wibblefish

I am still not sure I feel experienced enough to post an observing report (or if anyone will be interested!) but I thought I would give it a whirl. Any comments or advice gratefully received! After what has felt like months there was an unexpectedly clear night. With the temperature dropping it was very good and stable seeing as far as I could tell. The first real use of my new Starwave 102ED with the heavy duty Skytee2 and it was a vast improvement over my old Evostar 90/660. Despite them being similar aperture instruments the ED produced much brighter and sharper images using the same eye pieces and diagonal. The Skytee was great, I had originally baulked at spending about the same on a mount and tripod (and saddle replacement) as the OTA but it is worthy rock solid and smooth (bar some slight play on one of the slow-mo’s). As it is my favourite target I started with M42. It always impresses me but this time it seemed a lot clearer with defined dust and gas clouds billowing out. I decided to take advantage of the my two new filters (Svbony UHC and Astronmik OIII) to see if they made a difference. The answer is an impressive amount. The reduction in skyglow from the UHC made the nebula stand out whilst keeping it bright. The OIII made everything darker but the nebula was even better looking, clear wisps of gas and dust, it seemed to create more contrast and allow for finer detail than the UHC. I compared both using my 12mm BST eye piece. After that I decided to turn to another old favourite the bright cluster of Pleiades. The wide 16mm Nirvana really impressed me here, I can easily see it becoming my go-to eye piece, able to bring the whole cluster into one wide view from edge to edge. The difference in the OTA again was surprising, the stars brighter and crisper again and the Skytee solid even pointed high in the zenith. I am not sure why I decided to hunt toward the more light polluted side of the garden for M31 but I found it easily enough. It was a little clearer but Andromeda was still mostly a smudge of fuzzy grey around the brighter core. What did surprise me was I could see M32 and a very faint M110 which I don’t remember seeing before. I had to double check the star maps several times to ensure it was correct. With a lack of planetaries to try the OIII on I decided to have a go at Caldwell 39 “Eskimo Nebubla”. I have tried and failed to locate this a few times but with the assistance of the OIII filter I was able to discern it. It appeared as a small blue fuzzy next to a brighter star. A final gaze at M42 rounded off my unexpected night. I am hugely impressed with the new kit and relieved I can see a real difference. Looking forward to many more nights to explore if the weather graces us with any more clear weather (this was the first since early Oct?).

Congratulations! Still cloudy here and looks set to be that way for another week. I blame the fact I bought a new telescope back in November which I have managed to use for all of 20 minutes between cloud patches

I just checked the week ahead on various apps and it is looking like another full cloud cover week with extra rain and wind Maybe 2021 needs a reset?

Its been like this for weeks here but I consulted my log book from last year and I seem to have only got a couple of clear nights in November so maybe its just the way of it. Hopefully it will start clear up heading into mid/late December though I am not overly optimistic at present! UK is not the best environment for the amateur astronomer I feel but it won’t stop us spending pennies for those few nights we do get I am sure!

You could try a Baader Semi-Apo or something, I found it helped with my 90 short tube (though it wasn't horrendous to start with) but your mileage may vary. I think a wratten 8 might also assist for considerably less. Both types give a yellowish cast to the view though I dont recall it being to awful

I did the same @John spotted Jupiter in the gap between two houses, clear sky, chucked the 102mm refractor out! Best view was probably x89 (8mm) with clear banding tried x179 (4mm) but it wasn’t quite as sharp

Thanks, I am a total newbie at this sort of thing Just don’t want to take a new mount apart and make it worse / not be able to put it together again! Maybe I shall leave it till the summer then take my time when there is not much astro going on!

I have a 6x30 on my 100mm refractor never found a problem with it mostly got it because of the weight difference but that was on a lighter mount my new one will likely cope with the weight si may upgrade…

be interesting I might grab that, I used scopenights but it is a little brokenish since ios updated and no response from maintainer sadly, it is still reasonably accurate though.

