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johninderby

Beyond the Event Horizon
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Everything posted by johninderby

  1. Been playing around with the AR102xs in the daytime to see how suitable it would be for nature observing as it looks like being a great little travel scope. Turns out it actually is quite usable and CA is not a real problem even though it is a fast little refractor. Took a few pics using my smartphone and they were not half bad. Every bird and cat etc seems to have abandoned the area for the afternoon so lamp posts, buildings and foliage it is. ? Will stick an erect prism in it and try a few more shots later. John
  2. What I’m finding is it can be used for lunar and planetary and gives pleasing views and the CA is so minor that it doesn’t bother me. So while it is naturally a wide field scope it is good enough for general observing.which is what will make it a great travel,scope as it can be used for any type of observing even if it’s not the ideal scope for everything.
  3. One problem with a new scope like this is that so few have actually got their hands on one that most opinions are based on supposition not fact. Yes it’s no APO but it is still a nice well,built scope with decent optics and very well priced. Lot of negative opinion on CN from those that haven’t actually looked through one. Lot of good people on CN but plenty of self appointed “experts” as well that are anything but. ? Remember a while ago reading widespread opinion on CN that the Carton 100 f/13 optics were just cheap low quality optics no better than the cheapest Chinese stuff. Then someone on CN actually took a look through a Skylight scope and found out how wrong they were.
  4. It’s the aluminium plate with the name of the scope stuck on one side. Just irritated me for some reason so off it came. ?
  5. Tried the Explore Scientific 3x focal extender today and find it suits this scope & wedge perfectly. Using the 7.2 - 21.5 zoom eyepiece at lowest mag the full disk of the sun just fited in the FOV and the image was still clear at max mag. Pefect match. ? The extender wouldn't fit all the way into the eyepiece holder and bottomed out so took a Baader T2 15mm extension piece and ground three slots to fit over the three screws in the top of the eyepiece holder so it would screw on properly. Nice neat solution that looks factory. The TS wedge comes with their own version of a continuum filter and quite frankly can't tell any difference between it and the Baader. Performs exactly the same. Impressed with this scope every time I use it. The optics are definitely better than a plain achro with very little if any distortion and almost no CA if you're usng a decent diagonal. Perhaps it should be called a Semi ED? Hmmm reminds me of the old Semi APO discussuions (arguments?) of a few years ago. ?
  6. Well first light.....sort of. Sun peeped through the clouds for about a miniute. Just enough time to align the solar finder and take a quick look at the sun. Have about 20mm infocus travel to spare and sun was the same green as a Baader continuum filter. Then of course the clouds spoiled everything. Oh well at least the first glimpse seem’s promising. ? John
  7. Just had to drill a couple of holes in the tube. Focuser comes off easily and stuffed a small towel inside the tube to stop any bits getting on the objective and put some wide masking tape below where the holes would be drilled to catch any bits as the fell. Then afterwards pat down the inside of the tube with masking tape to collect any residual bits. The stock bracket screws on just behind where the new bracket fits. Did some lamp post observing this aft to check CA but virtually nil as you can see in this pic. Rubbish pic as it was taken holding a camera to the eyepiece but gives the idea. Think it will made a great wide field scope. John
  8. Bought the Manfrotto geared tripod and 405 geared head years ago. Just out of interest looked up the current prices and was shocked to find the total would now be about £860.00. And I thought astro gear had shot up in price!!!! The 405 head has been modified to remove the centre section thus making it an alt/az head. Note the size of the wedge compared to a Skywatcher Dielectric 1.25" diagonal.
