DirkSteele

+ 1 for the Gitzi tripod. I use that model. Great torsional rigidity, light weight, and crucially for travel, collapsed length is quite short so fits in a suitcase for example. I reviewed it many years ago on my website. http://alpha-lyrae.co.uk/2014/05/15/gitzo-systematic-series-5-gt5532s-carbon-fibre-tripod-review/

Nice report. I have had some great sessions with my 60mm refractor. I think it actually allows the observer to really refine their observation skills when using such a small aperture, and those skills are then rewarded even more with larger instruments.

My ears are burning. 😉 Gavin can opine on the Baader Travel Companion but he did tell me he was very impressed. However, I do believe they are quite hard to come by. Given imaging is the focus, have you considered the Takahashi FSQ-85? Focal length is a bit shorter than the Baader but it is somewhat legendary as an imaging machine. Assume you might prefer the superior colour correction of a triplet rather than a doublet? The APM LZOS 105/650 is airline portable (I own it) and is a fab scope but quite heavy at c7kg so need to consider your travel mount and tripod solution though it is short and stubby so turning moment is not too bad. You probably need to look second hand to keep in budget though. Will have a think if any other scopes come to mind.

Wow, that is a really impressive image.

I did not notice anything on the dune, but had I switched my headlamp to bright white I might have suddenly been aware of unpleasant things! On the beach, in the early evening there were some mosquitoes but I found replenant took care of that problem. However, once again who knows what might have been scurrying around on the sand!

Thanks! All amateur astronomers should try and find a away south of the equator at least once with some observing equipment to experience these skies.

Actually, if you looked closely at the ground, it was not completely black, even when there was no other discernible source of light, so in way, yep! Annoying Milky Way ruining my dark adaptation!😉

My recent holiday to the &Beyond Benguerra Island in Mozambique was special for many reasons, not least the amazing amount of stargazing I achieved (took my Tak FC-76) under Bortle Class 2 skies. You will have seen several reports if you read the observing reports section. Something else that makes it special is the Dhow Bar on the beach. A traditional dhow vessel was blown ashore during a cyclone about 10 years ago and it was turned into a bar. This was where we would head every night for a pre-dinner drink. I had to try and capture the amazing scene for myself. My wife is sitting at the bar while one staff member mixes a cocktail, Used an unmodified Canon 70D and 14mm f/2.8 L lens. This is a blend of two shots. 2 seconds for the foreground and then 25 seconds shortly after at ISO 3200 f/2.8 for the sky. Shot was harder than I hoped as first attempt was washed out by bright foreground so moved camera 30 metres down the beach, keeping camera on same orientation. Each image was processed in Lightroom and then blended in Photoshop using a layers mask. The 2 sec exposure captured the brightest stars and Jupiter making aligning the night sky straight forward. Hope you like it.

Another observing report from my recent vacation to Benguerra Island in Mozambique. Benefiting from a Bortle Class 2 sky, the whole island is fantastic for stargazing, but one evening, the lodge management arranged for me to stargaze from the top of Red Dune, the highest point on the island, which according to my Fitbit, is 29 storeys high, and provides full 360 degree views. I also had an observing buddy in the form of Grant, head of maintenance, who had an interest in Astronomy and drove me over to the Red Dune. Report is on the link: http://alpha-lyrae.co.uk/2019/08/27/stargazing-atop-red-dune-on-benguerra-island/ Feed back always appreciated. When the sky is this good, even a three inch scope will deliver a memorable evening of stargazing...

Awesome report. I agree, 47 Tucanae is the king of globular clusters.

Thanks! That is very kind to say. I enjoy writing them so would do so even if no one read them but it is good to know others enjoy reading them. Have at least two more reports planned from my recent trip to Mozambique.

I love my small refractors. It means there is never an excuse not to observe. Easy to carry, quick to cool so even short sessions are in play.

I have to admit I am probably going to use the APM Az MaxLoad with the 130 going forward, though it is a much larger proposition to transport around. I do wonder if a better tripod might make the difference to give better high magnification performance that John referenced, but as I have a solution I am happy to transport, there is not much point in me investing an expensive new tripod to find out.

