Zeta Reticulan

I think the Circle T and BGO's had Ohi glass.

Thank you, and you're welcome. At least most TV undercuts now have a lower lip flare. I've heard that TV are reluctant to cease adding the undercuts as it would alter the secondhand value of those with undercuts. I don't know how true it is.

Yeah, must be a south of Watford thing. lol

Addendum: The plastic appearing base plate is most likely not plastic. Which is quite a relief to be honest. It's worth pointing out that I never stated definitively that it was plastic. I stated that it appeared plastic. "Another slight point of concern with the 2” Everbrite is that the base plate appears to be made of a plastic polymer or resin material. " op cit 2. LINK VERB [no cont] If someone or something appears to have a particular quality or characteristic, they give the impression of having that quality or characteristic. Collins Dictionary A leopard just can't change its spots, eh John?

I'd like to straighten Issacs out!

Oh right, thanks. That's a relief. Oh, hold on, I just realised who the author is of that post on CN. Leopards just can't change their spots, can they? It certainly puzzled me that the bottom appeared to be a polymer of some sort. I assumed it was a veneer. If it isn't, I'm glad.

Erm ... I'm not sure what you mean. Everything's a bit subjective. I'm not sure how that corresponds to Chinese made SCT's.

I'm with Spock on this. Let's not make generalisations about Asian manufacturing capabilities.

Tasco have never actually been a manufacturer though, as far as I know. The Synta Technology Corporation and Suzhou Synta Optical Technology are not entirely the same. They have a business arrangement. I assume that due to the fact that the Chinese government often subsidises mainland manufacturing it is an economic agreement between the Taiwanese company and the Chinese registered company Suzhou Synta.

I think I've seen it before. I'm not sure of its accuracy. Doesn't answer my question though.

Why? Didn't Synta actually supply parts for Celestron when Johnson still owned it? From what I've read he always rated them highly. Although they're a Taiwanese/Canadian company (Synta Technology Corporation of Taiwan) the telescopes are actually constructed at a state of the art plant on the Chinese mainland (Suzhou Synta Optical Technology Co., Ltd). I certainly don't think my 9.25" Evolution is bad. It might not have the best optics compared to some SCT's but I thought it was pretty decent for a 235mm scope costing 2 grand.

We have afternoon tea? Must have been south of the Watford Gap lol.

The UK has a humid temperate oceanic climate (Koppen classification). It has about 5000 km of coastline, which is about the distance between the US eastern seaboard and Pacific coasts. I live about as far away from a beach as you can get here. The nearest seaside to me is in Wales lol.

That'll work.

Sounds like the weather in the UK generally. You never know what you are going to get lol.

I have used broadband and narrowband OIII filters on M57. In my experience a broadband OIII can be used at a 1.5mm exit pupil. Although I've never tried this with a slow scope. It might work on a 127mm Mak'. It would take at least an 18mm eyepiece however.

That's got to be a relief lol. Dewing is only really a problem for me in late August through September. When it gets bad it's known locally as 'hop picking mornings'. I've no idea why. The dewing ceases to be a real problem as winter approaches. I was out for a couple of hours just after midnight. I could feel the damp a bit. It's been very dry here (English Midlands) of late. Not for long lol.

Let me know how you get on.

It doesn't work too well with any kind of UHC filter admittedly. Although it's the only way to achieve a 4mm exit pupil with the 127 without using an actual 50mm eyepiece. Basically a 127mm Mak' isn't an instrument for low power observing. Celestron usually bundle a 40mm Plossl with most of their SCT's. Makes sense.

I don't know about reducing magnification. The problem with the 127mm Synta Mak' is with getting a wide enough exit pupil. As a consequence of this I only really use my 127mm SkyMax for lunar/planetary observing. One solution is to thread a reducer into a 25mm eyepiece, effectively making it 50mm. Either way, bear in mind the 127mm SkyMax is about f/12 (1540/127).

I like the ergonomics of the 14mm, but it can suffer some edge distortion. Does your BGO look a bit like this? I think the BGO's were all Ohi. Totally different animal IMO. The BGO/Ohi would be far superior.

They're nicely retro, and look and feel good. However, I think they work best in slower scopes. The 6mm and 14mm are probably the best of the range.

Interesting. Both my 6mm BCO's are now toast. I've always thought the 6mm Starbase was the best of the bunch. I have an 18mm BCO, I'm tempted to get the 18mm Starbase now just to compare them. lol

Possibly. That's some dewing problem you have.

Maybe handwarmers placed next to the plastic filter cases? Either in a pocket or an airtight container?