Sunshine

You make sure you make a big smelly stink over this, I would be livid!

Welcome to SGL!

Congratulations on a fine scope!

Be patient my friend, some nights under certain conditions I too see blue and red color fringing on either side of Jupiter and bright stars, then the next night it’s gone. This happens, there are many variables, I’m using a TSA-102, if it happens to me it will happen to anyone 😂😂😂 no I’m not bragging, just reassuring you your scope is fine.

Give it time, every one of us when using a new scope becomes super sensitive about what they see and the slightest unexpected phenomenon can send chills down our spines. 

Great to hear, soak up the views while they last!

Lol, I can assure you I will but, I can also assure that it will show more fuzzies but it certainly will NOT produce such perfect stars and contrast as my 102….

Alright, frac guys, BACKUUUUP!!!! the mirror men are surrounding me!

Ypu have opened a can of venomous snakes with that statement🤣

1 hour ago, jetstream said:

Ive dealt with Focus Scientific before with good luck, but the last time I talked to them they were out of most scopes. You up to building a kit truss dob? You can put a good GSO mirror in there.

A tube dob is pretty handy at this aperture though- meaning- the 12" ! (truss dob your gonna kit build!😀)

Check out Astrosystems site in CO.

Do I ever wish I had time to build a dob, it would be a ten year project lol.

26 minutes ago, jetstream said:

Have you looked at the Bresser? The design looks like it could lend itself to building a nice lightweight plywood base down the road.

I like the Bresser’s but apparently getting one in North America is tricky, I think they’re rebranded by ES, actually.

52 minutes ago, Andrew_B said:

The thing about the Mewlon 180 design is that although you get 6 spikes instead of the usual 4, they'll be fainter than you'd see from a conventional spider.

I'm surprised nobody's offered an unobstructed Cassegrain or three-mirror design given their advantages and appeal to the discerning amateur but perhaps they're too hard to design and make for anything other than very high-end gear.

Thx, I think a dob is the simplest and most cost effective way to achieve more aperture for DSO’s, I would like to keep it simple.

1 hour ago, dweller25 said:

Thought you wanted the scope for deep sky ?

Good point, my interest in the mewlon contradicts my statement regarding DSO’s as it is not a DSO scope, I was fascinated with it for a short while. My sights are set on an 8-10' dob considering my budget and intentions for the scope, it would be the best fit. Upon looking at my original post to see where I had gone astray and caused others confusion as to my intentions I realize I had never mentioned a mewlon for deep sky as I am aware it is not designed for deep sky (yes you can see DSO’s with it.  So here is where I pose the question, having read my original post, Dweller25, you suggested a Mewlon which can be used for dso's but, my intention is for a more dedicated design for DSO's on a smaller budget is what i actually want, I think I have it right, now. 🤣

50 minutes ago, nfotis said:

Hmm, for faint objects, if you dislike spider vanes and spikes and you don't want a SCT or Maksutov, it seems that your only option is a larger refractor?

I was going to suggest an 102ED, but it seems that you are already covered. An 125 Apochromatic isn't a large enough jump, I think, while an 152 ED or similar is too large

If you are interested in astrophotography (implicit due to the remark about spikes), a photographic lens might be another solution?

N.F.

 

I never disliked spider veins or spikes, I was puzzled by them being mentioned around planets regarding the Mewlon only, leaving spider veins and spikes Asside which don’t bother me as I have owned dobs and newts in the past, I am interested in a larger aperture scope geared towards fainter object (spikes or not). A dob is a good fit.

3 minutes ago, nfotis said:

If you dislike spikes due to spider vanes (I do), I suggest either an SCT or a Maksutov if you want a long focal distance.

A C9.25 or a Skymax 150/180 might be a nice complement to your existing scope. What's the load rating of your mount?

N.F.

Thanks, I had a skymax 150, loved it for planetary but it wasn’t for DSO’s which is what I would like, it took forever to cool, also. An 8” dob would be ideal, I miss the dob experience. An SCT is out of the question as keeping dew off the corrector is a pain and I don’t need additional pains with batteries powering heaters and such. As for my mount, I think the Vixen GP is rated around 15lbs.