I removed most of it from my tube by stripping off as much foam as possible the soaking the sticky bits with WD40 and using the edge of a plastic card to scrape it off (carefully to not scratch the paint). Repeat a few times (obv watch the wd40 doesn’t drip anywhere you don’t want it).

I have a pair of these heat holder ones which go over my normal socks and I added a merino wool insert into my wellies so I am not in direct contact with the sole which helps immeasurably. Still get cold feet eventually but I figure that just means its time to come in https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heat-Holders-Extra-Winter-Thermal/dp/B01M61WFMR/ref=asc_df_B01M61WFMR?tag=bingshoppinga-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80745460652503&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584345018660083&psc=1 Maybe some sort of hiking boot might be an option? Those are usually insulated to a degree but I can't recommend a particular brand ... maybe Karrimor if you want non-expensive.

I asked Rother Valley Optics for a stock check on them as per their site and they had them in stock, considering what everyone had said I figured I'd best snap one up (I only asked about the 16mm though!) https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/ovl-nirvana-es-uwa-82-high-performance-eyepieces.html

Managed to get first light with the new telescope and mount so that was good! It was pretty hazy here with lots of high cloud, but some gaps as I was out fairly early (7pm) and caught the moon though it was pretty wobbly (is there a better term?) viewing, the 2 speed focus control was very useful in the end I caught the edge of Jupiter and its four moons but no detail due to how low it was / how hazy and everything had clouded over again by 830-ish. Also got to play with my two new eyepieces as well, a 4mm planetary and 16mm wide field (though most of the sky was washed out with the moonlight). Need a proper dark night to test out the optics on the telescope really, make sure the stars are actually pin sharp and see how it performs against deep sky stuff! Still worth getting out for the first time in weeks and here is hoping something changes soon because its been terrible in Nov thus far. This was about as good as it got (the phone picture is terrible though compared to the actual view!)

Finally got to try out my new Skytee in anger. Good mount, solid and smooth with the clutches disengaged holds nicely. Slow mo seems to work well but I have noticed that while the AZ responds immediately the Alt seems to take a 1/2 turn or so before it engages and feels “looser” somehow. Is there a way of adjusting this to remove the “play”?

Instead of the Celestron I found I ended up finding someone with a stock of Nirvana 16mm which is slightly cheaper so I had a little left for a 4mm over so took a leap and bought a SW UWA Planetary to try out. Of course all of these things require actual gaps in the cloud which seems to be lacking here for the last few weeks.....

The telescope that you will end up using is the best telescope, but its definitely an overwhelming choice! I have been all over the show with my 90/660 replacement from getting a Dob to run alongside to big frac and back and forth I am sure you will enjoy your purchase (when the skies clear anyway) and don't hesitate to ask more questions SGL is great!

Hmmm much to think about and read thanks, I will look at the Morpheus and the ES series and maybe have a look around the used stuff I was having a nose about and maybe something like these two might work: - Vixen SLV 4mm for a really high power EP (instead of say getting a 5mm BST) - Celestron Luminos 15mm for the 82 degree wide field try out

Looking for advice on what I should consider next in terms of eyepieces. I upgraded my stock eyepieces in my old telescope to BST Starguiders due to the recommendations from members on here and the low cost vs performance they seem to achieve. I ended up getting the 25mm, 18mm, 12mm, 8mm and their short barlow, of them I prefer the 18 / 12 most of the time with the 8mm reserved for anything high magnification (this was in my old 90mm short tube archomat) though I do usually start with the 25mm to sweep towards a target. As I have now upgraded my telescope to a Starwave Ascent 100ED f7 which I am hoping to keep for the foreseeable future (best laid plans!) and with the weather being so cloudy preventing me for testing it yet my mind is already pondering eyepeice upgrades for the future I am unlikely to upgrade the diagonal beyond its current Altair 1.25" di-electric I have any time soon so the only upgrade path might be wider fields? Looking at something like the OVL Nirvana or ES 82 range potentially but I am unsure what sizes to maybe start with. Ideally would like to not break the bank (I'd not want to spend more than £150 on a single unit for example) but potentially if they are more expensive than that I can fish about on the used front and / or get them gradually to replace the ones I have. I wear glasses but not very often at the telescope, however, I do find the eye relief on the BST when it is extended to be quite nice and comfortable so I wouldn't want to dip much below that if possible. Does anyone have any recommended eyepeices which would be a good "step up" from the BST range and if so what sizes would be most useful in your opinion?

