Peter_D

Hi, If you don't want to drill into the telescope to mount a finder shoe (drilling would be a pity to do to a classic scope in my opinion), attaching a Telrad finder is an option: Clear Skies Peter

These longer slow motion control cables are typically used for long refractors where you are situated quite a bit away from the mount when you are observing. A reflector on a EQ mount means you will be standing or seated at the side of the tube next to the mount and the long cables are too long. I have a Vixen reflector on a EQ mount and it came with a solid plastic fine control knob / rod (around 15cm long) for one axis aswell as just a knob for the other axis. Just like this: https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p5525_Control-Knob-for-manual-fine-adjustment-of-mounts-from-Vixen--Skywatcher-etc-.html I'm not sure if these will fit an Eq2 though.

Great images so far! Here's my one of Clavius using a 8 inch Meade SCT and Zwo asi224mc. There was one day last month (23 March) that my seeing was probably the best it has been for months (clear, cool, no wind, no con trails) plus the Moon was high in the sky - it really made all the difference! I mention no con trails because I live directly under a transatlantic flight corridor for planes leaving Frankfurt - the reduced air traffic at the moment has really improved my seeing.

Hi, I was thinking this might be a good idea for a thread. I thought it would be nice to see lunar images from this or other years where everything just came together with seeing, focusing, capture and processing. Please Mods delete if there is already a thread for this. Thanks, Peter

Hi, If you want a compact, short tube on a mount for Moon, planets, double stars, small and (relatively) bright DSO = Maksutov. I'd go with the Skywatcher 127 on the Alt az mount and upgrade to a motorised EQ mount. I know you said you don't want counterweights but the Mak is still relatively light so you don't need heavy ones. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az5-deluxe/sky-watcher-skymax-127-az5-deluxe.html OTA weight is specified here as 3.2kg (7lbs) https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p2771_Skywatcher-Skymax-127T-OTA---127-1500mm-Maksutov-Cassegrain-scope-tube.html Peter PS Sorry, just saw you want the whole package to be 12lbs which is just over 5kg. That would then be a tabletop telescope - something I would not recommend for my primary telescope. The Mak 127 mount above is lightweight and you could bring the mount out first and then the scope.

I'm originally from Ireland so I know the exact word we all call this: begrudgery.

Interesting discussion and a bit of a dilemma. Weighing things up, I'd be inclined to tell the owner if I knew for certain the scope is still under warranty.

Hi, The weather is cloudy at the moment so I'm processing / reprocessing video I captured in March. Here is a image of Bullialdus and its surrounding area. Equipment: Meade 2080 SCT, Zwo asi224mc, Baader UV-IR cut filter. 2000 images captured, best 40% used. PIPP, Autostekkert!3, Registax6, GIMP2.1. Thanks for looking Peter

Excellent images! I had two sessions on the 23 / 24 that were the best Lunar imaging conditions for me in a year. I've backed up my videos and will try and tweak the images in the next few weeks.

Thanks John for the clarification. I was perhaps a little over cautious towards the CC. Maybe a design for me to re-examine.

I wanted an upgrade in aperture last year. The classical cassegrain certainly had its plus points when I was researching. What ultimately put me off was I wasn't sure if I could manage its collimation - both primary and secondary mirrors are adjustable. Just something to be aware of, especially coming from owning a refractor. In the end, I bought a used 8 inch Meade SCT (SCT you just adjust the secondary mirror) which I am happy using and collimating.

Ah, thank you very much! You can tell I don't have a background in photography lol!..thanks again

Hi, I mostly do Lunar imaging. I currently use a Zwo asi224mc camera with a UV-IR cut filter. My issue that I've just started seeing is a very large difference in the image brightness between an image viewed on my (new Moto) mobile phone and the same image viewed on my laptop. I create the images on my laptop but when I subsequently examine the image on my mobile they are much darker. Other forum users viewing these images have commentated that the images are dark too - I can only speculate that they are looking at them on a mobile also. Is there any solution to this? Many thanks for any feedback. Peter

Hi, Here's an image of Gassendi from last night. Meade 2080, Zwo asi224mc, Baader UV-IR cut filter and 2x Barlow. 1000 frames captured, best 40% used. Clear skies Peter

Hi, Here is an image of Clavius I took on the 23rd. Conditions were excellent for this capture - they seemed to deteriorate a bit soon after. Equipment: Meade 2080 SCT, Zwo asi224mc, Baader UV-IR cut filter and 2x Barlow. 1000 frames, best 20% used. Thanks for looking, Peter

One of my favourite Apollo videos on YouTube is the launch of Apollo 4 - Walter Cronkite's commentary just highlights the sheer awe of what a Saturn V launch must have felt like.

Here's the image again with the RGB Auto Balanced. I forgot to mention that I was using a UV-IR Cut Filter. Will this make the image less red to the camera? I restacked the images and used the best 15% this time round (was 50% before, seeing was not ideal so this was too optimistic). It seems a little sharper now. Clear skies Peter

Thanks! I'm going to check my camera settings because I think I adjusted the colour on it last time out and I'm thinking that maybe the control is sticky? Still getting used to Sharpcap. Apropos, I want to try live DS stacking with the set up, I'll have to read up on it too. Thanks again for the tip!

Just looked at the upload on my mobile and it has a decidedly green tinge to it, sorry! Funny how images can sometimes look different on different screens 🤔

Hi, I used my Celestron 6SE and Zwo asi224mc to capture the area around these craters, Mare Nectarus and Rupes Altai to the south. 5000 images, best 50% used. Clear skies Peter

I inputted your location and approximate time into Stellarium and the constellation Perseus was located just above the NNW horizon - it could have been M34 you observed.

The RDF is definitely a weak link on the 6SE in my opinion. My one initially lined up fairly well by adjusting the two wheels. It then went out if alignment and similarly, just would not line up with shims.I also tried moving the rdf mount (maybe something you can try?). It was something I was going to do at some point but I ended up buying a finder shoe and using a spare finder scope I had. I'm not a fan of red dot finders in general. I really enjoy my 6SE - terrific scope, great goto - I'm seeing things I wouldn't have a hope finding under my light-polluted skies.

Hi, I was trying to take some deep sky photography in Orion with my Canon 60D and Tasco 9VR on an unguided GP mount. It didn't really work out but just on a whim I took a few single shots with the same settings (30sec exposure, iso 1250) of Mars and the Pleiades. Image brightness adjusted in post processing. I might see if I can get a better result tomorrow with a shorter exposure. Thanks for looking, Clear skies Peter

Interesting topic, thanks. I had a look in my copy of 'The Times Atlas of the Moon' (1969) for it. Here's a photo - you can see the ridges. I have rotated my book so it matches the orientation of the 1936 sketch.

Hi, I'm still plugging away at Mars 🙂. This will probably be the last one (but I keep saying this!). I used my Meade 2080, Zwo asi224mc, Baader UV-IR cut filter and a 2x Barlow. 5000 frames, best 15% used. The main features are (from left) the dark Mare Cimmerium, the brighter cut of Hesperia Planum and Syrtis Minor. Clear skies Peter