Space Hopper

I'd perhaps throw a few other scopes into the mix

How about something like a 180mm SW Maksutov ? Maks are good at double star viewing with a small CO.

Double the aperture you have and close to that 3 metre focal length in a fairly compact tube.

And you should be able to pick up a good used one for your budget.

You have the 'Yard cannon' !! 😀

I'm sure you'll benefit from a Binoviewer, certainly for Lunar and planetary observing.

If you are on 'Cloudy nights' they have a dedicated 'Bino-viewer dedicated forum, and there is a ton of stuff on there, with loads of expert advice.

(I've asked before on here for this : a dedicated forum for binoviewers, as well as splitting up 'Scopes / whole setups' in to smaller, better organised groups, like refractors, reflectors, cats & casses etc, but my request was just ignored without logical explanation 😒)

I can recommend the Baader Planetarium viewers. Excellent all round, a very flexible T2 system, and very well designed gpc,s to take care of your focusing requirements, as well as correct for bino induced aberations.

Another APM Superzoom user here.

I've enjoyed observing with it, and its definitely a keeper. The magnification range i get is roughly 65x - 125x so quite a useful range for a lot of targets.

It works well with the Powermate x2 as well. Its great on lunar.

I've also used in for white light solar in a HW but had to use it in 1.25" mode as it would have fouled the ND filter otherwise, but it just focused ok.

I could see snow ❄️ but no sign of our evil twin 😃

Yes, good call. They are the same.

Nice eyepieces. 

On 28/02/2023 at 20:46, Highburymark said:

Agree with pretty much everything above. I am now 100% binoviewing for solar WL and Ha, and lunar. About 50% planets. Good Plossls and orthos are perfect, unless you want width. And then - if you can stretch to the Baader Maxbright II over the WO - it’s a big step up. NOT - I hasten to add - in sharpness or quality of views on axis, but in pretty much every other respect. It bears repeating, the optical difference between a £180 and a £1300 binoviewer  on axis is very slim. But it’s vital to pick the right solution for your scope and needs. Binoviewers and associated eyepieces become as personal to the user as a pair of spectacles.

Yes, I'm with Mark here.

I bino-view nearly all the time, and just have the one scope now a 140mm refractor.

Comfort when viewing is the main reason, and i also enjoy rich field viewing natively with a pair of 24mm Panoptics.

If you can get hold of the Baader Max 2, do so. They are a really nice unit with the T2 compatibility. Also (and this is often overlooked imo) the eyepiece holders

on the Max 2 are just excellent and set the benchmark. Beautifully designed clicklock holders and diopter adjusters and nicer than the ones on the Mk 5 that I use.

Regarding eyepieces, check out APMs 65º flat field series. 

I have the 15mm, and they are really nice and great value as well.

https://www.apm-telescopes.net/en/apm-ultra-flat-field-15mm-eyepiece-65-fov

All good here, reading, liking and commenting on post. 👍🏼

Nice read @SuburbanMak and congratulations on acquiring such a nice little scope.

A nice refractor, mounted alt-az on a Berlebach : what  a great combination 😀

Apologies if it seems i'm spending your € for you !! 😉

I'm good at that.

Over here we have quite a thriving second hand market. So you can save some money that way.

A lot of my eyepieces are used, and there are some bargains to be had if you shop around.

If you look at TS in Deutschland they have probably the same scope with a different name.

Probably better for you to shop in the Eurozone than here.

2 minutes ago, Franklin said:

Yes, but the Clicklock will only take up more in focus, better with a low profile option

 

Good point.

I didn't know they had an ultra short version.

@Apprentice

1. ✅

2. Ensure you order the 1.7x gpc for the Max 2 (rather than the old Max 1) I believe its the same one as the Mk 5 bino uses : it screws into the back of the viewer rather than the diagonal.

Also to confuse you further, the 1.7gpc is actually closer to 1.5x in reality. Don't worry too much about that though.

3. The Clicklock needs to thread onto the end of the focuser drawtube, whatever size that may be. The one you link to is an SCT fit. If you order one just specify your scope and they'll get you the correct fit.

4  ✅ The new Baader nosepiece is ideal, if rather pricey and a little short in length. 

9 minutes ago, Franklin said:

Is this possible because the Max 2 has a wider clear aperture than the more budget bino's? I think the clear aperture on mine is only 21mm and my wide field eyepiece showed vignetting. 

Yes, thats correct. The Max 2 i think is about 26mm clear aperture so it will work optimally with rich field 1.25" eyepieces.

4 minutes ago, Apprentice said:

Thanks Franklin!

What exactly does this mean, which scopes have that option. Frankly i'm afraid to open a new can of worms here :))

 

Does this 2" nosepiece fit in the prism I linked?

Yes it will. T2 standard fit.

Regarding removable tubes for binoviewing in focus, not many scopes will offer this feature.

But if the scope is optimised for imaging it should have a decent amount of in focus to allow a bino to focus with a 1.7x gpc (or even the 1.25x) in place.

@Apprentice for low power, no i don't use a gpc. For eg, looking at the double cluster. I get about 40x mag with the 24mm

Yes, agreed.

A 2" nose is a must, and ideally a Baader Clicklock to hold it securely.

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.