iPeace

23 hours ago, Stu said:

Still showing as in stock, wonder if they have more ex demo units?

I noticed this as well. Not that I was tempted. No sir. Not at all. Full stop.

Just saying, as an owner of some very nice fracs, that the view through a Newt is surprisingly familiar. And good. Just saying.

I'll admit I was surprised to find out for myself just how subtle the spikes are...

3 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

Wot, on a refractor versus reflector thread? Nobody behaves on those. Especially those reflector crackpots! 

Olly

PS For anyone suffering from chronic sense of humour failure, this was a joke. Not really!!!! 

I haven't forgotten that you have the other six bristles from That Man's moustache...we need to get together and get rich.

4 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

Visual refractor enthusiasts are not obsessed with going deeper, they are are passionate about the quality of the view at an emotional level.

That's profoundly true, and well said.

1 minute ago, F15Rules said:

Now about a few suggestions?

Nellie the Newt?

Freda the Funnel??

Dumbo the Dob???

I'll get my coat..

Dave

Oh, shush and behave.

Just now, vlaiv said:

And there I was believing we have a convert given your recent experience with 6" F/6 Newtonian

Hey, there's never going to be The One True Scope. There's room for a pantheon in my particular philosophy. Besides, I haven't named the Newt yet...

4 hours ago, vlaiv said:

Interestingly enough, most of the people in this thread while standing up in defense of refracting telescope design (me included) did little to counter actual arguments presented in article.

I do appreciate what you're saying. But the reactions of people reflect (...) their attitudes, not only towards the article's message, but also the way in which the message is presented.

Apparently, the article doesn't succeed in engaging those people in such a way that they take it seriously (whether they agree or not). So they don't. It's Monty Python all around. Use a title like that, and you've lost that part of your audience which needs the most convincing.

So in that sense, the article gets the reaction it deserves.

10 minutes ago, Moonshane said:

but I thought fracs were supposed to be splitters?

Let's face it though - What have the Refractors Ever Done For Us? Apart from...etc.

"After you tire of examining those five bodies in our solar system, what's next?"

Well Mr. Fleck, I'll cross that bridge when I find it.

1 hour ago, nightfisher said:

If you mean me trying one, sadly my astro spending is on hold thanks to the demise of my car, still need to get it fixed and then sell the thing, then see if i can PX the temp purchase Honda for something a little newer, so hobby spending is out  for the forseable

Yes, I read about that.

As for me, I'm enjoying this newt so much that I'm sure I'll want another, perhaps a 200mm f/6, in due course. Keeping this one a bit longer will fit in well with that.

Just waiting for the Moon to return...

1 hour ago, nightfisher said:

@Moonshane now you have the large garden i hope the 16 starts to get used a lot more

Still looking forward to trying a 150 f/6?

Show you my what? Ah, I see... I only have the one.

TS/GSO 150mm f/6. Losmandy AZ8 on Berlebach Planet.

Another very nice bit of Japanese glass, this time safely delivered thanks to the excellent care of @Tonynexevo925

Thanks, Tony!

2 hours ago, marcus_z said:

my double star case:

Nice to see them in their own case; they deserve it.

Did you replace the bottom caps? Mine came with black ones.

2 hours ago, Stu said:

With, say, an f12 Mak, a 32mm Plossl gives a 2.6mm EP and a 40mm gives 3.3mm.

Hurrah! My spreadsheet is correct!

6 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

for the life in me I could never allow anything with Meade written on it in my eyepiece case

Allright. You win. Yours is worse than mine. Well done!

1 hour ago, mikeDnight said:

just to satisfy my OCD

Don't you just hate having that? Mine's a tyrannosaurid nuisance.

15 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

there are other TV greats as well, notably the 19 Panoptic

A new favourite of mine. Just so nice.

Just now, Stu said:

In some ways surprising, you would perhaps expect the newer design and coatings of the Delite to win out, but the Panoptics are excellent eyepieces....

I agree - and was surprised myself. I'm not saying the views are identical, but very close and equally enjoyable.

The DeLite has the larger lens and eyecup which makes it feel like an Ethos on a diet - with view quality to match.

The Panoptic seems to have a way of "cutting through" which sets it apart. It's certainly as good as the 24mm Panoptic.

8 hours ago, Mak the Night said:

I think the 19mm Panoptic is probably the most perfect all round eyepiece made. I've never found anything to compare to it in its class. 

By a strange coincidence, I am (just barely) managing an ongoing shoot-out between the 19mm Panoptic and 18.2mm DeLite. It's just too close to call. I'm quite ready to give up and keep them both.

Thoughtfully packaged by @Davesellars and safely delivered today.

I must be feeling optimistic about its chances of staying on - I've already assigned it a sleeping bag.

Thanks, Dave!

I have thought about this myself and have abandoned a couple of attempts to keep a log. I do keep a target list in SkySafari - so no gap in the clouds is safe from me - and I do keep a mental log of what I observe during a session, but it's only afterwards that I decide whether to write it up. It depends on whether I feel that my mental notes will be of any benefit to others, or whether I feel what I have to share is worth it.

I find that I need no encouragement to take closer observations. This is something that slowly grows over time. At first, I was zipping around the cloudless parts of the sky, trying to assure myself that my favourites were all still there. Now, gradually, I am slowing down and taking more time and it's rewarding in a different way. But it's only now that I'm ready for that.

So I'm inclined to suggest you just enjoy the ride and trust your own inclination to either log or not and have faith that you will slow down and look for more detail when you're ready.

49 minutes ago, 25585 said:

Is there a GOTO mount of any design or make that is strong and powerful enough for an ED120, & Mak 150 or 180 even?

Sure. Just browse around at FLO. Skywatcher offers at least one that can be used both in equatorial and alt-az mode. There are many others, and can be as expensive as you like.

21 minutes ago, John said:

I thought it would be the one that I would "let go" after last years expensive investments 

I think many of us here in the gallery were expecting that as well.

21 minutes ago, John said:

Sorry to hear about your knee issues Mike - I hope things clear up soon

Thanks, they will as they always do, just never mentioned it before.

21 minutes ago, John said:

I've got issues with both knees at the moment

My thoughts are with both of them

22 minutes ago, John said:

it's interesting how such little challenges make you re-think your approach to the hobby and also to think ahead to what longer term changes you might need to make should the issues persist

Indeed. In retrospect, I've been inclined to factor in overall comfort anyway, as it tends to be a deciding factor for my own enjoyment. I like to describe it as "enlightened laziness" - basing decisions on what will make things easiest on the old bod - the final, most critical component in the optical chain and the sole means of getting anything done at all.

I wiil stand or sit, but not crouch. I will sit for lunar and planetary, but will stand for widefield and fuzzy hunting. When standing, every practical consideration is given to eyepiece height (finally got a UNI tripod with geared central column - soooooooo comfortable ). If I'll need to move the setup around a lot, it will have to be lightweight and compact. It all adds up...

1 hour ago, John said:

Darn this "getting old" business !

It's not so bad, considering the alternative. Besides, many of us seem to appreciate things with increased profundity as we get on. I sure do.