John

The two main belts are the first thing you see on Jupiter. I used to see them with my 60mm refractor quite easily. I would say that even a scope that is out of collimation would still show them. The finer details and lesser belts, maybe not. Try a star test as @AGS suggests. Polaris is a good one to use because it stays still. Use around 200x and rack through focus a little either side and compare the views. Concentric rings and a central secondary shadow either side of sharp focus are good signs. If you can split Epsilon Lyrae then things are probably not far off.

The details on Mars are more subtle than Jupiter's two main cloud belts. Saturn's rings are very strong contrast features. Saturn's surface belts are somewhat tougher to make out than Jupiter's. Jupiter's festoons are a bit like Mars darker areas:

That's a good point Alan. I remember having both my ED120 and an ED150 on the mount when I was testing the latter and the mount seemed very smooth on both axis then. Maybe these things do better when heavily loaded ? Not that I'm going to lash out on an ED150 just to act as a counterweight to the ED120 though !

Wonderful observation and sketching skills Mike You must be one of the foremost planetary observers and recorders in the UK currently I would think. (that's a sincere remark)

I ought to add that my Altair Sabre II had this as well so they are not immune from it. I ought not to like using my Skytee II more than the wonderfully designed and made Ercole but I have to concede that it (the ST2) is my preferred mount and handles long, heavy scopes a little better as well

My Giro Ercole has a bit of this. I've owned three now and they have all had it to some extent. I have come to the conclusion that this is a characteristic of the design. I use counterweights to minimise it. Now that I know that it's there I can deal with it and tracking is OK. I have asked on other forums but not had any good suggestions about a cure. I was thinking about getting in touch with Tele Optik and asking their advice http://www.donelasci.de/teleskop-tecnica.html Having read a number of really positive reports on these mounts, with no mention of it, I was a little surprised to come across this issue with more than one example. I can't recall my Giro II having it but that was a long time ago so maybe it did

Just noticed your deliberate typo Andrew - "while light" Unless that's another form of observing that I've not come across

Thanks Mark. Yes. That zoom, sometimes combined with the 2.25x barlow, is probably my most used eyepiece day and night, except when the 12 inch dobsonian is in use. On it's own for solar it gives 47x - 139x with this scope. A very useful range I'll probably wear it out in due course and have to buy another !

What brand of crayford focuser is that ?

Nice image anyway Chris Here you go:

AR12770 has a nice little spot associated with it. Interesting shaped umbra at the moment enclosed in a well defined penumbra and worth a look if you fancy it The other two AR's listed currently (12769 and 12768) don't seem to have spots visible just now. Some extensive faculae complexes in white light though. I'm using a 90mm F/11 achromat refractor and the Lunt Herschel Wedge today

This is probably a question better answered by someone who has recently changed from BST Starguiders to Tele Vue or comparable quality ones

Nice choice. I've been using a 90mm F/11 achromat with my HW lately and it's a nice combination

Gosh - you can get all those for a bit less the cost of just one Tele Vue Delos It's great that good quality eyepieces at an affordable price are available

Dark adapted eyes are not helpful for picking out subtle planetary detail IMHO. I've had my best views of Jupiter when there has been quite a lot of light still left in the sky. As the sky darkened, the subtle detail becomes harder to pick out. I believe some experienced planetary observers deliberately stare at a large white card illuminated with a flashlight immediately before observing. Must be fun at a star party if your neighbour is trying for faint deep sky stuff

The motorization option for the AZ100 is moving along nicely https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/708353-rowan-astronomy-az100-arrived/?p=10393748

I saw quite a bit of SA in the 150 F/8's that I had. When I corrected it using a device called a chromacor the effect was quite startling.

Another example of expensive printing here: https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p4931_TS-Optics-1-25--ED-Eyepiece-12mm---60--Flat-Field---high-contrast.html

As well as CA, a lot of these achromats have SA - spherical aberration. That is what gets in the way of their performance at high powers IMHO.

I've used them both but not at the same time ! On axis I doubt there was much, if any, difference. Most eyepieces today are pretty good on axis.

If they had "Barsta" printed on them but were a tenner less expensive they would be even more popular (Barsta make them) I've seen them with "Orion" printed on them for £70 apiece. Expensive printing !

Mine is aluminum. No problems once I had used better double sided tape. My 130mm refractor tube is Kruppax 50 - it simply does not dew up in any weather.

Hi and welcome to the forum ! The Meade Starfinder is an old model and long out of production. Take your time and ask lots of questions before coming to a decision on what to buy In turn we will ask questions about where you think your interests might lie to help nail down some suitable options. Each scope type has it's strengths and weaknesses of course !

Indeed they are - I seem to have two of them but no Tak LE eyepieces ! Now where did they come from ?????

Thanks for that Jeremy. Of course Mars is that bit higher in the sky