Ags

But apparently the user manual for AZ5 states 9kg, depending on tripod?

Currently I use my C6 on a Berlebach Castor at night and an ST80 and Herschel Wedge on an AZT6 by day. I also have an AZ-GTi, but I only ever seem to use that for imaging. The idea of the Berlebach Castor was to mount the C6 alongside an ST80 which would act as a superfinder for the bigger scope. But now I have a good 50mm finder scope and it seems to work even better with its wider field and correct orientation. So no need for the Castor, and I can keep the ST80 permanently configured as a solar scope. "Permanently configured" is a good thing, as I am one of those muddle-headed people that can get confused about just about anything, so excluding the possibility of putting the wrong diagonal on the scope greatly reduces the chance of me burning a hole in the back of my skull! One thing the Castor lacks is slow motion controls and it also requires perfect scope balance. I am thinking that the AZ5 would be a slightly more forgiving in the balance department and obviously provide slo-mo. So my questions... Is the C6 too big for an AZ5? Do you have to keep engaging and disengaging the AZ5 clutches to slew about? Why are the AZ5 clutches so tiny and is there a replacement? In terms of load, the total weight might get to 6.3 kg (C6 = 3.3 kg; RACI50+RDF = 1 kg; Turret+Diagonal = 0.4 kg; Eyepieces = 0.9 kg; Dew shield = 0.5 kg; 0.63 Reducer = 0.2 kg). The turret makes balance weird as there is a big load off the scope axis, made worse by the big finder, but on the other hand means that there is no mid-session rebalancing. To keep the load symmetrical I could strap on a 0.5 kg counterweight around the dew shield so that pushes total load to 6.9 kg. Is that too much for an AZ5? I must add the tripod is a short Berlebach unit that is as solid as a rock.

This isn't Top Gear, it's Top Astro Gear! Brilliant stuff, should be on TV.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jun/16/ultra-thin-film-could-one-day-turn-regular-glasses-into-night-vision-goggles-researchers-say Also if people can get night glasses, maybe they won't need so many streetlights.

I have an AZT6 and a Castor. The Castor is a definite upgrade and great for dual scope use, in fact I have never tried it with just one! The Castor is a real solid lump of metal and seems to like more not less load, so it seems smoother with my C6 than my little Mak 102. But I have never gone above 5kg on either side. To be honest I use the AZT6 more with just an ST80 (being lighter and I usually only have one scope out) and I am thinking of swapping my Castor for a SkyWatcher AZ5.

INDI can control the M100 and many other M-series. Gives me the option of running everything from my Raspberry PI. http://gphoto.org/proj/libgphoto2/support.php https://www.indilib.org/ccds/gphoto.html

I seem to have found an intervalometer app that supports the M100 over WIFI. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rupiapps.cameraprocontrol

I underestimated how light it is getting. It's midnight and clear blue sky to the north...I need to wait for another hour to have a chance but it's a work night.

Set up for lucky imaging of M57 tonight.

Or maybe I should give up on Canon and get a second hand Sony A6000? Looks like E mount lenses are pretty cheap second hand.

I sold my old 1100D a while back (too big) so looking at a mirrorless alternative. A second-hand M100 is about in my price range. I am looking at using it for widefield with camera lenses and on the end of a C6 af F6.3, always for short exposures in the range of 5-15 seconds. So far I have two seemingly insurmountable problems with this plan: short battery life with no usb charging (240 shots on one battery) and it seems very hard to find an intervalometer that will work with the M100? Mirrorless is important to me as with short exposures, I don't want a mirror clacking every few seconds. As all astro cameras are CMOS these days, does that mean a Cannon is on a level playing field now aside from the issue of Ha sensitivity?

No worries, I do the same on Dutch astronomy forums. I can write in Dutch, but I like to have Google Translate as a second opinion!

Got a good view from sunny Amsterdam!

I have been in a box for a while thinking about getting a 70mm ED scope for visual use. Thinking outside that box why not a Mercury 707 instead? I have never looked through one, but at F10 and only 2.7" aperture, CA should be well controlled. The scope is let down by it's mount, but I would buy OTA only. The 707's price and weight are very attractive, and only the length makes it a bit doubtful as a travelscope. Could it replace my ST80 as a green light solar scope without melting? Is the focuser as bad as it looks? There is also a 60mm 700mm focal length OTA for even less money - there should be no CA in that...

I have started adding in the chapters like "acknowledgements" and "how to use this book". I also applied a consistent sort to the doubles in each section, so that everything is in a consistent order. I changed the style to use more blue and I'm trying out a thinning line for the double label pointers.

Won't you lose alignment?

This didn't get delivered today but I found it today after I lost it for several years. The book that sparked my interest in observational astronomy over 40 years ago!

Tried it out last night. It works well for doubles like Zeta Lyrae and Albireo, although the amici prism causes artifacts around brighter stars. Also scanned some star fields in Cygnus and had a look at M57. The views were very pleasing! Eyepieces used: ES 6.7/82°, SLV 6/45°, Plossls 20-25mm.

Seems to work for flowerspotting, it that's a thing...

@iapa Yes, it can be grab and go if it is not a strain. 8 kilos with 2 hands is more my level. @Pixies I can't get on with binoculars, this will give the same views without shakes and double vision. Or maybe that's the whiskey 😆 Now I am thinking about a 60mm ED scope, but why are the 60mms more expensive than the 70mms?

I quite like the low power views through this 50mm RACI finder, so I have been wondering if this is a realistic travel setup. Using various eyepieces for a magnification of 8 to 35 and a field of view of up to 7 degrees, its more flexible than the average binoculars and a lot more stable too. The whole setup weighs less than 3kgs.

Decided not to go for the svbony in the end. The idea of a disposable eyepiece just feels wrong to me, enough junk in the world. I have decided on getting an ES 16mm 68 degrees instead - it is more money but the optics are of unquestionable quality. it will give 5 degrees FOV and just under 4mm exit pupil so stars will be brighter and the sky background might be a bit darker. The Super 25 gives a 6mm exit pupil which is way too big for a very light polluted observing spot. Also the 16/68 will be a spiritual successor to the Hyperion 17mm I once owned and enjoyed (at f13).

@John that's about what I am hoping for, better construction and maybe a bit less scatter. But now I will have to wait longer for the Morpheus 17.5.

I've been putting off buying a better diagonal for about 8 years, so enough's enough! I've clicked buy.

I have been using the freebie diagonals that came with my telescopes for a while, and the one thing that really annoys me is that the eyepiece clamping screw is so high up it scratches the bottom of fatter eyepieces. And they do tend to disassemble... But I don't know if a diagonal optically makes any difference. Will this improve my views through my C6 at all? https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/de/info/p1771_TS-Optics-1-25--TS-Optics-1-25--Star-Diagonal-with-ring-clamb---99----1-12-Lambda.html The alternative is to save for another month, and get this: https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p8086_Baader-Morpheus-17-5-mm-76--Weitwinkelokular---neue-Generation.html