John

I found the comparison of the FC100-DL and the FC100-N particularly interesting 🙂

DARK STAR astronomy, instrumental tests, telescopes, astronomical mounts, planetary photography, deep sky - TAKAHASHI FC100-N vs FC100-DL (dark-star.it)

1 hour ago, Sunshine said:

Thanks! But I can’t read Italian 😅 am I missing the English version?

There is a select language button just below the heading "ASTRONOMIA: ARTICOLI" at the top of the page that I linked to.

Some will have come across this website I suspect but I thought I would post it anyway. It is sort of the Italian version of the UK "Scopeviews" site and is the creation of Paulo Casarini. It has an English translation option. Nice to browse on a rainy night and some interesting telescopes are covered🙂

instrumental tests, telescopes, astronomical mounts, planetary photography, deep sky, DIY, double stars, planets (dark-star.it)

The other sections of the website are worth an explore as well.

On 05/12/2023 at 20:04, IB20 said:

.....What do other members mount their 5” scopes on?

My 5.1 inch F/9.2 is mounted on an alt-azimuth mount like the rest of my scopes. The Skytee II and the Giro Ercole will carry the scope but it really needed something more solid. I use the T-Rex alt-azimuth mount which is now, sadly, long out of production since the Japanese engineer who designed and built the mounts passed away in 2016. It has about the same capacity as the Rowan AZ100.

18 hours ago, Sunshine said:

Anyone know what this symbol means? 
 

Takahashi Seisakusho Ltd I think. The full name of the company. 

2 hours ago, Franklin said:

I don't know why but I have always used my left eye when observing through a telescope, ever since I was 10 (now 55). Not only does it just feel more comfortable but I can see a lot more detail using my dominant left eye. With my right I can't even keep my head in the correct position at the eyepiece and if switching from left to right, the view of Jupiter in the right eye is just a very bright blob, whereas using the left reveals all the delicate details that my optics and sky conditions have to offer. I don't think there is much difference between my left and right eye, it's just that over all these years I have trained my left eye to see and it makes a big difference. I mention all of this as it just goes to show that perseverance with observing is key and if you just keep going you will eventually train your eye to pick up the slightest hints of detail that are right on the threshold of visibility. Telescopic observation, especially planetary, is a skill that requires practice to develop but over time you will notice that you are seeing more and more at the eyepiece.

I'm a left eye observer as well and always have been. When I did archery we had to establish our dominant eye for aiming and that was the left as well. I have occasionally tried with my right eye and had similar results to yourself. I put that down to lack of use of the right for astronomy purposes whereas the left has had 40+ years of practice🤔

Give M82 the centre stage and a bit more magnification and some interesting knots and rifts start to appear on a dark night 🙂

Sketch by Jeremy Perez:

Would it be possible to get a full refund on the scope and return it on the basis of the description being incorrect and the motor focuser not working as claimed ?

The reason that I'm asking is that there are a number of things about the scope that lead me to believe that it might have had a hard life. The secondary vane support point that @Mandy D mentions is one and also the vanes themselves seem bent from the photo looking down the scope tube you posted.

Given that this is an optical tube from the Skywatcher 200P dobsonian that is being sold without the mount, I can't help wondering how the two became separated - an accident of some sort perhaps ?

If you feel you have to keep it then do try and get a hefty discount on that asking price. I would hesitate even at £100 to be honest with you, given the other issues that will need to be sorted out.

3 minutes ago, IB20 said:

First bit of clear sky I’ve had since last week so just popped out with the 76Q. The seeing is atrocious though so I’ve already come back in. Just missed the GRS but the dark knuckle in the NEB was visible. Split Rigel quickly but the A star looked a dog’s dinner.
Seems to be a huge amount of moisture in the atmosphere, boo. 👎🏼

Is "dark knuckle" on the approved jovian features list ? 😁

It's a great term, even if it isn't 🙂

2 hours ago, Peter Drew said:

..... are Canon objectives available only to Takahashi ? I'm not knocking refractors, I have at least 20 including 7 150's and a 220.   🙂   

Canon (Optron) also made objectives for the Vixen fluorites when they were being produced.

