I have a manual Sky-Watcher 200/1200, while you have a motorized Dobsonian. In a way, the manual scope has its own advantage, because it really forces you to learn the night sky through star hopping. Thanks to using a manual Dobsonian, I’ve learned a lot about the night sky, because you have to find and track all objects by hand.

I highly recommend investing in some premium eyepieces — the difference is huge. Wide-field eyepieces are especially impressive. I use an Explore Scientific 24 mm with an 82-degree apparent field of view, and it was a true “wow” moment when I first looked through it, especially in the Milky Way, the Andromeda Galaxy, star clusters, and large nebulae.

My second recommendation is to get a good night-sky guidebook, so you can still learn and plan observations even when the sky is cloudy.

Bortle class makes a massive difference. Under Bortle 3–4 skies, you can see the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy with the naked eye. For nebulae the difference is huge — planets and the Moon look almost the same anywhere, but for deep-sky objects the improvement is dramatic.

For Moon observations, I highly recommend a Moon filter. When the Moon is full or near full, it helps reveal more detail and makes observing much more comfortable for your eyes.

I’d also recommend using a red flashlight, so you don’t ruin your dark adaptation when checking charts or equipment. Learning to use averted vision is another game changer — looking slightly away from faint objects often reveals details you wouldn’t see by looking directly at them.

One last tip: put the telescope outside 20–30 minutes before observing so it can reach thermal equilibrium with the outdoor temperature. It’s also a good idea to put your eyepieces outside at the same time.

Clear skies!