Space Hopper

Well you can't really argue you have too many scopes if you only have the one. If something new comes along, its a 'society scope' Like your SXP2. (I have my own mount : a DM6) The Vixen is a 'society mount' that i'm looking after for a while.....😉

Looking at Venus & Mars, while waiting for some kind of darkness to descend.

Same story for me over at our EMS darksite in Wymeswold. But despite the short session it was nice to get out with the scope. The Epsilon Lyrae double double was a highlight for me. Beautifully split at 150x

I think the Saharas relatively close proximity means theres often lots of haze and dust in the atmosphere. I've not been to Fogo or San Antao, only Sal and Boa Vista. Fogo is interesting (it translates as 'fire' - Sal is 'salt' : its produced there, and Boa Vista is 'nice view' or 'good view') Fire in that its actively volcanic, and there was a minor eruption there 5-10 years ago. The scenery and unspoilt volcanic landscapes look amazing. The volcano is over 9000 ft tall. I'd love to visit there someday.

Seriously though : a delightful family of scopes you have there. And the FC 100 is indeed remarkably small and compact. I often ponder about one myself. Ideal for grab & go, and possibly my only chance of Tak ownership somewhere down the line. The new FS-128 looks an excellent acquisition. I wonder how it compares sizewise with my own scope ? My 140 measures 840 mm long / 150 mm wide (with the dew shield retracted) and only 8.2kg if you remove the rings & plate so its fairly compact as well.

I quite like that carpet. I'm after something like that for my bedroom.

That looks sweet 😀

Did anyone just see a bright moving object passing overhead, (i'm in Derby) heading East North East at 22:18 / 22:19 hrs ? I'd say it was similar in brightness to the ISS but moving at 3x the speed. I followed it till it disappeared into the Earths shadow, so i'm assuming it was a satellite. Also appeared slightly yellowish in colour and certainly not as 'white' as the ISS. But very bright in the twilight sky and way brighter than Vega and Arcturus, which were also visable. A mystery......

@Acrab67 Thanks for sharing this. Do they screw straight into the 'Planets feet' ? They are sized at M10 / 50mm https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drenky-Levelling-Adjustable-Furniture-Protector/dp/B09LLQVCPZ/ref=asc_df_B09LLQVCPZ/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=570420064276&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16447173126968524527&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046417&hvtargid=pla-1646222135501&th=1

Congratulations on your news. Wishing you a successful transaction and delivery. I thought about putting my own name down, but in the end decided against it due to being unable to finance it if push came to shove. Good luck and please share some photo's when it arrives.

All seems in order with me too, using Apple iMac. That said, its a little dated from the user experience point of view, and is well in need of a refresh and modernisation.

Good article that I remember reading before somewhere. I also have a couple of 'Backyard Observers Guide' by Terrence D that I read the covers off back in the day. Also I can fully concur with the last two paragraphs in the article, as someone who is also 'biased and smitten with Apo refractors' 😀

Good read, and the 128 looks really nice on your mount / tripod. I'm surprised it doesn't need a counterweight ?

@bosun21 is correct. If you plug the 1.7x refractor gpc into the bino unit, you will still be quite a way short of reaching focus. (I tried this myself with my Mk5 to see if it would work on a 10" OO F4.7 : it didn't) You can either : Use a Powermate / Barlow to reach focus, but then you're tied into a high power Buy the dedicated Newt 1.7x gpc second hand. As mentioned they are currently unavailable. https://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/accessories/optical-accessories/bino-viewer/2"-glaspathcorrectorr-17x-for-newtons.html (it works well, and cancels out Coma, but again, ties you in to high power viewing. It also adds more weight to the bino and eyepieces setup. Is your focuser up to it ? Will you have balance issues on your Dob ? Quite possibly.) I'm not trying to put you off, but rather flag up the potential pitfalls. Binoviewing through a Newtonian is challenging. Another option is different binoviewer altogether. Denkmeier work well with Newtonians but are expensive to begin with. Then there are the 'Linear' type viewers. FLO sell then, however, i cannot recommend them myself having never used them. Reviews are mixed. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/binoviewers/stellalyra-125-linear-erect-image-binoviewer.html Good luck ; let us know how you get on.

