dweller25

I’m sure this is correct where you live Don ( I need to move to LA 🙂) but sadly the UK skies are often very different to yours after x250 - it’s Jetstream and/or weather front alley 🙁

In 1986 when I read the Astro Systems brochure many, many times whilst trying to decide what my first real telescope should be I came across the Vixen FL102 on a GP mount. It was insanely expensive. With hindsight I should have bought one - it would have saved me a bob or two !

Would suggest eyepieces to give the following approximate magnifications… Venus x120 Jupiter x180 Saturn x200 Mars/Uranus/Neptune x250

Yes John kept his options open there 🤣

One scope to rule them all…… Ultimately, the Tak FC100-DZ, the perfect blend of weight, ease of use and performance.

A Mewlon 180 would play nicely with your 80mm and 300mm scopes.

Best excuse ever 🤣

I have three scopes…. A 100mm f/8 refractor A 120mm f/7.5 refractor A 180mm reflector And these two mounts… Vixen GP Vixen GP-DX I’m definitely finished buying new scopes.

@Stu The Mewlon secret weapon… If Tak made it, it would cost £150 🤣

I have had both, the extra mass of the 210 made it harder to cool down and keep up to dropping evening temperatures in the evening. Even with active cooling the M180 can take 90 minutes to fully cool down but when it does it matches the planetary performance of the FS128. A fully cooled M210 will probably be close to a 140 APO on the planets and deep sky will be better than the M180. I prefer the 6 spikes as they are much less noticeable. Overall I did not like the M210 as much as the M180 as it was frustrating to use.

Yes, great setup Nicola, but I would say that as I have the same two scopes 🤣

Great image 👍

I have looked at M31 with a 5” APO, a C9.25 SCT and a Skywatcher 10” Newtonian. To be honest none of the views impressed me. I recently looked at M31 again and got that “wow” factor - trust me that does not happen often after 50 years of night sky observing. The sharpness, relative brightness and above all the contrast of the view really caught me out by surprise. The scope was a Mewlon 180C

Yes, the colour vibrancy of the FS128 is superb 👍 But I digress from the OP’s thread……

Hello John, Are you saying the ED150 was a little better than the FS128 or vice-a-versa ?

See here…. https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/843206-flashing-geosynchronous-satellite-trails-common/

When you have read it can you let us know what size scope is being used the observe the Martian craters Mike ?

Hello and welcome to SGL 👍

That could have been the 2020 opposition when Mars was quite low. I found little to see when viewing Mars that year. The 2022 opposition was much better as Mars was higher - but smaller.

@Flame Nebula When did you observe Mars as a white disk ? I have been observing Mars for a very long time and have never seen it as a white disk. However poor seeing, thermal issues, collimation, Martian dust storms and how far Mars is from opposition can all contribute to a bright pale orange featureless disk.

TLAO is a great classic - I have a copy 🙂 This is the book I started out with many years ago…

Snap 🙂👍

Yes, my findings too.

I have had two SW127mm Maks and a C6. I preferred the C6 as it showed more planetary detail and had better light grasp for DSO’s than the Mak. The C6 came close to, but did not beat my 4” APO.

“T”asco ? 🙂