Mr Spock

If the seeing is good you should be able to see the GRS, ovals, knots and festoons. If the seeing is poor it could well be blank.

Yeah, it's eased off to 44... So that's a no. What a waste of a clear night 😡

I'm keeping my fingers (and everything else) crossed. We have a clear sky here, but, a 50mph wind. It should ease off on the next hour or so 🤞

The only eclipse I'm getting is from cloud and rain...

The 200mm will show a lot more planetary detail. The 120mm will have nice star shapes. 0.97" v 0.58" on doubles is no contest.

I keep telling myself I have the best optics within reach other than unobtanium scopes.

No-one has ever regretted owning a Starfield. My only regret is selling mine and replacing it with a scope costing three times as much for next to no increase in image quality. I remember pointing them at the moon in excellent seeing and trying my hardest to find a difference. Both showed exactly the same detail. If you are getting a Starfield I'd recommend partnering it with a top quality diagonal and eyepieces. It can get the best out of them.

Lovely images and an amazing sight.

We all go through this. Frustration with the weather doesn't help. Sometimes it's equipment. I got tired of lugging an EQ6 outside, and tired of frequent poor image quality from the C9.25. I sold it all and bought a Starfield 102 on an EQ5 and that did it. Suddenly I was outside again having fun.

From the same Bortle 4 location I've looked though several large scopes up to 22" (which had an Ethos in it). The best view I got was with a StellaLyra 16" with 31mm Nagler and an OIII (don't know which one); the view of the Witch's Broom was mesmerising.

Same old here. I see nothing but cloud and rain. Will this never end?

Don't forget the Svbony 3-8

It all depends on seeing conditions and target. In excellent seeing conditions my 12" f5 is sharp at x461 (3.3mm eyepiece) on the moon. On Jupiter, only x190 (8mm).

While you are updating it, can you get rid of all that red. I don't like it

Same here, but Baader T2 prism with 30mm UFF (SL version). No vignetting with the 30mm UFF - it doesn't like the 42mm LVW though, but you don't have one of those.

I'll have a look anyway - I can always report it as not seen.

Altitude makes a huge difference. For a while now Saturn has been mush here, no matter what scope I put on it. My best ever view was with a 140 Mak at x313 many years ago. Saturn was overhead. I'll never forget the sharpness, and inky black background. Along with a sharply defined Cassini, an elusive Encke, and the crepe ring. Eyepiece was a Meade 4000 6.4mm.

That 30mm UFF is amazing on wide fields, it's just so well corrected.

Ah, but when seeing is excellent... With the C9.25 I split 0.7", and 0.5" with the 12". I always like a challenge. At the moment I'm doing a chart for the bottom of UMa surrounding ν and ξ. I note several close doubles, including TDS 8009 at 10.7, 10.7, 0.4". It's worth a try.

One approves of your taste in eyepieces 👍

Lovely image. Reminds me of the fabulous views I get through my SL 12". I have to rely on memory given how much cloud we have these days

Hang from the obsy roof like a bat

Easy peasy for the 12"

List of DS catalogues: http://astro.vaporia.com/start/doublestardesignation.html

For some of the other common catalogues: OΣ = STT OΣΣ = STTA Σ I = STFA β = BU h = HJ Hxxx all follow the same format, so H VI = H 6, H III = H 3