I got the one from the topic mentioned recently though waiting on it shipping! It is 51cm tall reputedly. Will see when I get it but it cant be worse than perching on my garden chairs which sink into the grass lol https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09JNWBZ3P/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_S1S4VWPEMDEW29H8R41T

Skywatcher Evostar 90/660 AZ Pronto Introduction: I purchased this telescope in Nov 2020 after a pandemic desire for a new hobby got me interested in Astronomy. I had looked at the Starquest 102mc but that was not available at the time so I settled on the Evostar primarily as it was available. It was a little bit of a punt since the only reviews for it covered the longer 90/1000 version of the telescope. As I have now upgraded to a new refractor and I’ve seen this mentioned a few times recently in the beginners section I thought I would write a quick review. Though a note of caution I am still a beginner so it is just with mu novice perceptions please read up more or ask questions of more experienced members if you are considering telescope purchases to make sure they are right for what you want! Package / Contents: The telescope is fairly well packed and is relatively light even boxed. There isn’t much in the way of guidance for putting it together but it is fairly intuitive even for a novice like myself. Package contents: Aluminium tripod Tray for tripod OTA Red dot finder AZ Pronto mount head Slow-mo cables 25mm eyepiece 10mm eyepiece 1.25” mirror diagonal The tripod is sturdy enough but you can improve its rigidity further by using the provided tray to support the tripod spreader and ensuring you tighten all the screws / bolts. Later when I got heavy eyepeices the telescope was able to be rebalanced easily due to it being in tube rings which was an advantage. I also ended up improving the tripod stability and prevent overbalance somewhat by adding ankle weights above the tray on the legs but that is not needed unless you add heavier eyepieces like I did. Telescope Impressions: The telescope is a nice lightweight setup which puts this firmly in what is termed “grab and go”. I ended up keeping it permanently setup in my garage and could easily carry it through two doorways to my garden without having to close up the tripod (admittedly I had to wiggle it through the doors but its so light thats easy!). As a refractor its pretty much ready to go as soon as it is outside though you will see more as your eyes adapt over the first 30 mins or so. Its great to throw our for 10 minutes to see the moon / planets as well as longer sessions! The supplied eyepieces are ok though they suffer from a lack of eye relief. Also do note you can roll up the rubber around the eyepeice to help with this (I didn’t realise at first!). The 25mm is better than the 10mm which is likely due to the eyepiece itself and the refractor being strong at wide field. I did eventually upgrade to BST Starguiders which are fabulous but heavy which caused me some balance issues as the scope is so lightweight. The AZ Pronto is great, nice and smooth with good clutches and slow motion. The only issue I had was later when adding heavier eyepieces that the clutches started to slip and overbalance aiming towards targets high up but that would be less of an issue with lighter eyepeices. The supplied red dot finder is fine and easy to calibrate during the day but I found it a bit of a faff. The telescope doesn’t really need much of a finder anyway since you can aim down the barrel. I did eventually replace it with a Rigel Quikfinder which was a massive upgrade. As a classic achromatic refractor the telescope suffers from a degree of false colour around brighter targets. I only really had issues on the brighter stars and on the planets, the moon seemed fine particularly with a moonglow filter. I did eventually spend some extra on a Baader Semi-Apo filter which I felt nullified most of it but it is fairly subjective. There is also some softening towards the very edge of the view where you will see some elongated stars as well but again I didn’t find this to obtrusive for normal viewing but the sharpest part is the middle 80% - 90% of the view. What can I see: As a refractor this telescope is an excellent wide field performer and it excels with star clusters and brighter targets. It offers excellent moongazing and I observed good detail with minimal colour fringing. I was pleasantly surprised that there was enough detail to make out the ring of Saturn and was able to make out some banding on Jupiter and faint contrast patches on Mars. It is limited in aperture which means it will struggle with faint deep sky objects and as it cannot take high magnification it can struggle with some double stars. Please be aware most of the observations below were not made with the stock eyepeices. My observations over the last year should hopefully give you an idea of what might be possible though your milage may vary. I did try a number of targets and some were just to hard to find / make out but wether that was the scope, my location (light polluted bortle 5) or just my inexperience I couldn’t say for sure. I did try a bit of everything and the telescope performed beyond expectations at times but it is limited in the ways noted above. Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn Orion Nebula, amazing, 4 star and beautiful nebula spreading out Pleiades Cluster, great views, bright Andromeda Galaxy, diffuse, non-detailed grey cloud M37 / 36 / 38 - star clusters, one hazy with bright core NGC1746, cluster in Taurus Beehive cluster, amazing number of stars! Castor, split at 6mm Almach, split at 6mm Bet-Mon, split x2 at 12mm, x3 at 6mm Zeta canceri, split at 18mm 119 Taurus, amazing ruby star Perseus double cluster, amazing 18mm best view M3, small fuzzy globular unresolved M53, globular cluster, unresolved grey fuzz patch Leo Triplet, galaxies, very dim and only visible with averted vision as dim patch M13, globular, almost resolvable but mostly diffuse large patch M57, ring nebula, faint but discernible with averted vision at high mag M15 M2

