mikeDnight

Actually I agree! It wouldn't need to be a heavy mount for the FC either. I'll go for a lightweight EQ instead. Thanks Stu!

For sweeping the sky at low to medium power the AZ4 is an ideal lightweight but reasonably sturdy mount. Over the last few weeks however, while observing Mars, ive had to use my AZ4 to see the planet, as from the observatory it was too low until near the meridian. Slow motions would have been good for me rather than the awkwardness of push/pulling and over shooting the target. After all, wasn't it Bruce Lee who said "Dont concentrate on the Telescope/mount, or you will miss all that heavenly glory!"? Mike PS I think you may have cut yourself shaving Stu!

This version is available in the uk from 365Astronomy but looks like a similar mount i tried a few years ago which had terrible damping time. I think id prefer to hang on until the New Skywatcher AZ5 is set free on the astro community. Plus the SW AZ5 looks more compact and less industrial. Mike

I've often felt that the AZ4 could do with slow motion controls in both axes, and although every AZ4 I've owned has needed some fettling to get it to move smoothly, they are fairly solid little mounts. Well now SkyWatcher have developers the AZ5 which has slow motions in altitude and azimuth. It looks like a sturdy little mount ideally suited for a grab and go set up. The problem is that its not yet available and there's no indication of cost. I think my little Tak will be a perfect match for this mount! Mike

It looks like some serious foam tectonics has taken place in that box.

That's an illness not an eyepiece collection! Mike

I haven't tried it myself Jules, but I've heard that if you freeze the foam first it is much easier to cut. Mike

Here's a close-up ?

An observing buddy called round this evening to show me his new mount. When I heard he'd bought an AZ3 to mount his Takahashi Sky 90 on I was borderline horrified. However, after we attached the scope to the mount, I was pleasantly surprised how stable and secure it seemed to be. He's knocking on a bit now and wanted a lightweight mount with slow motions. We changed the flimsy tripod for a slightly better model with greater spread and it all works well. Mike

Thats a particularly nice looking Lunt Herschel Wedge gracing that equally nice looking telescope John. Mike

I can believe the Takahashi Alley section existed but I doubt its a good idea. Tak's don't shine against each other as they are all superb. The only way to see the difference in performance is to put them up against other scopes on a good night. Today though, the gap between high end refractors such as ED, fluorite doublets and ED triplets is getting narrower all the time. Not long ago an achromat would cost £100 per inch and an apochromat £1000 per inch. Now with the influx of excellent ED's from China, even price is no longer an indication of excellence. We're really spoiled for choice and should just use whatever we have to the full. (But id still rather have a Tak!) Mike

Floppy bear goes everywhere with us and is the best anniversary present I ever bought for my wife. You dont need to spend a fortune to please em! She got a cuddly £10 teddy and I got a cuddly £3,850.00 Tak Fluorite. Seems fair to me! Mike

Happy day at Huddersfield Asto Society. The photo was taken around 5.30am on June 8th 2004 awaiting the transit of Venus. my wife took the photo while my youngest son Daniel stuffs his face with an Apple and floppy bear sits guarding my FS 128 and Daniels 102mm StarTravel. Mike

Hi Brian, Being a refractorholic is the norm round here and you're to be commended for it. What is mildly worrying though is your shameless glove fetish. ? Mike

Just imagine the day when your next baby arrives. Here's just a taster! Just an hour after being born she was standing on her own three legs. Mike

Every time I see someone elses FC my heart rate increases. Is that sad or what? New mount? Curiouser and curiouser! That's one of those guard dogs that's got springs in its feet isn't it? Very tricky to escape from! Mike

That's just so beautiful to look at, who cares about the tube holder! Don't forget to drink plenty, because with all the drooling you'll be doing until your clamp arrives, you could badly dehydrate. Just dream about what you've got to look forward to. I'd also be curious about what you think of your silver diagonal. Mike

It does seem rather a lot of money just to get rid of CA, but of course there's more to it than a mild colour fringing arount bright objects. In 2003 I also felt the apo's were over priced and couldn't have that much of an advantage over an achromat, that was until I saw a Vixen fluorite in side by side compares with a 4" Tal and a 6" SW achromat. The Vixen showed intricate detail on Saturn that far exceeded the detail shown in either achromat. So really the gain lies more in definition and contrast rather than colour free images. In order of highest quality of image, the Vixen soared ahead of the other two scopes, but the 4" Tal outstripped the 6" F8 SW achro quite noticeably. Mike

Its a shame the Tal is no more, though I have to admit I had a real preference for the early Tal refractors. They were optically excellent and mechanically decent. As far as their finish though, they were as rough as rats, but I liked that about them. They were tough and utilitarian. The later Tals came with plastic lens cells which never quite did it for me. Don't mourn them for too long though, the SW EDs are still available and they really are outstanding refractors. Mourn the EDs if the politicians fall out with China. Mike

You're a Very Lucky Gucky! Mike

I have little desire to travel abroad anymore, and so as my travel kit I've got this easy to transport set up. Mike

Though I've posted pics of my frac in the past, I've never posted pics of it undressed before. Honestly, the silly things you do when it doesn't stop raining for months on end!

Don't look now but it looks like THE THING is bursting out of your guide scope and attacking your Tak. EEK!!

It's a refractor! :-)

Here's one of my early scopes, circa 1983. Made by a Burnley firm called Cosmotron, this 4" F10 achromat was the start of my obsession with refractors. Optically it was uncoated and showed a little too much red but never the less was able to deliver some seriously nice views of some brighter DSO's and the moon. The mount left a bit to be desired but the whole thing only cost £99, so I didn't complain too much. Mike