  9. New Whie Light Solar Set-up (BRESSER AR-102xs/460 - TS Hershel Wedge) While I did like the Orion 120 frac with a Lacerta 2" Herscel wedge it wasn't the lightest and needed the Skytee II mount. I decided to go with a new light weight setup that would fit on a photo tripod and could be carried outside one handed but would still have decent aperture. After looking around decided on the Bresser Messier AR-102xs/460 Hexafoc OTA as it was light and compact but had decent optics. Build quality is excellent although the included accessories are rubbish and should be put in the bin except for the eyepiece which is actually quite decent and perfectly usable.While it uses ED glass they don't state what it is so I take that as being the minimum standard that can still be called ED. Did some testing on the moon and Jupiter last night and CA simply wasn't a problem.Yes there was some but very minor and more like what you would expect of a f/10 achromatic refractor which is good cnsidering this is an f4.5. So the ED glass (whatever it is) does work. Impressd with the focuser. It really is very good. Ordered the 1:10 upgrade for it. Removed the supplied finder shoe and fitted a Skywatcher one. Also peeled off that tacky aluminium name plate thing of the side. Looks much nicer without it. In keeping with the lightweight theme decided to give the TS Herschel 1.25" wedge a try. Very compact and leightweight and comes with all the filters incuding one that has the same specs as the Baader Continuum filter. Very well priced as well. Solid little bit of kit it is as well and has a brass compression ring on the eyepiece holder. Bresser Refractor Messier AR-102xs/460 Telescope with Hexafoc Focuser Richfield telescope with ED glass lens. 6x30 optical finder with crosshair Focuser with 65mm open diameter. 50,8mm to 31,7mm adapter with integrated T2-thread Diameter= 102mm; Focal length= 460mm; F/4.5 Vixen type 44mm Dovetail plate with stainless steel rail Dimensions: 46x14x14cm / Weight: 2,8 KG / Tube diameter: 104mm TS-Optics 1,25" Solar Prism with Polarizing and Narrowband Filter ♦ High-quality surfaces for very high contrast ♦ Enclosed housing with integrated light trap - no escaping stray light ♦ Cooling fins for quick removal of the heat ♦ 1.25" polarising dilter for screwing into the eyepiece or into the filter for continous adjustment of the brightness without without additional colouring. ♦ 1.25" narrow band interference filter for significantly enhancing the contrast of the solar surface. Especially faculae regions are shown better. The filter has a bandwidth of approximately 40 nm and a peak at 540 nm. Now sun observation is possible with fast Fraunhofer refractors, as the chromatic aberration is removed. Observing report to follow as and when the sun puts in an appearance. ? John
  10. Glad to see it fits just right and better yet doesn’t cheapen the look of the Tak. Tak should include their own version with every scope.
  11. Couldn’t find a scope cover that would fit then discovered the LensCoats. Perfect for the job and if you remove the hard pad then it folds up and fits in your pocket. John
  12. Big Red the Carton 100mm f/13 scope that I built a few years ago was looking a bit tired so time to freshen it up and get it apart and check it over properly. The paint was dull and faded so rubbed it out and polished it and the candy red paint came up a treat. When I originaly painted it was first acid etch primer then three coats of silver base coat, six coats of candy red topped by four coats of clear. Proper candy red paint. The carry handle and gone a funny goldish colour in patches but was repainted and now good as new. Then all the brass bits need a polish and there are a lot of brass bits as well as the dew shield. Most important thing though it's still better to to look thrugh than at although have to admit I love looking at it of course. John BTW if you're looking for something to cap of the end of your scope one of the LensCoat covers works great. Elasticated with a removable hard pad in the end.
  13. Small Maks lend themselves better to autimated production and normally use an aluminised spot on the inside of the corrector instead of a separate corrector and secondary which means less work involved in matching up components. Top end Maks do use a separate secondary but they’re really expensive.
