ct71

Cheers all. Interesting main factor is Barlow magnifying chromatic aberration 👍

I've been frustrated by all of the clouds and rain recently so did a bit of daylight testing of my eyepieces. I've got a basic skywatcher refractor 90/910 and the supplied MA eyepieces in 10mm and 25mm. Without question the best images I get of Jupiter are with my skywatcher deluxe x2 Barlow and a 15mm Celestron omni Plossl I've bought as extras. Nothing big budget but I see it as a challenge to get the best out of the kit I have. I was surprised by my daylight observations of a distant tree as this didn't translate to my day time test. 1) MAs not too bad at all - obvious blurring at the edges with a bit of purple/blue but sharp and good colour rendition in the majority of the field. 2) Plossl not that sharper in daytime but does seem to do better at night compared to the 10mm MA. Colour rendition good. 3) The Barlow made all of the images less sharp and introduced a blue/violet colour cast no matter the eyepiece. Maybe magnification and daytime "viewing" coming into play but also more glass for the light to go through? Cheaper anti reflective coating causing the colour cast? I understand the blue and red shift as a result of the refractor but does the same happen in a Barlow? Anyone has similar experiences? Based on those I'm tempted to keep an eye out for a second hand 8mm and 12mm BST starguider and leave the Barlow behind... Also, any ideas why the 10mm MA is less good in the night? I love the 25mm - advertised on the EP as "ultra wide and long eye relief" - cleary all relative but it is a nice one to use and pan around the sky with.

Thanks for additional suggestions. Budget (as always!) a factor. Waiting for an AZ4 to arrive in the post second hand and am excited to give it a go with my 90/910 refractor. I'm maxing out with that at x150 taking in to account seeing etc so expecting tracking to be less of a problem. Will resurrect this post if/when I get a Skymax and see if I'm going to end up with an EQ mount. Based on last nights frantic half hour viewing session before the clouds arrived, I ended up in three different places in the garden to avoid trees, sheds and a chimney stack to make the most of Jupiter, Saturn and a quick look at the moon. Lumping an EQ around might be tricky but a rough north/polar alignment may do it.

Thanks all. I've discovered my in laws are ten mins away from a dark sky site although not convinced it will be as dark as the Brecons. Cranborne Chase (South Wiltshire) has got a dark sky designation so will be checking that out. Robin - Great to know. Very close to me. We are at Lacock all the time with our children. I'll be joining!

Cheers and thanks for the caution re tracking. I do like the EQ5 but still relatively expensive for my current set up, especially with tracking added. I spotted a bargain AZ4 on astrobuy for half the price of a SH non tracking EQ5. Can park the tracking for now, have a play with a better mount and see how it handles a future Skymax 150. If I'm left wanting or after tracking I can revisit the EQ5. Astronomy on a shoe string (with some future proofing!)

You've sold me on an AZ4. I'm more of a relaxing/low tech observer!

Thanks both for your input. I did some looking around the shops online and struggled to find a mount that would suit the bill. Did like the Rowan AZ75 but way out of budget and relatively new so unlikely to see any in the second hand market. Like the idea of marking out the tripod to speed things up. Great suggestion re Nexstar and similar - I'd discounted due to cost. Catburglar - how did you get on with observing at higher magnifications without tracking? My worry is that the target would be out of view in a matter of seconds without.

Thanks for all the messages. The clouds parted later on in the night but the seeing was poor - stars twinkling a lot so went to bed instead. Robin - I'm just outside of Corsham. Am lucky to have better than average suburban skies with a semi rural aspect. Some light pollution to the East and South but mainly low on the horizon. Aiming to visit a dark sky site one day! Chris

Hi all, First time posting to these forums although I've gained loads of info browsing since I first started with my scope a year ago. I've got a 90mm refractor (910mm focal length) and am loving the planets in particular (obviously first choice for a newbie!). It came with a skywatcher AZ3 mount which I've been pretty happy with but it is starting to show it's limitations. I've noticed a lot of wobble at higher magnifications and the fine slow motion controls cause a lot of vibration. I end up moving my target out of field and wait for it to move through for better viewing. I've got my eye on a Skymax 150 (5.3kg OTA alone) but wanted to sort my mount first. I'm not an astrophotographer and am looking for a solid mount second hand. I've seen the skywatcher EQ5 for around £200 second hand with the potential to upgrade to motorised tracking in the future. It seems the similar priced alt az mounts top out at 5kg carrying capacity which will limit future proofing. Anyone know of an ALT AZ mount at similar second hand price that could take the Skymax and offer non astro photography tracking potential in the future? I should say I'm pro ALT AZ due to speed of set up. I've got two small children so the opportunity to head to the back garden and set up in a few mins is invaluable. EQ mounts seem to be a lot more involved. You could argue I could set up the EQ whilst the Skymax is cooling down - fair point! Experience and thoughts very welcome

Thought I should finally say hello after months of getting invaluable information from these forums. The weather is not with us in Wiltshire tonight. The Met Office promised clear skies for a few hours this evening but alas not to be. I've got a 90mm refractor and am enjoying all it offers, particularly the planets! Chris