dweller25

I also have the Pentax XF 12mm which I use at x240 on the planets - it’s very good, both sharp and contrasty and with good eye relief.

Hello Mel, welcome back 🙂

This is a good procedure and will get you very close, you may possibly need to do the final tweak on a star.

Yes, the Perseverance feeds are amazing to see 👍

@John I was also out Wednesday 17th March at around 19:00GMT Seeing was much steadier than on the 16th and I also saw a thin dark band running across the southern hemisphere and a phase and maybe a hint of limb haze at x160 but nothing else. I will keep looking for a little longer..... weather permitting

Those are excellent images @Skipper Billy 👍 Not trying to rub it in but I have had my best year for a while VISUALLY with my lightweight, quick to cool down 4” APO 🙂

I have a bad back and find Newtonians very uncomfortable to use in both Dobsonian and equatorial modes because of it - if it wasn’t for the back I would only have a Newtonian as they perform well, cool quickly and don’t dew up. I always recommend them when a new members asks about which scope to buy. Great scopes 👍 My back likes short tube folded scopes the best as there is less eyepiece movement. I have had a Mewlon 210, an Orion Optics OMC200 and an Intes Micro 715 - all were VERY comfortable to use BUT proper cool down took a long time and once cooled the correctors would dew up and they seemed more susceptible to poor seeing, so gradually they were all sold 🙁 So that leaves me now using a refractor - small aperture and expensive but sharp views, quick cool down, an extra long dew shield slows dewing up and a reasonable eyepiece position - best compromise for me 😁

A nice clear evening so took the 4” refractor out for a look at Mars. Seeing was initially very poor at twilight but got better by 19:15GMT so went straight to x384 to get a tiny disk that clearly had a phase and a bright preceding limb (mist/haze) but I could not detect any dark surface markings. I think that’s it for me and Mars now this time around - roll on 2022 😁 But first let’s see what Jupiter and Saturn have to offer in the Autumn 👍 ..............

Hello @Leatherfoot and welcome to SGL. I think a Dobsonian is a great scope for visual planetary - they are very capable and offer the best value for money. Some come with a fan in the back for rapid cooldown - or one can easily be added. I would suggest an 8” as it will give enough resolution for you to really see good planetary details - but NOT like the photos you see. Dobs do need collimating occasionally but it’s easy once you have practised it - you don’t need a laser but it does make it easier. You will have to push the scope to follow the planets but if you buy a wide angle eyepiece you will have to push less 👍 Venus will show cloud markings and a phase at low powers - around x100 Mars at around x240 will show it’s polar ice caps, dark surface details, dew/mist on it’s early morning limb and the occasional dust storm. Jupiter at x190 will show it’s major bands and different colour markings and features associated with them, along with the Great Red Spot. It’s largest four Moons will show as tiny disks which will cast a shadow on the planets surface as they cross over it - an eclipse on Jupiter. Saturn at x190 will show it’s rings, polar and equatorial bands and the occasional storm. Your first word when you see Saturn may be “Wow” 😁 Uranus and Neptune at x240 will appear as very small but nicely coloured disks. The Moon at x80 upwards will probably amaze you with the detail it shows. Brighter deep sky objects - galaxies, globular clusters and Nebula will also be visible as small smudges in a 8” scope, along with many double/multiple star systems. So, yes, an 8” Dob may be the way to go 🙂

I use the Baader BBHS Zeiss Prism with T2 connections and it is superb, it also has the advantage of being able to screw in lightweight glass path correctors that act as x1.24, x1.6 or x2.6 multipliers. This would be my first move and I would then re-asses the performance of my current eyepieces. This may help with the eyepiece choice.

But seriously, the eyepieces you have are quite good. What kind of observing do you do ?

This is going to be expensive.......

Hello @saw9 and welcome to SGL. During the day find a distant object - at least half a mile away- in the finder. Now put the highest number eyepiece you have in the focuser and see if the scope will focus - you may need to remove an extension tube in the focuser to do this. When it does come to focus pick an object and place it centrally in the view, then without moving the scope adjust the finder to centralise the same object on the crosshairs. You are now good to go.

