Marki

Good stuff Gary. I'm in agreement on the SW 150ED. I think its a really capable scope and excellent for its cost. I just don't get on with the focusser - might see if I can replace it with something better. How do you find yours to use?

Couldn't crack it in either my Tal125R achro or the SW Evostar 150ED refractors over the last two nights, despite pouring on the magnification. Anything over 250x-300x probaly didn't help to be honest, given the seeing and the lowish altitude and the fact Sirius lies adjacent to/over my neighbour's house from my view position. I think I need to get out of town or wait for a really steady night.

I've had this scope since December last year, and its had a fair amount of starlight now, albeit under generally poor/average seeing conditions. Still, long enough for me to have come to some conclusions. My skies are suburban, but pointing towards central York. Apparently I'm in Bortle 6, but I'd say closer to 7 (right on the edge according to the maps I've seen). In a nutshell, its a 6" (150mm) ED (glass unspecified) with a focal length of 1200mm (f8), with a price well under £2k. FLO currently have it for £1799 - I was lucky enough to buy mine for £1520, before the recent price rises kicked in. It has the same fit and finish as the rest of the Evostar (Pro) range. A big fixed metal dewshield adds to the weight at the top end, it has some basic rings and a vixen/sw type dovetail and a 2" fixed dual speeed focusser (note, mine did not come with a 2" to 1.25" adaptor), all delivered in a well padded hard case. The interior is well baffled, and I don't see any stray light. The OTA with rings weighs in at 9.5kg and is substantially easer to handle than the 150mm f10 Istar I used to own. The case is huge, sturdy and heavy and nearly unmanageable with the scope inside. There is a sprung handle at either end and a central carry handle on one side. Four locks, and plenty of inserts/cutouts in the interior for accessories. I mount the scope on an Az-Eq 6 GT, in eq mode which handles it easily. I could really do with a mini-pier to lift the tube a bit, as I do find myself kneeling to observe targets near the zenith. My basic testing and observations to date indicate that the scope is basically collimated fine, with no obvious aberrations. It controls colour reasonably well (much better than my f9 125mm achro), but there is a little colour on the limb of the moon for example. Doesn't bother me (I don't really notice it when using my achros anyway, although they're all pretty "long", so not too bad in anycase). Star images are generally good and sharp pretty much across the whole lens. It'll take high magnification on the moon, and doubles (haven't had an opportunity to test it on planets yet). Its aperture ensures it gives really pleasing views of features such as the Orion nebula - almost a 3D feel, with lots of structure visible. Despite the moonlight over the last couple fof nights, it was able to bring out the granularity in M3 and m94 as it started to resolve these clusters at medium magnifications (hinting at what it might be capable of under a good dark sky). Its been great for splitting multiple systems so far (the Pup still eludes me however). I was even afforded a suprisingly good view of M53, depsite it being at low altitude through average seeing last night. If I have a criticism, its that it feels soft when trying to focus at high powers (250x plus), even allowing for seeing. Even at medium powers, it just doesn't have that snap to focus I enjoy with my other fracs: both of my TALs seem to exhibit a decent snap to focus even with non-dual speed crayfords and the baader steeltrack on my f13 100mm achro (one of Richard Day's Carton lensed Skylights) is leagues ahead of the focusser on the Skywatcher. To be fair, its seems to hold heavy eyepieces in a 2" diagonal well enough though. To sum up, considering my suburban and limited skies, and the largely indifferent seeing since I bought it, I think its a pretty good telescope for the money. It controls colour reasonably well, better than the 102mm ED Starwave I had a few years back (that had FL51 glass, if I recall correctly), but maybe not quite as well as the SW Equinox 120 I used to own (close though). Nevertheless, I feel it has great potential - as I get to know how best to use it, I'm getting better results with it, and I think it could really do wonders in the right conditions and under a dark sky. It has great light grasp and good optics. It is well made, but pretty basic. In my opinion it is let down by a poor focusser, but I can live with that focusser being non-rotatable, adn I don't mind the fixed dew shield. I'm sure it is not the best performing scope out there, but to get something significantly optically better at the same aperture I think I'd have to spend a good £1000 extra (or more, if I went triplet). Of course, that would likely bring a better finish and improved mechanicals (rotatable focussers etc). Still, a robust and capable 150mm ED in a manageable tube length that'll perform pretty much as well as my average seeing conditions will permit, all for well under 2 grand? Whats not to like!

I have a Skywatcher AZ-EQ 6GT which I mainly use in equatorial mode - its been really good over the years - robust, quiet and tracks well (well, at least for my needs; I'm pretty much visual only). Handles my 125mm f9 achro easily and manages my SW 150mm ED f8 ok too (for visual, certainly). The SW 150 ED is c. 9.5 kg for OTA and rings. This mount should have no problems with a 115mm Triplet. I have no hesitation recommending it.

That is truly astonishing! Thanks for the link!