  14. Thought the viewing angle might be a problem but it turned out to be no real problem at all. You soon get used to the small difference. John
  15. Agreed. Just because a piece of kit may be old doesn't mean it's still not as good as ever. Case in point. Big Red the Carton 100 f/13 frac that I built years ago. Very nice for planetary observing. John
  16. It was the eyepiece I was using. Also fitted a new focuser that was longer than stock meaning the scope has less infocus than stock. Wouldn't' have been a problem with the stock focuser. With current eyepiece has plenty of infocus travel. Had the same problem with the Cool Wedge I used to have as certain eyepieces wouldn't focus. There is absolutely zero,light emissions of any type from the bottom of the wedge. The bottom is open purely for cooling. Tried my old Cool Wedge on a six inch scope and it got hot enough to burn you if you touched the back of it. A not so Cool Wedge. Fine on a four inch but the design can overheat on a bigger scope. John
  17. Having had a Cool Wedge I'm very impressed with how the Lacerta compares. Amazing value for money. Who knows might make Baader bring out an improved Cool Wedge or heaven forbid cut the price. Not much in it for visual but the Lacerta's Brewster angle does give it a more evenly illuminated image which will help with imaging. When someone new brings out a great bit of kit at a great price it can only be good for the hobby. The old names in the hobby will have to sharpen up their game to stay competitive.. John
  18. Hi On the 2" the built in ND filter is mounted in the bottom of the screw in base for the eyepiece holder so it can't be forgotten as it's an integral part of the wedge. The single polarising can darken it right down to the point that it's too dark so no additional ND filter needed. Buy it and feel sorry for those Baader Cool Wedge owners who paid through the nose for something that's nearly as good as the Lacerta. John
  19. Not a problem in the UK at least with my 5" refractor. Does seem to handle heat better than the Baader Cool Wedge I used to have. Did use the Badder with a 6" refractor and that did get very hot after a while. The Baader was fully enclosed and so didn't get rid of heat very well with the 6". The Lacerta with it's open bottom design has much better cooling so should handle the 6" OK. John
  20. They also do a 1.25" version that's very well priced but they recoomend going for the 2" for scopes over 100mm. John
  21. Underside of wedge. Size comparison with 1.25" diagonal.
  22. It hasn't been out that long and not yet common in the UK but I think it will become popular once word gets around.. About half the price of the Baader too. Built like the proverbial tank. Check out the thickness of the metal housing. Lacerta seems to be an Austrian brand and quite popular in Austria and Germany. John
  23. Lacerta Brewster-angle 2" Herschel Wedge - First Light My new Herschel wedge arrived the other day and got it set-up with my Orion 120mm f/5 frac. Impressed with the sheer quality of the wedge. Very, very solidly made and has the feel of a big hefty piece of industrial equipment. This wedge has a Brewster angle of 56.6 degress instead of the standard 90 degree angle. This allows for better polarization and gives a wider range of adjustment. Although this design has an open bottom for better heat dissapation it's not to be confused with the old style Intes wedge that had an open bottom that let a potentialy dangerous beam of light shine out. This is a very dfferent design that doesn't allow any stray light to escape. You can actually look stright up into the open bottom of the wedge with no danger. See the two relevant pics. The angle of the prism is also adjustable. Mine didn't need adjusting but it's nice to know I could adjust it f I needed to. Manufacturers blurb: "Most commercially available Herschel wedges (like INTES, Lunt, Scopium, Baader...) come in a 90-degree variant. The Lacerta Herschel-wedge features a significant, 56.6-degree angle, so called Brewster-angle that provides a special benefit when compared with other 90-degree Herschel wedges. This befenit is coming from the fact that nearly 100% of light is polarised under this angle; this means that the Lacerta Herschel wedge offers continuous or even complete dimming with the mandatory ND=3.0 filter and an additional (optional) polarising filter. In reality a dimming range between ND=4.07 and 6.37 or even more can be achieved. Without the polarising filter the Herschel prism operates at ND 4.07 that is very good for photography. The 90° "traditional" Herschel prisms can achieve ND=4.24 to 5.00." First Light: Although there's nothing to be seen worth mentioning at the moment it did show good surface granulation and the image was nice and sharp. I used a Baader Solar Continuum filter and a single polarizing filer. Haven't tried the IR cut filter yet. I used to have a Baader Cool Wedge a while ago and initial impressions are the Lacerta seems to be every bit as good. Also have used a Lunt wedge and would have to say the Lacerta was a bit better. Conclusions: A worthy competitor to the Baader Cool Wedge and cheaper as well and has potential advantages over the Baader for photographic use. Does require a fair bit of infocus and I found with the Orion 120mm f/5 focus was just about achieved at full infocus travel with the zoom eyepiece I was using. I have trimmed 20mm off the OTA tube to allow for extra infocus travel which won't be a problem with usng the scope for other that white light solar as the new focuser has 20mm more travel than the stock one. John
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