It looks a beauty Stu 👍🏼 Congratulatons 🙂

Like others, i've watched and enjoyed Ed's stuff for many years. I can also relate to his comment about just using two eyepieces. In my case its often just the 24 and 19 Panoptics (in pairs ) in the binoviewer I use with its various multipliers. They are my main 'workhorses' I also have a 35 Pan, but don't use it as much. They are the only Tv eyepieces I own (ex Powermate) and some of those are second hand. I also use Vixen LVW's and an APM zoom and a Docter as well : i would say I have a 'reasonable' collection. I've never really gone for the big expensive Ethos line : I'm happy enough with the Panoptics and I think the 24mm Panoptic is one of the best eyepieces on the market.

It's a tough word to spell. I still get it wrong despite owning a Fluorite scope myself for nearly 5 years. The FS128 in question looks immaculate doesn't it ??

I have a friend who's just got an Altair 125 doublet F7.8 So quite a long tube, and has a quoted weight of 8.3kg https://www.altairastro.com/altair-wave-series-125-edf-f78-apo-w-large-m92-rp-focuser-454-p.asp

If its of help, the focusing range using the Baader binoviewers / gpc's on refractors is about 65mm. ie the point where / if you can focus natively without a gpc to where you can focus using the 2.6x gpc. This is important if you have a focuser with limited range. The secret is to try and reach focus sans gpc with the focuser almost fully racked in. Native focus is tricky to achieve though when you add up the lightpath of both the binoviewer and diagonal. Not many scopes will offer this, but usually something optimised for imaging will get you close. If you can't focus, the 1.25x , 1.7x and 2.6x gpcs will give you back 20mm, 35mm and 65mm respectively.

Sorry if i gave out wrong information with regard to 1.7x GPC placement on the Max 2. I have owned a Max 2 but never used a 1.7gpc with it while i had it. I assumed it was the same as the Mk5 (which i use) and it screwed directly into the viewer, same as with the 1.25x I remember there was no option to screw the gpc into the back of the older Max 1 unit so it went into the diagonal : hence a Max 1 specific gpc design (different from the Mk5) With the Max 2 having that option, i assumed it used the same gpc's as the Mk5. My mistake, but all a bit confusing. I believe the cemented doublet element is simply inverted in each design, which you can actually flip over yourself if you wish.

I saw one at the IAS or PAS the year they were introduced. Simply an enormous bit of kit, the size of a small oil drum. I've never seen the like since. Cost aside, i would expect the mount to be the real investment here, and possibly double the price of the instrument itself.

We have a similar event on October 28 that we'll be able to see here in the UK hopefully. This won't be visible in the US, but you have the Annular eclipse happening a couple of weeks before that on 14 October in the western part of the US which should be ideal and a treat to see 😀

Maybe, but i'm not too far away there..... (5.5" F7 Fluorite & only 9kg with rings finder AND plate)

Yes, thats correct. They are one and the same. Good eyepieces for binoviewing, very ergonomical and a good price too. I also have a 12mm pair from a discontinued line that were even cheaper. I don't use them alot as they are a bit too powerful for my local sky's. I use the bino's for most types of visual viewing, but use mono eyepieces as well. Bino is good for Lunar and planets of course, but I think they are just as good at the brighter DSOs. I'm a bit limited here with what I can see in my Bortle 7 lightshow.

Hi 1. I just use the Baader GPCs. I have the 3 of them (1.25, 1.7, 2.6x) FYI, the 1.7x is actually closer to 1.5x but don't worry too much about that. They will 'buy you back' 20mm, 35mm, 65mm of light path respectively +/- and will also correct for spherochromatism. They are well designed and work very well. Note : both the 1.25x and 1.7x gpc screw into the back of the viewer, not the diagonal. Only the 2.6x gpc screws into the prism. I use Tv Panoptics (some second hand) for low / mid power and APM flat fields 15mm for higher powers. I wouldn't go much lower than 10mm though, but don't need to with the 2.6x gpc. 2. I've tried using a pair of Baader zooms but i found them too big and unwieldy. I much prefer smaller eyepieces for binoviewing, but that can be just a personal thing. 3. I think the Max 2 is pretty good value all things considered ; you say you like Baader stuff and you have that comprehensive T2 compatibility. It will hold its value pretty well too. 4. The diopters and mini clicklock clamps are beautifully designed, and set a benchmark. You won't have any issues there. 5. You already have the T2 prism, so everything will be fine. Use the quick coupler to attach bino to diagonal, its much easier. Please let us know how you get along, and post a few photos and a report of your endeavours 🙂 Trust me, when you first look at the moon through them it will all be worthwhile 🙂