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I don't think it's an issue when doing visual

How did you manage to get focus please? I tried with my ASI224mc with no joy.

Thanks Elp, Interesting point about stars. I wondered if perhaps the diffraction spikes in the 8" newt might cause issues with say uneven doubles like Sirius, compared to the refractor?

😂😂 no we won’t…it wouldn’t be around Yeovil anyway, looking more like Wells, or Shepton Mallet…👍🏻

That's not the way it works with mass production on that level. One of the most common aberrations are zones in mass production and it's clearly evident when observing with the vast majority of these refractors as well as others. Most are coming from a few factories and being marketed with various names when we consider all the brands on the market. I'll give you a simple example of the issue. Go to YouTube and punch in "askar refractors". Pretty much everything you are going to see comes from beginner to intermediate users who mainly image. Imagers are an entirely different breed compared to visual observers and since the vast majority of users who inquire about Askar are imagers, most of everything you read isn't going to address the concerns visual observers have by comparison about these scopes. There are various types of aberrations that annoy visual observers like myself who are going to be distracted by them while observing stars and planets at higher magnifications. Imagers won't see these aberrations at all the same way. As I mentioned though, Askar's are fine for most end-users and even some casual visual observing. Like I stated earlier, it's all relative, especially to ones level of experience behind an eyepiece. Regards, ---daniel

Don’t let one idiot put you off! 👍

Never surrender !

Rupes Recta looked spectacular last night; Rima Berta was also nicely visible. I did some imaging after observing. 12" Dob Flextube, goto, asi462mm, IR pass 685nm, 2.5x TV powermate.

Low level DIY since it's just screws but I know I looked for quite a while until I found an adapter that fits so maybe other are looking too since the Twilight I was quite common and the tripod itself was not that bad. The adapter I've found its under Artesky logo , however it seems something similar is on AliExpress - big surprize , I know. There are most certainly other adapters that might fit in the socket hole , however theis one has the M10 thread and the depth required to use directly the original TWI threaded bar. Have been using his bigger brother to adapt my EQ6 tripod (that one has an M12 thread at the bottom), however , the new combo is some 3 kg lighter and just a tad smaller in width of the open legs to allow me to move it through the door mounted. The whole shebang you see in the pic just gets grabed and away we go. Also , because I'm currently playing with a binoviewer , I wanted a higher column. Not finding one I've just screwed two Star Adventure extenders toghether - works like a charm and not a bit of wobble. EDIT: also the link Adattatore da treppiede EQ5 a 3/8 Artesky

I can't say what the Askar 120 APO's are like for visual use but I have 2 mounted as a dual set-up on my obsy mount and the optics (both 1x and the 0.8x) are superb with pin point stars right across the FoV.

Yes to some degree but it’s not as front heavy being a doublet.

I am well late here but i have just purchased my 3rd 152 mm v3 Starwave ... the first i regretfully sold but i bought it back , but then had to sell it again when monesy was a bit tight . Now i hve just bought another from Altair Astro ... I love this scope and fondly remember my first views of the Leo triplet through it . And of course , i can do it all over again as its Galaxy season .

Won't this also apply to the SM125 as it's full length is 1000mm vs 870mm? Generally long refractors benefit from pier extension mounting unless if the pier/tripod is fairly high to begin with. Trying to see high altitude objects requires dexterity at times.

It’s a violin with a folding neck.

@bosun21 Between the two scopes you highlighted I would choose the doublet as it will cool faster and not be front heavy - the Askar 140 is a large triplet scope but may need to be mounted low in it’s tube rings to get correct balance so the eyepiece end will be low.

sorry, I didn't read it.

Clarify please, are you generalising Askar quality in general, they produce at least three/four different ranges, they can't all have the same output. Sharpstar also produce scopes with their own name.

You might have missed my edit of that post. It was just a smudge on the CC

I think the resolution and increased light gathering of the newt will trump the refractor, so I don't think you can have it questioned in this way as technically you should be able to see more with the Newtonian. A question though as I've never looked through a larger than 6 inch scope, the larger the aperture and hence increased focal lengths don't the stars get ever so slightly bigger even by a minute amount so seeing also becomes more of an issue, I see it when I image as the larger scopes have larger star FWHM when fine focusing. The short FL camera lenses create the tiniest stars. This would part explain why I find my Z61 refractor incredibly sharp even if say Jupiter is tiny, the bands which can be resolved are tight, almost as if you're looking at it on a high quality, high resolution OLED screen, that's what it looks like visually.

I usually do all my own evaluations with my observing group. Don't get me wrong, the Askar's are pretty good refractors, especially at such a low price point. Askar's are actually more well directed toward imaging rather than visual because the types of aberrations they exhibit during visual observations, which will not be an issue for imagers. Not sure what reviews you are referring to with 300x but happy to listen to you would like to share. Image quality is all relative and since not all views appear the same contrast at 300x, it depends on a number of factors that probably need to be discussed for better clarification, yes? Steady skies, ---daniel

Surprisingly, I received a feedback from Vixen. Thank you guys! Hopefully this info would be useful for somebody: (1) Vixen Ultima 8x42 s/n 002H2493 - Year 2000 (2) Vixen Ultima 8x42 s/n 811H4098 - Year 2008

“What have you seen in a 5" Refractor, that you've not seen in an 8" newt?” Nothing - the 5” refractor was an APO triplet.

apologies that noise might be because i decided to use some odd 1.5sec long darks. re stacking now. auto stretch doesn't look much better tbh but here it is result_7674s correct darks.fit

There may be more than one spider in there..........🙃

Hello, I've enjoyed reading about your belt mod. I believe my Eqm35 ra motor is acting up, and want to give the belt mod a try. Thinking of getting a Nema 14 off Amazon, so it should bolt up to the existing bracket. Only thing I can't quite figure out yet is how to match the wiring on the new motor to the existing harness. I haven't been able to locate a wiring diagram for the existing stepper. Thank you for your thoughts I'm in Kansas, US.