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Relpet

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    Male
  • Interests
    Astronomy, films, history books, French Resistance, sitting in the sun pondering the ineffable mysteries of life.
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    South-west France

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  1. I usually buy my Bresser stuff from the German outlet. The kit you illustrate has been getting 5 star reviews from German users. This extract from their description looks positive: "Equipped with the new, highly sensitive SONY IMX225 CMOS color sensor , the BRESSER HD moon & planet camera delivers amazingly good image results even with simple telescope equipment thanks to very short exposure times . In addition, this ultra-modern camera can also be used as an autoguider , e.g. B. to actively track the main recording device with a single-lens reflex or CCD astro camera. A universal CMOS color camera that primarily delivers super-sharp images of the moon and planets. The particularly low noise level of this new chip generation from SONY ensures exceptionally high brilliance and no cooling is required . Due to the high native pixel resolution of 1280x980 , together with suitable telescopes, very nice shots of the moon, but also detailed planetary shots are possible." I suggest it's worth a punt and if you don't get on with it you would be able to get at least half your money back from AstroBuySell. Goof luck.
  2. Thanks, but it was a long shot anyway. I managed a quick naked eye peek on 21st when four of the stars of the W asrerism were visible but, as forecast, full cloud cover last night.
  3. If this message is inappropriate forgive me. We have dedicated this star to our 8 year old grandson who, after a two year battle fought with unbelievable bravery, succumbed to a deadly juvenile leukaemia on 6th December. He will be laid to rest on 22nd December when the night sky over West Sussex, England, will be completely obscured. If anyone would be kind enough to make an image of Cassiopeia on that night, detailed enough to show this star, and PM me with a copy the family would be very grateful. Thank you.
  4. Relpet

    Cataracts

    I had the fixed focal length lenses which enabled me to read without glasses for the first time in 50 years. The procedure was carried out by surgeons through the National Health Service in England so was free of charge. Had I wanted the variable focal lenses that would have been a considerable personal expense outside the NHS. I was warned about your "starburst" effect even with the fixed lenses. In my case I was told the replacement lens would be slightly smaller than the natural lens being removed and that it would take time, maybe a couple of years, for new tissue to grow to fully incorporate the edges of the new lens. While that was happening I might find myself troubled by oncoming headlights as the light would hit the edges of the new lenses and refract across the field of vision. I found this most troubling driving a right-hand drive car on the autoroutes at night in France where the driving position meant I was looking into the path of oncoming traffic more directly. As promised, the problem disappeared after a few years. Good luck, anyway. It's well worth it. The astonishing improvement in daylight vision was a revelation. I had no idea how bad my vision had become until the fog cleared.
  5. Simulation Curriculum Corp did reply to my message and referred me to the forum where users have successfully run their 'scopes from the version, SkySafari 6 Plus on Android so long as Sysnscan is running in the background. I'll give that a try before going for the Pro version. I hope the responses concerning IOS will be valuable to iPhone users.
  6. Thanks for that. I noticed Google Play offer a refund but I'd rather get it right first time if possible.
  7. Before I splash out £18.49 has anyone succeeded in driving the Skywatcher AZ-GTI Freedom Finder using Skysafari 6 Pro wifi on Android? The developer's forum suggests it's still work in progress but the last date is May 2020. I've just emailed them but don't expect a quick response. I don't have a problem with the Skywatcher's own Synscan Pro but think Skysafari might offer more.
  8. Thanks for these very helpful responses. If it were mine I might be tempted to spend time and money to bring it more into line with current models but I suspect the friend who discovered it in the possessions left behind by a deceased partner will take no more than a passing interest in its qualities. Once I've taken a look at it I'll be able to gauge his level of interest in improving the 'scope and possibly acting on the good advice given here. Thanks again.
  9. A friend has just unearthed a motorised 'scope which I calculate is at least 20 years old. The Meade 4504 is a 114mm Newt on a GEM. I haven't had a chance to look at it yet but if the optics are OK and the electronics still work the principal drawback seems to be the focuser will only take 0.965" EPs. What he has are probably those that came with the original kit and, therefore, probably not top quality. If everything seems optically and electronically sound would an adapter to take 1.25" EPs be worth exploring? Somebody out there must have tried this and if it's a non-starter I'd rather not waste his or my time trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. On the other hand, if it's feasible I'm happy to give it a go.
  10. My SW 12v 17Ah power tank has been locked in a barn for 5 months waiting for me to escape lockdown and come and recharge it. Having arrived a couple of days ago I was too late. The poor little devil had upped and died on me. From a number of old posts here and on CN I see that people have replaced the original lead/acid battery at low cost with some success. Has anyone done this recently and what battery was chosen, please?
  11. It's been very interesting to see how this thread has led to so many insights but, ironically, the Polish dealer's offer that prompted me to open the topic now says the 2" version is no longer available. I guess there's a good reason!
  12. I wish I could advance this discussion with the same level of knowledge and experience as you chaps but my 2" visual back arrived today. Focusing on a neighbour's chimney stack about 100 yards away I compared the performance of a 1.25" 25mm Celestron plossl with a 25mm ES 2". With the plossl I counted 7.5 courses of brickwork but, with the ES, 11 courses, a difference in view of 47%. There was no vignetting as far as I could discern. However, the plossl is reckoned to have an AFOV of 52° while the ES is marked as 70°, a difference of 35%. To my (probably over-simplified) calculation it would suggest therefore, that by using EPs with identical fields of view there would be a net difference of 12% in favour of the 2" format. In some circumstances that 12% might make a difference sufficient to justify to some observers the use of a 2" diagonal with 2" EPs. If my view of this suffers from being too naive treat me kindly and blame it on my age. As it was, I was equally thrilled with the image I got through both EPs as my new set-up is now complete.
  13. Having started this thread I've been interested to see how it's developed, especially since I bought the Omegon from John! I'm still awaiting delivery of a 2" visual back but as soon as that arrives I'll hope to make a comparison of lunar views using a 25mm ES 2" and a 27mm 1.25" Orbinar flat field. Not a direct comparison but close enough, maybe. As John has said in other posts, the Omegon is a true 127mm so vignetting should, I imagine, be even less noticeable using the 2" but I certainly hope my ancient eyes will get added benefit from a 2" option. I asked the question originally because the Skywatcher 127 is available with a 2" option in Europe, (and I believe Canada) at minimal extra cost, but not in UK. FLO, at my request, were asking the importers why it was not on offer to UK buyers but I've had no response. It's irrelevant now anyway since I'm delighted with the Omegon.
  14. Thanks. I was the very happy purchaser of an Omegon 127 Mak from an SGL member a week or so ago. This will take a 2" diagonal so I'm happy to draw a line under this now.
  15. It's a Polish company which I have used before. The exchange rate, sterling against the zloty, is usually favourable. As far as I can see the focuser is the standard Mak focuser where the mirror moves, not a Crayford. I'm using a Celestron 4se tube at present which I have modified to fit on a Skywatcher AZ-GTI mount and though it's really pretty good for lunar observing I would like something better, I understand, and have found from my own experience, that ordinary 1.25 plossls give excellent results with the 4se but I do have 2" EPs which I use with my PhotoLine refractor. If there is no real benefit to be had then, so be it. Thanks for the responses
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