bomberbaz

what aperture and F ratio were the scopes in question stu? Steve

I am a little unsure as to how this will work as the filter is designed to let through light along the 540nm wavelength. Does this stacking of filters work along the lines that the second filter hopefully captures any extraneous light that got through the first filter or are there other dynamics that I am overlooking.

Forgot about this, make sure it clicks twice

when I had the 12" version I didn't have any issues focusing even albeit a different focal length ota. Strange.

I tried a luminous an returned it. I wear glasses or did at the time for viewing and didn't get on with the luminous. Buying a good quality 2 barlow or tele-extender might be a better option. FYI that iis exactly what I do and why I only own 3 main eyepieces for my F4.7 dob.

like the idea of being able to print and laminate with MATT pouches. Once my S&T gives up I may make my own. Also good is the object list with sketch type illustrations, really helpful to people without a lot of experience, manage their expectations better.

I have used all the options you have listed above in one way or another and if given the option now I would get a tele-extender (TE) from either televue or explore scientific. The latter being a lower costing option. I have been using this option for a number of years now with my DOB and find it an excellent solution for much of my deep sky viewing. I have not done a lot of double star work despite spending a fair bit of time collating information on this aspect of the hobby. However I really like the idea of having a barlow or TE for use with a zoom as suggested by @John. This idea is so obvious a great solution for viewing doubles where there can be significant variance in object difficulties that are going to place widely varying demands upon your equipment. Steve

This website are cheap as and also stinless steel. Check dimensions https://www.accu.co.uk/en/hexagon-bolts/17898-SEB-M12-250-A2

I know where you are coming from as was discussing a shed with the other half but it is very limited what Astro gear I would be prepared to put out there, probably only my skytee mount and tripod if I am honest.

I managed to leave mine set up for about 6 weeks before Mr Bomberbaz put her foot down and instructed me to take it down. I acquiesced to her demands. However shortly afterwards she was pushing her luck when she asked me about shifting all the cases of gear from it´s current home behind the sofa to into a cold garage. Oh no no no, that´s not happening.

This price/performance difference is similarly reflected in the eyepiece world. EG: The morpheus performance is easily twice that of the cousin hyperion (caveat fast scope) and is about twice the price. (Mid range from lower range eyepieces) Where this rule of thumb formula starts to slip and is well documented is the next move into higher end such as pentax/televue etc where the jump in price far exceeds the jump in performance. However what you do get imho is something with the edge over it's lower costing rival but also you know has a superb quality feel to it with an excellent resale prospect.

Lots of Az goto here Dan, all with handsets and including the 150i, bit more aperture for you https://www.firstlightoptics.com/az-goto.html The az goto wireless bunch are here https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az-gti-wifi.html

Yes I reckon that answer is right too dd999. Ben, I think the az gti will be perfect for your daughter tbh (oh and you 😅 ). A blend of science and technology will be great to stimulate the young mind along with the Turn left at Orion book which is on its way I hasten to add. Steve

All sorted then, good to hear. FLO are brilliant, always o beyond to help out. Steve

Hiya Simon. What is it exactly you are looking to be advised on as this is unclear. I know you say it is going to stick out some way but that isn't necessarily a problem. Does it come to focus is the one question. Does it appear over heavy and flex the focuser at the ota fixing point. It does state, "is optimised for the new Sky-Watcher Explorer DS f/5 telescopes with 2-inch focuser." In fairness it does state it as being suitable on the FLO website, probably on the advice of SW. Also the 130 pds optimised as an imaging newtonian, it is unclear why are you using for visual. Sorry don't want to sound negative or anything but a bit more information might help people know where you are coming from and provide better informed answers to your queries. Steve

A 127 weighs about 3kg, well my celestron one does. I use it on the AZ gti mount although it will soon be stuck on a skytee-2 as well. I originally bought a 102/gti set up but was quickly underwhelmed with the 102. Got a 2nd hand 127 and there is to me quite a difference. The az gti is simple and a great bit of kit. Some have struggled with it but from what I can gather much of this has been down to tech issues rather than the actual mount. Yes as John says you will need a new diagonal. I gave the one mine came with away as a sweetener cos its better than nothing, but not by much. The rdf is the typical cheapo one but it is adequate if you are using goto to just get you set. Once your set, it isn't needed anymore.

