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RobertI last won the day on September 15 2023
RobertI had the most liked content!
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I only had a few hours of hazy skies one evening out of three, but still managed to see some good things, mostly through my neighbours' enormous dobsonians.
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RobertI started following Perfect setup , Open clusters in Cas/Per , Tegmine - Zeta Cancri: Resolved but not Split with a 4 inch and 2 others
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Lovely sketches. 👍
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Tegmine - Zeta Cancri: Resolved but not Split with a 4 inch
RobertI replied to John's topic in Observing - Reports
Interesting post @John, and a very useful diagram for clarifying the terminology. I looked back through my observing log and my notes say with my 102ED at 320x the pair was resolved (peanut shaped) and occasionally a clear split in moments of clarity. Hmmm. On an previous occasion with my 150PL at 240x it was clearly split although it came and went with the seeing. In my limited experience, the gap is usually very distinct, it’s either there or it isn’t, but I do wonder whether with these dimmer pairs at the limit of resolution, whether there might be an optical illusion at play - looking at Nick’s diagrams you might be led to that conclusion. -
Heritage 130p focus issues
RobertI replied to Kristianh75's topic in Getting Started Equipment Help and Advice
These scopes have a helical (twist) focuser, so there is no lock. If the struts/trusses are extended all the way and locked into place, then there shouldn’t be a problem. Can you see any features of the moon at all? Does it look almost in focus or is it just a brightness filling the eyepiece? Have you managed to see anything with the scope yet? I would also suggest trying to look at a distant object like a tree during the day (as mentioned please avoid sun!). My only other other thought is that the mirror is massively out if collimation, meaning you might struggle to see anything at all. -
It’s a tricky decision isn’t it? Last autumn I started off with plans to take both a manual mount and a goto mount with at least three scopes (plus binoculars), as I had a friend coming. In the end though I felt I didn’t need the hassle of electronics and it probably wouldn’t be clear anyway, so I simplified and took the Skytee with my 102ED on one side and the C8 on the other. I probably ended up using the 102ED most of the time in the end. This spring I feel I will need the aperture of the 8” for all those galaxies, so I will probably take the same setup again. 👍
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Choosing between 4" ED Refractors for visual
RobertI replied to quasar117's topic in Getting Started General Help and Advice
Very true. You can be sketching away and the mount will be saying "relax, take your time, no rush, Jupiter will still be there when you get back to the eyepiece". Must surely make for a more relaxing experience and better results. Another plus for EQs not always mentioned is their ability to observe at/near the zenith, which is often where the best atmospheric conditions lie. Not always comfortable with a frac though. -
Choosing between 4" ED Refractors for visual
RobertI replied to quasar117's topic in Getting Started General Help and Advice
No it was my bad, I wasn’t thinking. -
Choosing between 4" ED Refractors for visual
RobertI replied to quasar117's topic in Getting Started General Help and Advice
@quasar117 AZ4 head for sale if of interest -
Love the mono captures. 👍
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Choosing between 4" ED Refractors for visual
RobertI replied to quasar117's topic in Getting Started General Help and Advice
FLO don’t seem to mention that as a selling point of the StellaLyra , so I doubt it the knobs are better, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the knobs have been improved on all versions at some point so may no longer be such a problem. -
Choosing between 4" ED Refractors for visual
RobertI replied to quasar117's topic in Getting Started General Help and Advice
Yes, hard to believe but it’s true. There are several reports of this that I read. The problem in my case (and I assume others) was the poor quality alloy knob being stripped of its threads over time a finally failing and popping off. My 72ED fell to the floor - fortunately it was carpet and not concrete! I replaced the knobs with better quality metal, which seemed to work, but I lost faith in them and put an ADM on one side to support my C8 and one of these on the other for my lighter scopes. You get a lot for your money with a Skytee, it’s solid and stable, but built to a price if you know what I mean. -
Choosing between 4" ED Refractors for visual
RobertI replied to quasar117's topic in Getting Started General Help and Advice
The other thing to factor in with the Skytee is you will probably want to buy a replacement saddle; the stock saddles had a habit of failing and the scope falling off (happened to me). I think they have been improved and probably much better now, but many people (including myself) replace one of them typically with an ADM. Perhaps other people with more recent Skytees can chime in here. -
Choosing between 4" ED Refractors for visual
RobertI replied to quasar117's topic in Getting Started General Help and Advice
Actually I have found the top saddle counterweight bar to be a very useful panning handle. 👍 -
Choosing between 4" ED Refractors for visual
RobertI replied to quasar117's topic in Getting Started General Help and Advice
One thing to note about the Skytee 2 is that the azimuth slo motion does not move round with the scope, it is fixed to the bottom part of the mount which does not move. So if you use slo mo cables, and you are panning round to different parts of the sky, you have to lift the entire rig to keep the slo mo cable in a convenient position close to hand. You can also end up bashing the scope against the slo mo cable as you move around. Not so much of a problem if you are observing just one object during the night, but most of the time a bit of a pain. So much so that I have removed the cables from my Skytee now. Some mounts are designed better and don’t have this problem (eg: AZ100) but it’s definitely worth considering if buying a mount with slo motion. The other thing about the Skytee is the “top saddle”. What’s the point of it? I never really found a use for it, especially with the inconvenience of the extra counterweights needed. I ended up drilling some holes and attaching the saddle to the end of the alt axis as I use two scopes every now and then. I suspect most people use the Skytee with one scope though. The Skytee definitely represents value for money, especially if you’re on a budget, but if I was splashing out on a dual-scope mount now, id try and stretch to an AZ75. -
What a dream setup. Sounds like the mount and scope (and observer) are well suited. Perhaps a picture when you get a moment? 🙂