SuburbanMak

19 minutes ago, BCN_Sean said:

I had a look at that vid, and the author of this page has a few pointers as well as some "defaults" for a few things to get a bearing on it with; and mentions that if used on the moon that there would be some CA if not used with a moon filter (another thing on the list to use the search function here for!).

Only thing now is to keep an eye out to when these are back in stock or if one pops up used around these parts.

One thing worth noting that i didn’t mention is that using the cunning hole-in-the-lenscap technology supplied, that cuts the aperture down to the central 50mm, CA disappeared entirely! 

Great thread - & a good description from the OP, for me its not just that it hits the retina, but that it burns through into the brain and stays there, "unforgettable".

Those views I can recall when I close my eyes and some will never fade.  

A tiny but perfect Saturn set me off again on this whole thing for the first time since being about 14, first view of the M42 trapezium in my new Mak & of course the moon. Then there's the Double Cluster, Alpha Perseii, Pleiades & Beehive - frequently in 'scope and binos. And new ones being added all the time - M31, M67, M35, M41, Castor, Algieba, and Beta Monoceros .... 

The good news is I suspect the sky is full of them.

3 hours ago, BCN_Sean said:

This is what I'm seeing in a few places.  After reading up on some of the tweaking for it, like matting the tubes, stripping and fettling the focuser and how it is a fair reasonable performer doing double duty, not just visual but imaging too (I doubt it'd be possible to find a similar performing 400mm/~F:/5 lens for an SLR for the same coin).  It's almost starting to feel like a no-brainer as not only for a little scope to keep handy for sitting on the balcony with (or to take off on holiday or to work when it's one of them nights) at the price it's something that'd would make a good learning aid for stripping and working on a scope without worrying about wobbly hands on an assembly that costs 10 times as much.

When the current raft of back orders are out the way....

Agreed - like you I can see myself tinkering and learning a lot based on the video @Tiny Clanger posted earlier, all good experience for later becoming self sufficient in maintaining more exotic future equipment , which will inevitably follow  

43 minutes ago, Basementboy said:

As a Canadian I must protest – moose, not elk!

I too am starting to covet an ST80, in my case for my first scope -- something cheap I can take around London to the parks (I can't observe too much in my garden) with a wide enough FOV to help me navigate but clear sharp views. And I like the sound of "bombproof"

Now if only I could actually find one...

I absolutely stand corrected.  No intention of starting an international Moose vs. Elk incident! 

18 hours ago, Pixies said:

It's worth tracking down some of the editions of the "Actual Astronomy" podcast, which cover ST80 and possible upgrades/hacks quite a bit. From memory, they were towards the end of last year. It's a pair of Canadian amateur astronomers discussing visual astronomy.

I'll certainly dig that episode out - I love this podcast btw, two very knowledgable chilled out dudes nattering about astronomy and tangential topics with a uniquely Canadian vibe  -30 degrees observing sessions disturbed by Elk etc, a great listen.

14 hours ago, happy-kat said:

A decent camera ballhead on a photo tripod used like this gives a crude push to affair. The ballhead is dropped into the base grove and that gives the altitude up/down and the base gives the azimuth swivel.

Another good tip here, too many handles and knobs to manage on my existing tripod, used to have an old Cullman ball-head so can imagine exactly how this would work. 

14 hours ago, BCN_Sean said:

The more I'm reading about these ST80's, the closer one is to following me home; reviews like this are chipping away at the reasons not to.  For the price of one, I'd have probably dismissed it as a "toy" scope, but from what I've read on here and in other places my mind is changing and quite rapidly.

Its certainly not a toy - once you take the dew shield off you realise just how short tube it really is & are struck immediately by just how wide the ratio of lens to focal length and how bomb-proof the whole thing seems, like something you would have seen bolted to the bridge of a WW2 destroyer  

18 hours ago, Tiny Clanger said:

Good to  know, particularly as I have an Orion one en route to me right now ! I also intend to recycle the stock diagonal and RDF from a mak , which are otherwise unemployed due to upgrades.

I have the exact same mak, also a heritage dob. but wanted a fast set-up, grab & go to put on a photo tripod . I want to be able to nip out (and back in) in an instant when there's brief opportunities between clouds , the nights with brief windows happen so often compared with the 'worth putting the 'scopes out to cool' clear for hours ones, that I think I'll get a lot of use from it .

Last night, anticipating the arrival of the little 'frac I did some research about it, this was interesting ( I know it is the Skywatcher one, not the Orion I will have, but they come from the same factory !)