Thanks for that link John. Excellent resource I'd completely forgotten about! My night wasn't so good and pretty frustrating - haze and ridges of cloud rolled in as just as I'd got aligned/balanced and cooled. Seeing started off average, but declined. I knew it was going south when one minute I could see the F component of the trapezium and the next it was gone and the main four were dimming. Like you I then retreated to a few easy doubles in the Cancer/Leo region, and enjoyed some moon-time. I did play with seeing how much magnification I could usefully use on the moon with the Skywatcher ED (pretty high, it turns out) as I'm nearly ready to write up my review of it now - I just really want a good clear night of steady seeing (don't we all ).

Set up just after dark. Left scope to cool for 40 mins and came back out to a high thin haze with some thicker rolls of cloud. Poor transparency and a milky sky with the scattered moonlight. First "clear" night in ages; its so frustrating. Oh well, good practice in setting up/taking down the kit! Hope the rest of you are having a better time :). Nice moon though!

I like kneeling on the wet gravel to observe at the zenith.... . My knees absolutely hate me now! I need one of these

Cloudy. Packed up. Frustrated :(. Bet its properly clear next full moon.... . Again. Those of you with clear skies, grab some photons for me would you?

Packed up - I think the high cloud you had has made it to this side of the Pennines! Might join you in a rum though ;).

Same here Saganite. Packed up 30 mins ago. Started out nice and promising at 7pm, but then a high thin haze rolled in and steadily thickened. Ah well, had fantastic night last night, so two on the trot was maybe a bit much to expect. I love that 5" f15 of yours - beautiful!

Got my scope out cooling ready for action. When I say cooling, I mean freezing

So, a beautiful clear, crisp, cold night here in York, with steady seeing and reasonable transparency (allowing for the moon... ). Best night I've had in ages, and typically one before an early start for work! I decided to go "old school" for this evening, with a 5" achromat (TAL 125R f9). I have some history with this telescope - I ordered it from Italy, and it arrived with some awful issues visually - soft, unable to come to sharp focus etc., but thanks to the good offices of ES Reid its spherical aberration has been pretty much cured. It is certainly not the most expensive telescope I've ever owned, nor technically the best performing, but the most travelled (well, it was made in Siberia and came to the UK via Italy, and Ive taken it to Skye on holiday with me twice)! It is simple in construction and finish, robust, with a single speed but effective crayford focusser and a fixed plastic dewshield on a plain white tube (the same as the 100mm RS), which flares about three-quarters of the way up its length expanding to accomodate the 5 " objective cell. I have probably spent more time with this scope than any of the others I have owned. On the right night, this telescope is fantastic. It almost seems that its Siberian origins come into play, as it gets better and better the colder it is. And it is cold tonight! I started with the moon. Wonderful sharp views along the terminator and I could pile on the magnification to well over x300. Yes, there is some colour spill on the limb, but I can ignore it happily. The differences in the "grain" of the surfaces in the various mare and plateaux, the stark contrast between the shadows on craters and mountains and the various rilles that I can see more than make up for this. As the seeing steadied I was able to resolve down to 4km happily (and a little more with the eye of faith) - the craterlets in Clavius were a joy to behold and to count - best views I've had in a long time. And now I really need to improve my lunar geopgraphy to understand and name the features I was seeing. I turned to Orion next. M42 shows real structure - not quite as much as in my 6" ED, but tantalisingly 3d (If that makes sense) and gorgeous nonetheless. Orion is relatively low for me and part obscured by twiggy bare trees, and above my neighbours offshot kitchen with thermal plumes from their central heating boiler vent to deal with. Regretfully, these obsrtuctions and thermal distortions meant that tonight I was unable to pull out the F component of the Trapezium, but I did just get the E part. No luck with Rigel or Sirius. Sigma Orionis did split nicely though. I then tried a few more nice doubles, including Beta Mon (I really enjoy this system - its a "new" find for me), then went for my main planned target, Tegmine, now that my eye was attuned. I used a Baader 10mm Ortho on a Baader x2.25 barlow to get x253. The A/B pair were cleary resolved, and heavily "notched", but not a split. The target was quite high by now, and the seeing holding steady, so I popped in an 8mm Ortho (same barlow) for x316. And a sliver of clear sky separated the two stars, with one noticeably less bright than the other. Vey happy result. I decided, despite the moonlight, to go galaxy hunting. Nothing doing in Leo, I just could not see M65 or M66. I turned north to M51, and could just make out a very dim blur, no structure and I couldn't differentiate NGC5195. Similary with M101, a very feint blur and that only seen with averted vision and "tapping" the eyepiece (the movement helped me be certain if the blur was just light spill or "real", if you see what I mean). M81 and M82 were easily seen though. I finished on Mizar, simply because I like it and enjoy seeing that double together with Alcor in one easy field. Sometimes, I really enjoying simply spending some time on "simple" or "easy" targets, which I'll often overlook just because they are somehow "obvious". All in all, I really enjoyed my night out - its nights like these that make all the frustrations worth it! Clear skies, all!

