My neighbor's telescope comment made me rethink my whole setup

Last Tuesday I was out in the driveway with my 8-inch Dobsonian, trying to line up Jupiter for my 7th grader's science project. My neighbor Tom walked over, squinted at the eyepiece, and said 'you know, my phone takes better pictures of the moon than that thing.' I laughed it off, but then he showed me a shot he took with a $30 phone adapter and honestly, the detail was close to what I get after 20 minutes of stacking. That conversation stuck with me because I've spent around $400 on filters and a tracking motor just to chase the same result. Now I'm wondering if I should ditch the fancy gear and just lean into astrophotography with a basic camera and a tripod. Has anyone else had a similar moment where a casual comment made them question their whole hobby budget?

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irisowens5d ago

My uncle spent $2k on a telescope, turns out it makes a great plant stand.

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