29 replies to this topic

[JerseyJoe]

After wanting to stargaze again since Haley's Comet with my old cheapo Tasco, I came across this for $50 on Craigslist.
The guy who owned it before the guy I bought it from apparently had big plans. Added a 2" focuser and a hole to mount a fan. I don't think it's a Star Hopper since I googled them and the only come in 6", 8", 10", and 12". This measures 7" diameter. 9mm lens arrived the other day, 10mm and collimator should arrive Monday.

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[Sheol]

                    I think its a 6 inch Dob. The Mirror cell is what matters, in size in reflectors. Tubes are often a bit ( about an inch..) bigger.

 

    Clear Skies,

        Matt.

[BradFran]

Nice looking scope! A 6" mirror could come in a 7" diameter tube. It looks like a 6" f/8. Good deal for $50. The focuser looks like a MoonLite... if so, very good deal.

Edited by BradFran, 16 January 2021 - 06:50 PM.

[JerseyJoe]

Thanks, I just assumed it was the tube diameter.

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[ShaulaB]

A larger focal length eyepiece, like a 30mm would help. When hunting down deep sky objects, you want a larger field of view than what a 9 or 10 mm can give. Also, objects are brighter at lower magnification.

[JerseyJoe]

A larger focal length eyepiece, like a 30mm would help. When hunting down deep sky objects, you want a larger field of view than what a 9 or 10 mm can give. Also, objects are brighter at lower magnification.

I said 10mm, but I meant 20mm. Which is also wrong, I ordered a 23mm.

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[AngryGinger81]

That's a great deal considering how scarce scopes are right now. I've been scouring craigslist and FB marketplace. I would have been all over that. Hope you get some clear nights!

[Ranger Tim]

Don’t try to clean the mirror until you have read and understand all of the ways to do it safely. Resist the urge to touch the mirror with a brush. Use a blower bulb or compressed air to remove dust in the meantime. Dust will not affect the image until it is really, really thick. See the reflector forum for more on cleaning.

[JerseyJoe]

I'd be too afraid of damaging the coating to try.

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[kjkrum]

That's a killer deal for a 6" Dob, especially these days. I had one that I got from Goodwill for $65 a couple summers ago, and I considered that a bargain. I didn't use it much after I got my Mak, so I flipped it for $120 when I saw how the pandemic was affecting prices and supply.

One of my favorite EPs in that scope was a 32mm Plossl. The best upgrade I made on it was a 9x50 RACI finder. That required a magnetic weight on the tube to restore balance.

[spaceoddity]

Nice find for $50. Congrats!

[Echolight]

Fifty bucks! I want one!

[JerseyJoe]

My new eyepieces arrived it was a clear night so I took it out, even though I haven't collimated it yet, to look at the moon and I was blown away. Definitely beats anything I saw in that old Tasco as a kid.

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[Mbinoc]

You are going to love it. I'm two years into the hobby, and this is currently my best scope.

 

I also payed much more for mine, but it was a decent deal at $200

 

Enjoy It!

 

I'm pretty sure its a 6" star-hopper. Spend another 50 bucks on a telrad finder, and you got yourself a great beginner scope.

 

A 6" Celestron Starhopper measures exactly 7" at the end of the tube. This is what you got.

 

Once you receive the collimator, you will be set for a while and can begin the journey into a few new eye pieces.

 

What type of eye pieces do have now if any? I use mine most with a 15mm generic Plossl., and also a few 30-25mm powered ones barlowed.

 

15mm to 12mm is the sweet spot in my light polluted sky's when using Plossl's, And the limit where things really look sharp. I can and do push it farther, but there is a trade off where I start to loose out on some sharpness.

Edited by Mbinoc, 20 January 2021 - 12:59 AM.

[JerseyJoe]

You are going to love it. I'm two years into the hobby, and this is currently my best scope.

I also payed much more for mine, but it was a decent deal at $200

Enjoy It!

I'm pretty sure its a 6" star-hopper. Spend another 50 bucks on a telrad finder, and you got yourself a great beginner scope.

A 6" Celestron Starhopper measures exactly 7" at the end of the tube. This is what you got.

Once you receive the collimator, you will be set for a while and can begin the journey into a few new eye pieces.

What type of eye pieces do have now if any? I use mine most with a 15mm generic Plossl., and also a few 30-25mm powered ones barlowed.

15mm to 12mm is the sweet spot in my light polluted sky's when using Plossl's, And the limit where things really look sharp. I can and do push it farther, but there is a trade off where I start to loose out on some sharpness.

I got a 10mm and 23mm aspheric lenses. I tried using the factory lenses off my Celestron First scope. Huge difference.

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[JerseyJoe]

You are going to love it. I'm two years into the hobby, and this is currently my best scope.

I also payed much more for mine, but it was a decent deal at $200

Enjoy It!

I'm pretty sure its a 6" star-hopper. Spend another 50 bucks on a telrad finder, and you got yourself a great beginner scope.

A 6" Celestron Starhopper measures exactly 7" at the end of the tube. This is what you got.

Once you receive the collimator, you will be set for a while and can begin the journey into a few new eye pieces.

What type of eye pieces do have now if any? I use mine most with a 15mm generic Plossl., and also a few 30-25mm powered ones barlowed.

15mm to 12mm is the sweet spot in my light polluted sky's when using Plossl's, And the limit where things really look sharp. I can and do push it farther, but there is a trade off where I start to loose out on some sharpness.

