Telescope40

Hello. Great discussion. Here’s my take. Got a MEF focuser fitted to my Tak FS128. Like it a lot. However if binoviewers in use I have got an option for finer control. Maybe not what the OP may be looking at Regards John

Paul. I wouldn’t use it for another OTA, either. 😂😂😂 John

Setup my Tak about 4.30. Thin high cloud about but some good breaks. Plan was to catch the ISS hopefully with my scope and then follow up with a few observations. ISS - great. Really chuffed. 15mm plossl in use and I was able to track very well. Seeing the shape of the station very well. Note to self - increase tripod height next time you idiot !! Any follow up however, after filling my face, is a no go. The high cloud has increased. Can still see the Moon and Jupiter but just not worth persevering with. Love this hobby we all have. Best of luck to the rest of you guys and gals. 👍🤣😡 John

Stu. Getting Equatorial belts upside down. I’ll put it down to being giddy with the view. John

Hello all. Just come in after about a 2 hour session. The chosen footwear not cutting it. Firstly caught the ISS in my Canon IS 10 x 30's and could swear I could see another object in the field of view, much fainter, keeping pace with the ISS. Maybe a reflection from the binos. Odd but hey !! Tak 128 had 30 mins cool time. Moved onto Saturn and Jupiter. Have to say it's a rather steady night unlike other recent posts. Sorry chaps !! Jupiter is magic. Rather large dark mark in the SEB on the meridian these last 20 mins or so. Pity no GRS or transit action. Moon - using my Duplex Moon Atlas - nice views of Vallis Schroteri. The illuminated side wall of Aristarchus giving up detail. First time for me noting Rupes Toscanelli and the peak of Mons Herodotus shining nicely on the terminator. Nice session. Maybe another go tomorrow looking a the forecast. If it don't pan out, you can all blame me. John

Dave. The Tak is fully aware of my musings and is safe in the knowledge. My main answer to you would be the word - Vixen ?? Why have one scope when you can have more. Unless this particular scope I fancy, partially for aesthetic reasons, pops up on an ad somewhere in the future, I will happily continue with a monogamous relationship with my 128. Really appreciate your concern and will pass on your message to my Takahashi. Hope all is well with you John

Fair point @Peter Drew but I ain’t too impressed with my paint skills 😂😂

Hello. Have one scope at the moment and it should be more then enough - A Tak FS128. Owned for a year. Very fortunate to have it along with certain SGL members who assisted in getting my mucky paws on it. However. I do rather fancy a 8in SCT to go along with it. Used to own, a decade ago, a Meade LX90 10 inch which gave me many hours of fun. Only parted with it as rather a lump when negotiating the stairs in the house I owned at the time. Anyway I've been looking for a Meade 8in LXD55 SCT in it's white livery. I'm not really fancying the Meade blue paint job as the white paint finish will roll rather well with my Tak and Rowan mount. Any luck ? Absolutely nothing apart from tumbleweeds and one advert on ye old FB Astro skit selling group page about 18 months ago. Don't think these OTA's exist. Anyone else looking for a specific scope ATM and found that you are looking for a Unicorn scope. John

Hello all. Rather late to the show here but i actually had 2 sessions over the past 2 nights. Could be it now till Xmas but let's see 😜 Friday night turned out to be taster session as it seemed so long since I'd been outside. Used my time mainly on a new standard pair of plossls with my MaxB binoviewers. Caught the shadow transit of Ganymede with Jupiter showing some nice belt info. As I had work on Saturday I could not wait around for Orion to rise to have an extension to my session. Saturday - glorious day with not a cloud in the sky. Bout 6 pm a sheet of cloud appeared and I thought I was done for. Miraculously all clear by 6.45. Started on Saturn. Very sharp even tho not too well placed. 4 moons immediately spotted without averted vision. Spent a good half an hour playing with magnifications to get the best view. Conditions proving real good. Jupiter next - GRS getting around the limb. Very bright image. Somewhat washed out as noted by others. Getting nice colours from the GRS and bands. NEB looked very busy for sure. I have some filters but never got around to playing them as trying to make the most of the time. Didn't really note of the magnifications I was using. Felt Saturn edged out Jupiter for the best of the night. Moved on to a few usual suspects - M27, Enif, M15, Almach, Albeireo, Al Fawaris. Forgot about Comet Lemmon DOH. Overall a rather good night and hit a few buttons after such a long break. John

Jeremy. That looks fantastic and scary all in one package. no fear of eyepiece drop ?? ATB. John

How many years ?? Could you take a guess 👍👍. John

And the same for me !! Delivered this morning after the recommendation by Dave @F15Rules If cloud is about later I’ve a reading option for this evening. 👍👍 John

