Highburymark

Definitely go for the 60mm DS, even though it’s painfully expensive. The resolution and contrast increase are worth it. Personally, I’ve never thought proms suffered with a double stack system - they always look similar to single stack. And I wouldn’t read too much into the sweet spot point either - every etalon is different, and it’s impossible to know how two filters will combine until you try them out. Just my 2p worth on all the issues raised.

I’ve only had a couple of night sessions with the zoom so far, both with average seeing (on Moon and double stars), so still too early to form detailed impressions. Ergonomically no problems at all - mine is pretty easy to operate, not too stiff at all. The zoom action doesn’t feel quite as smooth and robust as the Nagler 3-6, but that’s a minor quibble. The optics are - as others have suggested - right up there with far more expensive eyepieces. I feel it’s at the two extremes of the range where other (I used Delite 3mm, XW 5mm and Baader zoom at 8mm for comparisons) eyepieces are marginally crisper. But I need to do more testing before making any definitive impression, particularly on planets. It’s bright and has good contrast. The biggest issue for me is lack of eye relief at 3-4mm. I can’t comfortably see the field stop at high magnifications without eyelash/lens contact. This might seem irrelevant when I have a Pentax XO 5.1 in my arsenal, which has even less ER (a ‘sporty’ 3mm, compared with around 6-7mm for the SV Bony), but with that eyepiece, I know I have to hang back, and therefore use it for short, critical detail views only. I couldn’t use the SV 3-8 at 3mm for long observations. But otherwise it’s clearly a really excellent little eyepiece. I don’t think it will beat existing class leaders, but for 95% of astronomers who don’t have problems with eye relief, it’s a single solution for planets, the Moon and double stars. Mine even came with a free T-shirt.

I bought the SV zoom for £80. The Nagler is over £400!

Fantastic! I love TeleVue scopes too - so any chance of a pic or two? The SVBony zoom is very close to the Nagler, except really short eye relief at 3mm and 4mm (at least to my eyes), so I can’t see the field stop without touching the lens with my eye lashes. And it is sharpest in the middle of the range 4-7mm or so. So just a touch less sharp at 8mm (where my Baader zoom is slightly sharper, I was surprised by that), and at 3mm. It’s an incredibly good deal for the price. The main issue for me as a good all round planetary zoom is its lack of high-mag eye relief.

I’ll second an X-class solar flare. I was lucky enough to see one in detail, at around 120x, which clearly showed plasma moving in real time. I’d been solar observing regularly for eight years before I finally had the privilege though. On the subject of observing lists, I can strongly recommend the Springer book, Stargazing under Suburban Skies, which suggests 100 deep sky objects (and separate Moon and planet guides) for anyone suffering from varying degrees of light pollution. Written by members of the Loughton Astro Society, it’s a wonderful resource - one of Springer’s best astronomy books.

Sad to hear this news. I’m particularly fond of Prof Ian’s book Observing and Imaging the Heavens. He had an accessible writing style which makes him seem like a fried providing advice, and I particularly appreciated his interest in hydrogen alpha solar astronomy. For an overall introduction to serious astronomy, I don’t think there’s a better book.

Just had a quick squint through the little 60ED with the 22mm T4, eye relief set to maximum. I hate observing with specs, mostly because I can never get comfortable or see the field stop - and here I could capture no more than about 80% of the AFOV. Am I doing something wrong? Even with the eyeguard down and my glasses laying flat against the eyepiece, it’s impossible to see 82 degrees. In the F6 Tecnosky, there’s also considerable field curvature, requiring quite a readjustment of the focuser to sharpen up details at the edge. This may all be irrelevant to you Alan - all I can say is I love the Nagler in my slower scopes, without glasses!

No I don’t Alan, but I can test it out with glasses later and report back

I love the Nagler too. It’s a big chunk of glass though, a consideration with light mounts. Too expensive new. But a gorgeous eyepiece.

