Tried to stack my telescope on a cheap tripod, big mistake

Last weekend I hauled my 8 inch Dobsonian out to the desert to get some clear shots of Andromeda, but my $30 tripod couldn't handle the weight and buckled sideways. The whole scope crashed onto the dirt, and now the collimation is completely jacked up. Has anyone else ruined a night of astrophotography because of bad gear holding out?

2 comments

2 Comments

claire_ramirez2216h agoMost Upvoted

Learned this lesson myself a few years back when I tried to save money on a mount for my Celestron. Thought hey, a tripod's a tripod, right? Spent a whole night watching my gear slowly sag and lose tracking on Jupiter. Now I refuse to put anything heavier than a pair of binoculars on a cheap tripod. That $30 tripod cost you way more than $30 in the end with all the trouble it caused.

olivia_chen3516h ago

Oh man, you're so right! I did the exact same thing with a telescope I got for my birthday. Skimped on the mount thinking all tripods were basically the same, and spent the whole night fighting with it every time a breeze blew. It's like the cheap ones are designed to make you crazy, isn't it? Now I just tell people to save up and get a good one from the start, or don't bother at all. You really do get what you pay for with this hobby.