Saganite

Good choice. I have used a pair of 24mm Pans for a few years now.

Hi Chris, I enjoyed the video particularly as I had an Evostar 120 some years ago, and it was a good telescope. As you know I still have three Achromats at f15, f14, and f10, and they do everything I could wish for, and do it very well. Good to see you again, and I am glad that all is well. Steve

Well done Dave, very pleased for you !

Me neither, particularly as I need two of everything, but I agree, just what you consider the best of the ones tried would be enough for me also. The Axion 23mm sound like a very good alternative .

Sure is Dave , and will be the very last of my scopes to go..

I don't know why but I have not put my Vixen ED103S wt on this thread, so here she is again.

Just arrived , to join the XW 30 purchased 12 months ago. Having owned the 20mm, 10mm, and 7mm in the past I was immediately struck by how small it is .

I have picked out the Leo Galaxies M65 and M66 and M95 and M96 but with averted vision mostly. I also got M81 in Ursa Major but not M82. The sky has been darker, because these Galaxies usually stand out well from my garden. I have certainly seen them better, before tonight, with the Dob.

The seeing is pretty decent at the moment, and with the Moon gone, I just had a fair view of The Crab, so lots of fuzzy hunting tonight I think.

A beautiful sketch Achim , really fine ! Keep posting please....

I have missed a session recently for that very reason, but it is a hobby, so no big deal. The seeing BTW is pretty good but not good enough to crack Orionis 52 & 32, the reason I am out tonight. Ah well maybe a bit later, maybe not.....

Not being sure of the seeing tonight I put the Vixen out again on my tripod and checked out the doubles in Orion. It looks about as good as it was on 17th/18th so I am changing to the 5", Andromeda. Moving the AZ100 from tripod to pier took all of 60 seconds which is one of the many things I love about this mount, so I will let the scope cool for a while and see.

My 5" f15 scope is a beast to handle and I share your anxiety so I fitted an aluminium block to the underside of the dovetail and this allows me to mount the scope vertically, the block taking the weight, whilst firmly gripping the handle, and tightening the clamp bolts. For me this works perfectly , mounting and dismounting the scope , in the wee small hours when it is covered in ice. This scope is only used on my steel pier in the garden so it is much higher than it is shown on my tripod, but the idea is the same. This also means that the basic balance position is always the same, so little adjustments can be made with the white scope ring and taxi magnet with weights.

Hi Dave, It would be easy to spend a whole evening in and around Orion wouldn't it, so much to observe . Now that you have the 2" clicklock on the Zeiss prism diagonal for Trinity, the FS128, I eagerly await your findings re the Axiom 23mm ....

Just spent 30 odd minutes on Orionis 32 and I cannot split it. What I thought might be a dark split line, is I believe the gap in the diffraction ring. I need the atmospheric stability of the other night and it will show readily I am sure, as the Dawes limit for Andromeda is 0.9", so doable, but not tonight. I can only see the 4 main stars of The Trapezium also.

I'm with you on that Dave . Just me and Andromeda tonight. The wind has completely dropped here. Have fun... Beautiful set up BTW.

It is a pity John, but I do not recall seeing as superb as the other night, for many years, so I guess I will have a long wait for the next.. I am going to have a good go however, at the ones I failed to get last week, Orionis 52 & 32.

I have had nice views of Neptune and Uranus very early this evening and I will hope to get a few doubles and star clusters with my 5" f15 for as long as I stay out tonight. The seeing is good but not the same as the incredibly stable seeing of 17th/18th !

Really fine image John ....👍

Superb result Stu !! I also did not realize that its movement against the background stars could be watched in real time, so I will have a go tonight; thirteen hours of clear sky is forecast for my area today starting 7pm this evening. I will need all of that to find it probably. Could be a tiring session....

Yes it counts, and it is a pleasure to see such a lovely scope !

Absolutely correct Dave. Seeing last night how the Vixen can really perform given the best conditions has made me cherish this scope even more, though I knew it was very capable. I will be out every night this week if the sky is clear hoping for more like last night.

Yes, the skies here look good most of the week. If the seeing will be as good as last night, I can't wait.

It was great seeing last night for sure and I too used a 4" scope. I am very much a Moonwatcher but I really long for dark sky for a few sessions now.

You certainly believe in being 'tooled up' for the job Stu, you won't miss anything that's for sure. Glorious set up !