Sunshine

It is simply beautiful! wow

24 minutes ago, Stu said:

Amazing, all quite easy really, what were they worried about? 🤪🤪🤣🤣

Sometimes I wonder what was trickier, getting Webb to where it is unfolded or landing Perseverance on Mars by way of a powered landing.

JWST is in process of firing its thrusters for insertion into L2 orbit, live on YouTube at the moment.

Welcome!

2 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

There may be some truth in that.

My first telescope was a 60mm refractor and so is my most recent.

Then I should be terrified as my first was a 60mm Safari brand shakes like a tuning fork god awful refractor.....NOOOOOOO!

4 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

Thanks Sunshine. You're not alone in spending thousands only to find you could have saved thousands. I'm sure many on SGL and on CN would be quite wealthy by now if only they'ed found the right thread in time. I did roughly calculate what I'd spent over the years only to find myself pretty much back where I started, with a small refractor. I think it may have been in the region of £60,000.00. If I'd gone for a 6" top end Tak right at the start I'd be around £50,000 better off.

Oh my gosh that is an awful lot of dough, somehow I think we all end up where we started.

29 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

  That's a really good question and easy to answer. No matter what Dickenson and Dyer would have you believe, or Televue for that matter, none of Televues refractors throughout the decades even approach the Takahashi in performance as far as lunar, planetary, and stellar observation goes. The two refractors are really both specialist instruments, in that the Tak is a high performance, high definition telescope, where as the Genesis SDF, like all its siblings, is the ultimate rich field comet seeker. The Genesis SDF at F5.4 will do something the Tak could never do, which is give a near 5° true field or ten full moons wide. On the otherhand, the Takahashi will deliver tack sharp views of double stars at 500X, and lunar views at 200X  that are so sharp you feel like you're viewing the Moon from just a few miles above its surface. So apple's and oranges really. Both complement each other perfectly without falling out. As for the idea of barlowing the SDF,  well it would still soften out at 200X. Even the NP101 IS loses steam as the power touches 200X. At 200X the Takahashi is just warming up.

  I learned the hard way that Televue scopes are not the All Things To All Men that the advertisements would have you believe. I bought one back in 2007 along with all the Naglers and a couple of powermates. I sold it within a year after a friend's Vixen 102 F6.5 ED left the multi thousand pound TV in a cloud of dust while observing Saturn. From a visual perspective the TV scopes are everything Al Nagler initially intended them to be. They really do give an unbeatable Space Walk Experience, and give pleasing views of moon and planets. The Takahashi's are surgical!

If I had run into your posts regarding refractors ten years ago I would have saved myself thousands in bought and sold telescopes over the years, you certainly know your refractors. Reading your first light CN report on your DZ last night was great! almost made me want to click the “buy” tab on local Astro shop website. 😂 then I remember I don’t need two 4” refractors but you made it so utterly tempting.

1 minute ago, Dave scutt said:

Does it say I need a new scope

No but one never needs an excuse for a new scope!

1 minute ago, Dave scutt said:

No can't make out anything 

Wow! I find that fascinating as it is smacking obvious to me, the difference between the dots that make up the text and the surrounding dots is red/orange text and green backdrop. So I guess it means you are red color blind.

Here’s another test I found online from a credible site. If you can read the text chances are you’re not color blind it states.I guess I’m not color blind as the text hit me right away without question.

5 minutes ago, Dave scutt said:

I have problems seeing any colour's too.

If you can't see the number in the image like me your coloured blind. 

I see a whole range of green, orange and brown dots of different shades there but a number doesn’t exactly pop out except a 3 within the orange dots, is that it? 

It could very well be a characteristic of the particular optics involved as some telescopes display warmer or much colder color tones than others, I’m just guessing here but it may have something to do with it.

Beautiful contrast and colours in this image.

41 minutes ago, Dean Hale said:

In the dumping room and relative warmth tonight. Think it could do with a tidy up.

A tidy up? well that would defeat the purpose of a "dumping room" I think its just fine and cozy!

Wonderful images!

24 minutes ago, Greymouser said:

Hi and welcome to the best astro forum. No idea what you mean about different groups, ( perhaps, ) we are all in this together are we not? 😛

Pretty sure she meant like SCT, imaging, etc groups or specific threads.

Welcome to SGL!  I must say, I always thought the name of your town "Peoria" was cool after hearing it in an X-files episode.

An in depth video on how Webb's optical surfaces function.

Do we ever get tired of looking at beautiful telescopes? no, some wonderful units on display here though I did need to fetch my glasses to find Stu’s first image but it’s there. 🤣 Having just one myself it has no choice but to be a grab and go, even if it suddenly gained 50lbs.

13 hours ago, Dave scutt said:

Just found this for €3.00.

My wife thought it was for my lunch

I had a different idea looks nice with a few ep's 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now this I would definitely use for lunch at work, where did you get it? you are brave as there is no padding under the lid, unless you can fabricate some.

24 minutes ago, paulastro said:

Mike, you only asked me not to tell Chrissy, you didn't mention anyone else, so I've been true to my word 😊.

Actually you are right, Chrissy doesn't trust me.  Usually, the first thing she says to me when I come round is 'what are you selling him now' .

But I agree with you, she's a lovely lady, you're a lucky chap. 🙂

 

When my wife Marianne walks past me while I’m on the computer and sees an Astro related page on the screen she never fails to say “oh no what are you buying now?” 😂

1 hour ago, johninderby said:

Ahem……Berlebach does them in dark colours if you want. 🙂

Oh boy, this is too much for my heart, this may just cost me another credit card bill drubbing by my better half.

3 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

I think you could sell it to your better half by replacing the tripod with a solid wooden tripod that would go well with the wooden floor

Now you have me looking at wood tripods, I have always wanted one and love the berlebachs though they’re not dark wood they’re such classic looking beautiful tripods.

56 minutes ago, paulastro said:

Mike, I've got to ask, since Christine doesn't interfere with telescopes being in in the house - and you're clearly in charge at home. 

When you 'upgraded' your Tak 100DC to a Tak 100DZ, why did you swear me to secrecy, arrange for it to be delivered without her knowledge, and tell me that 'she'll never be able to tell the difference' ?  And, to this day Christine doesn't know your DC miraculously morfed into a DZ. 🙂

Busted!

Incredible! I had no idea one could actually watch it move relative to background stars, it must have been awe inspiring to see!.