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RT65CB-SWL

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  1. RT65CB-SWL
    This... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dovetails-saddles-clamps/astro-essentials-dovetail-bars.html I have the 18cm (short) one.
  2. RT65CB-SWL
    I remember Comet Hale-Bopp too ...and Comet Hyakuktake. ...and how disappointed I was; not being able not to see the impact scars left on Jupiter by Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, when I looked through my [then owned] Prinz Astral 500.
  3. RT65CB-SWL
    Hi @Roy Jackson and welcome to SGL. I think a great many of SGL'er's; (myself included); started off with a Prinz Astral from 'Dixons' (mine was the '500) or a Tasco from 'Argos' at some point. Like you; I think my most used e/p was the 12mm or 12.5mm. My only e/p 'upgrade' to it was a 6mm Ortho; (image below); which I still have and use. My 6mm Ortho and 0.965"-1.25" adapter.
  4. RT65CB-SWL
    Hi @jamesj01. To get colour in images of DSO does require the use of filters, darks, flats, subs, etc., and processing. The human eye has not been adapted to see extremely well in the dark and some DSO targets will appear as 'grey fuzzy' or whatever. If you wish to pursue astro-imaging does require a lot of patience. Be prepared for disappointment and sleepless nights, etc., plus a whole lot of other things. I would recommend you obtain a copy of this book: 'Make Every Photon Count' and the follow-up book. Sorry, but the name of the follow-up book has escaped me at this time; as has the authors name, but I know he is an SGL'er. If you want the laid-back approach to astro-imaging; then have a look at @rorymultistorey youtube channel 'astrobiscuit'. There are other books and youtube channels dedicated to astro-imaging; plus here on SGL.
  5. RT65CB-SWL
    In a nut shell... yes! It does happen and sometimes gets reported. Just things like tools and other small FOD; (foreign object debris); cause a bigger dent or headache for those onboard a manned spacecraft/space-station or those in the flight control centre.
  6. RT65CB-SWL
    It is definitely an aircraft trail. You have the port and starboard navigation lights with a white strobe light, (hence the gap in between), on the wingtips. The yellow one in the middle is the anti-collision light; (top and underside of the fuselage); (they are/appear as red or white strobe light at ground level), and are used when an aircraft is in the aircraft maneuvering area or on a gate/stand of an airfield prior to push-back, etc; so that ground staff are made aware that the aircraft engine(s) are due to startup or are running; or when the aircraft is in flight.
  7. RT65CB-SWL
    In a nutshell... yes!
  8. RT65CB-SWL
    Thank you @Captain Magenta for an excellent write up and informative topic. It reminded me of when I 're-modded' my ETX105, after it had the misfortune of a 'cheap' white-metal casting dovetail bar; (mounted underneath the plastic flip-mirror/balance weight housing), snapped and it fell to the ground, (fortunately it was on grass/turf). Two of the three mounting points were damaged, and long crack along one side. I did attempt to glue the mounting points with an epoxy adhesive, but did not last very long. I did have three stainless-steel reinforcing bushes made for me by the same local engineering workshop that I would later use to make the 'replacement backplate'/'re-mod' for me; as it would flex a little bit under load and did not feel quite the same. Below are images of the 'backplate' fitted to the OTA. I did have images of it during the work in progress, but these got corrupted or unreadable and therefore unavailable. It's not pretty; but it's better then ending its days in a Thames Valley landfill site.
  9. RT65CB-SWL
    Hello. Brand: LOW: MEDIUM: HIGH: BST's... 25mm 12-18mm 3.2-8mm NPL's... 30*-40mm 20*-10mm 4-8mm * Personally, if it was me, I think I would choose either of these as my 'low' magnification. I would recommend you play with the 'FOV Calculator' in the 'Resources' tab, to give you an idea... or bite the bullet and go for the Baader Planetarium 8-24mm [mk lll or lV] zoom. I have tried one and it is surprisingly good. I am thinking of adding one to my e/p collection in the future. As I said yesterday: "Eyepieces I think are pretty much a personal choice..." Also note that if you are adding a Barlow lens, it multiplies the e/p focal length by a given factor. I have a 2.8X and a 4X, so every e/p I use, it has to multiplied by the factor of 2.8 or 4.
  10. RT65CB-SWL
    Hi again @jamesj01. Eyepieces I think are pretty much a personal choice. I myself, prefer TeleVue. They are sharp and give good contrast; but they do come at premium prices for the exotic models. The BST Starguiders... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bst-starguider-eyepieces.html are good value, starting from under £50.00GBP each; or there is the Vixen NPL series... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/vixen-eyepieces/vixen-npl-eyepieces.html starting from under £40.00GBP each. The BST's are 60deg AFOV and NPL's are 50deg AFOV. I am not sure of the eye-relief on them; but I believe they are comfortable for many users. For deep sky, low to medium power wide-field e/p's would be a better choice. SGL'ers @John,@rwilkey & @Louis D may offer better advice and suggestions. The image below is of my 'one-to-many' TeleVue 13mm e/p's as per my current/present signature. They are: Plossl (left) Nagler type 1 (centre) Nagler type 6 (right) - the Plossl gives a 50deg AFOV - the Nagler's give an 82deg AFOV.
