ScouseSpaceCadet

There's definitely a face but it looks like Gaius Julius Caesar to me. 😉

Don't forget two shoes and two finders, you're going upmarket now Mr. Spock. 😁 The twist lock focuser on the FLO version is super posh too. A very nice extra. 👍

The Kunmings have two sets of screws. Having two types of finder feels quite posh. 😁 (The Astro Essentials shoe fits mine fine).

The Nirvana 16mm is excellent paired with the 102ED. Better than the 15mm BST it replaced. The Double Cluster just fits into the fov nicely. The Vixen SLV 4mm is my high power ep (178.5x). A revelation. It kicks the BST 5mm into touch. A minor issue is a degree of brightening around the edge. However double stars and planets are great. The 24mm Altair (APM clone) UFF is superb although a massive lump tbh. Another Altair ep I like with the the ED102 is the Lightwave flat field LER 9mm 55°. Super clarity for the price. https://www.altairastro.com/altair-lightwave-9mm-ler-125-inch-planetary-eyepiece-256-p.asp I may try more of the Lightwave eps. Not much more than the BST. 5° less fov but I enjoy using the 9mm that much.

Almost classic S@N. Even a fuzzy live view of Jupiter! Good stuff. 👍

Unfortunately I have to agree with much of the sentiment expressed here. Low on content, slow commentary delivery and decent CGI. The whole shebang has me nodding off every time. Don't get me wrong, I believe Prof. Brian Cox is a positive force for public science education. All his previous series I've watched multiple times, I've read two of his books and have tickets for his tour, however he has dropped the ball and this series is a dull rehash.

I started camping again after a not bothering for about fifteen years, since my army reservist service. In fact it was purchasing a telescope and joining SGL that got me back into enjoying the outdoors. That first weekend in the Peak District with some of the chaps from here was a nightmarishly cold affair but lessons were re-learned! As described earlier I think my better half has got into it now. Putting the tent up still involves quite a bit of, "stop shouting Peter" and me, "I'm not shouting, just giving instructions!". 🙄😁 As long as we have somewhere to visit, preferably with a market and even a better a castle (she likes castles...), with a decent food serving pub to walk to (why is the walk back always up hill? 🙄), she is happy and I get amazing skies like the weekend in the Yorkshire Dales during September. A very apparent Milky Way and several DSOs ticked off with the 10x50s. Fresh air, good exercise, no stress and most of all blinkin' cheap weekends away. 👍 If tents really are not going to work, most sites now have some sort of glamping set up for a bit more ££. Go for it. 😀

Swmbo and I don't slum it. A 5 person tent for two, a thick airbed, pillows from home and a crate of beer. We're both in our early fifties and not the fittest of specimens. 😀 Camps are booked around new moons with a village containing a gastro pub within walking distance. Lounge, walk, explore, eat, drink and be merry. If it's clear, enjoy the sky. If it's cloudy continue the merriment. It is possible to enjoy the best of both worlds with some compromise. 👍

I worked it out. The pixie grapevine tells me this time of year Santa puts the sleigh through its MoT. I'm guessing during a test run one of the reindeer farted and left a contrail.

Bear in mind a refractor still has to cool down to reach optimum performance. A refractor, mount and tripod takes up more floor space than an 8" dob stored upright. They also take longer to put together once outside. If you have decent skies just twenty minutes drive, the reflector and dobson base will go into the car easily and the most you should need to do is collimate the secondary. To raise the height of the dob, there are plastic round water butt stands that fit perfectly. None of those achromatic telescopes will satisfy you after observing with an 8" reflector, so along with the above, think harder whether the money is worth spending.

If the goto and tracking will be missed, maybe splash out on a used EQ5 class mount? I haven't looked back since essentially being forced to upgrade from an AZGTI to a used Celestron AVX. The f7 ED102 was just a bit too heavy & long for the AZGTI. On the AVX it's a toy. Rock solid. Setup takes an extra few minutes. Observing positions are comfortable to. I just rotate the diagonal. Bear in mind though, Celestron do not sell an extension pillar to fit so not a good choice for long focal length fracs... There's a decent 80mm f15 refractor thread on that other forum... https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/797543-80mm-f15-refractors/

Great report demonstrating astronomy doesn't need to be mega expensive. 😀 Regarding the AZGTI, I doubt the steel tripod would improve the vibes at all compared to your wooden Berlebach. If you haven't already upgraded, then an AZGTI ADM saddle may help but the scope is probably just way too long for the AZGTI. I imagine a SkyTee or similar would work out just fine if you're happy losing the goto and tracking functionality.

