Saganite

I also have the Meade 56mm 5 element 'smoothie' for use in my 5" f15 where it gives me the widest FOV that I can get, within fiscal restraint, and at this it excels. I have also been reading other peoples views and decided that at f5.3 the APM 30mm UFF would be a good bet for my Dob, so hopefully this thread that you have started will prove to be timely.....

Cheers Fozzie....

Cheers Dave, It was a very enjoyable session, and I am delighted with this Vixen telescope. I will send a pm later with a query or two.

Very good in my part of Cambridgeshire, 200X plus on Lunar , it was so steady. Near perfect star tests, excellent . By 1.15 am the transparency got a bit worse, but all in , a very good session

I agree John. I certainly did it with FC100 and single eyepiece, but not with a binoviewer. Now that Orion is high, there is a lot of wispy cloud and moisture so I think I will call it a night.

So close to getting E&F with the bino, but I think it is going to need better seeing than I have at the moment. Definitely think it is doable.

Just spent 30 minutes trying without success on the Trapezium and then found that the objective had completely misted over. I should have thought of that and put a dew heater on it, however I have brought the scope in to warm up while I do the same and have a cuppa. I still have a few hours for another go and the sky shows no sign of worsening. Another star test, this time on Capella ,high in the sky showed almost perfect diffraction patterns, so plenty still to look forward to.

Glad you got something John. I cannot believe my luck tonight it just goes on and on. I now have a glorious view of Orion , rising in the east so am hopeful that I will get a crack at the Trapezium tonight, maybe even Sirius.

Hi Dave, An amazing night so far for 'first light'. Lunar binoviewing has been just incredible , 198x is as far as I can go, with a pair of 10mm Pseudo Masuyamas and is steady and fantastic, but I just popped in the Tele Vue zoom on 3mm = 253x and it is still steady though I cannot see any more detail, can't expect to really. The Moon is getting low over the damn bungalow now, so I think I will put in a bit of wide field sweeping, and include the two that you mention. Just a glorious 3 hours so far and the seeing is good, though the transparency I feel is deteriorating a bit. Mars was pretty good, again quite high mag usable. I will have to ask for vouchers this Xmas so that I can get another Rowan clamp for the mount. I really fancy Andromeda and the Vixen side by side...

Thanks Mark. I think it is.

7.05 Doug, in for dinner and some red as you put it, and then out again. Still clear and the Moon is steady at 198x Glad you had a good session Doug !

Thanks. It is a wonderful scope and the sky for my first light with it tonight has been so kind ! The Vixen Flourite scopes are superb I believe, but I have not had the pleasure.

Thanks David. I have just spent 20 minutes on Mars. Not as good as I had hoped considering its altitude in the sky now, but maybe later.

Thanks. That is what I am using, 19mm Pans and 12.5mm Celestron Ultimas.

Just did a star test on Vega. I am no expert but the diffraction patterns inside and outside of focus were good and the star focuses down to a neat 'bull's eye '

I am gutted for you chaps. It is so clear and steady here.

Yep I am on it also. Very sharp and steady at 159x . It will certainly take more but I have to view Jupiter before it goes behind the bungalow Have fun Doug, it is going to be a long night I think.

Thanks John, this my first ever Vixen ! First light with this scope is showing glorious views of the Moon, very sharp and steady at 159X. The sky looks very promising for tonight. Hope it is the same where you are.

Very recently acquired, in absolutely lovely condition, in answer to my advert. It transpires that this telescope, just like Andromeda my 5" f15, was previously owned by my friend Dave, ( f15 Rules ). With assurances from Joe the previous owner and from Dave it was a very easy decision to make though I was a bit concerned about it being sent by post from Northern Ireland. It arrived safely having been triple boxed , within 24 hours of being posted , and I am delighted with it. On the AZ100 it is, predictably, rock solid. It feels good to have a high quality 4" frac again.

It just got better ! On my pier it is even more solid....settle time under 2 seconds

Seeing not so good here John. Jupiter not so good as it is low over the bungalow behind me, but good enough to enjoy, as is Saturn, though not as steady as I had hoped for. Mars is pretty good already but waiting for it get higher, and then of course the Moon. This is the first real chance to try this set up and so far I am happy with it.

For all the reasons already mentioned, it is Orion for me, without question. It was the very first pattern of stars in the sky that I recall staring at as a child, from my garden on the Southern edge of town.

I scored 2 . Very amusing to watch. Thanks for that Jeremy.

Very nice Fozzie. I look forward to your first light report . It does look compact, except when it is on the mount

Hi Lewis, Welcome to SGL..... If you are not in a hurry, consider a used Orion Optics VX12L Dobsonian. I have one with a 1/8th, almost 1/9th wave mirror which is a very good quality, and I bought it in excellent used condition for £650. I am 5' 8" tall but my eye level is 2" higher than the eyepiece of the scope when it is vertical. The tube is aluminium and so light that I can carry it comfortably ( I am 68 years old ). The base footprint is also less than 18". I have used the Skywatcher 12" and the Meade Lightbridge 12" prior to the OO VX12, and whilst they are very capable scopes, they are as heavy and large as has been mentioned. I will not need another 12" Dob for the remainder of my observing life. Hope that helps