sputniksteve

On 16/06/2020 at 12:20, Solar B said:

It was / is good as a series but doesn't

compare to the 1999 BBC series of 

the same title , if you’ve not seen that 

one then your in for a real treat !

Brian 

 

Yes - that series was brilliant. As is the accompanying book. Which I've lost somewhere ... 

Brilliant name and that logo is superb - did you design it?

Hi Barry. Welcome. People are really friendly and helpful here.

7 hours ago, Louis D said:

The original Meade ETX scopes were made in the USA.  I don't know where they're currently being made since Ningbo Sunny bought them.

Yes, I've been reading some very unhappy comments elsewhere about Meade in recent years. 

Ah man!! I've just realised that Meade still has something in this category? Any thoughts on this vs the SW/Celestron? 

https://www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk/acatalog/meade-ng-125.html#SID=1703

Dave, that is absolutely gorgeous. Thanks for sharing.

11 minutes ago, Stu said:

https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=162602

🤔 Well now ...

Hi Ian,

Yes - I'm browsing ebay, Facebook marketplace and the for sale threads here too. As I'm shielding currently,  I won't be able to go and check of the things out but hopefully I will. It's certainly an area I shall use for additional equipment and accessories and whatnots.

Do you get to see the aurora up where you are?

Ah! I've just started a new thread on this. Should have searched first. 

Has anyone got one of these yet?

Also, is there anything we could easily use as a shroud?

Hi all! 

What's your view on the tabletop telescopes? I'm particularly thinking of the SW 6" tabletop dobsonian: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/sky-watcher-heritage-150p-flextube-dobsonian-telescope.html

I've stumbled across this old topic! I live very close to Dean the op of this thread! Have you guys met up at all? Found a good site?

I've just seen that FLO still stock the SW 127 on the older SynScan mount for £389. 🤔🤔

@johninderby I always thought Meriden was the centre of the country. Turns out, it ain't: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_points_of_the_United_Kingdom

I'll be honest - it is the price difference that makes me hesitate over the C6, especially given what I've been told about the stability of the tripod on the AstroFi and SLT variants. These are each around £650, whilst the same scope on the SE is almost £900. Meanwhile, the 127s and C5 are around the £500. The SW on the AZ-GTi Wifi is £445 at FLO right now. 

Thanks for the lovely warm welcome everyone.

1 hour ago, Greymouser said:

Hello and welcome to a great forum. Don't rule out a C5 either, similar price to the C6 but even lighter and usable as a spotting scope on a photographic tripod.

HI Greymouser - yes I've got this on my list too! It looks like this is only available as an Astro Fi or as SLT. So I guess then we're in to the age old debate of Mak v SCT. 🤔

@johninderby I've just realised that you're in Derby! I am just down the A38 from you in Sunny Lichfield. 

Although I'm not at the moment as I'm shielding with my parents in Brum.

2 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Yes you could get both from FLO although would be a bit more expensive than the SW mak option.

Well. My birthday is August - that's the SW. Xmas is December - that's the Bresser. 

39 minutes ago, johninderby said:

The SW and Celestron are identical scopes except for the colour. The Bresser 127 mak is a bit better as it is actually 127mm aperture unlike the SW that is about 118mm. Also a bit longer fl of f/15. Comparing the two found the Bresser had the edge in lunar / planetary which is down to it’s greater fl and aperture. Would fit on the AZ-GTi mount.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bresser-telescopes/bresser-messier-mc-127-1900-maksutov-cassegrain-ota.html

That's a nice looking OTA. I guess you could get that and by the SW mount separately ...

Hi there everyone. I'm quite excited to be joining the forums here. 

So, I'm wanting to get back into the hobby after a few years away from it. Very much a novice. 

I used to own a 12" Lightbridge. I loved that 'scope! But when the children came along, it ended up taking up space in the garage and not being used. Then, in 2014 I .... sold it. This was a Very Silly Thing to do and I blame the post cardiac arrest brain damage for doing it. 

I've also got a 6' mirror set that I intend, some day, to turn into a dobsonian. 

But for now, I'm looking at something small an portable, but powerful enough for good views and maybe some basic astrophotography. Thinking of the 127 Maks - SW or Celestron - or maybe a C6 in some guise or other if I can persuade the boss that it's money well spent! 

Anyhoo. Hi. 🙂

Hi everyone. New here so pleased to meet you all!

I'm looking at restarting my astrojourney. I had been looking at the various guises of the C6, but I'm now looking at the powerful little Maks - the Skywatcher 127 and the Celestron equivalent. The latter now comes on the Astro Fi mount/tripod and the SW comes on the AZ=GTi Wifi mount. This one can be put into EQ mode apparently. I'm leaning towards the SW because I think the mount looks better, but I'm curious about the optical performance of the OTA. I know they're both Synta nowadays, so I wonder if the OTAs are essentially the same. 

I'd be grateful for any views on these, and if anyone has any experience of them. 

And then, of course, we can through into the mix the Celestron 5" SCT ...