paulastro

Just checked and my firmware version is 2.3, and apparently I have the latest version.

Thanks for posting. I'll check if it works on Android. I've watched the video and from what I saw it seems all about having more control over the exposure in solar mode. A shame, I was hoping for the mosaic feature. Am I correct re the contents of the update??

This was using an 8 inch SC at up to x600, not a 12 inch Newt at up to x461. .

Yes, you're right about the collimation issue. Strange for SCs since they are about the easiest type of telescope to collimate in my view. As you can imagine, with Peter Drew present, the SC I mentioned at Kelling all those years ago would have been spot on! 😊

Mike, I can understand you saying this , to some degree, as your experiences are in the Lancashire/Yorkshire area - which have generally rather poor seeing - even when compared to most other parts of Britain. Add to this that most SCs in use are 8inches or more in aperture and the fact that SCs have suffered from varying quality control issues at various times, and what you say is understandable. However, in places where the seeing is consisteantly much better than in the UK (parts of the USA etc), the SCs have a much better reputation - including for planetary. Peter Drew, who used his 8inch SC from his property in Tenerife over many years, told me many times how he was frequently able to get excellent results on the planets using magnifications between x400 and x600. This would be almost impossible in the UK. Though I agree in the UK an SC would not be many peoples first choice as a mainly visual planetary telescope - I don't think it deserves its sometimes poor reputation. My best view of Mars was many years ago through a 16 inch Meade 16 inch SC at Kelling Heath. The view as dawn broke over the heath was outstanding. This particular SCs had been taken to Kelling from The Astronomy Centre by Peter .Drew and some other members.

Well, all of these makes produce some great scopes, and I've enjoyed owning and using samples of all of them over the years. The most important thing to me is clearly the optics have to be of a good standard, and after that it's if the scope I'm considering buying has other features that may be particularly useful for the purpose I have in mind for it Many four inch refractors have good optics. I went for the Askar because it had a few features that swung it for me such as two finder feet, a handle you can fit accessories to easily, binoviwer friendly calibrated rotating focuser which is a rack and pinion etc etc. Other observers will have their own priorities. Personally, I don't feel any make of scope is better than all of the others in all aspects, it's a matter personal preference. We are very lucky in that there are many good quality manufacturers out there. Certainly many more than there were fifty years ago!

Yes I'm lucky Nicola in that the Askar triplet has a removeable four inch section of tube which brings it down to 21.5 inches long, and if that's not enough the focusser unscrews which brings it down to 15 inches. Just a shame I'm not going anywhere at the moment. 😊

I've had a TSA120 Jeremy. It wasn't too bad. 😊

I agree with you Nicola. But if I was lucky enough to be able to go to the S hemisphere I'd take something smaller than I use at home perhaps my four inch triplet or 130PDS.

Not necessarily, users of other makes and apertures of scope just don't feel the need to go on about them all the time. Personally, I'd prefer to have something with more aperture that was more useful for deep sky as well as planets and double stars 😊.

You're welcome. I think you get a great deal for your money, and FLO have knocked the price down from £999 to £949? But I guess you know this 😊. It's not likely, but if you live within a reasonable distance of BD22 I'd be happy for you to pop along with your binoviewing gear to actually try it out if you're considering buying one. It's always so much a gamble buying something if you haven't had the chance to try it out.

Space Hopper. My binoviewer is a Baader Maxbright v1 and I was using x2 24mm Orthos. At infinity the graduated tube was at 40mm, leaving 60mm infocus left and 40mm out focus left. I was using a T2 Baader/Zeiss BBHS Prism with a 2inch Baader clicklock at the eyepiece end and a 2 inch nosepiece at the scope end. I've mentioned all this because of course it will be different if any of these are different in your setup. If you mean you want to put the power up you can just use shorter focal length eyepieces or your multiplier. I've not used a multiplier and don't know it's affect on the focus position, it may not have any? I really don't think you'd have any problems, after all the graduated focus gives you 100mm to play with, and there are many other ways you can change the focus point - eg the light path through various diagonals and prisms. Remember also, there is 100mm extra infocus as the 4inch section of tube has been removed. I can't imagine many other refractors being so binocular friendly. I hope this is of some use, but feel free if there is anything else I can do to help. You probably know most if not all of what I've said as you already use a binoviewer, you may know a lot more - in which case I apologise.

