Stardaze

Ah ha, hadn’t thought that that would be noted. Makes sense.

Thanks Don. I noted the weight from APM’s site which surprised me.

For what it's worth I have the APM 20 and 13 and think they're great EP's, certainly not bettered for the money imo. I do hanker after the Ethos 13 at times but honestly, the APM 13 still blows me away when I use it, they are my go-to EP's and get used most nights unless it's lunar and planetary viewing of course. I have also debated the APM 30 for a while, it won't give me much extra in terms of FOV but the exit pupil would be 6.04mm in my 10" dob over the 4.03mm the APM 20 currently gives me, which may be useful with a filter purely for nebula use. My skies are 20.54 so quite average and it's this that keeps me sitting on the fence. Just one point though regarding the APM 30, it is over 1kg in weight. I've skim read the thread so that may have been pointed out already, but that's significantly heavier than the APM 20 and might be tricky to balance for you? The XW30 is only 740g by comparison. I don't think you'll go far wrong with anything you've mentioned to date.

You certainly have all bases covered, it’s great to see the diversity here with an eye for detail, you have a great collection there. I’m a little intrigued with orthos, something I must try and pick up sometime. On the very bottom of my list is possibly an APM 30, but interested to note your 40 and the reasoning behind that. I had been thinking that 30 would be the widest for my 10” given the exit pupil calc, but some of these large nebula have been a struggle for me to date.

Coming from a photography background, there’s similarities a plenty, but the biggest is most definitely ‘learning to see.’ Its almost doing that again, and we never stop learning, which is what inevitably draws me to these pursuits. I remember last year looking for the clusters in Auriga with no joy, yet last week I happened to be scanning the area for M37 with the 9x50 finder for the first time this year and saw a discernible hazy spot that had to be it. All along I’d probably been looking for an extended patch of clustered stars! Its all about the ‘seeing’ again.

The double cluster still thrills each time for me, the two crimson stars in the middle fascinate. I must’ve spent a good while last night marvelling at it all again. Definitely open cluster season early on in the night for me. I haven’t started out late enough this week to see the beehive though so maybe another month yet for that one.

Great write up Mark, you certainly crammed in plenty there, thanks for sharing.

Didn't you say that if you had one set, it would be the XW's John? I know you love the Ethos FOV in your dob though? I keep thinking every time I carry my dob from the house to the observing area, how my back will feel about that in 10 years time. Definitely a lighter setup when I get older! It's always nice to want a few new toys, sometimes that's the best part. My ideal set will be APM20 (not too fussed about the Ethos) Ethos 13/8/6 then I might add the XW 3.5 to the XW 5 that I have, those two are least used so couldn't justify the expense of the Ethos versions for me. Will futureproof and work well in whatever frac I buy too. Hope to sort that by the end of the year, a nice goal to work towards. And to keep this thread on track, I'd need a new case for them too 😂

Wow, all in a year? I think you raise a very valid point though in that it can be costly going through the incremental upgrade path. I like to future proof too, having a core set is certainly the eventual goal that will work well in anything, but I’m not far away really. Probably won’t quite attain your perfect collection but do fancy the E6 and E13.

PS. Just noted a Paracorr 2 in your signature..😂 It's a great comparison for me, given you have the same setup. Another big investment, so how much of an effect does it have? Is it all very bulky top end?

No, I haven't really considered it but it is a good valid point. Which one are you using? Just for the record, whilst I am sitting on the GAS at the moment, rest assured, I will have an EP collection like Dale's some time in the not-so-distant-future.. 🤣

Please don't tell me how great the E13 is! You have the same setup there as me, what skies are you working with? The trapezium is clear as a whistle for me (bottle 5), though spectacular with the APM 13.

You're right, on both counts. The extra field just adds to the oft used 'immersive' experience it seems. The outer edges are always going to suffer at those extremities. I have become less impulsive with kit over the years, it can certainly help you get out there, which is no bad thing, but equally it shouldn't be just about the kit, for me anyway. Stangely, I also want to 'earn it' too these days. Don't really want the accolade of all the gear...😀

Please do post your thoughts on the APM when you do get to use. I have a dob half your size but bought an XW5 for now to plug the gap. The OCD in me kind of wonders about that one being the oddity in my mix of APM and TV.

The issues are compounded by the supply chain keeping up with demand at this time but also the costs of shipments have increased 6 fold due to the pandemic (PPE taking up a third of all shipments imported and being prioritised) and so for large bulky items, those extra costs cannot be absorbed by retailers. We will see more price rises in the months ahead for certain. 🙁

Was out last night using both the APM 13 and 20 only again whilst thinking about these comments. I can't help wonder how the E13 betters the APM. It clearly does from reports but the APM is no slouch. The APM 20 is definitely a goldfish bowl and a good 30% from the edge doesn't render that well, all stars suffer with astigmatism. So if you are someone overly concerned with that, then probably not for you, But it does provide quite a deep viewing experience which I like. The 13 starts to suffer around 15% of the way Ito the edge but certainly has a flatter field - it's a very good EP. One day I will probably buy the E13 to make that comparison no doubt.

Which APM is that one and how do you find it? Looks about the perfect case to me too.

I still haven’t gotten round to buying one of those filters, only have the OIII. Will get one at some point.

Awesome. What filter are you using? I thought M42 looked great tonight too, that hole in the middle really is something.

Back in now but had a very enjoyable 2 and a half hours out. Packed away an icy telescope to thaw out in the garage, the heaters kept the mirrors nice and clear. Super evening though concentrating on clusters predominately and all the usual favourites. Even took a quick pic at half time of Orion over next door.

So clear outside currently has it as 12% cloud cover here. I'd say it's 60-70% with some snow flakes 😂 There's time still.... to believe.... please...

Just been looking at Stellarium and for my position really needs 2am-4am to get any useful view of the Virgo galaxies, so not on a school night. I'll probably have a look around M31 early on in the West to see how the viewing is and work around Perseus and Auriga. Virgo will have to wait till April I reckon, the Eastern view for me is just too obstructed. Leo is do-able at a reasonable hour.

There’s no snow around here so I am very hopeful. I’ll have a swat up tomorrow but quite a few of those are going to be better later on in the evening, I’m not sure I have the staying power for a late one in sub zero temps.

That was so last year surely. You can do those on the moonlit nights 😁

Well this hasn't happened for some time, looking forward and getting prepared. I need to swat up and pick some harder than normal targets. Haven't been out much since December and typically take in the usual highlights at this time (M42, M45, M37, Perseus double cluster etc) Any ideas taken with thanks.