johninderby

There are a few reviews.. GSO are the actual makers so try searching for them. Here is the manual. https://nimax-img.de/Produktdownloads/51359_1_AnleitungEN.pdf

Same scope under FLOs brand name. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescopes-in-stock/stellalyra-6-f9-m-crf-ritchey-chrtien-telescope-ota.html

So much easier just to use the proper tool. Yes more expensive but the perfect tool for the for setting up the secondary. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/other-collimation-tools/ts-concenter-2-adjustment-eyepiece-for-newtonian-telescopes.html https://www.firstlightoptics.com/other-collimation-tools/ts-concenter-125-adjustment-eyepiece-for-newtonian-telescopes.html

Which 102 SLT is it? The refractor or the Mak?

You could do that although the scope should balance fine without any counterweight.

I tapped the centre hole in the saddle to M12 and then used an M16 to M12 adaptor so the counterweight bar could still be fitted if only using one scope.

Aha….found them on Amazon. 👍🏻 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamkyo-Universal-Dovetail-Astronomy-Telescope-Silver/dp/B08XMQV26Z/ref=sr_1_32?crid=2OUNNSMSBHYO3&keywords=universal+dovetail+clamp%2Cvixen&qid=1641156308&sprefix=universal+dovetail+clamp+vixen%2Caps%2C95&sr=8-32

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About 2 to 3 kg. By using the end saddle you won’t need a counterweight. I tried both positions and simply found it easier to balance the scope using the end position.

The stock saddles are weak and prone to the clamping bolt stripping the thread and suddenly letting go. You might not need to use the counterweight unless the tripod is really unstable.

The top mount is really just for lightweight scopes. Will perform better if scopes are mounted on the end points. Newer SkyTees apparently have both end caps drilled for fitting a saddle. With older Skytees you would need to drill and tap mounting holes on the blank end. The TS-AZ5 version of the Skytee has always had both end caps drilled and tapped. The stock saddles are poor quality and can fail if too heavy an OTA such as a 200p are used.

Obviously it’s all CGI 😁 In this case CGI would stand for Completely Gormless Idiots. 🙄

The police might find our attempts so funny they wouldn’t be able to do anything. 😁

As mentioned it all depends on the scope and the quality of the eyepiece. I have used 700+ mag on the moon under perfect seeing without the image getting too dim but it takes a good scope to do so. Most of the time I use lower mag and just use the high mag to tease out fine detail.

Just a thought. Wonder if Hubble could take some close up pics of the JWST to confirm things are on track. 🤔

I can’t see anyone buying a new ED120 anymore since the price increase when there are better alternatives. The Technosky 125 has better optics and far better build quality. https://astrograph.net/epages/www_astrograph_net.sf/en_CA/?ObjectPath=/Shops/www_astrograph_net/Products/AGTEC125F78

Simple explanation here. A sensor glitch had delayed things and the team had to work late so a day off was thought best. You don’t want a tired team doing the next step. “Spacecraft managers added the pause in the sunshield deployment after working late into the night Dec. 31 to extend two “mid-boom” structures on either side of the spacecraft. Those booms extended the sunshield to its full size. That process started late when sensors indicated that a sunshield cover had not fully rolled up. Controllers decided to go ahead with the deployment of the booms because other data, including from temperature sensors and gyroscopes, were consistent with the removal of the cover. “The team did what we had rehearsed for this kind of situation: stop, assess and move forward methodically with a plan,” said Keith Parrish, JWST observatory manager at the Goddard Space Flight Center, in a Dec. 31 statement. “We still have a long way to go with this whole deployment process.”

Read a report that said adding external camers would be too expensive. Yeah right they only had a $ 10 billion budget. 🙄

Think that German dealer needs to look at how FLO handles any defective ZWO products. FLO deals with it themselves so no need to return it to China. 👍🏻

The stock Skywatcher dovetails aren’t exactly known for their robustness. The CNC type vixen dovetails like the ADM and others are nice and solid.

A typical M6 bolt will take a load of over 200lg so with two screws a load of over 400kg. Exact loads depend on quality of bolts used of course and type of tube rings I’ve fitted dual vixen / losmandy saddles to my alt az mounts. The Losmandy dovetails are usually much more solidy made than typical vixen dovetails so less flexing with the losmandy.

I have found that the CC is sharper on axis than the mak or SCT and has better resolution. so despite the reduced apeture It doe#n’t affect performance.

The Skytee is a really nice mount that performs better than it ought to given it’s humble origins.

I replaced the focuser with a refractor Steeltrack so no need for extra extension pieces as the long drawtube has enough travel. The CC6” is a bit heavy for an AZ5. I use a modded Manfrotto 405 geared head.

Here is the manual. https://nimax-img.de/Produktdownloads/62478_1_Anleitung-EN.pdf The optical axis pf the primary may need adjusting bit then just the secondary would neeed adjusting.