As already mentioned, Tele Optic Giro Ercole. I have used with my APM LZOS 130 which has a larger moment of inertia than the 140 thanks to the length of the tube, and performed quite well. Certainly a solid tripod will be needed. My review from a few years ago. http://alpha-lyrae.co.uk/2015/05/03/tele-optic-giro-ercole-alt-az-mount-review/

Done it many times when on holiday. Obviously in windy conditions you need to be concerned about sand and spray, but otherwise no real issues. I do always set up above the high tide line but I also keep track of the tides while on vacation so I have not suddenly found my feet getting wet.

WHAT!? A confession like that results in an immediate expulsion from Takahashi Owners Club. 😉

Nicolas Louis de Lacaille decided to break up the ancient constellation in 1763 due to its massive size (25% larger by area than Hydra) into Carina, Puppis and Vela. But he can kiss my bum. Argo Navis until I die!😉 My first night on Benguerra Island in Mozambique saw me explore the wondrous DSOs this region of the sky holds. It is an area every amateur astronomer should see at least once. Such a shame it does not rise above the horizon from the UK. The observing report is on the link below. Feedback always appreciated, and as is often the case with my reports, quite a long one. So grab a coffee before you start. http://alpha-lyrae.co.uk/2019/08/17/exploring-argo-navis-on-benguerra-island/ The Carina region of the Milky Way taken in front of our villa where I did most of my stargazing.

I have been fortunate to observe under both Bortle 1 and Bortle 2 skies many times. While near the zenith there is usually little to separate them, I have found that conditions can deviate (but not always) the closer you get to the horizon. I have certainly been under class 2 where small light domes from distant settlements are visible, but under class 1, at least the ones I have observed from, it is that dark all the way to the horizon.

I really think they are well above the standard finders you quote. I use the 30mm and I am not exaggerating when I say it shows as much, if not more than the typical 50mm finders in my collection (Meade, Celestron, TS etc). I have also used the 50mm, and was also very impressed. I am actually considering buying a 50mm Tak finder to use with my larger scopes, but I star hop a lot and a bright, clear image is valuable to me. But they are expensive for sure.

I just use the Tak finder, as unhelpful as that is. They are amazing. If I bought a scope of that aperture and optics were that good, I would be a satisfied purchaser.

Just recently finished my second year undergraduate physics degree and a few of us from the uni Astronomy club took a ferry from Portsmouth to Le Harve which was in totality. We arrived that morning. Was cloudy at first contact but completely cleared 10-15 mins as I recall before totality and stayed clear for a while after. Then we killed the rest of the day before getting the ferry back overnight. It was delayed on departure by an hour as the tide was so high the ramps would not reach the boat!

Ok, I won't tell you to buy Naglers.. Buy Ethos instead!! 😁

The only way to access to the rear lens would be to remove this lens assembly from the tube completely. This is not something I would undertake lightly. I am unfamiliar with the Espirit lenses so I am now sure how they attach. I have had to remove one of the triplets of my LZOS scope before, but that is actually quite simple as it simply unscrews from a housing that acts as the bridge between the lens and the tube. That bridge has the push / pull screws which are used to collimate the scope. Fortunately upon reattachment, the scope remained perfectly collimated. So the question would be, are you confident to remove the lens, clean the rear (there are guides on line on how to clean), and then reattach and possibly need to recollimate the scope? If not, how bad are those spots? If they small and not too numerous, they likely will have limited impact on performance. Front surface lenses get lots of crud on them over time, and the advice is to rarely clean, if ever, as it won't impact performance much, but you could damage a lens far more (I did this once a while back). The alternative, if you are concerned, or think it is impacting performance, is to source an optician who can do the work for you. You could speak to the dealer that sold the scope to see if they can recommend someone.

Do you mean the water spots are on the rear surface of the lens? i.e the side facing the focuser? If so, there is no quick easy solution for that. Can you post some photos focused on the spots so we can see how bad they are?

It is critical to air dry the scope. If you believe you have some condensation inside the OTA, then desiccated silica is your friend. Something like this which can be inserted into the eyepiece end of the scope will help: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dew-prevention/flo-125-2-inch-desiccant-cap.html I would bring the scope in from the garage if you can and allow it dry thoroughly over several days. If you believe moisture has penetrated the mount you could open up the electrical housing so it can breath. However, scopes / mounts are somewhat designed to operate in damp conditions given the difficulties we all experience with dew (don't throw it in a swimming pool though! 😉) and all should be OK once dried out.