dweller25

Sadly the C9.25 I used to have was the second worst scope I ever had - it gave very soft planetary views, was hard to cool down and dewed up for fun. I think with hindsight I had a lemon as the C8 I bought years later was a superb planetary scope - very sharp and contrasty. The C6 I currently own is also excellent. The Skywatcher 10" Newtonian I had was a real winner - it would thermally equilibriate much sooner than the C9.25, did not dew up, was much cheaper and had more clear aperture - so better on the planets - BUT you can get into some awkward angles when viewing. Had to sell it though as I have a bad back - not the scopes fault.

I think the “Bartholemew” is actually a barlow lens which will multiply the magnification power of your eyepieces. The mount looks like an equatorial so will naturally match the path of stars and planets if you set it’s angle to your latitude. At the moment the mount looks to be set in alt-az mode ie simple left right up down movements. The tripod tray looks to be broken - ideally this needs fixing as it will give MUCH better stability when using higher powers on the Moon and Planets it’s a nice scope and will give you great views ?

Hello and welcome to SGL You have a nice classic scope - also branded as Carton. This is not quite your scope but close...... https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/312273-a-classic-hilkin-arrives/

Haven’t owned a 140 but did have a 200mm carbon fiber tubed OMC which gave excellent views when fully cooled and seeing allowed BUT cool down was a major issue even with the fans running. The scopes corrector would often dew up internally before the primary had cooled !!! I have a C6 now ?

@thekwango Hello and welcome to SGL and the complex choice of selecting which scope is best for you. Perhaps a visit to your local astro club may help ? As a good value/performing telescope this is well worth considering.... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html It will allow you to “test the water” at a reasonable price. Hope that helps

Hello ABDG and welcome to SGL. A C8 is a good all rounder for planets and DSO's but with GOTO they start to get expensive. For much less money and just as good (although some may say slightly better) performance is an 8" Dobsonian. They do make excellent scopes to get you started - and you can put the optical tube assembly on a GOTO mount at a later date if the astronomy bug really bites ?

Welcome to SGL, Nice image, There is a currently a comet worth pointing your camera at .........

@John We seem to have similar setups ?

I tried the 1.75" and 2" steel Skywatcher tripods but found they did not absorb vibrations well, the foot tips kept dropping off and they were not that great to adjust in cold/damp conditions. I now use a Berlebach UNI28 for my refractors and a Berlebach UNI18 for my cats. They are expensive but offer greater vibration resistance than steel, are very well made and nice to use in the dark.

I like Orthos but started to find the eye-relief on the 12.5mm too tight so changed to a Pentax XF 12mm. Really like the comfort and they are just as sharp on the planets as the Orthos

In my opinion they should be doing detail checks at the factory and the purchase price should represent a product that is fit for the use intended.

Steve, that’s really great ? BUT in my opinion Skywatcher should contribute to the cost of the Es Reid quality assurance.

Daniel Mounsey - an American astronomer (and US vendor) has compared the SW 150ED to a TEC 140 triplet and found very little visual difference. https://www.focusastro.org/equipment-reviews

He did talk about snow which suggests he’s a long way from the UK ???

That’s great - the scope is so good he pulled an all nighter and now he’s catching some zzzzzzz’s

Perhaps the free telescope is so good he’s absconded overseas ? ?

This is a 4 year old thread - you might want to look at the OP's signature.......

@John hope its better than the VC200L i had which was the worst planetary scope i ever looked through ? @Mr Spock yes F/20 would be ideal ?

6” and 8” due later this year ..... https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p10753_TS-Optics-8--f-12-Cassegrain-Teleskop-203-2436-mm-OTA.html No front corrector dew issues A cheap Mewlon ?????? could be interesting.

My 102mm FPL53 triplet has no chance against my 128mm doublet because it's made of flour - right ??

hmmmmmm The 120mm should win as it is FPL53 and has more resolution ? The 100mm may will win as it's a Tak ??

In my opinion the Tak focusers are the weakest link of the telescope My FS128 focuser literally wore out - the pinion wore through the cast housing!! but it is 20 years old and gets a lot of use. I replaced it with a full feather touch focuser which is really superb. My TSA102 focuser compared to the feather touch feels very basic and I cannot get the right feel from it. It is either nice and smooth but with image shift or hard to turn with no image shift. Very frustrating I think the micro focuser DRT bought is a good compromise

Looks like a revelation Ultrafocus but in "different" colours.

@DRT Thats a well sorted telescope, I am considering the Feathertouch micro-pinion for my TSA102 instead of a full replacement Feathertouch focuser. Thanks for posting the great images.