Yes, I agree with you Mark. I particularly like the two finder feet and being able to attach other items on the handle and dovetail. Its very compatable with adapting it to Starsense use which is one of the reasons that attracted me to it. There are many other features I could mention, and not only the price! 😊.

According to the spec it's 5.5Kg Stu. Sounds about right, before I read the spec I thought it was 12.6lbs. I've been thinking of a trip abroad sometime, but health wise following a heart procedure in Dec I'd have to talk to the medics. 😊. And get a new passport 😀.

I've had my Askar since last year. As some folks will know, it has a four inch section of tube which can be unscrewed. This is to facilitate inserting reducers and field flatteners for astrophotography. Its also for using binoviwers without having to use barlows or other means to bring them to focus. I'd never done this until this afternoon, as I didn't think it a good idea to have to take out a section of tube and reassemble it outside in the dark if I wished to use it with and without a binoviwer during the same session. Anyway, up to now I had only used my binoviewer for planetary and lunar observing. It hadn't dawned on me before today, that this problem could be solved by taking out the section of tube permanently and just bring it back into monovision by just using a couple of two inch extention tubes after I have finished binoviwewing! I removed the tube section, and, of course, it all worked very well.. A shame it took so long for the penny to drop 😂. Another advantage in removing the tube section is that with a two inch prism on board it is now only 21 inches long with the dew shield retracted. If necessary for travel purposes the focuser could also be removed and this would reduce the length to a mere 15 inches long. Can't wait now to get some low power binoviewing time 🙂. Sorry I'm in one of the pics, my wife refused to be the model!

I'm very happy with the S50. I think to throw £4k at the Celestron now would be a huge gamble. I'll stick with what I've got - certainly until Seestar Mk 11 is unveiled. If Seestar can market the S50 for £500, just think what we might get for eight or even twice the price 🤗.

Thanks for all the info Steve, it's very useful.

I've only had the opportunity for a longest exposure of 43mts so far and it looked fine to me - which I expected. It would be wonderfull if the chap on the Facebook group is correct. I'll keep experimenting when I have the chance to go to a darker site and see what the time limit of acceptabilityy is. I've had my S50 since December but I was unable to drive gain until very recently following an operation - hence the delay. Whatever the outcome, the S50 is an incredible bit of kit, better than I thought it might be when I bought it!

It also includes info re a comet which may be a bright naked eye object in the Autumn. Its well worth watching.

Mike, I'm glad it wasn't me that suggested you use a large dose of imagination in your drawings 😂.

Just watched this - it's particularly good for Pons-Brooks. Well worth watching.

Thanks for posting Jeremy. The 1st edition has always been the first book I pick up for Messier object information. It sounds almost like a new book, I must order it, damn! 😅

Went out earlier to catch Pons-Brooks and grabbed a pic at 8.09pm before it was lost to cloud. https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/416019-comet-12ppons-brooks/#comment-4466303

Went out earlier, and despite me seeing no stars lower than Jupiter and 12P/Pons-Brook in that direction, the Seestar S50 managed to obtain some frames to stack. Despite indicating 13mts of exposure, it was only 5mts 40 seconds. I noticed that cloud had completely enveloped the comet only when I had a message saying that it could no longer enhance the image as there were too few stars visible! I thought the S50 had frozen when in actual fact it was waiting for the stars to come out again, which they didn't! Lucky to get 5mts worth. Looking at the nucleus of the comet it looks quite elongated. It almost looks as if it may even be breaking up or perhaps sending out material in different directions? Perhaps the elongation is the movement of the comet due to the S50 tracking on the stars?

Got up at 3am this morning to take some pics of a few summer objects in the early morning sky with the Seestar S50. It sort of reminded me of summer - except it was -1C and I was frozen!