paulastro

Wow Garry, that's one fabulous setup. Good luck with the sale / trade.

That's a really lovely drawing Chris. Look forward to seeing of any you do of Mars. Please!

If you want a portable scope and not bothered about wide field I'd go with the Mak, great planetary images if you leave it outside under cover to cool down. The 150PL is a great all round scope, very good on the planets too. You can get the Dobsonian version which gives you a mount for around £230 I think - perhaps the best option from what you've said. I've had both of these and they are both great quality and I loved using them. My mistake, only £209 !! https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-150p-dobsonian.html

Now sold.

No it doesn't Agnes. By trial and error you just have to adjust the silver tensioning screens until the scope can be pushed in position and the slow motions still work. Of course if you added a heavier/longer scope on the mount in mid-session you'd have to run through the procedure again. Though the AZ5 is really good with my Celestron 127, if I only wanted to push the mount round and didn't need to use the slow motions, I'd use my AZ4. It's more sturdily made, takes heavier loads and has a smoother motion when you push it round.

Yes, it can Paul. Just adjust the silver locking screws in altaz and azimuth until they have the right tension and away you go. It is possible to have them tensioned so that you can push it round and use the slow motions - depending what scope you have and how balanced it is on the mount.

The Bresser looks as if it will be a good combination with the AZ5 .

Mik I don't like to disagree with my good friend mikeDnight, but I DID have difficulty using the DL on Mike's AZ5. It was impossible for me to use the azimuth control when stood behind the telescope, which is the best place to stand. The azimuth knob is in a very awkward spot and at a silly angle and I consider it a major design floor for this mount. I would recommend anyone who wants to use their scope on this mount tries one out first - to see if they can reach the azimuth knob while stood behind the telescope. For this reason I thought the AZ5 was a pigs breakfast, and until very recently I didn't like it very much - I found my AZ4 much better for a long scope than the AZ5, and also much sturdier. This changed when I recently bought a used Celestron 127 Mak and tried it on a recently acquired used AZ5 I had bought not too long ago thinking it might be useful in the future if I can every afford another small solar scope. The Celestron 127 and AZ5 are a killer grab and go combination!! The AZ5 takes the Celestron's weight easily and it is easily operated in azimuth standing behind the scope because of the mere 14 inches length of the Celestron. The slow motions are not the smoothest in my view (compared with my Vixen Polaris mounts for instance) but they are perfectly acceptable for the short and lighter Celestron scopes. The moral of this story - try the AZ5 with the scope you intend to use it with BEFORE buying it.

Excellent condition. Latest Black Diamond version as below: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-150pl-ota.html A huge saving on the new price. Includes all accessories except the barlow. Must be collected from BD22. £80

Now Sold.

Yep, my vote is for Orion Optics. I thought I recognised the cell as being one of theirs.

I have this set in virtually mint condition, hardly used. http://www.shopatsky.com/the-complete-sky-and-telescope-collection It appears it's unavailable at the present time and hard to find. I bought it from the USA for about £150 I seem to remember. I'd like to get this amount if I can, including postage. Many thanks.

I've dealt with Steve at ENS and he's a nice chap and very helpful. Steve does aim to sell his gear at a price that most of us would ask if we were trying to sell it ourselves, but bear in mind he's in business to make money so don't bee too surprised I f he offers you less than you might expect. Never the less, a phone call won't do any harm.

Thought this tool might be useful for Mars observers who don't know about it already. Mars Mapper show what is visible on Mars at any time during the present apparition. It was produced by Ade Ashford for the AN website. Apologies if anyone else has posted up this information, I did a search and couldn't find any mention of it. Link below. https://astronomynow.com/mars/ As it shows, only 55 days to closest approach! ( 51 days to opposition ) Regards, Paul

Thank Jules. I think on reflection it would be a bit silly for me to buy it - I'd end up with bits of two scopes I'd struggle to move on, not very good financially . Now, if you were selling your SW127.................. Thanks again Jules. Regards, Paul