Franklin

Blast from the past, is it still going? I think it used to be for junior astronomers and had it's own magazine called Hermes, though my memory could very possibly be wrong!

Saturn takes high magnification well and is unique in that it is the only planet with a ring system that is visible in amateur telescopes. It is very high up on the "wow factor" list for all observers, both seasoned and new. At the moment the angle of our view means that the rings are closing and will be edge on in 2025 but then at their fullest tilt (26.5deg) again in 2032. Saturnoppositions-animated - Rings of Saturn - Wikipedia

Looks like an EQ1 size mount as supplied with old Tasco scopes back in the 80's. Skywatcher still make them I think? Though on an aluminium tripod rather than the black wooden one which was definitely used with the old Tasco's because I had one when I was a kid...... many, many Moons ago!

What a buy! The wooden case is worth the price alone! It looks mint and the optics on these 70's Japanese 3" refractors at F/12 will be very, very good. Get some modern 1.25" eyepieces in it👍.

No.

For me, fixed focal length eyepieces win over zooms by some margin but zooms have their uses but there is a compromise. I use a zoom eyepiece for a) In a lightweight travel set up where the advantage of having just one eyepiece with multiple magnifications outweighs the tight low-power field and b) In a solar set up where the zoom allows multiple magnifications without having to swap out filters all the time. Another use for zooms is to find the optimum magnification for the sky conditions at hand and when found, swap to a fixed focal length eyepiece. Years ago zooms were a bit of a novelty and not very popular but as @John states above, with todays improvements in manufacturing, they are really good quality and that's not just the premium products. If you intend using a zoom a lot then it may be worth splashing out on a premium unit but the more budget models have some great reviews from people on here who actually use them and know what they're talking about.

An old Vixen DD-1 or DD-2 dual axis hand controller is what you would need, powered from a 12vDC dry cell battery pack, centre negative.

Aren't you supposed to attach the finder to the OTA?

Absolutely, good telescope husbandry doesn't take much effort and can make all the difference in keeping your optics at their best. I try to leave a prism diagonal in at all times it completely seals the tube. I use a 2" desiccant plug for when I bring a scope in after a session.

Any excuse to parade my Vixen beauties! ED70SS, SD81S, ED102S, SD115S. (Note. The only way dust and other foreign bodies can enter a refractor is via the eyepiece end and standing them up on their objectives can cause these nasties to fall down the tube on to the rear element, something I would not do.)

Nice collection MichaeI, I would have at the very least stood the two Taks on coasters😁.

Without a permanent place, setting up a big scope on a big mount can be a right royal pain no matter what your age. Unguaranteed clear skies and next day work commitments don't help either so +1 for the above advice. Get a good quality grab n go set up that can be carried out and back in at a moments notice. If I only had the one big scope I would get very little eyepiece time but with my small ED refractors on manual alt-az mounts I'm out at every opportunity.

Looks a like a great shed/summerhouse/mancave to me. Is it in your garden or an allotment?

Just had 3 hours of clear skies sat in the garden with the new ED70SS, visiting some old friends once again and it's great to see the winter skies rising in the SE. Hints of nebulosity around Merope and Alcyone in M45 with the SSW14 for 28x. Caught the back end of the Io shadow transit and Jove revealing plenty of detail (for 70mm) equatorial and temperate belts displayed well using the SSW3.5 for 114x and HR2.4 for 166x. Too late for Saturn as it was sinking in the west. Left the scope out to view Venus a little nearer dawn, after coffee and vanilla slice.......mmm!

Download the Sky Safari app on your IPhone, it will tell you where everything is plus loads more.

I'm intrigued with the focusing design and the moving secondary, would be great to hear about it.

You would think that moving the flat up and down the tube on a single rod with the eyepiece holder may effect collimation and Vixen have not continued with the design which says something.

Absolutely and the PERL-VIXEN scope is from the French market, quite scarce. The scope is quite unique in that the secondary and focuser assembly move up and down the OTA on a rack in unison to focus. The AL-110 tripod could easily be replaced for not much outlay. I'd love it but am too far away to collect.

Yes it is and the seller mentions this repair. Only the tripod though, the SP head, OTA and eyepieces look great.

If anyone lives near Seven-Oaks, Kent, there is a very nice vintage Perl-Vixen 130 newtonian on an SP mount with drive and accessories for collection only on Fleabay for a bargain buyout of £100. I'd buy it in a heartbeat but I'm miles away! Telescope Perl Vixen 130x720 with Super Polaris mount | eBay

Got my new GNG, the ED70SS set up and ready for when the clouds to clear off!

I like your 102 Fedele in black, the NP102 is quite a rare scope. I know there are plenty of 102M's about but the NP102 was Vixen's 4" achro supplied on the New Polaris mount which was only in production for a short while, a kind of transition between the Polaris and the Super-Polaris mounts back in the very early 80's. At this time Vixen also supplied the 102M for Celestron which had the black tube so maybe they had a few left over?

Just seen your other post! It's good that it fits ok, I've always wanted a tall pillar for my refractors but the Vixen one is way too pricey.

Does the 45mm APZ base fit ok with the 60mm SW pillar top?

The GTI will fit on the AZ5 half-pillar but the AZ5 half-pillar has a photo type thread and the SW pillar mount takes an EQ5/HEQ5 think it's M10 bolt fitting. You'd have to fit this adaptor between the SW pillar mount and the base of the AZ5 half-pillar.