Highburymark

Baader wedge. Binoviewers, pairs of orthoscopics, GPC and Barcon, mostly. Used same kit for all my scopes. The 80ED was great for 80-140x in mediocre seeing, but the extra grasp of a well figured 4” really delivers WL definition when conditions allow. I tend to do white light at 160x-240x now. You need minimal levels of SA and CA to resolve penumbra detail and granulation to provide sharp views at those powers. And in my environment, you get a lot more out of a 100mm scope. Seeing is different everywhere - what works in one place might not work in another.

I had an Equinox 80 for a long time. Excellent scope, but I saw a considerable improvement in white light views when I moved to a slower 4” apo.

I haven’t read this whole thread, but from reading Neil’s first post, I’d say go for the Starfield. It will do everything you want it to do and more, and will be a significant step up from the F/6.25 Equinox 80, particularly if you enjoy solar. If money’s not an issue, then go for an FC-100. Wonderful scopes. But, much as I loved my DC, I’d be just as happy with any of the excellent FPL-53 4-inchers available these days, from the reports I’ve read.

I use mine visually - but only for night vision, with magnifications rarely above 30x. Apart from the fast speed, its main strength is showing vast swathes of the night sky - so it’s perfect for imaging or viewing large nebulae with night vision. I’ve had a few glances (during the daytime and once at the Moon) with a traditional eyepiece (Tak TOE 4mm for around 100x), and the views are surprisingly good for an F/3.3 scope. But that was more to test the eyepiece’s ability to handle fast optics than establish the Epsilon’s visual credentials. Of course it also has an ED corrector which significantly reduces aberrations, and the owner’s manual does in fact include a section on visual, but much as I love the scope, I can’t imagine using it as a serious visual instrument, particularly for high power work on double stars.

Didn’t take any photos, but yesterday was very busy. Widescreen, FLO (and to a lesser degree RVO) stands dominated proceedings on each floor - all three now pushing their own in-house telescope ranges. Nice to spend some time with the night vision contingent - including Peter and Steve in this thread.

Looks great Alan. I had to send my old Lunt 50 back to Bresser in Germany to sort the helical focuser, which had jammed tight. I think the quality has improved since then. But one option - to avoid using the stock focuser too much - might be to use a Baader clicklock 1.25”with fine focusing diopter adjustment.

It’s actually an ED refractor - since Lunt went modular they’ve stopped using achromats - though I think the 60mm is FPL-51 rather than 53. So CA should be pretty well controlled at F/7. I have an F/6 60ED which is a decent all-round scope so the Lunt should be too.👍👍

I agree. 2.8kg makes it the lightest 4” apo on the market. Just to give an idea of what 20mm more aperture means in size, here’s the DC next to a TSA-120 - itself a light triplet at 6.7kg - but two and a half times heavier than the DC.

The 3mm Delite is a fine eyepiece - you’ll love it. Nice 62 degree field and super comfortable, so you can remain relaxed over long sessions. As good as any Delos or XW. On good nights, however, the TOEs will show quite a bit more detail. I wish I knew more about the optical design (six elements, so far from minimum glass), but they are supremely capable planetary eyepieces. So the 2.5mm would make an ideal, if indulgent, companion to your Delites.

I always enjoy Astrofest - should be lots to see this year. Tough on the organisers and exhibitors that the rail strike coincides with the opening day. But I wonder if there might be a modest post-Covid bounce after so many people were introduced to the hobby during the pandemic?

The image of the night sky you posted shows signs of astigmatism, but it’s difficult to diagnose the problem without more images - as Adam says you need more diffraction rings on both sides of focus, and the artificial star placed further away. You might need to use a more powerful eyepiece with such a large scope too.

Great shot! And those spots are spectacular.

Just noticed you have a Quark - so it definitely sounds like a temperature issue to me. Every Quark is different. There are a couple of reports I’ve read by owners who say they don’t even turn the heater on in warm weather - the filters operate best without. Sounds like yours takes time to reach optimum heat.

Can’t say I’ve seen this effect, but Peter’s suggestion about the etalon warming up sounds the most likely explanation. Don’t know what set up you have, but the mica type filters (Quark/Sundancer/Solar Spectrum etc) are obviously very sensitive to temperature, so if the in-built ‘oven’ is taking a long time to reach the required temperature, it would certainly result in the gradual improvement in detail you are seeing. If you have one of the Lunt/Coronado solar scopes, it could be the temperature of the blocking filter that is affecting detail, particularly at this time of year. Lunt actually sells a heater to keep the blocker warm in cold weather, otherwise it won’t operate effectively.

Very sorry to hear this news. I don’t think there was anyone on this forum more knowledgable about how to make one piece of astro equipment work with another. He was a one-man help desk to so many members, myself included. Not only would he always know the right part or adapter to use, but he’d also know where to buy it at the best price. And then - as others have noted - there were his own mods. Within hours of receiving a new scope, it would be adorned with new accessories and often very simple upgrades which inspired me on more than one occasion. A great loss to SGL.

I can only presume that the gap between the doublet lenses is not fully sealed off to aid with temperature control? Glass expands and contracts in changing temperatures, so perhaps a small opening helps glass keep its shape?

I was surprised when I owned a DC that the gap between the lenses is not fully sealed off to the outside world. Maybe this is common knowledge (?) - but If I used a blower around the edge, I could make the few dust particles between the doublet lenses move around, and eventually succeeded in making them disappear. No guarantees using this technique - guess it could also make matters worse, but it worked for me.

Yes I did Stu - though it was only briefly. I only had one power out there tonight as I was testing the set up - with two extenders and microscope eyepieces - I think at 230-240x I was just overcooking it, and would have seen slightly more if I’d stuck at 200x.

I managed four, fleetingly. I was using TSA-120 with 25mm Leicas in a binoviewer and lots of power - Tak extender and Powermate 4x - about 230x I reckon. Seeing pretty good. Mars looked great tonight.

Lovely images Nigella. Just in from a Mars session myself. The limb effect is definitely atmospheric - though it’s pretty subdued in your pics.

What a nice find Mike, particularly with the library stamps at the front.

I am yet to be convinced that my 120mm refractor is better for white light than the 100mm frac it replaced. I think 90-100mm is the sweet spot for average seeing, though I will try and disprove this theory as often as possible in 2023. To answer your question, Baader film for me too, though I can’t claim to have used any other brand. I found it pretty sharp before I bought a wedge.

Well I waited 58 years to see it Jeremy, so I think I’m old enough. Sun’s a little quieter at the moment so it’s back to those tame PG-class flares…..

Absolutely. One day I’d love to experience views through a large dob at a dark site - something I’ve never done. Maybe in 2023. My astronomy highlight of 2022 was watching an X-class flare explode on the Sun - the first time that I’ve watched solar plasma move in real time - this particular example was many times the size of the earth and travelling at over 500km a second. Seeing it through an eyepiece was incredible.

Comfort - that’s one aspect of the hobby that visual astronomers lose every time.