  11. RT65CB-SWL
    Hi @Joogy and welcome to SGL. Just to add to your confusion... When viewing through a catadioptric 'scope; (i.e. Mak or SCT); without a star diagonal, the image; (eyepiece is inserted directly in to the visual back or 'straight through'); will appear upside down. When you add the star diagonal in the visual back, then the eyepiece; the image will be 'right way up' and left/right - east/west are reversed. This is perfectly normal.
  12. RT65CB-SWL
    Hi @Dannomiss and welcome to SGL.
  13. RT65CB-SWL
    ...or this place: Taumatawhakatangi­hangakoauauotamatea­turipukakapikimaunga­horonukupokaiwhen­uakitanatahu, North Island, New Zealand 🇳🇿 I'll grab my floral shirts & shorts, ukulele's and yo-yo's on the way out!
  14. RT65CB-SWL
    Now if we could persuade Mr E. Musk and team to bring back some non-working satellites on the return leg, as it is getting a tad congested up there, that would be awesome. I have just checked Heavens-Above on my Android Tablet and there is a lot of Starlink sattelites visible from about 21:50BST (20:50GMT) over my location.
  15. RT65CB-SWL
    Personally, (I am oly referring to the OTA). I think both are very good for the beginner. I think it depends what you want out of them now and do you intend to do astro-imaging now or later; in which case, I think the Startravel 120 with EQ3 would/maybe the better option.
  16. RT65CB-SWL
    Sorry can't help much there, as I am mainly solar, lunar and planetary. That said, this time of year there is M57 in Lyra; the Virgo constellation is rich with deep sky stuff and later the Cygnus constellation too. The best advice I will give here, is to download a copy of Stellarium. It is free for computer use and about £2.99 for phone or tablet; though it is not released by the same software developer. Other free or paid apps are also available.
  17. RT65CB-SWL
    The variable polarising filter I mainly use for use when observing the Moon when near or full and Venus. You rotate the filter cells to the desired level of attenuation/gain your eyes are comfortable with. The neodymium sort of acts as a 'contrast booster'*, 'skyglow', (more of a UV/IR filter). Enhances detail of Moon, Mars, Jupiter or Saturn or the phases of Venus, (though I prefer a #47 (violet) for it; when used with my C6/XLT-SCT). It is one of those Marmite filters... you either 'love it' or 'hate it'. It is not a substitute for a light pollution filter, but certainly an improvement as local authorities are now using LED street lighting, it is better. Cheaper light pollution filters are not really worth investing in now; as LED's tend to be brighter at the higher/blue end of the light spectrum. Other SGL'er's may agree or disagree with what I have said, but this is my opinion. * Baader Planetarium also do a dedicated 'Contrast Booster' - these are usually used with refractor 'scopes.
  18. RT65CB-SWL
    Hi @Tenor Viol welcome to SGL. ...and Nikon [D40x & D80] user.
  19. RT65CB-SWL
    A budget 2"-1.25" filter reducer/adapter; (via 365astronomy); https://www.365astronomy.com/365Astronomy-2-to-1.25-Filter-Adapter.html so I can use 1.25" filters (and/or Astro-Engineering 1.6x magni-max and 0.5x focal reducer) with my 2" SkyWatcher 28mm Apex e/p.
  20. RT65CB-SWL
    Hi @jamesj01 and welcome to SGL. I am not au-fait with your 'scope; but I would start gradually; (and depending on your budget); and suggest these... a variable polarising filter. a Baader neodymimum filter - I refer to this as my 'Swiss Army knife' filter. something from the BST Starguider e/p series. I think they have a 60 deg AFOV - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bst-starguider-eyepieces.html - do not waste your money on an eyepiece or 'coloured' filter set. You may not use all the e/p's or filters - maybe of a 'poorer quality' than individually purchased ones. maybe' 8-24mm zoom e/p - Seben do a 'pretty good' one - avoid the 7-21mm. if you fancy observing the Sun in white-light, a full aperture solar filter; (either DIY or ready made) - remember to remove or make a small solar filter for the finderscope - they will need to be checked for defects before each an every use. Above are images of the variable polarising filter; (other brands are available); I use and the Baader neodymium filter; (the larger one is the 2").
  21. RT65CB-SWL
    Hi @redastro and welcome to SGL.
  22. RT65CB-SWL
    Ok! '...welcome back' 😁
  23. RT65CB-SWL
    Hi @Skinnypuppy71 and a belated 'Hi and welcome to SGL.'. +1 for the above by @Ricochet. Just to add, that is why catadioptrics, i.e. Mak's and SCT's have a 'slow' f/ratio, because the light beam is folded a few times into a short tube and a FF/FR helps to 'speed' them them up a bit if you are into astro-imaging.
  24. RT65CB-SWL

    Yikes... :shocked:
    I got no ice-cream 🍦:icescream:🍨 in my deep freezer or freezer compartment of the fridge! 

  25. RT65CB-SWL
    Hi @Kevlar and welcome to SGL. I don't know what the exact differences are. The C9.25 has a slightly longer focal length @2350mm* as opposed to the C8 which is @2032mm* If it was me, I think I would go for the C9.25. There is this chap: 'uncle Rod Mollise' ...he has written many interesting articles on SCT's and Maks, etc., on that other site... i.e. https://www.cloudynights.com/ ...as well as independent posts/reviews elsewhere on the internet. * based upon the Celestron SCT-XLT specs.
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