Sorry I just re-read the initial requirements, the 90/660 might be to long for hiking the tube doesn't fold up etc and is roughly 75cm from diagonal end to front of telescope. I wouldn't particular want to hike with it though it might be portable in a long bag with its tripod potentially but the pronto mount head would also weigh some. I would recommend either something smaller like the ST80 / small Mak(spotting scope style like @johninderby has mentioned on other threads?) though I have no experience with either or probably a decent pair of binoculars (I have Olympus DPS-1 10x50 and they are ok (lots of review on here or check the binocular forum for other suggestions) and maybe a tripod / monopod like has already been said.

I have this one (for now) https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/sky-watcher-evostar-90-660-az-pronto.html which might be similar though smaller and the mount head is less interesting and its AZ (though the starquest is able to be used that way I think). Had it a year, been happy with it and I've tried out lots of targets. It did most things though as its small aperture there is a limit to what you can see in any detail but it was always fun. I ended up doing plenty of upgrades which helped improve it no end but even in its basic form it was a good introductory telescope and very good as a grab and go. The mount is so-so if you start adding heavier things (EP primarily) though I compensated with some of those ankle weights placed on the tripod legs. The only thing to watch would be it doesn't overbalance if you have heavy stuff on it and near zenith due to the way the az pronto is top mounted.

Thank you all for your input, been good hearing / seeing your setups! I have had a couple of practice runs now (unintentionally - thanks british weather!) so far and I have done as has been suggested. Set the tripod up first outside, I can leave it in the garage with the legs collapsed, extend the legs and then bring the scope out separately with no fear of bashing it off doorways! Seems the easiest way at the moment, I guess getting a pillar eventually might mean I don't have to muck about with the legs but it isn't a huge hardship just slightly awkward with the weight of the mount head. I am very impressed with the limited time I have had with the mount / tripod, it isn't so heavy as to be unwieldy but it is much more stable feeling than my AZ Pronto on its aluminium legs. I am also glad I read about purchasing the ADM saddle for the Skytee2 and even though it was fairly pricey as an extra cost it is very reassuring to have a wider / double clamp over the standard small / single clamp that was provided. Been a week so far, still waiting on first light, just need some clear skies....

I recently purchased. Skytee2 and SW stainless steel tripod and whilst they can remain setup normally in my garage for those rare occassions when there isn’t 100% cloud cover I will eventually want to take them out Is there a particular storage bag(s) that anyone knows fit these?

Happy with my Altair one looks to be the same as the svbony Id guess just different badge. I only upgraded for compression rings as I recall. https://www.altairastro.com/125in-lightwave-premium-dielectric-diagonal-red-765-p.asp