steveex2003

Moon Base Alpha with Huey, Duey and Luey robots it is then.

For whatever it’s worth, as said previously, at 30 degrees, I have found details have to be observed over a period. What I assume is atmospheric conditions cause veils of intermittent disturbance to interfere with what can be a few seconds of very stable, static viewing. For whatever reason, or self-induced delusion* (delete as applicable) you care to apply, I am preferring the views my 80mm Frac offer over my 127 Mak, and my 120mm Frac over my 10” Dob are offering with regards to Jupiter and Saturn right now. *Caveat, I only have my eyes/perception to base this on, and not 15 years of experience. Prefer, is the key word. I do have some reasonably pleasant WA EPs, Plossls, diagonals etc etc and do spend time mixing, matching, chasing that “view” and can only report as found.

Absolutely concur with this. Had a (SW) Mak 127 and an 80mm Equinox pointed at Jupiter last night. The little frac gave much better views at 100x.

Yeah, it's been that way for long enough down here too.

Any further along with playing? I am sorely tempted by this scope, this or a secondhand Lunt 50 perhaps. The pricing seems superb. The main caveat, for want of a better term, appears to be but a waiting time for temps. All else seems comparitively positive? I would also like to read of a comparison to a Quark equipped similar size apperture, as it seems you are almost getting a Quark for half price with this scope?

I may have misunderstood an earlier comment, but I have a Skymax 127 that i bought new, and an Equinox 80 that i bought secondhand for about £50 more than the Mak. There is no way the Mak is sharper than the refractor. The Mak is a great scope and very well collimated, but it isn't sharp like the Frac. It's horses for courses i realise. If lunar is the target, even under heavy magnification, the Frac wins on sharpness. Light grabbing asides, this scales up to my larger Frac vs Dob, at least in the examples I have. Apologies if I have misread something. I'll no doubt stand to be corrected, am only a year or so in myself 🙂 (but am and have always been a sharpness/detail freak in other fields and in this regard i'll take the Fracs)

I have tickets to see his live thing later in the year. It has been reviewed quite favourably. I understand he has his detractors, but personally I enjoy his presenting.

Did you notice anything between the two prisms? Would you be confident of identying one over the other blind, so-to-speak? I have a couple of Equinox's and find planetary views to be my leaning right now, where I read Prisms may have marginally improved performance. I have 2" ES and 1.25" WO dielectric diagonals and although I read of potential differences, I would have absolutely zero confidence in being able to differentiate between the two blind.

This is very much my experience too. Of the scopes I have, I tend to have the little 80mm Frac and a 10" Dob set up to go in a room with a SSW facing window (the others remain packed when not in use). This has meant, despite its rather crude and lazy methodology, for the last few weeks I have been able to set an alarm, get up, open the window and point either scope at Jupiter/Saturn/Moon. I compare them everytime and you know I prefer the view of the Fracs. I know it's nice bright planetary targets, and the Dobs image is brighter. To my eye's, which are less than perfect, the image is so much sharper in either Frac and on such targets I really dont think i am missing any detail whatsoever between the 120mm and the 10". If anything I percieve there more detail in the sharpness of the image. The liitle 80mm is literally a one-handed affair, with a coffee in the other which is it's own joy. I havent even tried the 5" Mak recently, in a 3-way planetary shoot-out, so pleased with views I get with the Fracs (and some new EP's) but i will do so over the coming weeks.

I have been so pleased with these. I am not sure (as have no access to TV etc as of yet) as to how much I might be missing out on with the Tele-Vues and the like. To my 50 year old eyes, the Morpheus are an absolute delight.

I am a glasses wearer, although can observe without them. I find the Morpheus so comfortable and fuss-free that it is simply easier to keep my glasses on, which is I guess the best recommendation I can give them in respect to eye relief.

I use some Baader Morpheus. Of those I have, the 6.5, 9 and 17.5 are the best. Gloriously sharp FOV, although some say to only 70+ of the 76 degrees, with effortlessly comfortable eye relief. I use these in tubes from FL4.7 - FL12. They do not suffer in anyway (to my eyes) in the faster scope. I also have the Baader Zoom which to my eyes is better in the slower refractors. It was immediately obvious that the wider FOV was very much going to be "my thing".

Was hoping (against hope) that I might get to have a play with tomorrows Saturn, Jupiter and Moon appearance. The cloud forecast has really put it's back into giving that a 100% obscured event however. Well done indeed. Have really enjoyed the Morpheus EP's thus far. (Picked this one one up on offer at £150 new from Astroshop, which is a real bargain should anyone be remotely interested)

Equinox 120 and Ercole acquired from a member here, and I just love it. Equinox 80 is by far my most used scope however.

In my experience, size of an aperture remains hugely important.

Can I ask, what are your experiences of the 4.5mm and 6.5mm? They will most likely be my next purchase. I read of much reduced ER for the 4.5mm, although not quoted as such. I find the ER of the two I have effortlessly comfortable with eye positioning. Is the EOFB as bad as some report? Coming from an Aero 30mm (which i really like) and a Hyperion Zoom and some Orion Plossls, these Morpheus's have been such a revelation in brightness, contrast and that glorious FOV.

Absolutely no offence intended. My photographics skills are even poorer than my observational. My one and only attempt thus far (with an optimistically cobbled together load of junk) was just a trail mess. To the untrained eye, it is not remotely discernible as a night sky shot ?

Forgive my ignorance, I very much have my L plates on in this community/company. Is trail run a Freudian slip?

Thank you Dave. Much obliged. My first serious EPs.

Without my glasses those Gherkins could easily have passed as a third TV.

Paul. It was indeed. A very organic moment. I am new to this, having owned my first scope (10” Dob) for a little less than a year. Given I would normally find myself quite literally fumbling around in the dark (but I enjoy my clumsiness - it’ll get better) catching a real spaceship and holding it in view on a little AZ mount but for a few seconds (I did actually counterbalance it this time to give myself half a chance) was just epic, Saturn epic. I was jumping about for a good 5 minutes afterwards. I am 49! ah well, we are what we are.

Amazing. I managed exactly the same thing myself a couple of nights ago with an even smaller Equinox 80. I knew it was coming, and that it's first pass that evening was almost directly over my head at 80 degrees. Within the 90 seconds I had before it reached zenith, I caught it, focused (10mm EP) and tracked for a good 10 seconds. Fantastic! I too could clearly make out it's form. I doubt I could repeat that in 20 attempts, i'm usually so cack-handed. Definitely worth the effort. I would keep either the 80 or the 127 Mak as I use them the most.

Non-expert opinion. I have two of these (MK IV's), and use them regularly with 80 and 120 Fracs, a Mak 127 and a 10" Dob. I tend to use one with the Barlow permanently attached and one without. I find them very good in all of my scopes, particularly for quick sessions with the 80 and the Mak. I also have a wide angle Aero 30mm, so a decent range is covered. Previously i was using Orion Sirus Plossls which i understand to be reasonable and utilitarian. I much prefer the view through the Zooms, and the zoom function itself greatly assists my often comical amateurishness. I would like to compare to something super high-end like Naglers for the experience, and perhaps for something to aspire to. Right now i am having plenty of fun with the stuff I feel privileged to own, and the sheer gulf of experience I clearly lack when reading this (which is a lot) and other pages. You can occasionally pick up a MK IV (as I did my second) for £100 or so secondhand and for whatever its worth I think that's tremendous value for money. Steven