Joe G

I’ve enjoyed reading about your dilemma & the various interesting responses so far so I thought I throw another suggestion to you. There’s a nice used 4” fluorite refractor going for a bargain on ABS & he might take an ONO which if I didn’t have the Vixen model it would already be on it’s way here now . Test it against your present scopes & if you like it, store it away safely. With the money left over buy whatever you fancy & after a number of years when you’re my age you might find, like me, the 4” scope may be the only one you’ll need

Sometimes we have to sell the past to buy the future so I’m looking forward to seeing what you get for a replacement

Great comparison photos!! The 120 doesn’t look to be much bigger /longer but probably a bit heavier than my Vixen FL102S. I definitely have something else to think about now

Congratulations David that is always my dream scope but not sure what is the minimum size mount for something as heavy and expensive as that beaut!! If you ever get a chance later on could you post a picture of both your Taks to show the physical differences

Hi Apologies in advance for butting in but I didn’t want to start a new thread. I have a friend calling this evening to hopefully look through my telescope & was wondering if the GRS will be visible on Jupiter at some point. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated thanks Joe

Hi It’s strange the different seeing conditions there were out there. I was out yesterday evening till about 8.30 & the views were the best I’ve seen this last month . I was able to view Jupiter with a Pentax XF 8.5 mm & Saturn with a Meade UWA 5.5 mm showing great amount of detail

Hi folks thanks for the replies. It’s also good to see that Saturn is also going to rise higher in the sky as time goes by Joe

Hi I went back out last night & got set up again. However I had left the scope in the garage and it was still dewed up from the earlier session. I didn’t want to use a hairdryer ( old wives tales about different temperatures on fluorite) so packed it away for the night

Hi all Jupiter just appeared to my naked eye when I went outside to take a look but I believe the clouds are coming in. Anyway thanks for the heads up & hopefully I’ll get a chance to see it again some time soon Joe

Hi Stu what time do you reckon the GRS will appear approximately? I just finished viewing for tonight and it’s getting cloudy but it’s giving a couple of clear periods later on. BTW I’d love get a look at Jupiter through that 5” fluorite scope !! Health to enjoy Joe

Hi I’ve been looking at the planets lately and Jupiter is nicely positioned for good viewing sessions over the next few months but Saturn seems to be disappearing out of view more quickly. I’m wondering if Saturn will always still be visible in the nighttime sky in the Northern Hemisphere over the next few years . Hopefully someone out there can reassure me & any replies would be appreciated thanks Joe

Spot on Franklin!!😁

I just had my recently purchased FL102S out for the first time doing some daytime terrestrial viewing. Also just back in from a short session viewing Jupiter, Saturn & the moon before the clouds finally blanked everything out. Maybe I’m a little “starstruck” at the moment but I believe the optics in this scope is something special

Hi I picked up this scope lately. I was looking for a 80mm doublet but went for this as I always wondered what the viewing would be like through a triplet. It gives a clear sky tonight so hopefully I’ll get my first look at the stars

Good idea, I need one for my dob so let us know how you get on with the project