Deadlake

I think it's really to the point in that they (OIII and an NVD) are tools which allow an observer to highlight/view different frequencies of light. The NVD allows viewing in the infra-red. Also good for use on gas planets for viewing Methane with the correct filter. I'm not quite sure where the differences in skills is used to make a choice about visual observation, an NVD is really a contrast booster to give you a dark site in your back yard (i.e. to deal with light pollution) it is not to do with using different observation skills. I do disagree NVD is technically difficult. It's more on the AP side of things from an instrument point of view, e.g. astrograph type telescopes and also takes a lot of theory since you can observer into the infra red spectrum not the visible which is one of the main differences. I can understand confusion around DSO, which is why I suggested it was H-Alpha observation.

As an NV newbie I would disagree. NVD based observations really belong in visual DSO section, not in their present location. If you are going to move NVD to a different section out of DSO then observers using OIII filters should not be posting there...

Vixen ASG-CB90 Carbon Tripod Of interest to me as M10 bolt on the top and designed to support a much larger mount then I would use. However could bring in this as well: ZWO TC40 Carbon fibre Tripod Same load capacity as Vixen, but 3/8 bolt. In general load capacity/actual tensile stiffness of a carbon tripod some times does not match a manufacture's claim, it comes down to end users reports of what tripods actually performs.

I think this the best option, even if a tripod does not have the hook you can add a so called sand bag sling to the bottom of any tripod and load it up with a weight to lower the centre of gravity. Therefore you only need to add weight and have a low centre of gravity with heavy scopes. I'd be interested to hear if anyone had compared carbon tripods with the extra thick material or more layers to the photograph oriented Gitzo's. I suspect the extra tensile strength they add would make them perform better on the nudge test.

We discussed this back in February, anyone want to arrange a meet at all? Unfortunately Orion will be a little low in the sky.....

Not sure if this high enough precision but Avalon do publish the mount specification. Thanks, Martin

Could holes be tapped out to be compatable with a Avalon T-Pod. I know the M12 bolt is the current preferred way, but I suspect using some tapped holes will result in a more solid fit. Thanks, Martin

@johninderby Can the bottom of the pillar take an M10 bolt as originally described?

Any idea how much extra weight the motors and control box will add to the AZ100? Thanks

Using an A75 mount then the extra weight of the mount is a lot less than before? I have a 5" with an AZ100 and a 4" double with a ScopeTech, I use the 5" more as minutes difference between setting them up.

Apparently shipments from LZOS will be re-instated. How this works I'm not sure, or think possible. Same time, given the current situation I'd wait for normality to return before making a decision. What happens if warranty works is required?

I’d take a 120 or 130 mm APO triplet over a 100 mm as the extra aperture helps. And it’s as much aperture as I’d use without mounting in an observatory. I also feel a triplet gives better colour correction at the expense of weight over the doublet. Cool down, well never really noticed it… As far as brands, interested to know people feeling’s over whether you need to buy a scope with more than 0.95 Strehl as I suspect very few places on earth have the skies to make use of it night in and night out. With so many premium scopes providing a certificate with 0.95 Strehl guaranteed then why go with paying Takahashi premium? And yes I know it’s alway nice to open Takahashi items in their blue and white boxes…

Are they F4 or fast F2 like the new Baader. The fast Baader filters work best where the optical path is fast, i.e. after the Plossel. The slower filters work best before the EP. Lookup LongBonds thread on CN for a full discussion.

Congratulations! Also I'd get it tested soon, if for some reason the lens in the cell is misaligned and the lenses get pinched no way to send back to Russia to fix. Everything else can be done at the dealer level. And yes the last I suspect.....

What filter are you using?

I was looking thru @GavStar. The C11 is most likely my next scope, my garden has too much of an incline for a Dob, and the C11 would work well with an AZ100.

Being able to resolve spiral arms structure, not just a point of light. i.e. in a C11 EdgeHD with an NVD I can see the spiral structure of the galaxy.

Gerry, I’d take the plunge. Given the way of the world might not have the current availability….

The galaxies where pretty clear and it was quite light polluted at SQM 20.09. Great contrast allowing the outside structure of the galaxy to be seen. Is a C11 minimum aperture for these types of objects?

Regards CZAS vs Baader. I've read you can use 5-7 mm EP's with the CZAS, how do the views compare with a Barlow in front of the diagonal using a Baader? Convergence in both cases will be difficult....

I surprised no one has mentioned the CZAS BV’s. https://www.cloudynights.com/articles/cat/user-reviews/field-test-carl-zeiss-apochromatic-sharpest-czas-binoviewer-r3282 read the review…

Since the last time I’ve managed to acquire a ES 2” carbon diagonal. Both LongBond and Butterfly have tested the reflectance of this diagonal in the IR spectrum and it gives good reflectance. With both the Antlia and the Baader H-Alpha filters contrast is improved. However comparing with Gavstars chroma filter the Antlia is behind considerable. I do question whether the performance of the Antlia is as speced but without any way to measure the transmission profile this is not available avenue to pursue at this time.

Just got back from a dark site trip. It would of been great if I could of transported the AZ100 and tripod in one bag. Or at very least a soft bag for the AZ100 with dual saddles and a nexus attached. Any suggestions?

How well does the Amici work with a GPC inserted for BV? I have: Baader T2 BBHS prism Baader T2 BBHS mirror Baader 2" MaxBright ES 2" Carbon Diagonal (very good IR performance for NVD), for visual the MaxBright is better. Ideally I'd like too purchase a 2" BBHS mirror diagonal, however Baader is permanently out of stock.

It’s 125 mm and 200 mm lengths…