 

This is great thank you, I will be certainly doing the black marker trick as soon as I feel brave enough!   

Also good to see it taken to bits and put back together again, its a robust piece of kit & yes my understanding is that all the Synta ST80s are essentially the same just with different finishes.    

Picked up a used ST80 on EBay as a wide-field companion to a SW Mak 127, and had only been able to point at terrestrial targets, align the RDF etc until last night presented an opportunity for a quick view of the moon, the only object visible through a blanket of high cloud. 

I was keen to do this as have read widely varying reports of ST80 performance on bright objects so the moon was a good "how bad can it be?" test. 

With a Baader Zoom and stock SW star diagonal (90 degree) quickly thrown on to a lightweight photo tripod I was really happy with the view - very crisp, bright, not difficult to achieve focus and a pleasingly wide field with no appreciable loss of quality from 17x - 50x. Terracing & hills in Copernicus small but really sharp for example.  I can see I am going to use this low magnification combination a lot as you can be up and viewing in 2 minutes. 

The much complained about chromatic aberration was not to my eye too disturbing and limited to a very narrow green fringe on the brightest edge of the moon's disc & not in evidence along the terminator.  Be interesting to see if this is more evident and the expected red/blue when the moon is at full  brightness not partially filtered by cloud.

Not that I plan to use it for the moon much given the Apollo 8 experience offered by the Mak, but it's good know the ST80 is perfectly fine for a quick peek  I suspect its one of those things where if I had spent a long time looking down expensive refractors I might be disturbed more, but as I haven't it has just left me kicking myself I didn't pick one of these up years ago.   

Looking clear tonight so now I have the dilemma of which scope to sneak out to the park... 

@HollyHound Oh wow, that's fantastic!  

I have to do that...there's SO much additional spending potential there I don't even know where to begin! 

+ 1 on the Baader Zoom Mk IV 8-24 mm, worth every penny.

I am using this on a 127 Mak along with the associated 2.25x Baader barlow.   I am using one other EP which is the fixed Baader 24mm 68 degree to gain maxium AFOV in the Mak, which provides an interesting comparison.  

The fixed EP is a fraction crisper but its marginal & offset by the convenience of being able to zoom to the optimal magnification for seeing without changing EPs - found this to be particularly helpful for lunar & double star viewing. 

Haven't a huge amount of experience to draw from but the Zoom knocks spots off the 2 SW 25mm & 10mm (particularly poor) EPs that were supplied and means so much more time spent observing rather than fumbling with thumbscrews. 

Am sure other requirements will arise but for now I go out with one in each pocket and am sorted for the night! 

@johninderby that is an impressive bit of engineering!

24 minutes ago, johninderby said:

 

 

It’s weird, I mean it’s not like any other hobby involves this much gear...

Today the postman brought a little wide-field ST80 mate for the 127 Mak. 

That’s it I definitely don’t need any more gear now...
 

unless I upgrade to an EQ mount that takes both scopes of course, then, I could buy a wedge to the AZ GTi for photography, & then...

This is never going to end is it? 

After enjoying fainter things over the new moon, I finally had a quick play with the Baader projection ring - these are taken with a 24mm 68degree fixed Baader Hyperion and a Nikon D90. I would say promising & worth a longer session.  

On 05/01/2021 at 12:14, Craig F said:

Thanks @wibblefish and @nephilim, some great advice there. It's a bit overwhelming all of this, but as I said in my OP, its something I've wanted to get into for many years. I think I'll look into getting some bino's to use whilst I'm waiting for the scope, to get me used to the night sky and learn where "things" are.  I'll also look into the apps and book  suggestions.

I too am a beginner (making up for lost time after re-kindling in lockdown a childhood astronomy obsession that fizzled out after the purchase of a wobbly toy telescope) & would say don't be overwhelmed - there's a wealth of amazing knowledge and experience on here and I've noticed lots of patience too!   

To echo what others have said, while waiting for my "big" birthday & hence telescope to come I bought a pair of 10x50s and spent a few evenings out on a sun lounger in the garden with them, re-learning some main constellations and finding a few favourite things to look at in more detail later. Really helpful for getting my bearings and very enjoyable, in fact I have found myself finishing up most longer observing sessions with a relaxed quick tour of my favourite binocular objects.    As above I am now using the binoculars to confirm what I am looking at in the finder - I have a Telrad sticky-padded to the telescope barrel to get me in the general area and a 9x50 finderscope to centre - the bins are great way of confirming what's in your finder scope and its relation to the rest of the sky.    

