dweller25

Nice eyepiece - invisible in use 🤪

Nice 👍 Here is mine…

Here is a writeup/review of the Starbase 80 https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/696578-takahashi-starbase-80-first-impressions/

This is a good option too 👍

Hello @Jimboscotland and welcome to SGL. In my experience the 4” F/10 refractor is a bit too long for an EQ3 type mount to hold it steady enough for higher power viewing. Perhaps this may be a better balance, if you can live with an 80mm objective …… https://www.firstlightoptics.com/scopetech-telescopes/starbase-80-refractor-and-mount-package.html

I am a Tak fan too and own the FC-100DZ I would second all what @Stu said and I would add a Baader MK V Binoviewer to the setup as they make for very comfortable viewing and allow for details to be seen easier. Not a cheap setup but the best and will last a lifetime….. BUT it may not be long before your thinking about the TSA120 with the feathertouch focuser 😈😈😈 .

@col Nice writeup 👍 Your collimation is close but may need tweaking slightly - but it could be a line up issue with the camera ? I am finding seeing due to the warm weather is poor before midnight - stars look fuzzy at focus - it will improve when the weather cools and the skies become more stable. Try to observe on grass as hot concrete gives off thermals for hours.

Insufficient cool down and or poor seeing and or observing on or near heat sources.

It looks like your seeing was not great, I would be tempted to check on another night with hopefully better seeing, when the scope is well cooled and the collimation has been checked.

It looks like a perfectly in focus star with an airy disk around it. Was anything in your line if site when viewing ? Any unusual obstructions within the OTA ? Any big blemishes/pollen/dirt on the optics ? Just throwing ideas around, have not seen this before……

Do you mean it stayed still relative to the central black circle or it stayed still relative to the centre of the eyepiece ?

Hello @Gem85 This fits into your budget - it is the classic starter scope but has excellent performance. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/ursa-major-telescopes/ursa-major-6-f8-planetary-dobsonian.html Also you may want to download “Stellarium” which is excellent night sky simulation software that will help you get around the night sky and identify what can be seen.

Hello @Gem85 and welcome to SGL. As a good all rounder I would suggest an 8” Dobsonian …… https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html Excellent value for money and very capable.

Really superb given it’s distance 👍

Have owned a 150mm Newtonian and two 127 Maks I would choose the Newtonian as it’s quicker to cool, has more light gathering and better resolution - which makes it a better all rounder - cheaper too 👍 A Skywatcher EQ5 would hold both scopes well.

Planetary views in your 10” Newtonian should be really good if the scope is well cooled and collimated. You would need a fairly large refractor to out perform it. For solar you don’t need a lot of aperture for good performance, perhaps the Skywatcher 100ED or 120ED may be worth considering.

Has he gone ? Shame I wanted his opinion on what is best - Refractor or reflector….. 🤪🤪 I think It would have been entertaining 😂

@Fedele Hopefully your scope is OK but mine gave terrible views , soft and no contrast, yet collimation was perfect out of the box and it did cool down fairly quickly. It was a lemon and I returned it.

You can get a good level of collimation indoors by looking at all the reflections down the front of the tube and then adjusting the loose primary to get concentric circles. Then fine tune at high power on a star. Or return it and get a 4” APO 👍

The Mewlon 180

As @DaveL59 said, and as @Peter Drew said 👍🙂

@Giles_B Mars shows quite a lot of features at closest approach, but that is 5 months away yet 😕 Here is how it looked close to opposition in 2020 through a 4” refractor, so you will see more in your 10” 👍🙂

I really liked it but eventually the chromatic aberration became an issue (for me) so I sold it 😱

No it’s the original achromat.

I’m sure someone will come along soon with thoughts on their TAL 100R. Slightly off topic but to keep you entertained here is my TAL 125R……