Space Hopper

Contrary to above, i think widefields work well in binoviewers. More specifically 65-68º field of view class. Televue's 24mm Panoptics set a benchmark here. The best inch and a quarters for low power rich field binoviewing you can get. And yes, i've had a Max 2 and use an F7 scope.

@tooth_dr Fantastic image. Its awesome you get to see it like that. Just clouds and light pollution here i'm afraid.

For me, its mainly push to, although i do have the motorised goto option as well. Usually, when visual observing, i'm out with a basic, easy to use alt-az mount with encoders feeding a Nexus DSC. The Nexus DSC is really revolutionised my visual astronomy. I really would not want to be without it. Time is too short. And i'm learning the geography of the heavens while I use it !!

So it looks like Wednesday evenings planetary conjunction will be a non starter too.....?? 😞

Thats a fabulous showing Martin. Clear here till around 20:00 then clouded over. Aurora alert was about half an hour later, 292nT 'Red alert'

It seems to me, that the focuser is.....a bit of an after-thought.

Well @Sunshine I traded it for the Vixen mount i have in exchange. I plan to get more into imaging as i approach retirement. Both nice items so everyones a winner. And i still have the TEC.

looks interesting, and would look nice on my Vixen mount

I only ever really wanted one scope when i was looking at a premium refractor 15-20 years ago : the Tec140. A high price, for a well regarded scope as you'd expect but not ridiculously so, and no multi year waiting list back then. And with alot of saving and selling i was lucky enough to make it a reality just over 4 years ago. I was the first UK owner of the newer Fluorite model, and i'm not sure if there's been anyone else since ? At times i hankered after a Questar or Russian Mak, or a Teeter / Obsession Dob, but i've laid that idea to rest now, mainly because of my UK location with its light pollution and generally poor local seeing. I'm a refractor guy at heart ! 😀 They work best for me, and are never too fussy. I fancy another smaller refractor some day : something unusual. I've already owned a LZOS 105 but sold that. Maybe a Baader TC95 or a AP Stowaway 92 or Tak FC100 I'll be putting my name down for the upcoming AP 110 F6 when it is ready, so you never know, my name could be pulled out of the hat. Can i afford it....? Not really, no.

Excellent report Magnus. 140mm refractors are nice aren't they ? 😃 Hopefully you'll get chance to see Jupiter too, before we lose it in the west.

Congratulations Magnus : its looks mightily impressive. It actually looks noticeably shorter than my own F7 140, yet its only 40mm or so of difference. I think the dew shield on my scope makes it look overly long. No bad thing though. They are big scopes though in reality and they demand a good mount and tripod combo. For me a 140mm refractor is as big a refractor as I'd like to manage. I have to be ultra careful and am constantly worried about bumping it. You will love Lunar views with it i'm absolutely sure. In fact if I do a session 'sans' Lunar, I often feel i'm missing out a bit. A couple of my own points : My own 140 star tests in a similar way, but its not something i've really taken much notice of. Reason...? I'm always hampered by seeing here. Trap star 'E' is difficult at the best of times and the 'F' star is a no show in my experience. Same with Sirius pup. The scopes length when viewing Alt-Az can make viewing high up stuff rather difficult. Just the way it is. Good to see you have a Planet tripod. I upgraded to one a couple of years ago and they make a big difference in stability terms. Really looking forward to reading your observation report. And you have a stunning location i'm just a tad jealous of.......I get to look at trees, houses, and a Bortle 7 lightshow. Hay-ho.

I have an EMS friend who fitted them on a different (but similar) mount and he said it was straightforward. I've done them myself on my own Alt-Az : again an easy job. If its encoders by Astro Devices, it will be a trouble free job. Serge supplies all the bits and provides easy to follow instructions. If you are going down the 'Nexus DSC' route, its a very worthwhile upgrade. I can't recommend it enough.

I'm not much of an imager, but do wish to improve once i retire and have less commitments. This was a from a memorable Lunar eclipse we had back in 2015, and i caught Lunar just a few minutes before it dipped into totality (Sony A7S-1, WO FLT132 at prime focus) And once totality started all the stars came out and we had a really nice deep sky session !! One to remember ☺️

I'm working that Saturday, unless i can blag a day off. So i'll hopefully see you there 😉

Sad news. I had a copy of 'Backyard Astronomers guide' around 2000, and read it cover to cover. It was a great source of imformation , and i learned a ton from it.

Those tube rings look.........indestructible 😀 They don't build 'em like that anymore !

I've linked to a good article below, which will give you plenty of info if you are starting out helping to choose a new scope. https://supercooper.jimdofree.com/choosing-telescopes-complete-essentials/

I'm interested in this myself. I know Neils Haagh, who runs Panther mounts in Denmark often stacks 30s subs without using the field de-rotation device and the results are pretty good. I think 30s is the limit though, depending on focal length / target etc

A Handle. We like handles on here, don't we....?? 😀 Nice secondhand purchase, and it will compliment the Berlebach tripod nicely. I just need a scope to go with it now, but thats another story.....

Is it the EZ Finder 2 you are having trouble with ? An upgrade may be in order. I use a Baader Skysurfer V on my mount (on my mount not the scope) They are good but a touch pricey. TS however, do something similar, which is good value, and a bit smaller, but with the same sized finder window. I have one, and its been really good. you can dim down the dot as well, like the Baader version. And it looks like it uses the same type of finder shoe as you have on your scope, but its worth clarifying this... They are aroud £50. Check it out : https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p7964_TS-Optics-SkyfinderV-LED-Red-Dot-Finder---completely-of-metal.html

Me too, but with big brother 15x50 Canons. Quite easy to find, close to the red star RR Ursa Minor. (From Kochab, go down a bit, then right a bit 😀) Its currently mag +5.8

You've set the bar pretty high there Mark. Excellent job 👍🏼

Around 2 years now , i believe. Which is a long time. They produce about one of them a week, so you can tell they have a big order book. At one time towards the end of the 140 ED era, the wait time was only 3 - 6 months. My own scope was a 13 month wait.

Generally 20% VAT (for UK) + a handling fee on top. When I brought the DM-6 mount back in 2014 we were getting $1.70 to the £UK which softened the blow considerably. My scope was purchased in 2017/18, and the rate had dropped quite a bit, but that was through Astrograph, so i had the peace of mind with dealing with Rupert. You always worry with a scope that it may arrive damaged, but i guess thats why we have insurance. My mount was pretty much bomb proof, so no worries there. I often wonder why there are no Stellavue dealers over this side ? They are certainly producing some very impressive refractors, and Vic Marris himself seems to be steering his company in the right direction.

Sounds exciting Magnus. 140's are nice !! An ideal aperture i'd say. Not too big, not too small : just right. Are you importing it directly from Stellarvue ? Let us know how you get on. I've imported quite a bit of stuff from the US over the years from various vendors, and its always been an easy, seamless process. I've also had my eye on their 102mm refractors , but haven't made any decisions as yet. The wallet remains empty.