-
Posts
3,906 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
5
Piero last won the day on July 30 2021
Piero had the most liked content!
Reputation
5,275 ExcellentProfile Information
-
Location
South Cambridgeshire
Recent Profile Visitors
12,522 profile views
-
Orion Optics UK VX12 - Opinions?
Piero replied to Flame Nebula's topic in Discussions - Scopes / Whole setups
I am not an imager. As far as I know optical aberrations and distortions appear very clear in imaging. Therefore, I am not convinced that you can get away without a coma corrector. Aside from this, it is a question of image scale and magnification. Following that, one needs to get a mount which tracks in a very robust manner. Therefore, due to its long focal length, I think an SCT seems more suitable for planetary imaging, whereas a Newtonian could be more suitable for imaging larger objects requiring less magnification. It would be good to have feedback from imagers. -
Orion Optics UK VX12 - Opinions?
Piero replied to Flame Nebula's topic in Discussions - Scopes / Whole setups
Why don't you want to use the 12" with a Dobson mount? To me that's the way to go, unless you want to do imaging on specific targets. Even so, you are likely better off with a smaller aperture. At f4, you will need an adjustable chair and a coma corrector. At f5.3 you might want to add the former, but not necessarily the latter. 12" is a good all-around aperture for visual astronomy. Personally I wouldn't go with OO due to their customer service. Any chance you can build your own dobson? Building my 16" has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life and I started from knowing nothing (not even used a drill..). If you decide to build one, I strongly recommend to get a copy of the dobsonian telescope by kriege. It gives some great insights but most importantly it teaches that everyone can build a telescope with some dedication. Just a thought of course. -
Some long lists above! I must admit I only sold one telescope: a Lunt Ha 50mm. It was sold as I was not happy with the aperture. That's all!
-
What @Spile said above. Regarding the frequency, it really depends on how dirty it gets. Also note that on this forum there is a widespread phobia about cleaning telescope optics. On Cloudynights, the "finger procedure" is mentioned several times and members are quite comfortable with it. My advice is to learn how to do it, always be gentle making sure the surface is wet, and don't be afraid of doing it when it is needed. A bit of dust won't hurt, a pile of accumulated dirt as I have seen on some photos posted by a few SGL members who said that you should never clean it, in my opinion, does hurt. Also remember that whilst dust is not necessarily bad and it can also be blown away with a manual blower, air chemicals, pollen, fungi etc are bad for the coatings. The mirrors of my truss dobsons get cleaned every 2-3 years as our weather does not allow me to use them very frequently. They are also truss telescopes so the mirrors are more exposed. It can be less frequent in a close tube dobson, but again, a lot depends on how dirty it gets. Edit: if you use FLO guidelines, personally, I would use distilled water for the whole process (no tap water at all).
-
Lukehurst-Nichol classic dobsonian modifications
Piero replied to Piero's topic in Discussions - Scopes / Whole setups
I forgot to add some photos related to the focuser replacement. The reason is that I wanted to use my 2" eyepieces and these reach focus at very different positions. The Antares helical focuser was quite uncomfortable for this and so I decided to replace it with a Kineoptics HC-2 focuser. The UTA no longer fits into the mirror box, but I have never really care of this detail, actually I found it a bit clumsy. The focuser base is home made by me using a basic aluminium square. As the new focuser is a bit higher, the poles had to be trimmed. Before trimming the poles: After trimming the poles: Finally, two stainless steel metal rods wrapped with black shrinking material are now used as a counterweight. These can be added or removed very quickly, but most importantly they keep the mirror box shallow and light. -
Hi Flame Nebula, To give you some context, I bought a 12" f6 dob which revealed to have several issues. It took a steep leaning curve to understand and fix them. Following that I kind of lost interest in that telescope as I wanted other things built differently. Therefore I decided to design and built my 16" f4 exactly how I wanted. This was the first telescope I built - so another steep learning curve. Following this, the 12" f6 was redesigned. The story about this 12" f6 dobson is described here: The redesign is at the end of that thread, but if you find it interesting, you might want to go through all. I tried to be as analytical as possible in order to help other members. By the way, you reminded me that I forgot to post some photos of the new focuser I fitted last year. Will do on that thread later.
-
This thread makes it clear that many of us could open an astro shop! Be careful FLO!!