2 hours ago, Nik271 said:

I found that the Seyfert galaxies are easier to spot from light polluted skies with a 5 inch scope. These galaxies have a very bright core, which makes them easier to see as opposed to more diffused galaxies. From the Messier list M51, M66, M77, M81 and M88 are Seyfert galaxies.

This is great thank you - nice to have some realistic galaxy targets to start on.  

3 hours ago, Nik271 said:

Last spring I observed M94 on multiple occasions with a 5 inch Mak. I agree it is relatively bright and stands some light pollution. My skies are Bortle 5 bordering on Bortle 6. It's a nice target indeed!

While you are in the area check out M63, another relatively bright galaxy close to Cor Caroli. It makes a right angled triangle with M94 and Cor Caroli:

Thank you  - as a recent 5" Mak owner I'd be interested to hear of any of the other Messier galaxies you consider worth trying to track down under similar skies (I am in Winchester) with this 'scope.  I've seen M31 & understand M81 is possible, but otherwise drawn a blank in this category of object & already had a number of fruitless earches for the Leo Trio etc...   

On 12/02/2021 at 13:49, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

That was a great session with a little adventure! Thanks for the report.

Technique wise, you may see some GoTo accuracy improvement if you use North Level Alignment. Rough north is enough. I either use a compass or Polaris.

Another tip is to split the sky in half. I use North/South. Pick two alignment stars between SE-SW and have a southern session. Then for northern observations realign using stars between NE-NW. 

The Synscan App manual bottom of page 12, onto page 13, "Choosing an Alignment Star explains better.

https://skywatcher.com/download/manual/synscan-hand-control-and-synscan-app/

 

Have another go at splitting Algieba. Definitely worth it. Actually easy to find without the GoTo using naked eye if you consult a chart.

Regarding the DSO failures, if you live in a very light polluted area, then the Leo Triplet is probably a waste of time. The other night I spotted after many previous tries, M66 through a 4" refractor, but that was so incredibly faint, it took probably 15mins or more to confirm.

M81 & M82 are worth another crack. They're the only two faint galaxies I'm guaranteed to see every session under Bortle 8 skies.

 

@ScouseSpaceCadet I did go back the following evening and after using Regulus as second alignment star quickly found and easily split Algieba thank you for the encouragement! 

As you say beautiful golden colour,  great to compare with Castor straight after, much brighter white.  The realisation I'd clearly not been looking at the correct star the other night sent me to re-find a couple of the targets from toward the end of the previous session - M34 in particular captured the attention far more than first time around.  Moral of the story I guess is not to try and pack in too much new stuff in one go, track down a few targets and have a good look while concentration is fresh (& feet warm) and maybe spend a bit longer looking at the highlights  as I get tireder. 

I  am ending up with a greatest-hits and target list of doubles which as the moon comes back will be handy!  

1 hour ago, Sadiestorm said:

So, a local pawn shop has been advertising a Skywatcher Mak 127 on an AZ5 for a pretty good price. I went to have a look, being a bit wary of a scope with no background on it and turns out it was a steal. Took it out of the shop, focussed on a few things in the distance, checked the mirrors and all seemed pretty perfect. No scratches, focussed well. 

OTA is in perfect condition. Looks like it retains its stock 1.25" diagonal (labelled Dielectric coated 1.25" 90 degree mirror diagonal). 
The finder scope I think is a 9x50 sky-watcher right angle finder scope (same metallic sheen of the OTA) which is also in perfect working order.
Only comes with one eyepiece which might be one of the stock ones (Super 25 wide angle long eye relief) so will need to figure out the next best additions to use with it. 

The AZ5 deluxe mount is perfect except for one of the plastic adjustment knobs of which part is broken off but still works adequately and I am sure there must be replacements. 

For a first scope that I can grab and go to get to darker areas and set up quickly or take on holiday with me I am very happy. 
Definitely have a dew shield on the 'need sooner rather than later' list.
Does anyone have any eyepiece suggestions? I was thinking perhaps a good quality zoom eyepiece to start with so I can figure out what magnifications I most use?
Any suggestions are welcome!
The sky looks vaguely blue outside so I have everything crossed that I might be able to use it tonight. 

Good choice! I am loving mine and am sure you'll get some great views.

