Sunshine

This is fantastic!

Welcome back!

Where can I see this?

Sounds amazing! I bet you're really pumped up about it working so well!

2 minutes ago, Littleguy80 said:

Fair comment. It's probably only an annual thing at best. Someone keeps spending my money on astro gear so I can't afford holidays abroad 😂

Don’t fret, a scope lets you travel through space and time! it’s a win win.

1 hour ago, JeremyS said:

Royal Mail? 😊

Last week a Christmas card was delivered to me - posted on Dec 15.

It seems like Royal Mail runs on Astro Physics timelines. 

23 hours ago, Littleguy80 said:

If you base it on the numbers it's a close call:

Secondhand Tak FC100DC £1400 (Based on ABS ad). Can work as Travel scope allowing sale of Equinox for say £300(?). Lighter than Starfield for perhapa plays more happily with the mini AZ so need to spend £200 on a new mount. Total cost £1100.

(Tak will give some improvement over the Starfield and a lot of improve over the Equinox for travel. Higher upfront cost for a secondhand scope)

New Starfield 102 £900. Too big for airline travel so need to keep Equinox 80. Heavier so maybe does need a new mount for £200. Total cost £1100.

(Brand new  scope with warranty for less. Performance still very good. Not suitable for airline travel so the 80mm scope remains as travel scope)

Maybe it's an oversimplification but I started this thread to test my thinking on the Starfield and see what other options  there were  

 

How often do you intend on taking your 4" on airplanes? that would be a consideration as well, If it was often enough to justify spending more then it makes sense. If it was a once a year thing then maybe I would opt for the less expensive option and just travel with my 80.

32 minutes ago, Andy ES said:

Turned up today after a 2 year & 1 month wait! 🥳

Now my EP collection is complete!

Yeah right! 😂😂

Over two year wait for an EP? Omg 

Welcome!

24 minutes ago, IDM said:

After much indecision I finally ordered a 350mm focal length quad refractor from Altair which arrived today. As ever very quick dispatch from Altair and the scope was well packed. My only disappointment was that they packed the obligatory cloud cover which looks like it could las a week! 

The scope seems very well made and should give me excellent wide views when partnered with my  Altair 26C camera and I hope it will provide a good travel scope as well as complement my Esprit 100. Here it is on my Ioptron IEQ30 pro mount.

Cheers

Ian

 

It's a little beauty!

I like to say I coined the term "a Tak isn't something you need, it's something you want"  and as @mikeDnight says very well just above me here, a good ED will play well with the Tak on the vast majority of objects. Regardless of the telescope you choose, you will have a great time and you should not for one second feel like you settled or be left yearning for the costlier model. Imagine if we all felt like our scopes were lesser and we were missing out, it would be mass delusion! this hobby would be awful as we all cannot afford a TAK, TEC, TMB or AP. Yes I do have a Tak, but as much as I praise my scope I find myself shaking my head sometimes when I realize I loved every session I ever had with whatever scope I used. If you look back at all my scope reviews I have made, you would see that every one was the best I ever had, because they were. If in a years time I sell the Tak and buy a TS120 well then that will be the best scope I ever had, yep! just wait for the review!.

5 hours ago, lardy said:

FS 152  with a FS 60 finder

Wow! is this your grab and go slow?

Welcome! don't hesitate to share you images in the planetary imaging section.

Nice report! I agree with comments made by those who have not tried the starsense technology, my starsense locates its position in the sky so quickly and with so few stars visible it always leaves me dumbfounded.

A big welcome! congratulations on your first scope! 

10 minutes ago, Littleguy80 said:

Oh man. This is getting serious now 😂

 

I’d kind of written off a Tak due to the price but you look at the secondhand price and consider it replacing multiple other scopes and it starts to look better value. Now whether my wife sees it that way is an entirely different question 😂

It is tempting isn't it? that FC100DC  is a supreme example of everything a 4" refractor can hope to be, don't let us pressure you as you know what your budget is but if it is remotely within your reach, I suggest a sit down with your better half and maybe some flowers, roses, a dozen, with a card.

On 02/02/2023 at 22:28, Glenbo said:

Nice piece of art! i just bought a TS Optics Photo line 102 APO, same scope as the Starfield.

Just a heads up on something I see in your photo, no, its not a ghost 👻 It's your mount fully loaded with no counterweight and bar, this can stress your mount unevenly. Imagine if you unlocked one of the axis knobs without realizing, your gear would come crashing to one side.

Are you any closer to making a decision? or have we done what we do best which is to cause more confusion. 😅

On 02/02/2023 at 05:09, kev100 said:

The anxious wait for feedback continues 🫣

Hi! I just had to mention that I’m on page 30 of your book so far and I’m really enjoying it. It’s as though I were your guest being taken on a journey through so many wonders set against these constellations, I have to agree with your thoughts on the owl cluster, in particular, it is often the highlight of my nights as I too was struck by its glowing eyes when I first saw it. One thing I really appreciate is your bringing to my attention a whole new class of object which I hadn’t even thought of, I will clarify and elaborate when I finish your fascinating book and write my full review, thank you!

A marble compared to the sun!? I wouldn’t know where to start, the difference in size here would be like comparing a grain of sand and the earth itself. 

I too was gazing admirably at those wood tripods, I would love one of those, they look a lot like the surveyors tripods I saw on many job sites except they're wood.

These are just beautiful!

Yes, I made a post about it last night, I had a lump in my throat when I first heard.

Got it! Thanks!

From one of our own members @kev100 thanks!