AstroNebulee

This brilliant beauty arrived today courtesy of @banjaxed my new to me motorised focuser for my skymax 127, can't wait to get it installed and first light 🤔☁️. This will now give me perfect vibration free focusing and make it so much easier when usding combined with batinov mask, no more shakey moving from focuser to laptop for me now. Thanks again Maurice 👍👌

Nice scope that, you'll have cracking views with it, I'd get a 9x50 raci finderscope to replace the one you have to save contorting yourself, clear skies

You got the trapezium in M42 well, we all had to start somewhere and it's the enthusiasm that pushes you further, keep it up your succeeding, clear skies 👍👌

Yes I agree, it would be a good goto package, maybe I could work for skywatcher marketing team 😉, there may not be a lot of difference in price if it was a whole set up or modeled together

Would maybe upgrading the tripod to a https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-star-adventurer/sky-watcher-38-stainless-steel-tripod.html And adding a counterweight bar and weights would it manage it perhaps.

Nice set up. I have the Skymax 127 az gti and have the rdf fitted at the moment but would like to fit my 9x50 raci finderscope to it but I wondering if it would be to heavy for my mount.

I have the Skymax 127 I bought last year back in July 2020 and my only scope now I've sold my explorer 150p eq3-2. I use it in my new az gti mount and find it brilliant, I use the rdf but I have a 9x50 raci finder from my old scope and wondering whether my mount could take the extra weight compared to the rdf. I have recently boutbthe hyperflex 7.2-21.5mm zoom lens but yet to try it due to mizzle, fog and rain but last week using my zwo asi120mc-s combibed with x2 Barlow surpassed the practical magnification listed for the scope whilst imaging Luna and Uranus as the seeing was very very good. My is the black diamond livery. I love my set up now as it's so portable and gives cracking views. I did use my 32mm astro essentials super plossl from flo to slew to my target and gives good wide field views, now my zoom will help get my target centralised much easier. I'd thoroughly recommend this scope to anyone and Graham on Jenams astro on YouTube provides so great reviews and tests on this scope. https://youtube.com/c/JenhamsUk

I'll give it a go when we next get a clear night down here, thick with fog and mizzle now

That must of been a great image to capture, I expect its a bit easier when Uranus is in opposition

I did try Neptune that night but was a bit to low from where I was observing and imaging, it's definitely my next target, clear skies

Thanks Craney, az I said above first time I've Uranus let alone inage it. Itcwas captured using my zwo asi120mc-s and x2 Barlow, clear skies

Thanks Pete I was amazed at the detail on Mars considering how far away it is now. First time I've ever seen let alone inage Uranus, clear skies

Thanks Pete

Thanks to the advice from @ScouseSpaceCadetI've had delivered some woolen fingerless gripper gloves to save my hands being so cold as they were a few nights ago and whilst shopping for the gloves I inadvertently went to @FLO@ bought a hyperflex zoom 7.2-21.5mm (how on earth did that happen😉) which was also delivered today from auntie flo, perfectly packaged and quick as always, top supplier can't wait to get to use it now and save having to chop and change so many ep's in the sessions. Of course it's thick with fog and mizzle here now. Clear skies

That's a lovely image, there's certainly a lot of detsil in there, I would of loved to of had the setup I have now back when Mars was in opposition instead of what I had to view through my bedroom window.

That's a beautiful image and nice processing, I find it one of the best phases of Luna

Thanks Reggie, it was the best I've ever got M42, but that set up being sold now, will be trying back to basics with my az gti and dslr on my Omegon lx2 tracker. Your 180mm Mak has a fine mounting and tripod, the tracker will be a gid send to you and pull some fantastic images for you, go on buy the tracker you know you want to haha. Love to see more images from your big mak when you capture them. I'm finding the goto on my az gti nice and easy to use through my smartphone, just loving having the portability now. Clear skies

The exposure was 8 seconds at 1600 iso prime focus. With my old 150p eq3-2 and RA tracker from my bedroom through a window, What mount do you use with your 180 in regards to getting a tracker, stacking is easy with DSOs I just use dss.

Hi Orion That's a good pair of scopes you have. My skymax 127 is with my az gti so very portable and scope in case in one hand, mount and tripod in other, then backpack with all my gear and laptop, do nice and easy. I used to have the sw explorer 150p eq3-2 but sold that as I never got it outside and this sale funded the az gti mount as I previously had my Skymax 127. Its a beauty on the moon and planets and some bright dso's but I've not imaged dso's with it yet. I do image them with my Canon 450d on Omegon lx2 tracker and used to with my 150p, see attached pic. Bug will try bright dso and clusters with ny Skymax 127. Clear skies

Welcome to sgl a warm and friendly place full of knowledge of other members (not myself haha) enjoy your new scope, there's so much to view you'll be amazed, clear skies

On further investigation, I managed to get them last night John

I'm having so much fun my skymax 127, it's been a delight to use, view and image with it, very impressed with the clarity on the moon. It's a shame I never had this mount when Mars was in opposition last year as would if had some cracking views and images. 🌌🔭🌔

On a good seeing night I went back to familiar targets Mars & Uranus after my mammoth mission on Luna. I thought I'd give these a second go with the sky so clear last night. Stacked and processed with pipp, as3, registax 6 and ps with a little windows edit. Clear skies

Be Prepared there's a lot of images here and been busy processing all day, though some images don't show it. These were taken on 23-1-21 here in North Cornwall with my skymax 127 az gti. There are a couple of dslr images stacked and tweaked and then stacked and processed images with my zwo asi120mcs and then using a x2 barlow. It was amazing viewing and seeing last night and I got really carried away and lost in the Lunar landscape. Phew! I'm now away to a darkened room with a damp edition of the sky at night magazine. Clear skies

I'd go out a bit earlier so your able to get your equipment set up and cooled down. Forvthe past couple of nights I've been setting up around 17:15 down here in Cornwall and letting my skymax 127 cool down whilst I level my mount and get everything where I want it to be so I'm not faffing about as I did on my first night haha.