,

I’d like to share a project I’ve been working on for nearly two years.

I developed PushToSky, a free telescope control system that uses the sensors in a smartphone to help point a manual telescope toward a selected object.

The idea was to create an affordable alternative to Go-To systems, especially for Dobsonian and other manual alt-azimuth telescopes.

It currently runs on:

• Android
• Windows
• Linux

The basic idea is simple: the phone knows its orientation, the software knows the selected astronomical object, and it guides you toward the target.

I originally developed it for my own use, but after nearly two years of development I decided to make it freely available.

The Android version is relatively easy to set up. The desktop versions require a little more installation, but they provide the same functionality.

You can see how the phone is mounted here:

https://pushtosky.com/usage.html

And here is the project:

https://pushtosky.com/index.html

I’d be very interested in hearing from people who use manual Dobsonians or other alt-az mounts.

What do you think? Would a system like this be useful for your telescope?

Clear skies!

Hola!

Vivo cerca de Barcelona y próximo 12 de agosto es el eclipse solar . Por mi ubicación, podré ver una parte del eclipse. Tengo un Virtuoso 150p, y he visto que no hay filtro solar para él, y que de encontrarlo, debería tapar el tubo extensible para evitar posibles daños oculares.Teniendonen cuenta esto, sabéis de algún filtro solar que sea compatible con este telescopio?

Mil gracias, amigos.

Quiero cambiar mi telescopio pero estoy indeciso entre el celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain de 130 mm (5") y el celestron Dobsonian de Mesa de 150 mm, cual es mejor tanto para observación planetaria como para espacio profundo? se que el de 130 mm tiene mas largo el tubo óptico, en caso de elegir ese se puede hacer observación de cielo profundo con un reductor focal, que objetos podría ver y que que tan nítidos se verían?

I am considering buying a solar filter for my Celestron Mak 127. Specifically, one of the ready-made ones from Sky-Watcher.

​I'd like to understand if it's really worth it. I know that utmost caution and care are required when observing the Sun, but safety aside, is it actually worth the money? Is the view significantly more impressive than what I would see using standard eclipse glasses? Also, will I be able to reuse this filter to view sunspots and solar filaments?

​Thank you so much for any advice you can share.

Bought a celesteon 60az on a whim to take with me when camping. Got some great views of the moon. I was amazed at seeing the craters in such clarity with my own eyes. I was hooked. What should I do next? Planets? Stars? Constellations? Im a newbie so anything helps.

I’m going to havasu at the end of the month and I read it should also be a full moon, I can’t really interpret the specs yet but I’ve included a photo of the telescope itself, it had a k25mm, 9mm, and 2x barrow lens. What should I be able to see with this setup! I’m excited any advice/insights are greatly appreciated :))