dweller25

You must make sure the Mak is very well cooled or the images will be poor. Once cooled do check collimation and for best results adjust if required. Even with a perfectly cooled and collimated scope Jupiter and Saturn are very low at the moment so will not show much detail. Mars is back next year and will be quite high......

You are right - I deliberately try to observe the planets in twilight as the sky seems steadier and contrast is a little better than when it gets dark 👍

That all sounds normal to me. As you have found, it is better to use the 26mm for deep sky objects as they are large and diffuse. The Moon and and planets will allow higher magnifications as they are brighter. Enjoy your telescope.

Tak quick release bracket....Standard Skywatcher finder shoe with feet filed off and small semi circle filed in to fit the Tak bracket. Standard Skywatcher finder and holder

Here's what I did.....

I would also suggest an 8” Dobsonian. They cool quickly are easy to set up and give great views of the planets, Moon and deepsky objects too. They are also the best value for money telescope you can buy. First Light Optics are a good supplier. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html Also download Stellarium for your computer - a very good planetarium program - and it’s free

This is what I used in my 10” but also consider a variable polarizer as it’s more flexible.

Hello Sean and welcome to SGL. Jupiter is very high in Oz at the moment so you should be seeing a lot of detail on Jupiter. You say you can just make out the main bands so it sounds like something needs action. As a first step you have to fully cool and then collimate your scope 👍 Once that is done you should see a significant improvement in the planetary views. However Jupiter is very bright in a 12” so you may like to invest in a neutral density filter to dim the image a little - that should help to increase contrast and help to see more detail.

Wow 👍

That’s a very good looking watch with a great story behind it 👍👍

Hello Steena and welcome to SGL. An 8” F/6 is a very good choice 👍

The data I gave is correct - you are confusing contrast levels with light throughput which are two different factors. So we are both right 🙂

Hello Jessica and welcome to SGL. Helen has given you some really good guidance and FirstLightOptics are very reputable. With this scope...... You will be able to see the Great Red Spot on Jupiter - and it's moons. You will be able to see Saturn and it's rings. You will be amazed when you point it at the Moon. When winter comes you will be able to see the Orion nebula and the Andromeda Galaxy. You have come to the right place for info. Perhaps you might like to download Stellarium - planetarium software for your computer - it's free and good 😀 https://stellarium.org/

Probably closer to 40 years old and still looking great 😀

Hello Les, Nice scope. Both Jupiter and Saturn can be seen in the southern sky at dusk by eye. Your scope will see the great red spot, moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn too. Keep the power to around x100 (12mm eyepiece) 👍

You don’t get a choice - that’s how Tak wants it 😱 unless you rotate the entire scope but then the focus wheels would be in a peculiar angle.

Or mine.... I found a 150mm Mak gave visual results close to a 102mm APO

@bluesilver For comparison - I have a 180mm Russian Intes Micro Maksutov that visually slightly out performs my Japanese 128mm APO. BUT the Mak has cooling vents at the front and a cooling fan at the back to remove warm air from the entire system and it also clears the warm boundary layer off the surface of the primary mirror - absolutely essential if you want to get the best out of a Maksutov design without waiting for hours for it to cool. If you can find an Intes Micro Mak then it would be worth considering as once cooled they are very sharp - although they are expensive. However - as others have said try an off axis mask made from cardboard on your Newtonian and judge the results.

Congratulations 👍👍👍

Very nice scope 👍

Thank you 👍👍

Another thought - have you used the end cap to cap something else off - a diagonal, Barlow or 2” to 1.25” reducer for example ?

@A McEwan - I have this that I can let you have to make your Takahashi experience complete again... Price is £2500 😁

This may work ..... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/takahashi-telescope-accessories/takahashi-tkp71423-dove-tail-male-for-mewlon-210.html

If you can retrace your steps from where you last saw it to when you used it after that you may get lucky. Is it the metal end cap with the Takahashi logo ?