jetstream

Its basically new, not even a few hours on it.

That was me on M81/M82 the other night lol! Sure appreciate the truss dobs for that stuff. Sounds like the DM6 would be great and in the cold as well. If it handles the TEC 140 the TSA120 should be good on it too, the DM4 is out in my mind now, thanks. Most definitely, thanks Rob

This can be an asset as it will reduce brightness induced glare depending on the exit pupil compared to mono. ie if your seeing only allows lowish mag and the image is too bright then binoviewers thru the beamsplitter halve the light to each eye- at the same exit pupil as used for mono. Some binoviewers also exhibit "polarization" and can dim one side more than the other on objects like the moon, atmosphere considered. I use Binotron 27's, very highly recommended- for many reasons.

Thanks Jeremy, I wasnt really aware because as a reflector guy (former ) I didnt pay much attention. The Rowan looks superb- my concern is cold weather use ie -30c which I obs in all the time believe it or not. The Rowan looks very very precisely made and with gears? My experience is some things work in the cold and some things dont, even down to thumbscrews in eyepiece adapters, focusers etc. My Tak focuser works fantastic in the cold, tightening up just a tiny bit, some others wont work at all etc. Thoughts Jeremy? Thanks

Thanks Rob, I'm in Canada right on the border and have a legal US shipping address and can get things delivered in 3 days max. I was looking at Diskmount for a few reasons, one being the cold. The big teflon bearings might be very resistant to the cold- I find that anything too precisely made can have issues in the cold... such as gears etc.My AZEQ6 is useless in the cold unless I use it manually. The DM6 handles your excellent TEC 140 easily? Easy to adjust and holds well with different EP weights? I use a Vixen 42mm LWW as my heaviest really then switch to the likes of Delos and Naglers, with the nod to the latter in the fracs. Would a DM4 handle the TSA120? I'm thinking maybe not. I just called DM but are away till Monday, prob spring break Thanks gerry

http://www.discmounts.com/dm6_head.html

Im looking for a mount with encoders that will work through frost and ice in very cold temperatures. The DiskMount from Florida looks like a good set up for my conditions. Anyone use the DM6/DM4? Other mount suggestions welcome. Gerry

@Captain ScarletJust got up and having a nice cup of coffee, waiting for the snow to come again. Today is all about snowmobiling. Yes I just loosen the clutches and the Tak clamshell is a gift from above, install on mount open, close it with tube inside and slide to balance. The whole process doesnt take 2 minutes. I have a small SV mount but no where near up to the task of handling the 120mm's. There are a couple places I graded with the skid loader that are flat so I set up there and the mount is automatically level in those spots, same goes for the 2 concrete obs pads I poured. I'm currently exploring options for a manual alt az that will handle the bigger scopes. Yes we are fortunate to get a nice mix of weather, including many days of clear and stable skies. The TSA120 is turning out to be an excellent DSO scope for its size, very nice throughput and contrast. Leo was low when I observed the triplet... this scope will put up a much better view of it soon.

Perfect! Thanks Mike- I can completely validate your two sketches, M82 basically identical in view and M81 very similar. Same size but I had the inner core shining in there in a tight glow (M81). To get these views, in your suspected conditions is a testament to your ability. Here under these vg conditions like last night, quick views brought the same detail basically. Nice work Mike, Gerry

The sky was great all day and so I assumed the night would be too- and it twas- until it wasnt! SQM-L showed 21.6mag The TSA120 was cooled, along with the prism diag which has its own cooling time IMHO. The AZEQ6 cables get too brittle in cold weather so I use it manual alt az, I must find a dedicated alt az mount that will handle the 120mm. The Leo " doublet" is very easy ie M65 and M66, the 3rd member is a bit harder NGC 3628 ie the Hamburger galaxy. The 42mm LVW picked up the 2 brighter ones immediately as I was dark adapting, and as my adaptation progressed got nice and bright. During this the ghost like NGC 3628 started to appear. Knowing what I needed the 16T5 came out and now it was in direct vision and easy to see. The 10mm BCO was too much at f7.5 on this diffuse nebula at 1.3mm exit pupil. Out came a 12.5mm and this seemed VG last night. M81 and M82 were very very bright in the 16T5 and the core of M82 nicely mottled. I could see them in the Tak finder! I'm usually a Rigel user and the finder is a challenge for me. @mikeDnight could you post your sketches of the Leo triplet and also M81/M82? The evening ended quickly after a bunch of DSO observed in including the Merope. The sky hazed over so it was time to get into the newly modded hot tub which sat at 95F 😀

+1 I sure like the look of the Bresser dobs, great bearings and should balance well. Ive heard the optics are good too and with a good focuser.

