Sunshine

When imaging planets, is setting the camera to a higher resolution beneficial? considering a small area of the chip is being used. When i image Jupiter for example, using 640x480 allows for a higher frame rate but, is this incorrect? am i sacrificing detail by trying to gain higher frame rate this way? i usually shoot with a barlow and Neximage5 camera. One other anomaly with either the camera or, Icap software is particularly annoying, i will shoot a short burst of about a thousand frames in X amount of time (seconds) then, if i make the slightest adjustment to the exposure slider, suddenly, the frame rate will be at a crawl. A thousand frame video now takes a lot longer, an increase in exposure and, frame rate suddenly  takes a nose dive.

this is a beautiful image, it would be a shame if it didn't have a place on your walls.

Focus Scientific, great bunch of staffers, very knowledgeable and lots of scopes.

https://focusscientific.com/

12 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

For the c12mm slot the Morpheus 12.5mm will be parfocal with your 9mm, the Delos will not. Also, the Morpheus is a good deal cheaper than the Delos. Alternatively, sell your Pentax XW 14mm and replace with a Morpheus 14, again with less field curvature than the XW14.

I guess when it comes to finding any flaws in eyepieces, regarding field curvature on the 14XW, ignorance is bliss.  It hasn't struck me yet but, now that you mention it, i'll be looking for it next clear night. 

21 minutes ago, John said:

This is a simulation of the 20mm Pentax XW in the Orion Eon 115mm F/7 on the Pleiades

WAIT A MINUTE! I forgot one eyepiece I’ve had on the shelf which I forgot about, an 18mm APM ultra flat field.

6 minutes ago, John said:

This is a simulation of the 20mm Pentax XW in the Orion Eon 115mm F/7 on the Pleiades:

That looks like it would be a perfect focal length for that target, thank you for reminding me of that software which i have used and forgot about.

10 minutes ago, John said:

No XW's in 6mm or 12mm I'm afraid. The full range is 3.5, 5, 7, 10, 14, 20, 30 and 40mm. Last two are 2 inch eyepieces.

Delos are available in both 6mm and 12mm but they won't be par-focal with the XW's - they need around 8mm outwards focuser movement to reach focus. And they cost more than the XW's.

I find having choices at the higher magnification end very useful to find the "sweet spot" for a given target and conditions so I've gone for 1mm or even .5mm increments below 6mm in focal length.

To me, you seem to be missing a couple of longer focal length eyepieces ?

You are correct, I could certainly use a 20mm for example, I just found that the 14 provided a wide enough FOV for targets like the double cluster. The Pleiades on the other hand, not sure if the 14 will do for that target.

8 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

That's a very nice selection so far. The 10mm and 5mm XW's are superb on deep sky and lunar & planetary, as is the 7mm.

Without my searching it, you've just confirmed Pentax made a 5mm XW, i would really like it as it would be a nice addition when conditions don't exactly allow for the 3.5mm. Aside from the 5, i'd like something between my 9mm morpheus and, the 14mmXW, maybe a 12mm would be perfect. I smell a Delos coming on lol.

Slowly, I am building my eyepiece collection, 5 in total is what I am aiming for. So far, these three have proven to be real winners with my 115 Apo, I aim for another two in the 6 and 12mm range to round them out nicely. As they pop up in the classifieds, my next two will be either Morpheus or Delos, another Pentax? (Have to check if Pentax made an XW in 6 or 12mm range). Soon enough, I’ll have what I’ve never really had, an eyepiece collection which will most likely be a lifetime set.

Any suggestions?

No idea how you measured that but, impressive indeed.

1 hour ago, Alan White said:

I never was doubting the eyepieces, I was doubting the suppliers claim of Made in Germany.
Morpheus get rave reviews here and on other forums.

Nor was I trying to be sarcastic, just expressing my fondness of my 9mm.

They could be made in the Shire by Hobbits! i don't know, all i do know is my 9mm is my goto eyepiece, a fine eyepiece it is, really.

Welcome! enjoy looking through all these topics, ask questions and have fun!

Welcome to SGL! 

So vibrant, contrast is stunning, beautiful! love these.

That would be Venus alright, bright as ever.

At the centre of our Galaxy, there is a supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A, countless SGL members wallets have ended up there, join the club.

I have the same issue depending on where the bright object is, the closer to the horizon, the worse it becomes. Regardless of what scope I have used, atmosphere is to blame as mentioned above, no need to worry.

looks like you've done a great job of that 1/3 scale build lol, its huge!

You're off to a great start so far, be patient with observing conditions, Jupiter and Saturn are very low to the horizon which only makes things worse at the eyepiece. Regarding your scope, be sure to utilize youtube, there are countless videos which are so helpful. Another great tip, don't turn any screws before you understand exactly what they do lol, trust me, I was an expert unidentified screw turner, which is why i'm bald now. 😣

Hello! 

I think the most astounding thing is when around the beginning of July 2017, solar activity just nosedives! I  had always known about solar maximum/minimum but, to see it this way 

is something new. This is really amazing, hats off to NASA, this was better than most movies that came out in the past few years lol.

Smashing shots!

Welcome!

Welcome to SGL!