paul schofield

Thanks Alan. Yes I would of extended eye cup sufficiently from what I remember.  I had the same trouble with Televue Radians and BST starguiders. I suppose all our eyes perform differently. Then again knowing me it was my eye placement was off. 

Thank you Louis. Oh that is a shame, I think the SW swa looks the business. I did own the aero ed in 32mm but never got along with it. The Aero was kidney bean city for me so I sold it. I know all the EPs I am looking at are considered budget & I shouldn't expect much. I just want a decent 32mm for low power OBS. I am happy to jump up in price for something decent. Thanks for your advice. I will have a look at the APM ultra. Thank you. 

Hi all. I need and am about to buy a 2inch 32mm eyepiece for my f5 Bresser Messier nt203 reflector. 

There is a £10 difference in price for the panaview which I'm assuming is down to the broadband coatings. 

Is there a difference with these 2ep's ? Does anyone have experience with them ? Or should I sacrifice f.o.v and go for an Explore Scientific 52, 32mm. Any advice greatly appreciated.

I have owned Celestron, Skywatcher and now own a Bresser Messier nt 203 reflectors and can safely say the Bresser knocks the other two out of the park in quality,  mine is on an exos 2 goto mount and of course I wouldn't say easily portable.

The Bresser to me holds collimation extremely well. Is a joy to use and just looks and feels better quality all round. Just my 2 pennies worth.

Thank you for your help guys.  I generally collimate or at least check collimation prior to a session.  Will do with the new scope too.  Fingers crossed for perfect collimation and clear skies. Thanks again.

Hi Todd and welcome to SGL.

I have a 7 foot tall plastic shed that resembles a sentry box. For all my astro gear.  Alarmed of course.  With waterproof air vents, so cool down time is halved. My other half also didn't really enjoy my kit being indoors.

Good evening all. So I have ordered my new telescope from R.V.O.. and am soon to be the proud owner of a Bresser Messier nt-203 exos 2 goto scope.  I have been hitting Google pretty hard trying to find out the correct size collimation thumb screws I will need for not my primary and secondary mirrors. 

I don't really want to spend silly money on Bob's knobs.  If anybody can advise that would be great. 

I have also checked the online manual to no avail. I think, but a not 100% sure I may need M4 thread x 30mm size for the secondary mirror ??

Does  anybody own this scope. I would greatly appreciate any advice. Thanks all.

Just saying hi again. I have been away from Stargazers Lounge for the past 5 years. I've not been away from my telescope though. I remember you guys n girls helping me out with advice and putting up with my constant questions. I took a break due to my daughter being born and she is almost 5 now, so back to the lounge I go. I have been using my 200 dob as and when and am soon to upgrade scope to a 200p explorer on HEQ5 mount, so the questions shall flow once more.  Glad to be back. And I look forward to  returning fully to this great hobby, interest, way of life. 

Regards all. Paul.

R.I.P. Sir P.

Without a doubt they do. And I think most if not all people starting out in astronomy, if we are honest were a little disappointed at the view of say, A galaxy. This is probably less true for those living in a dark sky location. I think if research into amateur astronomy is carried out prior to spending large sums of cash on a scope n bits or visiting an astronomy group get together, this would go some way to alleviate disappointment in teaching people what to expect from amateur equipment. Personally I also did quite a lot of research before getting my first scope and have never felt disappointed when finding a deep sky object. The first time I saw M31 through my binoculars, I was buzzing for hours afterwards. For people who don't get that feeling, there is always astro photography, but then I think their disappointment if starting out would come more from reading their bank statements.

Brilliant post Warthog very informative for beginners and seasoned astronomers alike. I have come back to this post many times and will continue to do so.

+ 1 for more aperture. The 114 is ok, but it wont be long until you want more aperture. I would be inclined to look around a bit more to find something a bit bigger / better. I can only speak from experience, A used Dob of 150mm-250mm would be a much better buy. And you really do get a lot more bang for your buck. Good luck with your search.

I use a pretty standard LED Torch with the glass colored with an indelible red marker pen and it works great.

I agree service from FLO is always excellent. And their prices are some of the best around too.

Hi and welcome to SGL.

There are so many eyepieces to choose from. Some swear by certain types, some dont. For instance lots of people like the TMB planetary's, not me, so I think it comes down to a personal choice. Plossl's or super Plossl's (same thing) are the choice of many. I have heard only positives about BST Explorers I own a 18mm, and Vixen plossl's. GSO, Meade 4000, Skywatcher, Williams Optics, the list is endless. The best thing I think is to do some research of reviews and you can always ask for opinions on here regarding certain types of E.P. Oh and welcome to the Lounge.

Thanks for that heads up on Green Witch Adrian, I will probably use them as time goes by. Clear skies for Crimbo everyone.

Green Witch has Telrads listed at £41.74, Never dealt with them myself though.