Froglord

I don't know who maintains it, but this website is a very good resource for the Messier catalogue: https://www.messier-objects.com/

Thanks for all the replies, everyone! @Louis D I've thought about upgrading the visual back, but that would mean a lot more expense: a new visual back, a 2" diagonal/prism and 2" eyepieces. I wouldn't say 'never', but I've decided not to for now. The wider field sounds great, but the drop in brightness puts me off a bit. As for the 30mm NPL, I like it optically, but find the eye placement really problematic. As a long focal length plossl, it should have lots of eye relief, but the lens is so recessed that I can't see the full field (of only 50°) without mashing my glasses hard into my eye socket! Even with glasses off and the cup raised it still doesn't sit right. As a replacement for the NPL, I was hoping to find something with a slightly wider field (usable field, with glasses on) and better eye relief. I was assuming I'd be able to get something optically better too, but it sounds like there may be no significant difference in such a slow scope.

I know the Mak will never be truly widefield, but I'm looking for a nice 1.25" eyepiece to maximise the field, with a budget of maybe £100-120. Also I need good eye relief for glasses, which I'm estimating at 17mm absolute minimum, and preferably nearer 20mm. Assuming a focal length of 1500mm and an aperture of 120mm (based on reports that it's not a full 127mm), this gives a focal ratio of f/12.5. I'm pondering these: Stellalyra 24mm UFF 65°, giving 63x and a 1.92mm exit pupil. ES 26mm 62°, giving 58x and a 2.08mm exit pupil. ES 30mm 52°, giving 50x and a 2.40mm exit pupil. Has anyone used these in a slow scope like mine? Any other options I might consider? (No, not the Panoptic 24mm - it costs more than my scope!).

That's very generous!

I've only just realised they're the picture in your avatar - I didn't recognise them in their 'Priests of the Temples of Syrinx' getup.

Worth looking into. Thanks, guys!

Still makes it a faff trying to change eyepieces in the field. I suppose I could go 'full SGL' and buy one scope for each eyepiece ... 🤣

Thanks, Knightly (Rush fan, by any chance?). Is this what people do? Is it really that simple? I've tried this with the Hyperion Zoom and it works well, but then it has a ridged barrel for the screw to grip. On eyepieces with a smoother barrel I'd be worried about slippage. I'll have to give it a try.

This is driving me slightly nuts. How do you screw in or unscrew an eyepiece when the screw is hard up against the barrel of the eyepiece? I've attached a picture of the Baader Hyperion Zoom IV on my Skymax 127 prism diagonal, and the barrel is touching the screw. This makes things fiddly and difficult, especially with hands numbed by the cold. I'm sure one of you must have a brilliant solution ...

A second-hand BST StarGuider 8mm might just be within your budget. That would give you 94x magnification and a 1.6mm exit pupil. A complete change of pace from your 28mm and enough to get a good gander at the planets, moon craters, etc.

Hello, David, and welcome to SGL! I'm a few miles south-west of you, in Denmead, and would definitely be up for a few viewing sessions. I'm also fairly new to the hobby and so far I've kept my viewing to the back garden, front drive and the local park (whose abundance of trees shield many of the local street lights). However I've been meaning to get out to a dark sky site. The most promising locally seems to be Old Winchester Hill. Have you been there yet, and if so, how was it?

Well, at least you had one target to observe!

I'm finding it helps to screw the eyeguards all the way back down and widen the binoculars a tad.

Welcome to SGL! My sister used to live in Richmond. Small world, innit?

I'd go for a Newtonian with some of the tube 'missing'. For example, the Sky-Watcher Flextube 150p has a 6" aperture and an OTA weight of 8 pounds (3.6kg): https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/sky-watcher-heritage-150p-flextube-tabletop-dobsonian.html

Bortle 2! <Weeps quietly> Welcome to SGL.

I started a similar thread in the "Observing - Discussion" section, so if you need to read a couple more humiliating episodes ...

They say confession is good for the soul ...

I'm glad they're such a marked improvement over my previous pair. My only criticism so far is how stiff the caps are for the eyepieces and objectives. Have yours loosened up a bit with use?

I took the 127 Mak into the back garden last night for a quick look at the stars. Towards the end of the session I thought I'd have a look at the Orion Nebula. Found it in the finderscope, switched to the main scope and ... no, nothing. Moved the AZ mount around a bit, found some stars, moved back to M42 in the finder. Still nothing from the scope. I repeated this several times. Clouds? No. Alignment? No. Fogging of the eyepiece? No. For several minutes I was mystified. It turns out the finderscope was just clearing the garden fence and the Mak ... wasn't. I put it down to the cold! Anyone else care to share their rookie mistakes? You'd be doing us all a great public service, after all.

Thanks for the input, guys. I went for the Nikon Action EX 10x50s. They're a definite step up from the Bushnells - sharper, brighter, wider field and better control of chromatic aberration.

I popped out a couple of days ago with just a pair of 10x42 binoculars and a phone with SkySafari on it for navigation. Really quick and easy! Saw loads of stuff: Andromeda, Pleiades, Orion Nebula, Bode's Galaxy, a couple of passing satellites. Mars was out but didn't seem remotely as red as normal. I'm always amazed how the different colours of stars becomes so apparent through binoculars.

Yes, I was wondering if astro binos might have coatings that better suit night-time use, or if there might be other factors besides aperture - such as gas purging or ED glass - that would make a significant difference.

I've just been out for a quick stargazing session with my binoculars, which I bought years ago for general daytime use. They're Bushnell Powerviews, 10x42. I was wondering if I could get a significantly better set of dedicated astro binoculars in the 10x50 format for, say, £100-200. Or should I save my cash and stick with what I've got? (I realise this might be a silly question - it's always fun spending other peoples' money!)

Very nice!