Yes, the central shadow will become offset as the star moves across the field of view - that is normal and why you should always collimate with the star in the middle of the field of view. I do not image but the two scopes you mention are very popular in imaging circles.

Here is a great chart @Stu made....

I’m sure @JeremyS has a handle on the situation 😂

It’s just the same as an SCT BUT it remains stable 👍

?????? Perhaps I expressed myself badly. In my opinion there is no need to buy expensive collimation tools to collimate a Mewlon 210. All that is required is a night with good seeing so you can see the in focus airy disk, a cheap 7mm Orthoscopic eyepiece (x303 and a narrow field of view) and you are good to go. Make VERY small changes and do not worry about the squeaking noise - really !

Best tools/method.... Good seeing, 7mm eyepiece and a star 👍

For me - maybe 😁 But we are all different 😉

A Mewlon 180 or C8 keep calling to me.......😁

Yup, it’s called getting old and wise 😂

I think the only scopes that I sold due to a better or equal alternative were : OO 8L 1/10th wave v C8 FS128 v IM715 4” APO v C6 and CC6

I just sold mine, it was a nice scope, very light and cooled in about an hour. Sold it as my 4” refractor was a little better at the eyepiece. I have had the 6,8 and 9.25 - the 8 was the best allrounder.

1985 - Astro Systems (Bedford) 8.5" F/5 Newtonian - A brilliant first scope - should have kept it - sold 1988 - Beacon Hill 6" F/8 Newtonian - Hinds optics, very nice but kids came along so no time - sold 2007 - Celestron 102SLT refractor - not really good at anything - sold 2008 - Celestron C9.25 SCT - very disappointing - sold 2008 - TAL 125R - very nice but too much CA - regretfully sold 2008 - Skywatcher 127 Maksutov - a bit too small - sold 2008 - Skywatcher 8" F/6 Dobsonian - superb optics - should never have sold it - sold 2009 - Skywatcher 120ED refractor - pinched optics - returned 2009 - Takahashi TSA102 refractor - 4" perfection - KEEPER 2009 - Helios 6" F/8 refractor - too much CA - sold 2009 - Takahashi FS128 refractor - superb scope - KEEPER 2010 - Celestron C102ED refractor - excellent lightweight travel scope - should have kept it - sold 2010 - Skywatcher 180 Pro Maksutov - would not cool down - sold 2010 - Skywatcher 8" F/6 Dobsonian - disappointing optics - sold 2010 - Skywatcher 10" F/5 Dobsonian - superb optics but too heavy for my bad back - sold 2012 - Takahashi Mewlon 210 - this brand new scope was actually three years old! and had bad mirror shift - returned 2012 - Celestron C8 SCT - Nice optics but the OO 8" was better - sold 2012 - Orion Optics 8" F/6 Dobsonian 1/10th wave - superb optics - Awkward viewing angles affected bad back - sadly sold. 2013 - Intes Micro 715 Maksutov - Superb optics - views matched the FS128 - sold 2014 - Orion Optics OMC200 F/20 Maksutov - Carbon fibre beauty - would not cool down - sold 2014 - Lunt 60 H-Alpha solar scope - always at work when the Sun came out! - sold 2014 - Skymax 127 Maksutov - still a bit too small! - sold 2017 - Tal 100RS - New old stock - had a tilted lens cell and an out of true focuser - sold with full disclosure. 2018 - Celestron C6 - very light and good optics - close to but not better than my 4” APO - sold 2019 - TS 6” Classical Cassegrain - never dewed up - close to but not better than my 4” APO - sold 2020 - Takahashi FC100DZ - very lightweight 4” APO - great for my bad back - KEEPER My taste in scopes is changing as I get older.... Viewing from the rear suits my back. Quick cooldown suits the highly variable Lancashire climate I appreciate the views unobstructed, high optical quality optics provide. My back likes lightweight scopes. I am becoming a refractorholic 😂