John

Now that these ultra-wide Pentax XW models have been around for a while I wonder if anybody has them and if so how they are finding them ?

I've managed to find very little feedback on these relatively new Pentax eyepieces. They seemed quite exciting when they were launched.

10 hours ago, Louis D said:

Are these OO Newts intended for imaging?  Otherwise, why suffer the consequences of a large enough secondary to illuminate a focus point well outside the tube?

OO use smaller diameter tubes than Skywatcher and GSO. My OO 12 inch F/5.3 had a secondary of 63mm diameter so 21% of the primary diameter. Quite modest.

I think the minimum that would do the job would be an HEQ5:

Sky-Watcher HEQ5 PRO Go-To Astronomy Mount | First Light Optics

Alternatively, for visual use only, you could consider building a dobsonian mount for the scope as detailed here:

How to build a Dobsonian mount - BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Interesting to hear about that issue and the solution.

My TMB/LZOS 130 F/9.2 uses a very similar approach. If the dew shield motion becomes sticky I will now know what to do 🙂

15 minutes ago, Louis D said:

Why pay big bucks for an APO to have pinpoint stars only for those same stars to be bloated by your eyepiece?  That's why I have other eyepieces in this range, because no one eyepiece does it all (ultrawide field and pinpoint stars center to edge) in my experience at f/6 and faster.  Due to its prohibitive price, I haven't yet tried a Nagler T5 31mm to see if it manages to have pinpoint stars center to edge like the UFF, Panoptic, and BSE.

I think @F15Rules / Dave said that he was happy with his current eyepieces.

Why try and persuade him otherwise ?

Anyway, this thread is about a report on an eyepiece at the other end of the scale - the Svbony 3-8 zoom 🙂

One of the characteristics of the OO newtonians that I've owned (3 of them) is that the focal point was well outside the telescope tube. A basic 50mm extension tube is usually supplied with the scope to enable most eyepieces to reach focus. 

Could you tell us a bit about the scope you were using and the eyepiece / magnification you were using ?

Some info about your observing location, local time, observing conditions, what you did actually see etc, etc would help as well.

There are lots of reasons why you might have been getting sub-par views but more information will help tie down what could be specifically causing your issues.

53 minutes ago, Nikolai De Silva said:

Yes I talked to them, but their amount is unaffordable at now for me. How to identify it at home?

I do not think there is a definitive way to identify a meteorite at home. It can be no more than "suspected" or "possible" unless and until it is analysed by a laboratory.

13 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Interesting, John. Maybe I’ll spend an evening when there’s something good on tv sitting down and constantly zooming it to see if it loosens up.

They also reported needing to lock the EP tightly in the focuser. I found that easier said than done with the Tak diagonal as the side of the EP is quite tapered.

I see they had the loose cap problem. Though the 1.25-inch cap on mine was fine.

I have been remembering to give the eyepiece clamp a little extra tension. I use one of these Baader 1.25 inch - T2 click locks on my Tak 100 which seem to handle any sort of undercut because the grip strips are longitudinal gripping down the length of the eyepiece barrel.

2 hours ago, John said:

Something that owners work out. My experience is that flaws (minor or more significant) in equipment rarely get addressed by manufacturers. Look at the weak primary springs still fitted to GSO made newtonians, for example, which have been known about for over a decade.

I've just seen this post on CN from someone who has owned the Svbony 3-8 zoom for 6 months. Maybe he has got used to the zoom action or maybe it has eased a little from use ?:

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/864943-svbony-sv215-3-8-zoom-experience-and-thoughts/?p=13100701

2 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Do you mean a post market mod to fix existing units, John, or a redesign?

Something that owners work out. My experience is that flaws (minor or more significant) in equipment rarely get addressed by manufacturers. Look at the weak primary springs still fitted to GSO made newtonians, for example, which have been known about for over a decade.

2 minutes ago, dave34 said:

I loved my 200p dob, sold it due to the neck ache i always got , miss the scope, not the ache.

1st thing I did with my newly acquired 200P dob was to put a 9x50 RACI finder on it 🙂

I wonder how long it will take for someone to find a mod that will ease the zooming action of the Svbony 3-8mm ?

