Highburymark

Sorry to say this but Singapore is now almost completely bathed in light pollution, and combined with high humidity it’s not a prime location for stargazing. The area around the zoo is darker, but you’re still surrounded by the glow. However, if you are able to move up 20-30km into SW Malaysia, it very quickly darkens. I took the train from Singapore to KL and southern Malaysia is still little developed. Unfortunately didn’t have a telescope with me but if the humidity doesn’t get in the way, I can imagine it would be a fascinating place for astronomy.

Agree - I find proms are best viewed with a single eyepiece too Rob. Obviously binoviewers provide a slightly dimmer image overall, but this doesn’t seem to hamper surface details/filaments, which really stand out with two eyes. But I almost always observe proms with a single plossl or zoom EP these days. Glad you had some clear skies today - the UK is fighting flooding at the moment....

Great report. True dedication and so glad it was rewarded.

Think it was best part of £1k when it came out a few years ago, if I remember correctly. Still less than the new TV Apollo 11 eyepiece...

Sun gods smiled just long enough to get a great view here. Fantastic. Hope everyone gets at least a few minutes of clear sky

In with a shout here. Cloud dispersing. Sort of.

Glad things are working out for you now Vin. I found a way to attach a second o-ring to the LS50 and wrote a brief report on SGL about it 2/3 years ago. It involved loosening the end screw on the piston which made it slightly easier to screw it onto the brass housing. But sounds like you don’t need any further tinkering. Enjoy - it’s a great little ‘scope.

Same here in London - final rays of sunlight disappearing behind a grey blanket

That’s just not fair Peter. I’m going to take my Lunt 60 to work with me in Central London but not getting my hopes up.

I have a pair of the OVL binoviewers (£150-ish new in the UK) as well as Baader MkV. Use them for solar ha with a Lunt LS60 and lunar with my refractors. Would happily recommend the OVL - great value

Baader Hyperions take dioptrx well - there’s a 21mm in the range I think, though they’re not normally recommended for fast scopes. I had one and liked it - but only used it with an F/10 C8. Probably not the best choice for your dob.

There is only one o-ring on the LS50 so it’s normal. It is very difficult to reattach the piston to the brass section with two o-rings, so you should be fine with one - just make sure it’s properly greased and not leaking

All true Gavin - would like to think that I’d have been brave enough to buy an Epsilon myself without any lead or influence from outside - but I’d be completely wrong.

Thanks - and yes, it was in immaculate condition thanks to Richard

Thought it was worth posting a few impressions of my Takahashi Epsilon 130d nine months after buying it from a fellow SGL member, as these scopes are still relatively rare, and there’s not much information out there on how user-friendly they are. This was my first experience of a (semi) Newtonian after owning predominantly refractors and catadioptrics in the past - though with its ED corrector lens, the Epsilon actually qualifies as a catadioptric rather than a classical Newt - just a very fast, very yellow one. I bought it not for imaging, but for night vision. With a 55mm plossl and 3nm ha filter, the F/3.3 focal ratio is transformed into a wickedly-fast F/1.65, perfect for hoovering up faint nebulae. Stars are pretty much tight to the edge with well corrected eyepieces like Panoptics. I was a little concerned about collimation before the scope arrived. It had come from Ireland, and although it was very nicely packaged, I’d read enough about the challenges of aligning such a fast reflector to be a tad nervous. Amazingly, it arrived perfectly collimated - and has remained so ever since. Another major benefit is the focuser - more than capable of holding a long monocular and eyepiece stack. I have added an MEF-3 fine focuser to increase precision. With relatively short focuser travel, finding the right combination of adapters to bring each eyepiece to focus can be an issue. I’ve found T2/Baader clicklocks work well, though fellow stargazer Gavin has kindly given me a set of bespoke adapters to make the job even simpler. At just under 5kg it’s a relatively easy scope to mount. I mostly use a Giro Ercole Mini on a Gitzo tripod, though the go-to SW AZGTi also carries the Epsilon reasonably comfortably. With such a light system, I find a counterweight is absolutely essential. I’ve also added a safety screw to prevent any slipping of the OTA while observing. Buying an Epsilon was something of a risk, particularly for someone with no real Newtonian experience. I took the risk as no other scope offered the same blend of fast optics, bombproof construction, modest size and weight, and decent focuser. The closest rival was the 6” F/2.8 Boren Simon from TS but it was too big for my requirements.But the Epsilon’s been a joy to own - and even more important, to look through. Whether it’s being used for imaging or night vision, the little yellow Tak’s a class act.

