John

Presumably the airy disk of the star expanded either side of sharp focus ?

What star did you use ?

I'm not an imager but that is an astonishing image of a part of the sky that I love to observe so thanks so much for all the effort you have put into this and for sharing it here

Pretty clear here at the moment. Hope it lasts. I've had some quick views of Jupiter, Saturn and Mars in case it does not. The seeing seems pretty decent just now The refractors are deployed !

Just in time for Mars closest approach !

What could possibly go wrong !

Tonight's the night - Mars at it's closest and at least some clear periods forecast 5.1 inch triplet frac is cooling down outside. Great sketch @jock1958 - just how it looks through my Tak FC100-DL as well !

I'm sure that the above is accurate but it is also worth remembering that the tube length is just as important as it's weight in determining what scope a particular mount can perform well with

Here is the Sky & Telescope Mars Profiler: https://skyandtelescope.org/wp-content/plugins/observing-tools/mars_profiler/mars.html# Got some clear sky forecast tonight to have a look at that 22.6 arc second disk

I agree - if they won't or can't replace it then get a full refund and they should cover the costs of returning the scope.

There are a number of aftermarket clamp upgrades available. I use the ADM type as shown by @johninderby above. I'm not bothered by getting digs and marks on the dovetail bar particularly but I feel that the ADM type of clamp, and there are other good designs as well, offers a more secure attachment for the scope than the stock clamps that are sometimes supplied with mounts.

I would want a complete replacement. The scratches would not affect the performance but they would knock it's value if you choose to sell it. And you will need to collimate the replacement mirrors once they are installed. They should just send you a complete replacement scope (no repair) and cover the cost of the return of the damaged one.

The Skywatcher Deluxe 2x barlow is quite good optically. My current barlow is the Baader Q-Turret 2.25x which works very well with the 7.2 - 21.5 zoom eyepiece that I have. I don't tend to use a barlow with any other eyepieces that I have.

With scopes, I've tended to try and get the best figured optics that I can over the years on the basis that I'd like as much of the light gathered to be focused where it should be and as little as possible going astray through diffraction, CA, SA, poor collimation etc, etc. There are a host of other factors that will conspire to scrub contrast, sharpness, resolution etc off the image of course but I figure that I might as well have a decent starting point. Occasionally, when things do all come together in a positive way, I get a chance to see what the scope is really capable of. Probably an over-simplistic approach but there it is

Interesting stuff. Thanks for the link to the article. Here is another, from Roger Vine who has created the excellent "Scopeviews" website: http://scopeviews.co.uk/PlanetScopes.htm

I agree with Ian - the Rigel Quikfinder is a good addition to this scope: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/finders/rigel-quikfinder-compact-reflex-sight.html I use on on my 12 inch dobsonian and it's lasted years. The battery seems to go on for a long time as well, as long as I remember to turn it off at the end of a session !

I agree about the need for a finder. I used the Tele Vue Sol Searcher: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/lunt-solar-accessories/tele-vue-sol-searcher.html

Yes - it's all downhill from now on ! Only joking !!!! - this hobby has kept me occupied for 35 plus years so far and I've not even scratched the surface of imaging if I want to try that at some point.

The scope is a Skywatcher ED120 Pro. The gold and cream colour scheme was used by Skywatcher when these first came out which was over 10 years ago now. You can buy these and later versions on the 2nd hand market as an optical tube (ie: no mount) for around £650 I think. They do come up from time to time. I don't tracking the manual alt-azimuth mount quite straightforward even at high magnifications. I do use mostly wide angle eyepieces though, which helps in this. A driven (not GOTO) mount that would carry this scope is actually not too expensive if bought used. I have a nice Vixen GP equatorial mount driven on both axis which cost around £200 on the used market including the drives. The Skywatcher EQ5 mount would do the job as well.

No - it's a saved image from the Mars Mapper site tweaked and re-orientated to match the view through the refractor. Had another clear patch so I've soaked up more martian magic for the past 30 minutes or so. More cloud again now but I'm not complaining. These views were really excellent.

Didn't last long did it ? - big patch of cloud has now covered 80% of the sky ! Good to have a scope that can be popped out and used more or less straight from the house. Got to grab those precious clear patches !

Just a quick report. After 3 days of more or less constant rain and cloud here I have a reasonably clear patch of sky over me and I've stuck my Tak FC100 out to catch Mars boasting a 22.5 arc second disk. Steady seeing is enabling 225x - 300x to be used to real effect and the surface details are outstanding I feel. The south polar cap has dwindled to a tiny spot of white now. The southern half of the disk is a mass of dark features with a clear pale rift slicing diagonally though them around the central meridian. I think this is the Hesperia region ?. Further paler areas bisect the darker areas to the south with a darker region around the southern pole. Many other named features on show as well I'm sure. Quite possibly the best views of Mars I've ever had just now

I can highly recommend an ED120 refractor. Mine has a Moonlite dual speed focuser which is a delight to use:

Before the pandemic struck I was planning a very substantial clear out to fund some travel. That's still the plan in the long term.

The e.mail address to use is webmaster@astrobuysell.com I'm sure that it's OK to post that here because it's on display on the UKAB&S website.