Roy Challen

29 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

 "People have got used to it and even come to fear the dark, associating light with security."

 

"It is unnatural and bad for the spirit."

This.

Often disregarded when the Baader BCOs are mentioned, the 32mm plossl from Baader is a superb HA eyepiece for my Solarscout. A totally underrated ep imo.

I recalled just today that I used to go galaxy chasing with a Meade ETX70. I could easily see M87 with that scope 18 years ago. I couldn't even see M81/2 with a Tal 100 a couple of years ago. Pretty soon, I'll only be doing lunar and solar 

6 hours ago, dannybgoode said:

And of course if anyone wanted they could learn to fly planes as well.  It's immense fun  

This would be my concern - getting into another expensive sounding hobby😁

5 hours ago, jock1958 said:

There was a bloke on UK ABS last year who already had a 100R but was after a 100RS with damaged optics so he could swap the lenses over, be interesting to see if he found one to try it out 

Anyway I've just weighed it and it comes in as 3.5kg with tube clamps etc, no finder though and its more or less same weight as my Tak. I'm sure the Skytee 2 would cope with a 100R & 100ED mounted side by side though it would be too much for an oldie like myself with a dodgy back.

 

 

Interesting, I'm not that bloke, but I did own both R and RS at the same time and thought of swapping the lenses over. However the R tube is about 50mm longer than the RS. It might not have been an issue with the RS's better focuser, but I didn't want to have to chop anything. Either way, I'm glad I didn't, the RS was simply the better telescope.

The Skytee 2 easily copes with two Tals, I doubt an ED instead of one of them would make any difference.

I've owned both the 100R and the 100RS. They are both good achros, but as others have said, an ED scope will be better.

They're not too heavy, around 4.5-5kg with rings and finder iirc. Everything is basic but adequate and functional. The finder is very good, as is the bracket. Once aligned, you'll likely never have to adjust it. The dewshield on later RS's is plastic, it fits and works fine, it's just a bit of a shame that they didn't make it out metal, like the R's.

Out of the two samples I had, the RS was definitely better, which seems to be contradictory to most reports. On a night of good seeing, it could take x375 mag on the moon while still being very sharp. As I was using a barlow at the time the f ratio = 22.5! So, very, very little CA.

I would probably have another if it were cheap enough, I guess I shouldn't have sold my example as it was a good scope.

Sounds like a great session. If you ever have doubts about the LZOS, I'd be happy to check it for you! 10mm BCO - so capable, yet so affordable, my absolute favourite eyepiece...ever (maybe😉).

46 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

I’ve never seen an F11 dobsonian!

Neither have I! I asked for the focal length, not ratio😉

I don't have one of these, but what I would ask myself if I were looking at buying one is 'what does it offer that the dob doesn't?'

I don't know what dob you have, but the scope in your post offers portability and convenient use. If that appeals, then buying it would be fine. If not, then don't buy.

What focal length is your dob? Probably not that much different from the Skymax. If the Skymax were to be your only telescope, then it would be perfect for planetary and lunar.

I think if it were my money, I'd get some more Delites.

12 minutes ago, Stu said:

A lot depends on the seeing conditions with Mars. I’ve just been out with my 4” frac and although the seeing wasn’t great, I could see the frosting at the North Pole and two dark areas, clearly separated.

This is what I saw last night with a 90mm mak. The seeing was very good, until the clouds rolled in.

Well, it's on my doorstep, figuratively speaking, and the last time I went was in 2004! So, maybe, I'll pop by on the Saturday.

That first pic looks like the reflection of a beautiful starlit sky😀

Yep, love it too, loads to see, never get bored of it, no light pollution to worry about etc, what's not to like? 😀

I have a Quark built into the Solarscout telescope from Daystar. To say I'm delighted with it would be an understatement. I've had for nearly two years, and it is by far my most used telescope.

However, it is the only HA scope I have looked through, so I don't know if it is good, average or poor.

What @Elp said in the above post is very good. Training your eye/brain to tune in to the view, covering your head, and finding the right eyepiece, is all good advice. I too found that TeleVue eyepieces did not produce the best view. I prefer Baader 32mm plossl or Vixen 30mm NLP.

It does sound like there may be an issue if there is an obvious difference between two halves of the field of view, but you really need to try it outside rather than through a window.

Also, your images (afocal?), look very similar to what I can manage - I'm not an imager at all but sometimes want a visual record of interesting features. A pink circle with bits sticking out is as good  as it gets with my phone!

Not wishing to sound condescending, but are you actually focusing? Using the knobs either side of the focusing unit on the refractor, or the knob on the back of the mak? Try focusing on a distant object during daylight. Also, what focal length are the eyepieces you are trying to use? If you use too high a magnification, it will be hard to focus on a night time object.

If you're doing all this, then you could try an extension tube between the focuser and diagonal.

2 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

Very little info on 9-27mm version and I think I'd prefer that one for my little Mak - to be lunar EP, but I'm not completely sure of how good it is.

 

I use the zoom in my little mak (skymax 90) too. I'm pleased with lunar views, it seems best around 8mm as did the previous example I had. It is also reasonable for Jupiter and Saturn, although my orthos do outperform it when seeing allows.

2 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

Is that 7.2-21.5mm version or 9-27mm one?

7.2-21.5mm, my scopes are long f/l so it covers most bases. I like the look of the new svbony 3-8 zoom though, so that's another one for the list!

Umm, I only really use two eyepieces these days, a Baader 32mm plossl for solar and a Hyperflex zoom for everything else. 

But I still have the full set of Baader BCOs, a Meade ortho, Vixen plossls, Orion plossls, not to mention the 100+ eyepieces I've had in the last 8-9 years😁

I've been passed a fair few eyepieces over the years that have been opened up for whatever reason. They all have similar marks. Sometimes the lens groups have been reassembled in the wrong order, and refitting resolves this, sometimes the damage is worse. Without looking through it, you won't know.

Question is, is it worth it to you? I wouldn't take unless it's free😁.

Haha! Just looked at the advert! £160? Really? Pass.

@mikeDnight, your sketches are indeed inspiring. I do try, and I think I'm improving but only because I sketch one object - the sun. 

I'm mildly surprised that no one has mentioned hydrogen alpha observing yet, but for visual, nothing beats looking at an extremely dynamic object on a nice sunny day😃. Seeing can be difficult sometimes, but you won't have to worry about light pollution, and despite what you think of the weather, it is more likely that you'll see the sun more often than your desired night time targets. Of the 120 - odd sessions I've had this year, 75% have been solar.

7/12/2022, 12:13-12:32

46 minutes ago, Zilvay said:

The motor drive works fine, but i am questioning its ability to track deep space objects, or if the motor drive is even moving.

The motor drive will move very slowly when tracking objects, as in one revolution per day. It will track objects if the mount is aligned to the celestial north pole.

I see a bearded warrior. And a rabbit!

This was a wonderful event. Despite my 20 odd years of observing, I've never seen an occultation of anything other than feeble stars. This time it was Mars at opposition, and I was bang in the middle of the occultation path.

Photos by phone, through the eyepiece.

On 19/10/2022 at 17:24, Rusted said:

I always wear a dark green "baseball cap"

What I do too. Turn it to suit best shading, and get one with a fairly long peak.

I've tried and used many eyepieces with my Daystar solarscout. The Baader 32mm classic plossl is by far my favourite, although the Vixen 30mm plossl is good too. Regarding zooms, a good one may be of some use, I have a Hyperflex zoom which I use for planetary all the time but unless the seeing is really, really good, I'll stick to the Baader plossl.

I should add that this is for HA mainly, but I still use the same combos for white light.