-
Ouch, that's a tricky question...! 😰 It would possibly be my redesigned 12" f6 dobson, but just because it can be loaded on my car rather easily, so it is more versatile in terms of transportation. If this were my only telescope, I would fit it with wheelbarrow handles so that it can be stored assembled in my garage and simply wheeled outside when in use. It is a tricky question though because I am very fond of my 16" f4 dobson (it was entirely built by me) and this telescope has an edge on my favourite targets (galaxies and PNs). Also, if I had a larger car or a minivan, I would likely choose the 16" f4.. My 16" f4 was conceived as a replacement of my 12" f6. The latter did not sell in the second market despite of being advertised for less than 40% its original price. After heavily redesigning it, I became fond of this 12" f6 too. 🥰 How can you choose between two children?! 😭
-
I have 4 telescopes: - TV-60 f/6: this was bought in 2014 and was my only telescope at that time. Nowadays it is used when I walk or cycle to the countryside under darker skies or when travelling. I use it on large targets with some zoom ins. - Tak FC-100FT (feathertouched ) : this was bought in 2017. It is used for solar observing, planets and scanning the milky way. Somehow, this is my least used telescope, likely because I am not into double star observing and I rarely observe planets these days. My main reason for keeping it is solar observing really as the TV-60 is too limited on this. - 12" f/6 truss dob: this was made by Lukehurst in 2019 and was redesigned quite brutally by me two years later. It is generally taken to the countryside under darker skies. It is stored disassembled in my garage, so it can be loaded in the car very quickly. Before redesigning it, my plan was to sell it. Now it has its use case and I am very pleased with its new structure. - 16" f/4 truss dob + PC2: this was built by me in 2020-2021 and is used at home (which by the way is in a village in the countryside). It is stored fully assembled in my garage, so it can be wheeled outside very quickly. This is my most used telescope. It is used on the targets that really trill me: galaxies and planetary nebulae. 16" f/4 is a great size for me and do not plan to get anything larger as I would need an observatory somewhere. It can be fitted into my car, but this is not really practical and I don't want to risk injuries. In my opinion to carry a telescope like this or larger, one would need a pickup, a minivan or a stationwagon so that the ramps can be carried too with easy. As none of these vehicle is needed for my work and I want to limit my gas emissions, these are out of question. The redesigned 12" f/6 can be loaded easily and the weight of each component is well acceptable. No ramps are needed here. 12" is a good aperture anyway, particularly under dark skies.
- 90 replies
-
- 10
-
Difference between 8/10/12 Dob on Andromeda
Piero replied to Neutrinosoup's topic in Observing - Discussion
Andromeda is about 6 full moons. I had the best view of this galaxy with revelation 15x70 binoculars (£50) from the Devon countryside.. Larger dobsons tend to have a longer focal length and therefore higher magnification and smaller field of view. They allow one to see smaller and dimmer targets. Globs, small open clusters, the vast majority of galaxies (not the big ones close to us), planetary nebulae, details in extended galaxies etc.. With larger dobs you might want to spot the brightest globular clusters in Andromeda... Eventually what matters the most is the darkness of your skies. Of course, dark skies+aperture=heaven.. -
Having already a 8", I would also go for the 4" refractor. This will also show a larger FOV at low power compared to the 125mm. Adding the fact that you buy it second hand at a very fair price, to me the choice ia quite obvious!
-
Tak MEF3 Micro Focuser First Impressions
Piero replied to MalcolmM's topic in Member Equipment Reviews
Personally, I am not a fan of Tak focusers (even after tweaks) and my MEF-3 was sold as I didn't like that either! When building my 16" f4 dob, I ordered an FT focuser with a drawtube 2" long, whereas the 1.5" version was actually more suitable as this telescope is used with a paracorr2 (therefore the drawtube length is less relevant and the 1.5" model allows me to screw nebula filters directly onto the base of the coma corrector). To cut the story short, I was lucky enough that an FT focuser with 1.5" drawtube came up in the second hand market (thanks @Stu). Therefore, the 1.5" model was fitted on my dob and the 2" model was fitted on my tak fc100 (before DF, now FC 😎). A short extension tube is needed with the tak but this is not a big deal. The difference in use is striking to me. Never looked back, no remorse. -
Which 3 of your eyepieces get the most use, and why?
Piero replied to F15Rules's topic in Discussions - Eyepieces
Some changes since my 2021 post: - 12" f/6 and Tak 4" f/7.4: APM UFF 30mm, Docter 12.5mm, Zeiss zoom 25.1-6.7mm + Baader VIP barlow Why? Because, they cover all the targets I generally observe, from low to high power. I find this set very practical. DSO: 30 -> 12.5. Planets/solar/moon: zoom+VIP. I do not observe double stars. - 16" f4: [ APM UFF 30mm, Docter UWA 12.5mm, APM XWA 7mm, APM XWA 4.77mm ] OR [ TV Nagler T4 22mm, APM XWA 9mm, APM XWA 4.77mm ] OR all of them. Why? The first set maximises the FOV and is often used for nebulae, open/globular clusters or smaller galaxies. The second set is often used on non-challenging / medium size galaxies. The 4.77mm tends to be used on PNs. I somehow prefer the first set, but that's likely due to the eyepieces rather than the exit pupils these eyepieces yield. -
I have lived in a countless number of places... In my experience, you get what you get in terms of neighbours, independently of whether they are British or not.. I think you are lucky to have a nice and civilised neighbour who is respectful of your hobby.
-
You can live with regrets or just admit that at that point in the past you took the best decision based on your available knowledge and experience. In other words, today's decisions could become tomorrow's regrets. It happens, but if you are afraid of that, chances are that you don't take any decision..