On Eyepieces I went for the Baader Hyperion Fixed 24mm which gives a 68 degree field of view which translates to the 1.04 degrees apparent - which I am reliably informed is the most you can get on this scope. In real terms that is just about the whole of the main body of The Pleiades or both sides of the Perseus Double Cluster. 

In the other pocket I went for the Baader Hyperion Mark IV Zoom, 24-8mm which covers magnification up to 187X and I've found brilliant for finding the optimum magnification for splitting doubles, filling the field with star clusters etc.    Also with the matching 2.25 Barlow this can go up to really high power for the moon & hopefully in the summer, Jupiter & Saturn . 

The dew shield is an absolute must - on cool down time, I've got mine in a holdall and I just put it outside in that for a while, haven't noticed a huge problem with this .  That finder is awesome -  I got on much better once I swapped the Red Dot Finder supplied for the finder you have + a Telrad.  

Congratulations

6 hours ago, Carbon Brush said:

For small scopes and accessories. Cool bags. They have a bit of padding, but you will want to supplement.
They come in sizes from a couple of drinks cans up to quite big.
Again, taking on board Louis D comment. They don't look expensive if left in a car.
I have sometimes used a small cool bag to hide a camera, and provide insulation if it is left in a car on hot day.

This is a good call - was thinking of some kind of padded envelope solution for finders etc, like you get in some laptop bags. Coolbags much more cost effective! 

Another Double Cluster fan here, it has become one of my “last look round” binocular targets after packing it in with the telescope (along with Pleiades, Beehive, Hyades & Alpha Persei).  I think it’s the dark space separating the 2 clusters that makes them look spectacularly deep-spaceish. 
Great thread this thank you, I am  really enjoying tracking down winter clusters - M67 in Cancer is a good one, lots of red stars and managed to locate M41 south of Sirius earlier in the week, well worth a look when it’s not too murky low down. M35 is at the “foot” of the Castor twin in Gemini & is quite bright + M34  East of Algol has a nice contrasting Orange star among the white-blues. 
+1 on the Auriga clusters too! 
Some new targets for me to aim for in this thread,  just need clear skies...

Down up! As it were. 

Basically I’m dressed for a winter ascent of Ben Nevis to hang around by the bins at the bottom of the garden. 

I was out tonight & forecast said -3 feels like - 8 with windchill. With a down gilet under a North Face down Parker & insulated hood all was toasty, hood acts as a handy ambient light barrier too - think Kenny from South Park. 
Thick soles walking boots & bridgedale walking socks a must for me  - it’s my feet that go first if I’m not moving about much. 

If it gets really cold I’d deploy Helly Hansen thermals under that lot. 

That and a whisky when I get in  

2 hours ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

That was a great session with a little adventure! Thanks for the report.

Technique wise, you may see some GoTo accuracy improvement if you use North Level Alignment. Rough north is enough. I either use a compass or Polaris.

Another tip is to split the sky in half. I use North/South. Pick two alignment stars between SE-SW and have a southern session. Then for northern observations realign using stars between NE-NW. 

The Synscan App manual bottom of page 12, onto page 13, "Choosing an Alignment Star explains better.

https://skywatcher.com/download/manual/synscan-hand-control-and-synscan-app/

 

Have another go at splitting Algieba. Definitely worth it. Actually easy to find without the GoTo using naked eye if you consult a chart.

Regarding the DSO failures, if you live in a very light polluted area, then the Leo Triplet is probably a waste of time. The other night I spotted after many previous tries, M66 through a 4" refractor, but that was so incredibly faint, it took probably 15mins or more to confirm.

M81 & M82 are worth another crack. They're the only two faint galaxies I'm guaranteed to see every session under Bortle 8 skies.

 

Thank you it was an amazing night. This is really helpful advice I was wondering if picking stars further apart might make a difference. When I got back home I did also notice a little bit of play where mount meets tripod which I’ll make sure is tighter, hopefully tonight. 
 

On galaxies, LP isn’t disastrous here but may wait until lockdown eases and I can drive out of town to get serious about inter-galactic travel. Will have another shot at M81 though. 

Meantime  there’s plenty of clusters and doubles to keep me busy - will definitely have another go at Algieba and I read someone recommending Almach as a good colour contrast - have been really surprised how satisfying I find doubles to be! 

Looks clear right now... 

53 minutes ago, Epick Crom said:

Nice thorough report 👍. Is that frost on your scope? Sound like you had a great time👍👍

Thanks - it was a great night, thing about being a beginner is there are so many firsts! Yes that was frost