12 minutes ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

Just put an ornate lamp shade or potted plant on top, she won't notice...

This changes everything!

20 minutes ago, jetstream said:

@Sunshine seriously , leave it assembled with wheel barrow handles attached- wheel it out wheel it in. You got a garage?

Lol, I have a single car garage, his and her cars, steps going down into garden and, my gear needs to be stored in the basement another 8 steps below the main floor. Something tells me I’ll have a hard time selling my wife on a 16” dob as a home decor piece on the main floor. The only thing involving wheels in all this will be the little wheels on the folding hospital bed they wheel me into the ambulance with on my horizontal trip to the hospital, after I try carrying it down into my basement. Though I guess I’ll be smiling all the way there, thinking about the views I just witnessed.

22 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

If you don’t like spikes, a Newtonian like the Dob you mentioned won’t be to your liking.

What about a C9.25? I find that complements my TSA 120 well. And no spikes.

However, I wonder if anything will match the perfection you enjoy with your TSA 102. Maybe a Mewlon 210? 

Well, to be honest I don't mind the typical spikes I have seen in previous scopes (on stars) it is the 6 spikes on Jupiter which were mentioned in one review that had me wondering, I really never knew spikes were possible on a planet. 

Maybe it is a mewlon phenomenon only?? then again, I am just contemplating and judging without having used the scope, I just can't imagine Jupiter with 4 spikes, let alone 6!.

26 minutes ago, Peter Drew said:

I have an Orion 8" Intelliscope Dobsonian.  The optics are excellent, I bought it second hand based on the views of Saturn that I saw with it at the time.  The "push to" facility is also excellent if carefully set up, you are still obliged to "dotrack" once the object is located.    🙂 

Thanks! I’m sure my wife hates you now as you have made my decision that much easier! 🤣

17 minutes ago, dweller25 said:

A Mewlon 180 will sit nicely on your Vixen GP 😈

You don’t say! funny you mention this as I have been chewing on the idea for a few days, having read some reviews (scope reviews UK) it seems it is a winner but, the super long cool down times and, spikes on Jupiter!? sort of turn me off. Then again I am speaking without having seen for myself.

Whether it is out of reach of my 102 or not you can bet I will be straining my eyeball on this one as soon as I can 😂

Thanks for the heads up on this one, I forgot.

Welcome to SGL!

I’d be stoked if it were my first DSO, you’re on your way to a great start!

It seems I have decided I would like a larger scope to compliment my 102 for those fuzzies that are out of reach for my frac. Nothing giant and heavy, I would like an 8” XT8i as it seems to be a great dob with a handy little pointing computer. Are there any out there who have experience with the intelliscope dobs? they rarely come up in classifieds.

Nice report, that ST80 sounds like a great grab and go scope! 

5 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

I see a lot more colour on the trees than last week 👍🏻

Very pretty but, it just means Martian night time temperatures will be here soon.

Can I sneak in a daytime action shot? the moon reveals quite a bit of details during the day! a nice surprise after a cloudy night.

There must be an amateur astronomy club in your area/state that you can contact for the best spots near you. It’s fairly common that club members have a designated dark sky area where club members meet, I would google astronomy clubs in your area and also call up telescope stores as they usually host such gatherings. After doing a quick search I have come up with this site which lists several astronomy clubs in your state, it’s a sure bet one of them will have all the info you need, joining one will be hugely beneficial.

https://www.astroleague.org/societies/NC

Best wishes and good luck with your search!

20 hours ago, vineyard said:

The Daystar website says 80mm or above should use ERFs w Quarks, but if I remember correctly it can just be a (probably 2") UV-IR filter on the front of the diagonal rather than a full D-ERF?  Figure the same ought to apply to this new gizmo as well?

This seems correct, I believe I called them once regarding this and was told that a diagonal mounted ERF was fine from 80mm to 100mm, above that a front mounted ERF would be required.