I will say, the only thing I don't like about it is it moves slightly once I let go after lining it up. It'll tilt up after I tightened the base and it will rock slightly if pressed. That's one reason I thought it might not be the correct scope for the base.

I think I saw someone else having a similar issue. I'll look around and figure out a solution.

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[Mbinoc]

Is the "play / rocking" coming from the swivel base, or from the tightening knobs on the side.

 

Is it possible that the screws that attach the plastic rollers to the tube are loose. I think mine had this problem when first purchased, and I just had to tighten these screws that hold the rollers to the tube to eliminate about 1/8" of loose play.

 

It also looks like yours may have a extra piece of wood added to the bottom portion, underneath raising the whole base up another inch or two from the way it came from the factory. You may want to look to see how that is attached.

 

Here is what a 6" starhopper looks like without as many mods.

Note: mine was missing a adjustment knob and that was replaced with another that happened to work.

 

Edited by Mbinoc, 22 January 2021 - 11:55 AM.

[Starcraft231]

Nice looking scope! A 6" mirror could come in a 7" diameter tube. It looks like a 6" f/8. Good deal for $50. The focuser looks like a MoonLite... if so, very good deal.

It's hard to tell for certain, but it DOES look like a Moonlite. That's not a very good deal if it is, that's a **** steal! I just paid about $400 for my Moonlite. Send us a close up pic of the focuser please!

[JerseyJoe]

Is the "play / rocking" coming from the swivel base, or from the tightening knobs on the side.

Is it possible that the screws that attach the plastic rollers to the tube are loose. I think mine had this problem when first purchased, and I just had to tighten these screws that hold the rollers to the tube to eliminate about 1/8" of loose play.

It also looks like yours may have a extra piece of wood added to the bottom portion, underneath raising the whole base up another inch or two from the way it came from the factory. You may want to look to see how that is attached.

Here is what a 6" starhopper looks like without as many mods.
Note: mine was missing a adjustment knob and that was replaced with another that happened to work.

2.jpg

It isn't rocking at the base, it's rocking in the altitude bearings. The bearings stay put, but the telescope has play within it.

That extra piece of wood is just a circular board with some casters on the bottom to roll on. I only store it on it since, while my garage is a solid slab, my driveway has uneven seams.

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[JerseyJoe]

It's hard to tell for certain, but it DOES look like a Moonlite. That's not a very good deal if it is, that's a **** steal! I just paid about $400 for my Moonlite. Send us a close up pic of the focuser please!

I'll try to remember to take a pic of it tomorrow.

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[JerseyJoe]

It's hard to tell for certain, but it DOES look like a Moonlite. That's not a very good deal if it is, that's a **** steal! I just paid about $400 for my Moonlite. Send us a close up pic of the focuser please!

Starcraft231, it appears that it is, in fact, a Moonlite.

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[Starcraft231]

Starcraft231, it appears that it is, in fact, a Moonlite.

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NICE! Even if you threw that scope in the garbage and kept the Moonlite, you got an AMAZING deal! Can you back the zoom off a little so I can look at the focusing knobs please? Checking to see if it's a single speed or two speed. The reduction knob in my pic is a $100 option, and the shaft lock to keep the tube locked in place under heavy load is an additional $25. Just wondering what all options are on that Moonlite of yours. Even if it's single-speed focuser (which the original pic looks like, bit it's hard to say 100% as it's too far away), you still got a great deal!

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Edited by Starcraft231, 25 January 2021 - 12:39 PM.

[Bigal1817]

Is the "play / rocking" coming from the swivel base, or from the tightening knobs on the side.

 

Is it possible that the screws that attach the plastic rollers to the tube are loose. I think mine had this problem when first purchased, and I just had to tighten these screws that hold the rollers to the tube to eliminate about 1/8" of loose play.

 

It also looks like yours may have a extra piece of wood added to the bottom portion, underneath raising the whole base up another inch or two from the way it came from the factory. You may want to look to see how that is attached.

 

Here is what a 6" starhopper looks like without as many mods.

Note: mine was missing a adjustment knob and that was replaced with another that happened to work.

 

2.jpg

Great find!  My 8" dob has some "play" in the altitude.  Sometimes, if I bring the scope right to an object, it "dips" forward to the horizon or "rocks" back towards the zenith.  Please do not crank on the tension knobs.  Instead, learn the play of your scope.  Specifically, guide your scope a few degrees to the zenith or horizon until you feel the scope gears function without the play.  Then proceed to guide your scope to the target.  

[JerseyJoe]

NICE! Even if you threw that scope in the garbage and kept the Moonlite, you got an AMAZING deal! Can you back the zoom off a little so I can look at the focusing knobs please? Checking to see if it's a single speed or two speed. The reduction knob in my pic is a $100 option, and the shaft lock to keep the tube locked in place under heavy load is an additional $25. Just wondering what all options are on that Moonlite of yours. Even if it's single-speed focuser (which the original pic looks like, bit it's hard to say 100% as it's too far away), you still got a great deal!

It's definitely not a 2-speed focuser. Just a single. Supposed to be clear skies tomorrow night, so I'm looking forward to taking it out despite a low of 19.

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[DC869]

That's an awesome deal! And a great size scope to give you lifetime enjoyment. Now the accessorizing fun begins.