Evening Dave @F15Rules. Good to hear from you. All is good with me and hope the same with yourself. Your post is a great read. Going to have to take a shufty on Fleabay re the book you kindly note. I've never seen it before TBH. Will be a nice addition to my smallish book collection I'm sure and will go nicely with the one my " Uncle Frank" purchased for me. It has been pretty well used and I like to have fun with it - checking where the planets are at the mo and looking in the index planet finder co ordinates pages of said book, to see where this matches from years ago ( 70's/80's). I'm happy to sound ancient because I am. I was intrigued re the binos that I flagged up since the book came into my possession (1974). Had always coveted them somehow although the one's you refer to ( 25 x 100) seemed totally beyond any sort of purchase. The 10 x 80 "flak" ex military binos always looked like they might be "reachable". Rather apt too. My Uncle Frank - (actually one of those Uncle's - friend of my dad's from the local hostelry) Great guy. I only ever found out after Uncle Frank had passed that he was a D Day veteran. Went in on the beach that fateful morning !!!!! Also, I never really knew how he had managed to pick out this book for me. Dad could not help with an explanation. Possibly complete luck of the draw by all accounts. Along with the fabled Ladybird book of The Night Sky, the book has been with me throughout most of my astronomy adventures. There has not been much of that lately. 2 sessions since late June. I think most of us are in the same boat but knowing the FS128 is ready when I see fit is fine, for now !! Even astro related purchases have dried up - that may about to change. Best regards John

Thanks both @globular @doublevodka After years of wondering, in minutes I have a result. I did think probably military. I have a pair of WW2 issue 6x30 binos made by Kershaw and Sons Leeds 1940 that I covet on the basis of their provenance. I do wonder what they have seen and been used by who ?? They work nicely for astro, I find, given their low power. If a firearm was placed to my head and I had to part with these binos or my FS128, the binos would stay. There - I said it. John

Hello all. Just bit of help here maybe from knowledgeable people on this forum. Always been intrigued by a pair of binos ( see pic ) from a book I was bought by my Uncle back at Christmas in 1974 !!! Star and Planet spotting - A field guide to the Night Sky. One of my most treasured astro items. Photo in the book shows a bunch of differing binos sat on a garden table. Very interested to know if anyone can ID the big set at the back. I cant quite make out the markings on the side - maybe DF 10 x 80 but no makers name. They have always caught my attention whenever I had cause to pick the book up!! John

Hello all. Finally got out last night for the first time since late June. Combination of summer light nights, holidays and that fluffy stuff that seems to have hereabouts, been as much as I can ever remember. Just night after night - plus days I might add. Did an hour on Saturn with my Tak even tho so close to La Luna. Packed up as guess what - ze cloud came in even tho weather apps showing totally clear. Good to be back and bring on the autumn. John

Hello and thank you for the replies. I've got the one telescope ATM. As suggested. Telescope on the left of the mount now and handle on the right. Not far from the vertical before any fouling of note. John

Frank. Good you got there after a wait. Mine didn’t seem to hesitate and re connected to the mount without any assistance??!! With this sort of stuff I am usually waiting for things to fail. 🥲👎 While I’m here. A question I do have. Recently added the Rowan “handle” to my AZ100. Get the impression it may fowl on the mount if I go for a target with a high altitude. I know you can set limits to where the mount will slew. May I ask if you have done this, what limits/ settings eg 70” altitude you may have input into the mount. Regards. John

Frank. My uploading was pretty immediate??!! There were 2 to choose from. One addressed a glitch in the first. I used that one. HTH. John

Hello all. A heads up. I noticed via ye olde Facebook that the guys at Rowan gave an update a couple of days back re the software update discussed previously here. This has now been made available and I have just downloaded the file and added it to my phone / mount - all seems well. I may well now start using my kit again and this is the kick up the you know where to get me moving. Not touched any, and I mean any, of my gear for about 6 weeks now. Never a thought of quitting just a combination of mid summer - now there's a quote - lack of darkness, poor weather this month goes without saying and other things to be doing. Thanks John

John. That looks epic !! As noted, probably very comfortable too - LOL John

Looking forward to your findings @John - especially the TV zoom v the SVBony 9-3 regards. John

Stu. I’ll leave those decisions in your capable hands. GLWT 😂👍 John

Stu. Go on. Set out a full list please. Sure it will be interesting reading for us all. I’ll sit in the corner looking smug as I “only” have my FS128 these days 😂😂 John

Yes @Stephenstargazer I’ve come to this conclusion. I’ll await a new software update as suggested. John