jetstream

I highly recommend the 2" filter as well. Your eyepiece is fine for viewing the Veil- our 25mm Super Plossl shows the Veil nicely in the H130. Advice: buy the recommended filters mentioned here (Astronomik/Televue)- I have blown many dollars experimenting.....many ...200 USD on an unuseable Lumicon when they were in transition and...

@dweller25 has some of the nicest scopes on the forum Congratulations for a very fine addition to the lineup!

My new Televue OIII beats a very good sample of an older Lumicon.

It sounds like youre in the strike zone, but I'd try the 38mm/OIII on the Veil and define your mag limits on the Owl- I like a pocket full of cheap Circle T orthos hanging around for this. Excellent observing Robert.

Great report! What is the f ratio of the scope? The Owl nebula can take much more mag than some think and using more can reveal the eyes- what eyepieces did you use on the Veil and Owl?

I observe down to -40c, with -30c being a common winter temp and the skies in this weather can be stunning. I refrain from using my refractors in this weather as many issues can arise- cell distortion, dew inside the tube etc. Newts are very very tough and have no issues in the cold- but- bringing them back inside can cause frost etc. I always put any telescope in a "blanket" or the scope coat the wife made out of an old quilt. My bigger dobs are stored outside. My AZEQ6 works ok down to -15c but the display starts to go away. My Sky Commander was customized with better display heaters and works well. If observing in -25c and down you might want to consider cold temp grease IMHO. I live in NW Ontario near the US "Ice Box of the Nation".

How about this- I'll observe a nebula for 3 seconds and then we'll compare notes from a 3 second camera exposure?😀 Maybe the Pleiades bubble using my H130? ps no processing...

The camera might not but the processing might embellish a squeak😀

Why the self doubt John? Personally I report what I see nothing more nothing less and could care less if people doubt it.

I got one,well many. I can easily see Barnards Loop, the Witch Head, Pleiades Bubble complex and traces of IFN etc. What I can't confirm is the Erdidanus Loop and I've tried many many times. I'm hoping for the 24" to show me hope on this one. I should be able to see it. Oh yeah, then there is Einsteins Cross... and...

When using the Heritage 130 sometimes I feel a degree of sadness... sadness because this scope competes with 2 refractors many times their price... on the other hand I get much pleasure from this telescope after accepting how much cash I blew on the others lol! I love the H130...

Regardless of what the scope does within limits the eye/brain presents a sharp image, if its "pleased". I think.

You have some seriously good telescopes!

Our H130 goes 53x/inch, the SW 120ED just over 60x/inch and the Stellarvue 90mm Raptor 88x/inch. If I barlow the 2.4mm HR 1.5x I get 1.6mm for an unbelievable sharp 562x and an incredible 120x/inch in the TSA120.

No Tak 100 but I'm pretty sure the TSA triplet APO will hold its own

Great choice! Starting out with good optics and a stable mount goes a long way to ensure early success. Add a nice low power wide field for nebula at some point and a couple of good planetary eyepieces and your all set.

lol Mike! Better watch the reports coming now, I just poured a concrete observing pad with indexed and levelled holes for the AZEQ6 spikes- so a very fast set up time. Can't wait to get the old obsolete TSA120 out! I love this thing... I don't want to pump it up too much though as its not really appropriate IMHO. Theres lots of good scopes out there.

I wonder how many reflector owners push their scopes to the limit? Under my best conditions the 15" Astrosystems/Ostahowski mirrors goes over 60x/inch on the moon. This is truly something to see, giving a wow moment every time conditions allow. If people think 90x/inch in a refractor is amazing, try looking through a large dob capable of high power!

Maybe a bit different scope? Skyliner 200P? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html

That is an f5 scope that will be more heavily obstructed- best to be asking more about this one IMHO...

Great report Neil! The Swan is a top pick to observe, what a great object.

A reflector with good optics and around 25% obstruction or less will not lose much contrast-assuming the interior of the scope is flat black or flocked. Stray light control is very important for the reflector. There is a reason that a 6" f8 newtonian is called an "APO killer"... such a scope cools fast and is easy to collimate. It will show so much more than a 90mm scope its not funny. There are mounts that can easily handle such a scope- but they will blow the budget apart. the refractor wont necessarily have better contrast and in fact the mentioned one most likely will not. A 300 pound budget mandates a 6" dob if you want a good telescope IMHO. Tracking costs lots of cash.

Yes I found it odd too- I called and got a vague answer on things, no msg replies so I walked. Its too bad as I want one of these scopes.Very happy with the TSA120 however.

Excellent explanation Chris and thanks for it. I have never heard of the effect of aperture explained in this way and it makes sense, sense of something I've been wondering about for years. Once again contrast is a huge factor in telescope performance.