Much better conditions tonight for me. Cold, clear and steady seeing and significantly better tranparency than yesterday (well, taking the moon into consideration). I'm using my 5" achro (TAL125r) tonight. Decided to have another crack at Tegmine, after getting my eye in on Beta Mon and a few other targets. I was able to push the magnification more this evening than yesterday, This target began to resolve very nicely at x253, but not quite split. Popped in an 8mm baader ortho and the baader x2.25 barlow for x316 and was rewarded with a sliver of clear sky between the A/B pair. Really happy! Right, now I've warmed up a bit off out again!

Started off well early evening but the seeing seemed to get worse, albeit steady. Moon light scattering everywhere, and transparency deteriorated with thin haze in waves rolling in from abut 11pm. Gave up around midnight. Spent some time on the moon, which was excellent, and had some fun double-hunting nonetheless, including some new ones for me such as Iota Cancri, Beta Mon, 57 Cancri, 38 Gem and some others. But couldn't split Rigel, and couldn't split Tegmine and couldn't see either or E or F in the Trapezium. Spent a fair bit of time with the SW150ED and starting to form some clearer views on that which I'll post elsewhere. Anyway, always better to be out under the sky without wall to wall clouds :).

Well done, John. Couldn't quite crack it with my SW150ED tonight at x240 - heavily "notched" for sure but I couldn't swear to a clean separation. Had a go later when it was a bit higher with my TAL125R at x224 and got pretty much the same result. Seems I need to push the mag a bit higher then.

The one I use most is a TS Optics branded WA 20mm super plossl. Cheap as chips when I bought it but crystal clear across the field, superb value for money - my "alignment" eyepiece and general workhorse. Its probably my favourite as much for its utility as well as sharpness. Then I usually move on to a TAL 15mm Kellner, probably my second-most used ep, and from there on to my Baader 10mm ortho and if the conditions are right I push on through my smaller Baader orthos from there. I don't really have much in the widefield way, but I do have a 2" 30mm TS Optics branded GSO Erfle - that is wonderful for framing open clusters and things like the double cluster and sweeping through expansive and dense star fields. An honourable mention to my TAL 25mm Plossl, really clear and sharp. This was my workhorse until I got the TS 20mm. It was my first decent eyepiece and was in a different league to the 25mm plossl that came with my frst scope, a Celestron 8SE - that scope was excellent and I still regret selling it but that ep was poor. I did have a TV Delos 10mm and x2.5 powermate at one time, but sold them. Dunno why now 🤔. I found I wasn't really using them (the powermate saw a little more action than the Delos), and I don't really miss them. I'm not sure I was at a stage the hobby where I could appreciate them, maybe.

Does anyone know if the Mark IV zoom is a significant improvement on the Mk III? I have the latter - its pretty heavy, and I think the 8mm highest setting is somewhat "soft" compared to all the other settings. Mine is a good few years old now and coming very loose inside (it rattles) and was wondering about upgrading to the IV. The barlow for this zoom is very good though - I recommend it.

I seem to have had too many nights ike that recently :(.

Love mine. Had it for around 5 years now (predates the new "pro" branding and green setting circles). Used to use it in AZ mode with an 8" SCT and 80mm refractor. Nowadays I mainly use it in EQ mode, to get my long refractors a little higher off the ground :). Manages even my 6" f8 'frac with little problem. I've found mine to be robust, accurate (well, certainly enough for my needs as a mainly visual user) and easy to use. I tend to leave mine set-up in the garden under a scope cover for long(ish) periods of time. I think these mounts are fantastic value for money. I am tempted to get that wooden tripod set-up JeremyS has in his photos though... .

Hi there! If its the same as the synscan version on my handset (for my AZ-EQ 6 GT), there is a park scope function. This can be found from the main menu, under utilities , keep scrolling til you come to park scope. This sets it to the home position you have set (for me usually straight up when I'm operating in EQ mode). No idea about the power issue though, sorry.

I really liked the Equinox 80 I had. Regret selling it. Nice views, nice build quality and a handy portable size. I've recently filled this gap in my scope arsenal with one of TS's 80mm EDs. https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p7169_TS-Optics-ED-APO-80-mm-f-7-Refraktor-mit-2-5--R-P-Okularauszug.html. To be honest I never had a real issue with colour control with the equinox except on the very brightest of objects. The TS seems marginally better controlled (f7) and by marginally I mean I barely had any issue with the equinox, and so far no issue with the TS. I've really had little chance to use it much as yet, though. I think you'd need to go triplet to completely avoid the issue?

So, finally got to spend some time with the SW150 ED. Here it is looming out of the dark! Big, but much more wieldy (if thats a word) at f8 than the Istar 150 f10 I used to own. Seeing pretty "soft" tonight, and regretfully no view to the south west (so no supere conjunction). But a lovely view of M42, lots of structure in the nebula at 100x and 120x. Managed a nice convincing split on Sigma Orionis at x120, but then it started clouding over. Really need more time, but the more I use it, the better I'm liking it.