Rather like happened with Tele Vue's "Instajust" system on the Radians and T4 Naglers.

40 minutes ago, Mr H in Yorkshire said:

I read that the University of Peradeniya has a Geology Department. I suggest that, if possible you send the questioned object to them for an assessment. 

I agree. Without getting it tested in an accredited laboratory you will never truly know if the origins are meteoric. The UK Natural History Museum is a great authority but there are others around the world as well.

I have used a few of the plossls like the Astro Essentials, Revelation, GSO, Skywatcher ones. They are a modest step up in performance from the "stock" eyepieces supplied with scopes.

They can be bought used for £15 - £25 apiece. 

That is a very nice setup 🙂

Is the scope a Ceravolo ?

The "little thing" that makes my observing much more enjoyable are the double glazed french windows between my usual observing spot  on the patio and our dining room. 95% of my observing is done within 2 metres of this warm room which I can easily pop in and out from to change eyepieces, consult a star chart, post on SGL, have a warm drink etc, etc. The scopes live in the room as well so that makes putting them out and popping them back in easy as well.

Without this I would not be in the hobby I reckon 🙄

1 hour ago, IB20 said:

EDith?

I'm not one to name things but frosty would be appropriate this evening 🙂

Anyway, "frosty" came in earlier as mentioned above but the fog has eased so I've been tempted out again, this time with the Tak 100. 

How can a scope go from a centrally heated room to -2 degrees outside temperature and deliver sharp and contrasty views of Jupiter at 180x within a few minutes of being put on the mount 🤔

I don't know the answer but the FC100-DL manages it 🙂

I've also just been able to see E & F trapezium in Orion as it rises above the rooftops. That was with the Svbony zoom at the 6mm (150x) to 4mm (225x) settings. Clearly tonights "goldilocks" magnification for this target / scope.

The more I use it and hear what others think of it, the more I think that the Svbony 3-8 zoom sits pretty much in the niche that the Nagler zooms occupy. Not the absolute top tier planetary eyepiece performance but close enough to it, and coupled with the zoom facility plus reasonable AFoV and eye relief for the non-glasses wearer, that it becomes a very useful addition to the eyepiece case. The big bonus is that the Svbony costs around 25% of the cost of a Nagler 3-6 zoom so will find a place in a lot more eyepiece collections 🙂

I've packed in for tonight. There are still a few patches of clear sky around but mostly I'm surrounded by banks of freezing fog. Some pleasant views of Jupiter and the moon as it is rising but the seeing is not too good now even in the clear patches.

Hope others get a longer session 🙂

39 minutes ago, Franklin said:

....there appears to be a freezing fog descending.....

Yes, I have that as well. Jupiter seems to be just above it, Saturn though, more or less a lost cause now.

Being close to the estuary we do get these fogs that rise up from the river (Severn) even though our house is 300ft above sea level 🤨

When I can hear the fog horns sounding in Avonmouth docks I know that my observing is soon going to be cut short 🙄

That's a lot of AR's wookie 😁

The seeing seems better than it was same time last night, judging by the views of Saturn at 225x and 300x. 

8 minutes ago, PeterC65 said:

I've been concerned about this, but on closer inspection the Baader 32mm T2 Prism diagonal that I mostly use has a collar just in front of the prism that is slightly smaller than 1.25" so while it looks like the eyepiece barrel is touching the prism in fact it is stopped by the collar.

 

That collar is not used on the T2 zeiss prism. I guess that is how it has the larger clear aperture ?

I've chosen the ED120 (un-named) this evening and it's eyeing Saturn already 🙂

I've been aware that this could happen and a couple of my 1.25 inch eyepieces do have longer than average 1.25 inch barrels. Being aware of the potential the only 1.25 inch diagonal that I use (a Baader T2 zeiss prism) has a T2 15mm extension below the eyepiece holder so eliminating the possibility that an eyepiece barrel or barrel + filter could come in contact with the prism.

My other diagonals are of the 2 inch variety and when the 1.25 inch adapter is fitted the clearance (from the mirrors) is comfortable.

I guess the other instance when this could happen is if one of the eyepieces with a 2 inch / 1.25 inch hybrid barrel is used in 2 inch mode in a diagonal 🤔