The biggest difference I saw between diagonals was when I first traded up from the basic Celestron that came with the C6 to a WO dielectric. Noticeably brighter and sharper - in my experience at least. The difference between more expensive diagonals - be they mirror or prism - is pretty small tbh. They’re a bit like binoviewers - very close in quality - trying to distinguish them optically can be a challenge. But they’re all excellent, as long as they’re well collimated.

Prisms are not advised for fast scopes below F/7 or thereabouts, but they’re great for slow scopes.

Price in the States - around $1500 I believe.

Here’s my bizarre solution, which works surprisingly well. I can’t remember how I sourced the parts to adapt it to a normal finder shoe, but I’m sure they are still available.

I don’t think there is anything out there that’s better value. The Tecnosky version is very nice but £100 more at Astrograph. The Skywatcher 100ED might have a small optical advantage at F/9, but I’d want to replace the focuser for binoviewing, hiking the price well above £1k. So the only decision is whether to go for the Starfield or Altair version, which is also £899.

It’s visible at the end of totality - the top prominence - that prom has ‘lifted off’ from the solar chromosphere

There is actually a lift-off prom on the Sun at the moment but can’t pick it up from the eclipse coverage

I can unreservedly recommend the Simpsons’ episode: ‘Bart of Darkness’, for lots of telescope-derived entertainment. ‘Bart Discovers a Comet’ too, though it’s not quite up to the peak of the former.

I seem to remember that the Hyperion 10mm was my first upgrade eyepiece when I bought a C6. At a relatively slow focal ratio of F/10, the 10mm Hyperion was excellent. I totally agree with Steve’s recommendation for a dielectric diagonal - you could pick one up from the classifieds for not much money, and it will make a noticeable difference to views with any eyepiece. Be aware that although they come under a wide range of brands, they are all of similar quality - unsurprising as they are built in the same Chinese factories.

I worked in Farringdon Lane and then Hatton Garden for around five years during the 1990s. Working in journalism back then, it was perfectly normal for half the office to head for the pub at lunchtime for a few refreshments, but I was more attracted by Telescope House, and bought my first scope there. Thanks for posting John.

Yep - it’s remarkable how few 2” eyepieces vignette with the Baader T2 diagonals fitted with a 2” clicklock. My two low power widefields are Panoptic 27 and Nagler 22 T4, so there’s no need to buy a 2” diagonal. Interesting that the 30mm ultra flat is also fine with the T2 Baader/Zeiss prism Mike.

Excellent Paul - do report back.

At eighty quid and a long-awaited week in the Canaries around the corner, I have caved in and have a 3-8 on the way. Means I can just take three eyepieces away with me. It certainly covers an incredibly useful range for travel. Look forward to seeing how it compares to my other eyepieces in this range - a Delite, 3xTOEs, an XW, an XO, a couple of orthos and an Ethos. I’ll report back, particularly if it comes close to keeping pace with them!

Shows you don’t need a huge telescope to capture spectacular detail. Superb images Nigella.

Nice choices Steve. I tend to use the amici when I’m panning around the surface, and looking at features on a wider scale. I use binoviewer and Nagler 13s for an expansive view, and I do prefer a left-right orientation for this. Think it’s because I studied lunar maps from a young age and still find it more natural. Then for close up lunar details I more often use a right-left prism or mirror. It just involves a little thought before I set up. To be honest, everything looks so great on the Moon - including pretty much every eyepiece, telescope and diagonal I’ve ever used - that it’s not the best target for distinguishing critical performance differences. So for those who prefer correct orientation on the Moon, a quality amici is well worth considering.

Baader T2 amici prism diagonal is as good - or better - quality than most diagonals out there and shows a non-reversed image. On a bright star at high magnifications you can just perceive a tiny spike if you look for it, but it’s a non-issue. So for those who prefer a ‘normal’ view of the Moon, yet don’t want to compromise the view, the Baader comes highly recommended.