I got M5 x 8mm, plenty long enough

If you mean me Steve I got mine here. https://www.accu.co.uk/162-knurled-thumb-screws-din-464 EDIT. I got the M5 x 8mm A1 stainless steel btw

If you look at my picture of old black one next to the new ones. The black ones already appear to be showing signed of wear and as we both agree, for the cost of a few bob (< showing my age). Sign of the times. Steve

Hahaha, snap there matey, GMTA. Honestly though for the sake of a few pence why don't they just make them of decent quality from the off. Surely the kudos they would get for doing so would be worthwhile in the long run.

That is another very good option there @dd999 and certainly worth considering at the lower price. Also with it being a relatively small newtonian it should hold collimation a bit better than say the 200 size. On the down side it is F5 so will be less forgiving on eyepieces (compromise again)

New thumbscrew bolts have just arrived, a lot better and very worthwhile upgrade.

Hmm wish I had known this before regreasing with a white lithium type grease. I shall run with it for now but at the first hint of stiffening up I shall get some of theAeroshell and strip & regrease again

I have ordered and am waiting receipt of three stainless steel thumb screws with a 20mm head instead of the ones the pillar came with, they only have about a 10mm head and are really hard to grip, I think this will help make the grip more substantial. I think as with many bits that are screwed and/or bolted together, you need to make sure each individual bit is thoroughly tightened and secured before moving onto the next part. With my skytee and mount as it currently is there are 8 individual parts to be tightened, including the three on the pillar shaft and the saddle clamps. Obviously if you fail to tighten one you may end up having to pull it all apart and start again just as you thought you were ready to go. that's a PITA you can do without. I will se how I get on when I get around to giving it a full field test. An upgraded pillar is something I could do without but would if needs be. Steve

Don't know if you are still mulling things over Re: goto. So I have put below three options that might interest you along with basic info. This is the 8" version of skywatchers flextube. trouble is, it is way over budget. Then in addition you need a power source, cable which can be tripped over and pulled out etc, part of the reason I ditched mine tbh. On the plus size it is small(ish), easy to cart around and store and will show you plenty of deep sky objects and should keep you happy for many years. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-flextube-goto.html Then there is pushto, marginally cheaper but you manually push the scope to where the handset tells you based upon whatever object is selected. However these operate on a single 9V twin point battery and are easily as accurate as a goto. Again over budget but it is also 8" and you will find it a lot easier to get along with going forwards imho. As above will show you lots of deep sky objects but as it is a solid tube you will need a little more storage space, not much though, it isn't huge. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Orion-SkyQuest-IntelliScope-Dobsonian-Telescope/dp/B000P2ZPB2 Finally another option to consider is the AZ GTi WIFI mount with a 127 maksutov and it a proper goto. You are giving up quite a bit of aperture here but it has no wires as it operates on 8 AA batteries, these last ages. It is operated from a smartphone such as an Iphone so might appeal to the younger audience. Cost is quite a bit lower too although still over budget. Also the 127 is very forgiving on eyepieces so you wont need to buy top of the range stuff. However it is more suited to planetary and moon but will be fine for clusters and globulars/double stars too. You will also see brighter nebula with this and larger galaxies. Also this will pack away into a small space to once it is broken down for storage. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/maksutov/sky-watcher-skymax-127-az-gti.html Sadly there is no one size fits all. Most telescopes will perform to some extent on all sky objects it is just that some are better suited to different objects (IE galaxies, planets, double stars) than others. It's all about compromise. hope this helps. Steve