There are many who have put posts out there on very affordable eyepieces such as the 10mm BCO that competes with the Leica zoom in sharpness and contrast. I have samples of Fuji orthos that do the similar.The much used and vaunted Heritage 130 is regularly praised as are the Explore Scientific eyepieces used in it. Zoom eyepieces are complicated by design and I would personally like to be aware of any issues before spending cash on one. Comparisons to high end zooms, who are compared to the likes of the 10 BCO should give a good heads up if these other zooms are near the same league(10BCO etc). It is through talk that we can decipher where to spend money IMHO. Our Heritage 130/6.7ES 82 put up a lunar image that many frac owners would drool over...

Thats really something... this test is very accurate and I hope to explore it myself. I would think Stellarvue might be re thinking things possibly, just a guess.

If I were going to buy a zoom with good optics and highly regarded by many, price considered it would be the Baader zoom.

There are a lot of great scopes out there- if you ever find an older 90mm SV f7 triplet Id grab it. Mine is excellent. I paid 1400 US 10 years ago and I figure they are worth $1000 CDN or so maybe a bit more. SW100ED Pro's are vg too at f9 I think. Sample to sample variation might apply to the SW's. The Tak 76mm would be a stunning telescope and would be worth saving for IMHO. Stellarvue had a 100mm doublet, new style with the good lenses for $2g US I believe.Some people bash SV for some reason but my old 90mm with Chinese lenses is a very very good scope...

I own both the Leica Aspheric zoom and the Zeiss 25.1-6.7 zoom and will say this: for lunar and planetary you will be very hard pressed to find sharper eyepieces or ones with more contrast.Good telescope optics allow the differences to be easily seen and both are sharper than the very sharp Delos. As you zoom the Leica the AFOV goes up around 80deg IIRC. I use them all the time for planetary nebula and the view of the Veil in either is stunning. These 2 eyepieces are among the most used I own and are bested only by the likes of the Vixen HR. The nice Nagler zoom is not in the same league IMHO, eventhough I use a lot as well, perfect for the H130.

Thank you very much! and I will for sure.

Excellent report! Someday I'd like go go to Aus and observe some of those excellent objects like the Eta carina, congrats for a great session,Gerry

Me too aside from the VX10, 15",24" 🙄 I'm looking at Mewlon CRS with active cooling... I wonder if there is a visual advantage to these regarding cooling etc?

Have you considered a Tak?

Hey!!😬 This is Tak talk!! can we keep it there please?

Ya but then I wouldnt have go worry about longitudinal chromatic aberration or spherochromatism or if I have fluorite and ultra high low dispersion glass or ,or What would I do then?!! Id be bored silly 😐

Thats part of it for sure at times and combine this with my scope at say 0C and a steady, fairly quick drop in temps the view suffers. Last night I could see light high cloud "haze" around the moon (after waking up lol) and no doubt ice crystals were at play here too, it was cold -17c or so last night. The views the TSA give are amazing and in reality I need another scope like a hole in the head

I was hoping you didnt say that 😁 The thought crossed my mind... and Ive seen some remarkable test results of the FS128... very remarkable. Hey😈 you got one youll sell me?!

I had a great observing session Mike!! After the DSO adventures I came in the house and waited for the moon to rise watching "On Golden Pond" And dozed off 😂 At 11:30 I went out and checked the moon and it was behind the tree tops with its current trajectory so I packed up and went to bed. I must be getting old... a few years ago I would have carried the AZEQ6 down to the lake to obs.... This is another reason (excuse) for the 100mm Tak- for a light portable set up.