Gonariu

You should see what interests you most, a Maksutov is a telescope specialized in the Moon & planets, a Newton like the 150/750 is a more universal instrument. I have a Maksutov 90/1250 with which I made some nice observations of the Moon and some nice shots of our satellite with a now dated smartphone (the Samsung Galaxy J7).

I am happy for your recovery, with antibiotics today certain diseases can be controlled. I too am waiting for the next opposition of Mars which must be difficult with only 14.6"; I found the last one in December 2022 not easy with around 17". I was wondering if we could start from this period with Mars which has 4.73" apparent diameter, perhaps with a C8 or the Vixen 102 M we will see something.

I don't know if any of you have already started observing Mars, here it should rise around 4.50 (summer time) and the disk is still very small, 4.73"; perhaps with a C8, good seeing and high magnification you could see something ......

Thanks/mulțumesc Bivanus.

I studied romanian as autodidact, I would like read this book in original language. Hi @Bivanus, I think that 300 years of Ottoman domination weren’t a joke, for the science there weren’t the ideal conditions not at all!

I read some time ago that a 12-13 cm long focus achromatic refractor is equivalent to an 8" SCT on the Moon & planets; clearly in the deep sky and on double stars it is superior (1" versus 0.6"). In general, a reflector of diameter d and obstruction α is equivalent to a long focus achromatic refractor whose doublet diameter is D = d - α

A few days ago I bought a used Celestron Newton 76/700 complete with tripod, altazimuth mount, optics and two 20 mm and 10 mm eyepieces (I don't really know which optical scheme, they seem the same as those of the Travelscope 70). I got it because I needed a new photography tripod for the Konus Vista 80 and the one for this telescope seemed like it would work. Last night I tried it on the moon and I must say that the optics are beautiful, I also put a 2.3 mm Celestron Xcell eyepiece in it and, despite the 304X which gave a dark image, it was still quite well defined with my great amazement. The problem, as in all small telescopes, was the tripod which was not exactly ideal for this optics; I'll try it with the Sckywatcher Maksutov 90/1250 sight and neck to see if it can work with them.

I also observe the sun and, even if the climate of Sardinia is less rainy than that of the British Isles, due to the cloudy skies I am unable to have the consistency I would like. I have been thinking for some time about joining the Italian Amateur Astronomers' Union to participate in the "Sun Section" to which I can send my observations of our star. On the day that I cannot observe it, someone else will do it and things are carried out with the collaboration of everyone. In the UK you have the British Astronomical Association which I had heard about while reading James Murden's legendary book "Astronomy with binoculars" (in Italian translation).

I agree, I have a Newton Starfinder 8" (203/1200) which I am not currently using (I would have to redo the collimation properly); the magnification I use on the Moon and planets is X150-X200. I very rarely use X300 with good results, at this enlargement I once saw Gassendi's internal rhymes well, but it was the only one. I don't think the skies over England are the limit, here in Sardinia I am at 40 N and with many fewer rainy days than the UK. my Vixen 102 M 333X can be used profitably much more often.

I agree; almost 10 years ago I bought a full aperture glass solar filter for 70/80 mm telescopes, discounted by 50% which in total I paid 35 euros, I use it very profitably on the Konus Vista 80 and on the Celestron Travelscope 70.

All of us amateur astronomers in the world are in fact one big family, thanks to the internet and also to SGL, we can hear each other all over the planet in the language that is now that of the whole world: English! Eternal memory to your friend!!!

I wasn't aware of this, so far I've used the hairdryer on cold air. I was thinking of making a cardboard lens hood covered on the inside with black cloth.

Old thread but still relevant! I had bought a CPC 8 in 2010 sold on promotion for 1700 euros, which was stolen in the summer of 2012 while I was at the seaside. In 2021 I bought a used Nexstar 8 SE from a friend for 1500 euros which I am currently using with pleasure on the Moon. Why buy a C8: it certainly combines its portability well with universal use and the convenience of computerization. I would really like the Maksutov Skywatcher 180/2700 but it is a very specialized optic (Moon & planets) even if divine in its field. The big limitation of the C8, as of all SCTs, is the condensation that forms on the correcting plate!

Currently I find myself having: Konus Vista-80 (achromatic 80/400); Skywatcher Maksutov 90/1250; Celestron Nexstar 8 SE; Vixen 102 M (achromatic 102/1000); Ziel GEM 60 (achromatic 120/600); Bresser 60/900 (achromatic); Starfinder 8 (Newton 203/1200); Konusuper 120 (120/1000 achromatic which I use diaphragmed at 90 mm due to a lateral splinter in the achromatic doublet); Galileoscope (50/500 achromatic, given to me by an amateur astronomer friend); Celestron Travelscope 70 (achromatic 70/400); Stein optik 60/800 (achromatic sold to me used that I should fix, they sold me a bin!). The ones I use the most are the Vista and the Maksutov 90/1250, the Nexstar mount supports them very well; I use the Vista for the sun (I bought a 50% discounted full-aperture glass solar filter years ago) and the Maksutov for the moon. I forgot: I decided to calm down, I'll try not to expose myself to temptation (gulp!!!).

The 180 mm Maksutov is certainly a nice optic for the Moon & planets, when I got the Nexstar 8 SE I also thought about this telescope, then in the end I preferred the SCT as it is more universal in use. I must say, however, that every now and then the temptation comes back to me also because I have seen how beautiful the smaller "brother", the Skywatcher 90/1250, is in terms of optical rendering of the Moon, Venus and panoramas.