The book will keep me busy for a few nights. The stars are organised into seasonal sections with easily readable diagrams...

If you're hiking, then obviously pack size and weight is a major consideration, so really your are limited to a very small refractor, maksutov or binoculars. If the instrument will be used at home then what are your skies like? Can you see at least a slither of the Milky Way or are you badly light polluted? The cheaper achromatic travel friendly telescopes will not provide great high magnification views of the moon or planets but under dark skies there are plenty of other objects to observe. Likewise using 10x50 binoculars. A 90mm to 102mm maksutov is small and they're designed for high magnification however the field of view is quite narrow compared to the refractors.The quality of the image is excellent compared to the cheap achromats and arguably not that different to an ED72. Considering budget, this version of the Skymax 102 with the AZ Pronto mount and aluminium tubular tripod is ideal. The tripod can be strapped to the outside of a (for instance 40L) rucksack and the rest is easily fitted inside, with plenty of room to spare for the usual hiking gear. https://www.microglobe.co.uk/skywatcher-skymax-102-az-pronto-maksutov-cassegrain-telescope-p-18276.html Unfortunately (for hikers) the tubular tripod has been replaced by a sturdier model and is more commonly the version for sale now: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/sky-watcher-skymax-102s-az-pronto.html

Late to the party but nonetheless courtesy of Amazon for the princely sum of £11.09 -

Ahh. I've not been up to Bowland for a while. Nowhere is safe from the dreaded LEDs! If we get a run of good weather over a weekend I'll likely nip up as far as Hurstwood. Hopefully a few others will chip in.

A 1hr 15min drive from Liverpool. Bortle 5 SQM 20.39. Certainly darker... It's quite a bit darker just up past Clitheroe around Bolton by Bowland, Slaidburn etc. Steve is that too out the way? Are you talking about an evening meet or a camping for a night or two? Ta, Peter.

That looks a steal at £49.99... I like my red Altair Lightwave but it's £20 more and tbh I'm increasingly sceptical paying more for premium branded dielectric diagonals actually gets you more performance... I also have a Skywatcher. It does the job in the 102 Skymax.

I'll spend quite a chunk of Christmas day sitting on the throne after a huge lunch... (Blame Jeremy, he baited me!)

A 440lb weight limit?! I'll take two, one for each buttock...

Worth a monthly watch.

Thanks to Paul Abel and Pete Lawrence giving me a heads up via their Youtube monthly, I found Mercury was in a favourable evening western position at sunset a few months ago, so over a couple of nights managed a peek with the 10x50s. Even swimbo ticked it off. Not the most spectacular observation but at least that's all the planets bagged. Well done Neil 👍

Reflectors head to head, aperture wins. Plus the 150p has a much better focuser. The AZ4 and steel tripod will hold it well. The decision really comes down to how much you wish to spend. The 130PS is a nice & compact starter scope without primary mirror collimation woes, the AZ5 holds it well and the spare cash can be spent in a couple of eyepieces, a collimation cap and a book. However the tripod is somewhat flimsy... Basically the 150p and AZ4 is a better package that costs quite a bit more.

CO has been my third choice for a while. Try the Met Office and Weather & Radar apps and lastly CO. https://www.weatherandradar.co.uk/?utm_source=app&utm_medium=de.wetteronline.wetterapp&utm_content=menu

The AZGTI is no good on public campsites. It's too noisy when slewing. Believe me I have one. When camping I take decent quality 10x50 binoculars. On a camping trip to the Yorkshire Dales this September I ticked off several deep sky objects not seen before with those. I take a 102 Maksutov with me but it usually stays in the car boot because under dark skies there's so much to see with binoculars. Bearing in mind your budget & keeping things really simple, a suggestion would be keeping an eye out for a used 127mm Maksutov and pairing it with an AZ4. The 127 Maks appear regularly on here or you could post a wanted ad. Or, just over budget, get a 150mm reflector on a dobson mount and binoculars to take away. Or save a bit more, pick up a 200mm dob (used from the forums here should be a safe bet) and binocs later. If you fancy trying your hand at astrophotography in the future, and already have a dslr then consider saving around £400 for a star tracker like a Skywatcher Star Adventurer Pro & suitable tripod. Super portable and capable. Cut your teeth on that and if you like the photography, get a remortgage to fund the ap rabbit hole you fell in! There's so many variables to consider and a tight budget makes those decisions harder. I know. Patience is the key though. As for double stars.. observing in urban environment with a small telescope they're fantastic objects. I got into them with the 102 Mak but the 102ED refractor blows me away every time. Doubles saved me from a light polluted observing hell!