A few weeks ago I posted my first impressions on the new Celestron DX 102AZ refractor. This is an entry level telescope, a nice one at that, with a neat trick up it's sleeve. It has a cradle to hold your mobile phone which, together with Celestron's StarSense Explorer
app, plate solves where you are pointing at in the sky such that you can push the
OTA to specific stars and objects. Very handy for galaxy hunting.
Two months later I am still besotted with this telescope. It is so easy set up and acclimate that I never think twice about going outside even if it's just for a short time. Presently I'm at ~50
Messier objects from my backyard despite its limited views, and that speaks well of this entry level telescope.
There are times, however, when faint galaxies scream for a bit more light and that's when my Z8
dob comes out. Normally I star hop with the Z8 but I often wish it was as easy to use as the Celestron DX 102AZ SSE.
To fix this I upcycled a broken red dot finder, a small mirror, a bicycle wrench, and a few magnets into a cradle for my phone with the
app. Given our quarantine situation in Massachusetts, I wasn't about to go to a hardware store to get the perfect parts so this first prototype is very much a MacGyver project at this point.
- In the picture above you can see how the red dot finder fits securely on the Z8's finder scope slot.
- Galaxy Hunter foto 1.jpg (41.3 KiB) Viewed 5493 times
- Magnets on bicycle wrench.
- Galaxy Hunter foto 2.jpg (39.15 KiB) Viewed 5493 times
Note the five magnets on the bike wrench to hold the phone and mirror. Magnets allow me to adjust and center the phone's camera on top of the mirror. Though the magnets hold the phone surprisingly well, the small hole on the back will eventually have a screw with a part to further support the phone when the telescope is in vertical position.
- Mirror mounted on cradle with phone camera centered.
- Galaxy Hunter foto 3.JPG (40.85 KiB) Viewed 5493 times
- Another view from above.
- Galaxy Hunter foto 4.JPG (43.49 KiB) Viewed 5493 times
First test on the Z8 is tonight though I'm sure adjustments will be needed. I already wish the mirror was a 1-2cm longer to capture more of the sky. Two small side flaps will likely be needed to block stray light shining on the mirror as well. And last but not least, a "belt and suspenders" bungee cord to protect my phone is probably a wise addition. More on this after tonight's test run.