Excellent report Alan. Interesting that you’re going as narrow as 5nm with your dark skies. I can only imagine the results you’re getting. I’m now using a 1.25” Chroma 3nm filter exclusively on nebulae from the city. They really are superb - though haven’t stretched to a 2” yet.

I’d agree - a 1.25” Lacerta wedge would last you forever, and they’re relatively cheap compared with the excellent though pricey Baader. Should hopefully be a few more sunspots appearing within the next 18 months, which will really make the investment worthwhile

Thanks for posting this heads up Stu. Out of interest, what’s the app you’re using for the images?

I’m curious to understand how others might have managed it too Nigella. Remember reading on Solarchat about someone new to solar ha claiming that he got excellent visual results from a Quark and LS50. Then there was a long explanation by Jen Winters - the owner of Daystar - why double stacking Quarks was not recommended - worth seeking out but clearly hasn’t stopped lots of people trying it.

I found it hopelessly dim with my LS60 sadly - not even close to forming a visible image.

I just bought a SW 6x30 raci from Rother Valley - after struggling with various rdfs for the past few years, I’m absurdly pleased with it - best of all, when you adjust the alignment screws, the finderscope actually moves where you want it to! A whole new experience for me. Sarcasm aside, it’s a great little thing. No sore neck and nice correct image.

Excellent set up Victor - and nice colour coordination between your scope and signature

I do much of my solar and lunar observing with a binoviewer. Last year I managed to get a good deal on a Baader MkV. It’s taken a while to get it set up perfectly for my eyes, but am now very happy with it. Mostly use 15/20mm plossls, or 25mm orthos and Barcon barlow, but recently purchased a second Delite 18.2mm - the first time I’ve actually made use of the lovely expansive views that the Baader offers. This morning I had a couple of hours birdwatching with the Delites - have to say it was absolutely stunning. Peering around the full fov with two eyes felt like a completely new and luxurious visual experience. But the MkV is a heavy lump. The stock focuser on my Equinox 80ED - now sold - was not really up to the job of handling it, and made observation frustrating. The weight also makes the MkV impractical for travel. So a few months ago I picked up a pair of OVL binos very cheaply. This is the entry-level unit stocked by many UK retailers - and seems to have replaced the Skywatcher and Revelation offerings in this regard, though clearly they’re all sourced from the same Chinese factory (ditto the WO/TS/Celestron binos). These are much lighter instruments than the MkV. Cheap case. Slightly plasticky feel. But actually built very well. Even offers eyepiece adjustment, and does an excellent job of centering the two EPs - which is particularly important for merging views at higher magnifications. It comes with a 2x Barlow nosepiece, so delivers more magnification than the MkV, which I use with a 1.7x GPC (in practice this gives around 1.5x). The MkV is therefore more flexible. But the OVL is no less sharp or contrastful. Comparing both during the day and on the Moon earlier this week in the TV85 refractor, there’s almost nothing between them on axis. The Baader gives slightly warmer and more faithful colour tones. It’s a bit brighter too. But it’s difficult to test both units at precisely the same magnification, so not a great deal in it. However, when I start to really ramp up the powers, the Baader retains sharpness when the OVL starts to go soft. Particularly useful for lunar and white light solar, where higher magnifications can be employed. So the Baader wins in several key areas. Don’t think I’ll forget my first MkV/Delites session for a very long time. My scopes are set up with T2 adapters and diagonals, so the Baader is more practical too. But the price difference new between these two binoviewers is staggering - over £850. For around £150 the OVL offers incredible value - if you’re after a cheap binoviewer, buy with confidence.

Looking forward to using this new eyepiece for Moon, doubles and planets - Takahasho TOE 3.3mm

I’ve owned ten telescopes from 50mm to 200mm. I have thought of them all as serious instruments, and loved them all too. Every telescope capable of revealing something interesting in the cosmos is worthy in my opinion. Just wish I had a lot more storage space as I’d have kept all ten.