Just realized how much I spent on telescope upgrades over the years

I added up what I've put into my old 8-inch Dobsonian since I bought it about 12 years ago. Between a better finder scope, a new focuser, some eyepieces, and a tracking platform, I'm sitting at around $800 total. That tracking platform was the big one at $400, and honestly it saved me so much hassle during star parties. I can actually let people take turns looking at Jupiter without constantly nudging the tube. But the cheap eyepieces I bought early on were a total waste maybe $150 for three that gave fuzzy views. Has anyone else gone down the upgrade rabbit hole and regretted certain purchases?

2 comments

2 Comments

samjohnson23d agoMost Upvoted

dude that tracking platform is a game changer isn't it. I held off for years thinking it was too expensive but then I got one last summer and it honestly made me enjoy using my scope way more. my biggest regret was buying a cheap 2x barlow lens from amazon for like 25 bucks - it introduced so much chromatic aberration it made everything look like a watercolor painting. should have just saved up for a used televue or something. but man the eyepiece trap is real, I probably spent 200 dollars on mediocre plossls before I just bit the bullet on a single decent widefield and it was night and day better.

kim69323d ago

oh yeah @samjohnson you nailed it with the cheap barlow thing. i did the exact same mistake and got a gso one for thirty bucks and it was basically unusable. the chromatic aberration was so bad jupiter looked like a rainbow blur. honestly i think those amazon accessories are a total trap for newbies.