sputniksteve

Very very nice

Is nobody going to say anything about that car?!

Very nice. I look forward to first light review.

Do you use any kind of shroud around the scope?

Where did you get the Fi tube from on its own?

Hi Liv, Your experience of looking through your friend's scope is unfortunate I think. For comparison, I have currently borrowed from school a really rather trashy Tasco reflector. It's just 76mm aperture, and only has a stock 12.5mm eyepiece. The tripod head and yoke are pretty knackered so the whole thing wobbles. Collimation is off a bit. The finder scope is off by quite a bit. Nonetheless, I got a half decent view of Jupiter and Saturn through it a couple of weeks ago. Jupiter showed its two main cloud belts - just about - and Saturn showed its wonderful rings. Now, I have got a bit of a trained eye as I used to have a 12' Lightbridge. This thing was beautiful. But when the kids came along, I pretty much stopped using it. It was BIG. And although it was quick to set up and just start using it, I soon tired of having to manually nudge it as objects drifted out of the FOV. And I struggled to find new objects, so ended up just looking at the same DSO and always ended up on the planets and moon. But that experience means that I can probably pick out more detail in that crappy 76mm reflector than others might be able to. I will be buying a Skymax 127 AZ-GTi later this year, but I'm under no illusion that I will need to get new eyepieces for it. I've read that the stock 25mm is ok, but the 10mm is rubbish. I will probably get a 6 or 7mm to go with it. And then at some point in the future will get a wedge so that I can use it in EQ mode. And then even later I shall get a 80mm refractor to compliment it. I've also got a 6" mirror set that I intend to use in a dob at some point ... My advice actually would be don't buy one yet. Join a local astronomy group or society and attend their events to have a look through the different scopes that the members use. I'd also recommend a decent pair of binoculars.

Cooling will also depend upon where you store the 'scope. If it is in an unheated garage it won't take so long as if you store it in the house.

Although you can get the AZ-GTi to work in EQ mode of course. You would need to get a wedge for this.

Does this thread offer any helpful suggestions?

How old is your Mak?

Utterly amaxing.

Love this thread. On Monday night I fell asleep in the armchair. When I awoke and glanced out of the window, I could see Ursa Major grinning down at me, with the comet just below it. So I grabbed my binos and spent a short while looking at the comet through them - whilst in my lounge. I then decided to go to bed, which must involve checking the doors are all locked. As I checked the french doors at the back of the house, I gazed out and could see Jupiter and Saturn to my right; at that moment a Perseid streaked across the sky above me. All this without even leaving the house! At the weekend I used the binos to have a look at the comet and the Andromeda Galaxy. Last week, I was out there with a crappy little 76mm Tasco reflector which nonetheless gave me views of the two belts of Jupiter. And this is Bortle 5. It's amaxing.

Hullo Mark 🙂

Thanks.

What is focuser backlash?

I'm itching to get one. It's a question now of balancing when my spends happen! I need to get a bike for the summer - but no-where has what I want in stock! I'd rather get my telescope now though.

I was at school with Dawn Planets. She was a lovely girl.

Blimey. These are great.

This is an astonishing image.

Has it arrived now, @Stu1smartcookie? What do you think of it?

Wonderful view in my 15x70 bins last night 11.30-12.30pm.

Absolutely amaxing. I have been having trouble with Sky Safari - it won't show c/2020 without updating data, and then it won't hold on to data. However, I managed to get it to show me the comet and was surprised to see it suggesting I could see it in the evening. So out I went about 11.30. Wow. Beautiful in my 15x70 bins. As the sky darkened it got better and better of course and I was able to see it naked eye. I also had an old Tasco 76mm reflector out there last night (I've borrowed it from school) and got some pleasantly surprising views of Jupiter and Saturn too. I even managed to get C/2020 with the scope, but it was much better in the bins. A very pleasant hour or so. I got some pics of the comet on my phone but they really aren't worth sharing!!

Hello and welcome! Your choice of jellyscope is up to you and no-one else!

You'd use a TE as a barlow for visual?

13mm then? 🙂