JOHN BENNETT

Thanks Phil. It seems to me owning an astronomical telescope is like owning a boat - " a hole in the water you keep throwing money into" ! I have to learn to be patient and consider the dielectric diagonal, planet camera etc later. In the meantime if I am serious about getting the best out of my Mak 102 I must replace the kit eyepieces. I have researched the Hyperion 'Fine Tuning Rings' and it suggests the 13mm eyepiece would be a better choice. With a 14mm FTR it provides 10.8mm, with a 28mm FTR 7.1 and with both 8.1mm. On top of that by unscrewing the negative lens it converts to 22.9mm. I already have a reasonable 32mm Plossl for target purposes and a 15mm Plossl. I can't see I need anything else. Three eyepieces, two FTR's and no barlow ! A great result. If any of you gurus can see a flaw in this please let me know. Thanks for all your help guys. Avagooday JB

Great info from you all - thanks. It clears up what I believe turns out to be my main misunderstanding, quote "It seems pointless going to shorter focal length EP's" I was relying on the Barlow to provide the shorter FL but had read of the fainter images, an especially important point with the smaller aperture of the 102. Now I see the sense in using the shorter FL EP. In any case the barlow which came with the kit is nothing special and I was considering upgrading it but am better off investing in a decent EP with good FOV and eye relief. The 8mm Baader Hyperion appeals which is substantiated by our friend in the Netherlands. Baader specifically mentions they perform best in "slow" scopes such as mine. I'm not clear on their 'fine tuning rings' feature but will find out. At some future time I may replace the star diagonal if considered worthwhile. The 2'' SCT with 1.25' adapter mentioned sounds interesting - would this then accept 1.25' eyepieces ? Can't afford a planetary camera at present - will mess about with the Nikon ! Thanks for your help fellas All the best

Well guys I'm overwhelmed with your response and so quickly too. Thanks a lot. There are a few follow up points your replies raise and I will deal with them in turn Firstly I will definately check the planetary imaging thread, thanks for that and have a look at specific cameras for planet photography ( though having just invested in my kit I'm not sure I will get away with it ! ) Cooling time is not a particular issue with me as I'm lucky enough to live in a sub tropical climate close to the ocean although generally I do set up some time before dark. I also have made a dew cover I think the main question I have relates to the eyepieces mentioned in your replies. The use of 6mm and 7mm EP's gives 187x and 216x with no barlow. Is this because the barlow has a detrimental effect on image brightness and is it better to use the EP alone ? Also I note there is mention of some pretty expensive pieces using six or 8 elements with wide AFOV and reasonable eye relief. What particular EP was used for the photos of the moon and Saturn? The Skywatcher kit included a 10mm EP no doubt of dubious quality ( they sell for $10 in OZ ). Which suggests maybe I should consider investing in a quality EP such as the Baader Hyperion 8mm or a Luminos both of which provide wide FOV and about 20mm eye relief. In Australia these cost approx A$200. The Luminus has an adapter for direct connection to the T ring which would be a useful asset. I realise I am jumping ahead a bit but I like to research the issues ahead of time Any comment on this would be appreciated

I recently obtained a Skywatcher Skymax 102 and Synscan goto AZ/Alt mount. I chose this scope because I want to observe planets and moon primarily and dabble in astrophotography. So far I have had some early success observing the moon and setting up prime focus shots using my Nikon DSLR. This is useful in preparation for planetary work. However I am waiting for Jupiter and Saturn in particular to rise at a more convenient time later in the year here in the Southern hemisphere (not too good at 4 AM). Meanwhile I've been looking at websites that illustrate the field of view with my scope and various focal length eyepieces. The kit included a 10mm and 25mm Skywatcher 'super' EP and a Skywatcher 2x Barlow. I assume these to be basic and have added a 32mm and 15mm EP of better quality. When I enter this data into the FOV chart I was disappointed to see how small the images are for Jupiter and Saturn at 173x. This is using the 15mm and 2x Barlow. Using the 10mm increases mag to 260x which I understand is beyond the scope's capacity. Is this the best I can expect from the 102 ? It seems pointless going to shorter focal length EP's. What mag is necessary to get a decent image of these planets ? Maybe I've made a mistake - should have gone for the 127 ? Or can I expect to get an acceptable result by taking video and stacking the individual frames ? A lot of questions here !!

Hi from "down under". Just joined up after finding your website and solving a problem with my Synscan Skymax 102 Mak/Cass goto - brand new and learning the ropes. Another member posted exactly the same problem I had and was told how to fix it and bingo - it worked for me too. So thanks are in order and I look forward to maintaining an active relationship with your organisation.