Deadlake

Working from home helps, on schools days I get up at 8 am. However unlike last year the clouds and the school days are not overlapping. 😩

I’m lucky to get 2 hours in before being up for work in the morning or clouds stop play… 🤨 Choose a scope for your style of observing….

I’m sure a TSA-120 or maybe a FSQ-106 ( at F5 it would do wonders for your NV intensifier, help with the gain setting) would also look good on it. Let me know how the alignment works out, hopefully no need to use a pole master???

Be quiet, since APO’s are ready to go immediately observers who have busy lives will buy them. That or some Deep Space products. Does make be wonder if I bought a C9.25 or Mewlon in 2022 when they are back in stock ( No jokes really) how much I would use it.

This will decrease the exit pupil, so apart from not standing on tippy-toes what advantage does this give? An F4 would be maybe better, and have a smoother mirror?

Presume a Paracorr is mandatory using such a fast scope?

Also some reviewer who went through lots and lots of scopes in the states rates them https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/100005-4-apochromatic-hyper-shootout/?p=2381946

Amazing home build!!!! 😀 How high is the eye piece off the ground, do you need to use a step to use it? It's the one thing thing that puts me off Dobs.

OK-1 and OK-4 are more akin to Takahashi Fluorite lens then FPL series of glass. I think Daniel Mounsey did a shoot out of all 4" APO's in a rolling review on CN, and in the end it came down to the TSA-102 and the LZOS. Unless you have all the scopes (Daniels review stretched into 30-40+ scopes, some the same model) you can to review an objective rating is hard to make.

You forgot contrast, which also means smooth mirrors or something else without an obstruction .. 😀 On balance a really smooth reflector is best value approach to finding and observing DSO.

Carbon for me, the nudge test result would be very similar, why carry an extra 5 kg with the wood? But the wood does look better. 😃

Going back again I would of been tempted by AJX over SXP2, the extra capacity opens up what scopes you can mount. @JeremyS The mount is flexiable, you can attach whatever saddle you want by hex screws, similar to Takahashi mounts. Gives great flexiability. Your favourite Takahashi dealer in Osaka sells Takahashi scopes with Vixen mounts by default! Interested in how the carbon tripod works out, I’m tempted to buy one, however last year it’s been what has the postman bought today. 😃 Not shown but I have the half pillar extension, very much worth purchasing.

This bag has more flexibility, you can buy another divider bag. See https://www.vanguardworld.co.uk/products/divider-bag-46 These are quite good to use on its own. So have hard shell for when you go to a dark site and expand by buying a divider bag. For the capacity best value I can find.

You don't really have any issues with light pollution, relative to a lot of observers. From an aperture perspective you can choose what you would like I feel.

While I was looking at some thing else, this came up. Since we are discussing aperture, contrast and reflectivity thought I put it in to the mix: Why Zambuto?

Do you know the SQM where you observe? Some people think 21.8 SQM is dark and 21 SQM is dark'ish, while other count themselves luck with a sky around 20 SQM.

The above had turned up and works perfectly. Now can swap the UFC between a T2 or 2" without having to pull the nose out.

Thanks thats confirmed my thoughts, the C9.25 is off the list. Open or no tube it is.

Does anyone know how for a reflector to account for reflectance the mirror versus aperture, e.g. EdgeHD has around 82% reflectance GSO 10" F12 around 96% reflectance Edit: should of googled. https://www.cloudynights.com/articles/cat/articles/optical-theory/aperture-comparision-r1901

But not as fast at the GSO. I take the point for example those TS Boren power newts are very attractive, however for using on a GEM the focuser is located at the wrong place on the scope. Apart from weight I think the GSO 10" has it.

How long does a 10" reflector take to cool down? I was thinking along the lines of a C9.25 or a GS0 10 F12 Cassegrain which I can put on a goto mount. Ps: For deep sky aperture is indeed the limiting factor, for anything planets and doubles use a refractor.

I have around 12 normal sized EP's and 4 monster XWA sized ones. The other items would be a two 12.5 mm EP's and a binoviewer. I think I'm pretty covered. I also have a filter case. In one place is the idea, so I imagine one row will be take up with XWA's, and then two normal sized EP's per slot. Leaving space.

The other option, a lot cheaper elsewhere is this: https://www.vanguardworld.co.uk/products/supreme-46d I like the way the divider comes out, and is then a soft bag. Interesting design. The puck foam can disintegrate with time and is not space efficent.

I was plotting to get one of these cases: http://www.max-case.co.uk/store/p16/max505cam.html I currently have one of these https://televue.com/engine/TV3b_page.asp?id=64&Tab=_epbag but now I've got some large APM XWA's (17 cm long) they are to big for the bag even if I demote some EP's, the other option is one of these: https://televue.com/engine/TV3b_page.asp?id=64&Tab=_ethos Edit: Above no longer an option Ethos 4 mm is around 15 cm long, 2 cm too short.

They're cheaper if you go to Japan: https://www.kyoei-osaka.jp/SHOP/nikon-nav-125hw.html