I'm not sure that they make the non-fluorite Takahashi objectives 🤔

Great sketch and report !!!

M81 and 82 were the first galaxies I ever saw with a scope, even before I found M31. That was a long, long time ago but I still get a thrill to see them again now 🙂

I've seen the Galilean moons and 2-4 cloud bands (depending on the observing conditions) on Jupiter many times with my old 60mm refractor. I never had a convincing view of the red spot with that scope though but I was very inexperienced back then though and may well not have recognised it if I had seen it 🙄

Sounds great 🙂

Very cloudy here, unfortunately. Hope you catch the reappearance 🙂

6 minutes ago, Elp said:

If you could only have one of them, which one?

Well, the 5mm is probably the most used but the others are just as good in performance terms.

I have a couple of 4 inch, a 4.7 inch and a 5.1 inch refractors. All pretty good performers. The 4's and the 4.7 get used a lot and ride on the same class mount. The 5.1 inch needs a stronger mount and does not get as much use. There are noticeable differences in the performance levels of each aperture although they are not striking I would say.

I probably only "need" one of the above but, hey, it's fun to own telescopes - I'm an amateur astronomer 😁 

The 125mm ED doublets do seem to offer a lot of refractor aperture for their weight and cost 👍 

I have the 3.5, 5 and 7 XW's. Can't fault them. Ethos performance, more eye relief, less AFoV. Much less £'s.

That's my summary 🙂

So, as someone who does not wear glasses when observing, I can experience some 85 degree Pentax goodness if and when I feel the urge 😁

Many thanks for the feedback and your thoughts folks 👍

Next decision is whether these will run alongside my Ethos 21mm and 13mm or replace them 🤔

The prospect of an all Pentax line-up is quite tempting:

3.5mm - 5mm - 7mm- 10mm - 16.5mm - 23mm - 40mm

Wow !! those 105mm triplets are heavy aren't they ? 

My TMB/LZOS 130mm F/9.2 triplet weighs just 1.5kg more. My 130 looks like an inflated and extended version of the 105 in @Captain Scarlet's photo above.

FPL-53 is a low dispersion glass. Fluorite is practically a no dispersion glass. That's why the fluorite element does not show when a laser is shone through it 🙂 

39 minutes ago, Stu said:

No, if you look it is fpl-53, WO just market it as synthetic fluorite which I don’t agree with.

It could even be the same scope as a number of 125mm F/7.8 doublets around.

WO sometimes plays around with the stated spec a tiny bit to seemingly have something unique. Their XWA "101" degree eyepiece was an example - exactly the same eyepiece as the Myriad 100 degree. 

Given this choice I'd go for the pedigree of the FS128 every time.

1 hour ago, Stu said:

Have you seen any of the CN threads John? I suspect you have but I found this one for instance…

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/849945-new-85°-pentax-eyepieces/page-14?hl= pentax 85

Thanks Stu. I have seen those. I probably started one of them. I was looking for an SGL-slant on these eyepieces with this thread 🙂

3 hours ago, HollyHound said:

Hi again @Louis D... I see that you and @Don Pensack did discuss this here... so I've linked it in case any use to anyone 👍

 

 

I had completely forgotten that I started that thread back in March 🙄

I don't wear glasses when observing and find 10mm and upwards of eye relief fine. 

I have owned and used the ES 92's so I know what those are like.

It is the Pentax XW 16.5mm and 23mm that I am enquiring about.

41 minutes ago, HollyHound said:

...Hope that's been of some help...

Very much so. Thanks Gary 🙂

2 hours ago, HaplessWonder said:

I think this is what I am going to have to do, the DIY route. Have to be a tradesman with my DIY skills.

 

Thanks for the suggestion.

There are lots of other DIY dobsonian telescope plans on the web. Some are so simple even I could make them ! 🙄

My only tip would be to use plywood rather than MDF if possible. Plywood is strong but lighter than MDF.