Beardy30

Hi I’m looking to add to/improve in the 10mm and 25mm EP that came with my startravel 102 - any recommendations? 
the 5mm has been suggested but I’m not sure if this would be a good option? 

39 minutes ago, Elp said:

If you can find one, I'd likely look for a 4 inch refractor. It has a medium focal length so makes for a good all rounder barring seeing those those larger star clusters in one FOV like M45 Pleiades. It needs a good tripod though with a solid mount.

Very good advice - a 4” refractor is without doubt my personal favourite 

Go for a Bresser 127 it’s a notch or two above the skymax and it’s a full 127 apature 

7 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

Not far away James, around 30 to 40 mins drive - Burnley. The land of cloud! ☁️

It’s high time we has a Lancashire stargazers club here in the forum 

Regret buying a 130 newt as my first scope - regret selling my 8” SCT which was my second- however buying my 4” refractor 102 was a good move and I’ll never part with it 

22 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

I like observing because I find it both relaxing, and exciting at the same time. Each observing session is full of adventure, not to mention the amazing company I also have from time to time, both human and otherwise.

where you based? im in Lancashire also

It a beauty by the looks of it although maybe one for the distant future due to price - I’m also not 100% I’d want to buy a new mount yet and it’s too heavy for my AZI GTI but it’s a beautiful scope I’d certainly seriously consider in the future 

11 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

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10 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

I've no experience with this particular ED James, but I've plenty with other ED's and various Star Travel's. I'd be confident in saying the 125ED will be in an entirely different league to the Star Travel, with better figured optics, and could be used for everything, where as the ST is really only an RFT. The 125 should be essentially free of any major CA visually. I remember my first view through a SW 120ED DS Pro and if I hadn't already seen the scope, I'd have said it was virtually Takahashi quality in its visual performance, so I'd guess the 125ED to be very similar.

Mount wise I'd guess an AZ4, Sky Tee 'll, or eq5 would be ideal.

What’s RFT please Mike? 

Thanks - appreciate that 

Good to hear but I’m not sure a 30mm would be a good buy for me personally with having a 25mm 

Has anyone got one of these - I would love to know the quality of difference over the star travel 102 for visual use and what mounts people have used 

Evening, 

has anyone ever used these - thinking of getting one to boost my EPs for my star travel 102 which came with a 10 and 25mm EP - they are ok but not great quality - any opinion on these would be appreciated 👍🏼

1 hour ago, mikeDnight said:

I think with only £2000, I'd buy a 120ED and an AZ4, SvBony 3 to 8mm zoom and a 30mm Ultraflat. 

Very nice 😊 

welcome 

one word - impressive!  great review

Ok lets take this a in another direction? If you could choose a set up purely for visual on a budget of 2k to what would you pick (lets see how many Dob fans we get

Its the closest thing to perfection, a cold crisp night, peace tranquillity and the whole universe in its glory , its breath taking and just something that cannot be matched.

On 06/02/2024 at 12:44, Richard N said:

A few months ago I started my EAA journey. I have ended up with an Altair 290M camera, and a SVBony SV503 80mm scope with reducer. Plus AZGTi, heavy duty tripod and mini PC mounted by the scope. Thing is, everyone locally seems to be getting SeeStar 50s. I wonder if I have gone down the wrong route really? I quite like the fiddling around with my setup and its flexibility for changes. The scope will be great for grab and go visual. So what can I do that the SeeStar users can't?

Hi Richard im in the same mind set, i started on the EAA route carefully planning my equipment over 12 months, and im now wondering if i should have just gone for the Seestar S50 it looks incredible and so easy to use. So much so i want to sell my 127 Mak to fund it.

3 hours ago, bosun21 said:

If you have the skies dark enough then a >20” dobsonian will blow the other scopes out of the water. But being realistic a >6” apo frac would be my choice.

Yea 6” apo would be lovely 

33 minutes ago, The60mmKid said:

I already own my version of it 😊

 

And these 😊

 

What scope is this ?

The dew might be a challenge but the scope would perform amazingly well when optimised 

I’d personally pick a massive SCT - something like the Celestron CGX-L 14" (1400) SCT Telescope - its a beauty 

Just now, dweller25 said:

A high quality 5” refractor

Now that’s got my interest - what a scope a frac is 

I’m was waiting for the Dob fans 😂