Bivanus

Have a look at the ZWO ASI 585MC too, I use it - as many others do- for both planetary and no-pretentions DSO pics , more EAA in my case really because I don't enjoy the post-procesing time required , but if you'll search on the net you will see some decent AP can be done.

Hi @M404 and welcome. I am using the Photoline FPL53 F/7 doublets - both the 80mm and the 100mm, very happy with them , good overall performance both visual and EAA , can't really see any CA , so I can only expect the triplet to be very good. Also, the mechanics are good, which is quite important I found especially for AP. I use them with the TSFlat25Del for 1x and with the 2" 0.79x reducer sold bundled with the 80mm. Happy with both of them on an EQ6 Pro. Can't really tell you anything about FPL55 as I didn't experience it.

Between those two the Heritage clearly wins. Just have a search on the net net and see what can be done with this little beauty and a bit of elbowgrease 😂 My personal favourite is this Sky-Watcher Heritage 100P Information (4" Dobson) (waloszek.de) , the picture is from this article.

Interestingly, in almost all cultures there is a saying that goes along the lines 'trouble rarely comes alone' Also, think at meteor showers...and shudder...

😈 Aha ! So that's why the fuel allowance in UK was cut! Who knew those pesky politicians were into condensation prevention on lens when bringing scope indors! Ok , so that's out of my system, probably has something to do with my local politicians waiting for three cold days in a row to start the heating while we caugh and sniff around the scopes. And yes , no danger of condensation when the Delta T is almost zero.

After reading quite a lot of threads, it seems to me that reflectors in the 10" to 14" with F/4 to F/5 ratios are a sweet spot in both collimation ease and normal use dimensions ( let's call it 'small enough big scopes' 😄 ) I would gravitate towards a 12" , interestingly a Dob size that seems to be favoured by quite a lot of people both here and in Romania.

😄 As one suffering from a bad case of 'collimophobia' I wholeheartedly agree: some don't buy reflectors 😉 However, I would be the first to agree that the value for money vs aperture is unparalleled. Also, should my living arrangements allowed it in the future, Dobbie the Dob would certainly join the tribe 😇

George RR Martin will be proud 😂 I always liked his SF better than ASOIF , 'A Song for Lya' hits hard even today, but also Dying of the Light, Sandkings, Nightflyers, Tuf Voyaging, The Way of Cross and Dragons . The whole "Thousand Worlds" universe was where I've grown up , it brings a tear to my eye even today that instead of continuing there he went the way of the Dodo. EDIT: Barnard's Star appears with a planet in that universe, habitable but only just, more like a WH40K Death World.

You can bet that the ubiquitousness of things being made in China was NOT among those expectations. I have a feeling that Mr. Carl Zeiss is spinning in his grave so fast that it could be used as a power source.

Well now, that of course depends on one's definition of 'survive' , because for some people survival is eating less than Wagyu A5 and Beluga Caviar , as per 'what designs they have now' tell me the truth brother , would you not buy into a little set like the one below , dreamed by a CN user ? Because I would 🤩

Well this certainly beats the ol' 10$ vs 100$ vs 1000$ format that keps popping up on the YT. Informative for a newbie while still fun fun for a more seasoned bloke me thinks:

585MC happy user here, and also fellow lazy person that chose to do EAA rather than AP 😂 I am fortunate that a 3m normal USB cable suffice in my case. Also, I tend to do drifting lucky imaging for planets with Alt AZ mount with...various result... Let's put it like this, I don't yet have an image worthy to post (there are already plenty of fuzzy Saturn pics out there) Then again , it's fun for me and NASA would probably not be interested anyways 😁

Well, I am using Canon DSLR's, and I have a wired remote that let me do Long Exposure for some 30 minutes, but I'll not lie to you, didn't really use it like that and really don't know the maximum time and id it would get damaged. Truthfully, I don't think so, I just think the final image will be overexposed and noisy. For your camera it just happened that I found something Long Time-Exposures (T/B) (fujifilm-dsc.com) At "Bulb" 2. it seems to state that it can do 60 minutes.

Insert any of the Chinese / Taiwanese company names after Honorable - SVBony, JOC ,Synta ,GSO - many of them already providing most parts for EU and US based companies. Japan will hold for a bit longer , but it has been showed time and time again money talks in the end especially at planetary level. Then they will get aquinted with the new chinese owners that would aquire them. Not tomorrow, not next year , but then again what's an year when one thinks in centuries? I would hope it's just my pesimism talking , so I'll eagerly await news about the new optical glass factories opened in EU or US ...but you'll excuse me for not holding my breath or anything.

I have a sinking feeling they are going to get quite aquinted with the two Chinese brothers , Honorable Bent and Most Honorable Dick.

Oh boy oh boy ! The chances of me ever attending in person are akin to a short trip to the Moon so this is welcomed

Hello @Clown Sid throu an amazing coincidence look what I saw posted on SGL not ten minutes ago. At those prices I'd say go for it !

I can't rezist....It's cheaper than a hammer so maaaaaybe you need some nails pounded ? On a more serious line , SVBony equipment is OK-ish , depends if the accent falls on the 'OK' or the 'ish' Gott'em out of the system 😂

Also , from a newbie that had been just a tad longer in the play , do try to get a simple astro-camera , some ZWO ASI120 or equivalent from SVbony , QHY etc. for guiding, to me it's still magical how that changes one's mount performance🤩

Hello and welcome @Rood Goose , as you talk in $ I suppose you are on the other side of the pond so maybe can take advantage of the very good ( I think) offer from Agena Astro : https://agenaastro.com/sky-watcher-skytravel-80mm-refractor-telescope-with-az-gte-mount-s21150.html You would have your 80mm SW on a Go-To AZ drive with WiFi control with a big sale discount.

That's more like it , it should do the job. Please note in DC circuits both wire length and gauge can be an issue , try to keep them reasonably short (1.5 - 2m) and try to have at least 1 mm2 wires (1.5-2mm2 even better). Unfortunately I don't know the gouge equivalent , but for comparison most commercially available DC cables are only 0.75mm2

Because I can ditch the wife and have a quiet drink ? Take that AI !

I have the Lacerta 4mm that is practically the Nirvana 4mm down to the font used for the markings 😂 and it's a good piece of kit , the only thing being a propensity to a very small kidney-bean phenomenon , a tad interesting because it's a fine shape very thin and elongated like an upside down braket. It's not an EP killer for me , especially since I use it on planets and the central view remains clear with the blackness either below or above it.

Unless you are a flight controller or foundry line operator you are golden.

Any idea about this lot ? https://www.apm-telescopes.net/en/p75-trident-direct-friction-drive-teleskop-montierung I was looking for direct drive + telescope mount and Oogle showed them to me. Looking like somebody did something about that pesky slippage 😅 EDIT: Link