Froeng

All this talk of refractors makes me think… how about a Zeiss APQ150? They are 1200mm fl which is a very nice allrounder… must be amazing! Apparently they even made an 8” f10. I guess that one would kill my humble C8 without even taking the lens cap off! 🤣

I would also vote for the Mewlon 300 on a Tak EM-400 Temma3 mount, or even a Takahashi C-400 Cassegrain. They would all be fine. If only the skies were darker!

Had a look at the comet in the C8 last night. Blighted by light pollution and condensing water vapour (the scope looked like it had been hosed down!), what can I say to describe what I saw? Disappointing? Underwhelming? Certainly both of the above. The core was very faintly visible at 40x magnification. I did take a photo as well as seen in the imaging thread over here:

Widefield shot, 100mm f2.8, Olympus em1.2 tracked. I shot a series of 75x10sec exposures at ISO800. Too much light pollution!

Waiting for darkness. I heard there may be a comet out to play…

NLV50 de-cloaked Yes - the actual eyepiece is the tiny black thing!

Sorry I mixed this up. The original LV50 had indeed a very narrow FOV, the newer NLV50 is more like 53-55°. Both NLV50 and NLVW30 work well in f/10 scopes - in my experience.

Thought I'd post a family picture... (including the black sheep 40mm Axiom):

I don't think the 45° is correct. It appears more like 50-55° to me...

This is a very interesting discussion. It highlights the subjectivity of each observer’s personal impression. I did a direct comparison of the old LV30 and the new NLVW30 in a friend’s C11. The only significant difference to my eye was the slightly wider field of view. Thinking further about this - it may have to do with my eyesight, as I have astigmatism. I am wearing glasses that correct for this while observing. Maybe the glasses level out the optical differences? Or maybe the view could be sharper in either of the eyepieces…? Thank you for all input. Frank

I am using this eyepiece in my C8. I have no experience with it in shorter focal ratio telescopes. The main advantage over the 30mm UFF is - in my opinion - the weight. The Vixen is very light weight for what it is. I compared the two in the shop when I bought the Vixen. Generally, I also like the (not ultra) wide field of view. I prefer the view to be framed. I can see the fieldstop all the way around wearing glasses. It is also VERY easy to look through - no black out, eye position is not critical. Overall I find the experience very relaxing and therefor enjoyable. As far as I can tell, the stars are sharp across the field. Another aspect I like is that it comes to focus with my (short) 2” diagonal and the Celestron reducer. Yes, the star shapes deteriorate slightly towards the edge and there is some vignetting. But you cannot beat the view of the Veil Nebula using an O3-Filter in this combination. There may be other, optically better eyepieces. I do not have a lot of comparisons as I don’t have access to many similar eyepieces. I have compared it to the old 30mm LV and the new version has a slightly wider field of view and is even easier on the eye-placement. My only (subjective) criticism is the enormous aluminium cloak, which in my opinion would not have been necessary. All very subjective, but these are my opinions. YMMV - as they say… Frank

Ah! Gen 2 Silvertop Plössl. I also love my 26mm ones as well as my 45mm ones (despite the latter one’s tunnel vision)!

Wow, that is an amazing deal! My favourite deep-sky eyepiece for my C8. I would buy one if I hadn’t got one already!

Very nice! What make is it? I am thinking this would be a good match for my Avalon mount!😎

I think its called “Zermelo’s Ring”…!

Sketch from earlier

Just looking at Mars again. Very good view, although now very small. Seeing is about 4/5 I would say. The air has been pretty still all day…

Thanks Mark. Indeed it was chilly. The car showed -5C when we left the site around 10pm. It was getting quite hazy then as well… Frank

Last night at a “not-so-dark” site in the Hertfordshire countryside…

I woke up at 3.30, just in time for the comet. The camera was ready in the tripod in the bedroom. It was just a matter of going out onto the balcony. But then I thought about the cold, turned around and went to sleep again. Woke up at 7am… Next time 🥱😜

Does that mean the Mewlon 300 will be improved as in: half the weight and half the prize!?!?!

Something I have been trying to see on Mars in the C8 but so far failed to - despite the excellent seeing and collimation - is a hint of the great volcanoes in the Tharsis region. They would have been on show last night, but I saw no hint of them. I understand these would be extremely low in contrast with the surrounding desert, so maybe someone with a bigger aperture could let us know if you can actually see them?

Are these single shots with a phone through an eyepiece??? They are amazing!

I just packed up. The sky has turned milky. After the planets, I observed some doubles. Tegmine being the “star”! I saw three components at 335x. The air still being very steady. Off to bed - busy day tomorrow. Some sketches from earlier:

...just came in for a break. Jupiter was good but too low unfortunately. I could still see quite some detail in the banding. Mars however is - although small - spectacular! Tonight it was as sharp as on the 2nd January, but noticeably smaller. The polar cap and a blue-ish haze on the opposite side of the planet clearly visible at 335x in the C8 with bino-viewer. I even tried a 4mm eyepiece (500x!). As I only have one, I had to look with one eye only. This meant the size of the planet looked about the same as with two eyes at 335x... Maybe I need another 4mm for these RARE occasions! Mars was still sharp in the C8 at 500x. I slewed across to Betelgeuse and the collimation was spot on. Clear Airy disk with diffraction rings. The air is indeed VERY still tonight... Now going out again into the COLD🥶