globular

1 hour ago, John said:

That makes sense apart from 1 and 2 which could arguably be reversed perhaps ?

 

 

 

 

Agreed. If I remember correctly, that part of the book is talking about the importance of aperture - so I think he couldn't help but put it first.

11 minutes ago, John said:

In Star Testing Astronomical Telescopes, Richard Suiter describes the telescope system as like a wobbly stack

In the copy of Suiter's book that I have the 'wobbly stack' items are listed without numbers or an order of importance - rather they are roughly stacked in the order that light from the object travels through the 'system'.  Read your list above with that in mind and you might agree that the same applies to Roger Vine's reproduction of the stack too.

Have you measured your dark adapted exit pupil?

The UFF30 will give an exit pupil of 6.1mm in your f/4.9 scope - might be a bit big?  Unless you are young or very lucky!

At f/4.9 I think I'd try the APM XWA 100° 20mm.  This will give 4.0° (verses 4.4° with the UFF30) but with more magnification and a more usable 4.1mm exit pupil.

It will only be an option if you don't wear glasses to observe - and at £279 it's not exactly entry level price.  (But then the UFF30 is £179 so you're already past entry level).

As a test, you could create a wifi hotspot on your phone and enter those details in the adapter instead of your BT hub credentials.

If it connects to that ok then you know it's BT Hub related - might lead to finding a block somewhere on that?

If it doesn't connect to your phone hotspot either then a faulty adapter is looking likely.

20 minutes ago, NGC 1502 said:

Just found a photo of Herschel’s 6.25” 7ft focal length reflector with a brass sliding sledge focuser, but unable to post a link. The tube is mahogany.

This...?

https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-11122

+1 for the PM being invisible. I don't have the ES to compare - but as you already have that one you'll know if its invisible or not already.

33 minutes ago, DirkSteele said:

decided to go with the TMB LZOS 115 f/7 instead.  The latter was definitely a good choice and not deserving to mentioned in this thread.

You have kind of mentioned the TMB LZOS 115 f/7 in this thread.
Ok, no one else mention the TMB LZOS 115 f/7 in this thread.

Cable tie on my focuser - transforms it into a wobble free fine focus instrument.
Honestly it's a game changer.  Less than 5 pence. 

5 minutes ago, Stu said:

Couldn’t see it on the Rowan site either, will check with them.

It’s about half way down on the AZ100 page…

https://www.rowanastronomy.com/productsa6.htm

The large pair look a bit like Second World War 10 X 80 Flak Binoculars

https://www.bonhams.com/auction/21699/lot/89/a-pair-of-second-world-war-10-x-80-flak-binoculars-by-josef-schneider-kreuznach/

The thread title is about the new (released a few months ago) autoguider.
However the link provided doesn't take you to it.  It should have been....

https://www.celestron.com/products/starsense-autoguider

It looks like a combination of a more accurate version of starsense autoalign - to automatically align the telescope and put things dead centre in the FOV - and a guider - so things stay centred accurately enough for astro photography.

Sounds like a nice idea in one easy to use product - but the price seems a bit high for it to take off.

Another victim falls into the celestron ultima name trap 😀

Just now, John said:

A small detail that I had conveniently overlooked 🙄

 

You were correct though - I got the wrong ones.  
I blame Celestron for naming completely different stuff "Ultima" all the time 🤪

1 minute ago, Zermelo said:

I think these ones are Celestron's badging of the UFFs?

I have the 10mm, and it's very sharp.

Indeed.  
So you have the 10, 24 and 30 in that range - closer to a full set than you first thought 😄

I'm sure you're right John.
I was replying based on the ones that look like these...

... mainly because the OP said "currently available".

11 minutes ago, IB20 said:

One range I’m very fond on is the Ultima and its iterations. I have the 12.5mm Celestron and the 7.5mm Orion Ultrascopic. Find them exceptional glass, any consensus on the “best” of the range? Read great things about the 30mm!

I have pairs of the 24mm and 18mm for my binoviewer (Altair versions, not Celestron).  Really very nice in the MBII.
But I MUCH prefer my Nagler 22 T4 and XW16.5 for cyclops viewing around those focal lengths. 
By all accounts, including already earlier in this thread, the 30mm is the pick of the UFF crop.

Is this turning into a "what's the best set made up of mixtures of EPs" or is it still "what's the best EP from each set"?
Surely the Hyperions have a best one... even if not universally admired by all??  🤔

17 minutes ago, IB20 said:

I just haven’t read many reports of users loving them

I love my ES 92 12mm.

I placed an order for the ES 92 17mm with FLO in December 2020 and was still waiting for it over 2 years later when the XW85 16.5 came out earlier this year - so I gave up on the ES and got the XW.  (Which is fantastic btw). 
I think you don't hear many UK people enthusing over them because, for some reason, ES don't seem to want to ship them over the pond to us any more. 🙃

7 minutes ago, Paz said:

can you get these in the UK

The Widescreen Centre have one
https://www.widescreen-centre.co.uk/tele-vue-bec-0005-2-125-equalizer-hihat-adapter.html

7 minutes ago, Paz said:

I screw small rig weights into a finder shoe

I prefer your method 

I can't help you with Stellarium (don't use it) - but at least you now know you've not time travelled and it just a Stellarium issue somewhere.

p.s. hope you're enjoying Naples.  Ice-cream to die for......

This is what skysafari gives for 1.00 last night in Naples. The star below Rhea is HD 211990…..

And at 22.30 it gives…

Not sure why stallarium is showing it differently… maybe one of us has the date or location wrong. 

HD 211990 was about in that position and it’s magnitude is about 9.1 - not that dissimilar to Rhea’s 9.9.

I've had my binoviewers for a while now and have found them fantastic on high mag - where floaters have started plaguing cyclops views.  But tonight on Jupiter, together with some lovely seeing conditions, they have presented views better than anything I've ever seen (in my short 3 years with a telescope).  It's easily taking 307x and there is so much detail in the different bands and the GRS. And not just fleeting glimpses, it's there all the time, rock steady. I'm struggling to find words... but I'm very excited and I'm going back out.....

I too had a long look at Saturn and found 230x about optimum. It just sat there as steady as a rock as if inviting me to find details that are normally just out of reach.

I also (unexpectedly) lingered on the double cluster - both in the FOV of the XW16.5 at 130x - everything sharp and steady and the sky so black (despite the moon).  Wonderful stuff.

Think I'll pop back out and see if the Blue Snowball and Little Dumbbell are available to me from my garden...

Nice idea