fate187

Thank you for the offer Xilman, but the FS2 is a little bit dated in terms of controlling mount and selecting target if you are using it for visual like me. There is no meridian flip and selecting targets or coordinates is tedious. Still, it works well, so I am in no need to hurry a change 😊. Just spoilt from Skywatcher and especially AP1100 mount control.

I am also using a FS2 on my Alt 5 ADN mount. And I am also interested to switch to One step box. I couldn't be bothered to built my own, so this ready to go box is appealing. If you have bought this unit and you have gathered experience I would look forward to your experience :). A hand controller would be nice though.

😄 Yes, very recently. Planetary season (Jupiter, especially) required something like 3-4 a.m. of getting up. I set up the alarm properly for another visual session. Instead of that, I woke up at 7 a.m. to the alarm. I must have switched of the alarm at 3 a.m. in midsleep and just kept on sleeping. This rarely happens. Usually, I am immediately awake. Something I cannot confirm for the woman when the alarm is ringing - anytime :D.

I also got one of those very recently. How do you ensure the laser/collimator is straight? I checked the thing itself with some extensions on a flat mirror and the reflection didn't come out in the center of the bulls eye. In fact the laser light (high intensity setting) it a flat line instead of a dot 🤪

Uhhh why not have both... A great comet, super great. And earth going through its tail for a nice meteor shower. The fragments may hit Starlink and alike satellites for a glorious cascade and satellite shower

the Tal 2M was my first real scope after a 60mm achro. I got this as a teenager back mid 90s. Oh the memories

Back than people were guiding manually. Now that's the challenge: staying behind the eyepiece and doing adjustments to keep the star centered, for hours. Wow 😵

I do own the smaller version: an LZOS123 f/6. I always wonder why there are two almost identical scopes from the same manufacturer. However, it is quite a beast, that is heavy. I used it mainly for imaging and with 98.6% strehl it gives excellent star shapes . It is of serial # 004 in an William optics tube. I wish you all the best with this scope. I do like your garden .

I have seen this on CN and I am relieved. It really is the best possible outcome. I will order some books right away when they become available

Just yesterday I received a cheap cover bought on aliexpress. It surely is miles away from Telegizmos 365. However, I will leave my mount outside under it and sleep easy. Condensation will happen if no proper ventilation or temperatures are applied. Some people at CN used a light bulb under the cover for a slightly higher temperature and increased dew point temperature.

Weather in eastern Germany was quite nice. At first contact it was very clear. Some steady moments during the eclips provided some very detailed view of the edge of the moon and said craterlets, cool! The two groups of sun spots were prominent as was the very granular surface of the sun. I do have an EMC solar foil front filter and find the contrast lacking due to stray light, that is very evident when some wind hits the foil. The movement of the foil is clearly seen in brightness fluctuation over the whole view. I wonder if a Herschel wedge will provide better contrast 🤓

In fact this summer mid September during vacation. Not only was this at a dark sky area, but one night was blessed with incredible stable atmosphere. Jupiter and Saturn at 15° alt where proof of that. I observed Mars with the 100DC and bino/ADC and it was the best view I had in any scope yet. That night really showed, how much influence atmosphere has on the detail. The girlfriend was mighty impressed, not only of Saturn being super sharp and stable (which is her favorite planet), but Mars put up a tremendous show she revealed later. CS

Oh there are some: putting the counterweight on my AP1100 already mounted on the Losmandy HD tripod... I felt the mount tilting and called for the girlffried holding everything. Another instance is when putting the large 185 frac on the AP1100 with or without counterweights on the shaft: If the tripod is oriented, that one leg is not along the counterweight shaft, the whole assembly can easily be tilted and topple over when I put the scope on it in park position 3. Mounting the large apo always gives me the creeps, regardless of the mount 🤒

Wait, since when is there a 2nd edition??

I quickly ordered the 1.6 and 2.4 last week from local vendor. I am missing the 2.0 and after some calls got it back ordered for delivery later this week or early next week. Fingers pressed this works out. I used the eyepieces last night in my Tak100. The 3.4 and 2.4 are almost something "common" when it comes to Jupiter or Saturn. Especially Saturn can take so much magnification. I used the 1.6mm on a beautiful star test, and will use it in the future for double stars. edit: I woke up at 4 a.m. and observed Mars with the 3.4 and 2.4....😋 Seeing was not the best despite meteoblue predicting best 5/5 conditions 🧐 CS