baggywrinkle

I was able last night to get to play with all the kit at an observing session run by Kings Lynn & District Astronomical Society. As I am in the process of proving part of my set-up that will become the kit I will take on Star Parties and to dark skies sites once I have the lightweight caravan. The Sword of Orion and the Andromeda were taken using the White Cat 51mm APO and the widefield using the Samyang 14mm. The Andromeda was a stack of just 25 x 30 sec @ISO images and the Sword 60x30sec @ ISO 1600 I have the Skywatcher Star Adventurer but will also be adding the iOptron CEM25P to take a 102mm Altair refractor as well.

I agree with the above. If it is just visual the use a compass to get magnetic north (being careful that the magnets on the motors do not cause even more deviation) and use an inclinometer to set latitude. You will be within one degree. Good enough for visual.

LOL Last nights grab....

I have seen good reports on this OTA and took the plunge and bought one. The Red Cat is exactly the same but was not in stock in the UK, so I bought the White Cat.. Due to our wonderful weather it has taken me until now to actually get to use it...it was bought early December. One of the reasons behind the buy was that I wanted a good quality prime lens and this is also forming part of a kit that will be used when I get my small caravan for travel to star parties and dark sky sites. This lens is also cheaper than many Canon ones. The immediate impression as you unpack the box is one of quality. Inside the cardboard shipping container is a neat carry case carrying the cat logo and inside that the OTA. The carry case is tough cloth and foam lined. All the cutting has been done with precision cutting (routing) tools and there are two spare spaces from which the inserts can be removed. The Cat is pure quality, solid feel and no rough edges. It comes with a reversible dew shield that incorporates a clear Batinov mask. The focuser is a helical one and supports the weight of the camera very well. You can add a diagonal for visual work if you so wish. A word of warning: I intended to use either my Canon 650D or 6D or my Sonly full frame 7A. To do that you need to order the adapters to mate with the 48mm thread on the rear of the Cat. The adapters also provide the correct distance between the focal point and the imaging chip in the camera. The adapters can be bought with the Cat. The bayonet adapters also make for a more secure mounting than a side screwed T ring adapter. The rear of the OTA can be rotated to allow the camera being used to be correctly orientated for the shot. The circumference is marked off in degrees for precise realignment if required. Below are a couple of shots, Sword of Orion and Pleiades taken using the Cat and a Canon 6D astro modified camera mounted on the Skywatcher Star Adventurer which takes the weight easily. ISO1600 using 30 sec exposures. The mount was only compass and inclinometer polar aligned. I was very impressed by the wide field of view. Had low misty cloud not interfered I would have been able to see the Horse Head in the shot. I could make it out on individual frames, I think my processing needs working on.

The Tripod is the Skywatcher. Just about right for this set up while still being light enough to carry around. My son also took one of these back in his check in baggage to NZ.

First imaging session in 4 weeks! A lovely 1st Quarter Moon. The whole shot using the new Canon 6D full frame camera and the detailed images using the Altair 290M camera. 3000 frames each shot and using the best quality above 60%, roughly 300-400 frames. Both on the LX850 12". I have had the GP290M for about 6 months and it has replaced my Altair 178C for Lunar. The Canon 6D (mod'd) has been added to my collection. I was very surprised how much Moon I could fit in the FOV compared with the 450D

The Altair Astro 70mm ED is also a great travel scope. Comes as a complete kit with a well padded travel bag. My son took my previous one to New Zealand and I have just replaced it.

https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/reviews/telescopes/primalucelab-airy-apo-65f-apochromatic-refractor/ I have this side by side on my LX850. Superb wee OTA, great focuser and a lovely clamping mechanism for properly securing the camera. The images below were taken with this and a Canon 650D mod'd camera. The built in field flattener makes an amazing difference.

Most likely badged. A huge amount of Chinese optics and accessories get exported under different guises.

Signed up... Thanks for the heads up.

Great program, the skills shown are amazing. Loved both the telescope programs.

I too have the LX850 and had Starlock issues like yours. It does seem connecting and disconnecting works, but it is a fault which Meade have not and IMO will not fix. Great mount but noisy too. Is yours noisy?

They might be still in business and trading normally but would you buy from a company with that hanging over their head?

https://www.ocregister.com/2019/12/05/irvine-telescope-maker-meade-files-for-bankruptcy-after-losing-antitrust-case/?fbclid=IwAR37D1Yt6yJMXfTqIUN1hKAKqCoX0xWBxYPD6tLRC9lmTav6Fe35N819rq4 You can't imagine how angryI am with this news. I have an LX850 less than a year old and this means no support at all.

I am selling on my outreach CPC8, it has been fitted with a Baader Steeltrack focuser and comes with a dew shield, fitted dew band, finder scope, base for a Telrad, EQ wedge, 26mm Plossle and diagonal. I do not have the shipping boxes, hence if the distance is reasonable I'll meet halfway from Kings Lynn. £800 ono