oldfruit

Great read, loved your report and having recently acquired a 20 inch dob myself, I can totally relate to the experience. Aperture under the right conditions really does allow you to go deep and reveals structure and detail in objects that were smudges when observed previously. A colleague from our local club remarked that he had never seen the Veil Nebula in such detail, I had to agree. Wishing you many more cloud free nights. Mark

There are many areas that now turn off street lights after midnight. Whilst this might not be ideal it does present us with an opportunity to observe from home under minimal light pollution and may solve the issues you are experiencing with the street lights? Mark

I Have not read the entire thread. I have dabbled in both visual and astrophotography. I have enjoyed them both for different and also similar reasons. When imaging you can reveal far more detail than you are able to pick out visually, Also you can more readily share your results. You can only share your results visually if you are observing with a colleague I came to a bit of a crossroads recently where I wanted to make a substantial purchase. I could have bought myself a decent imaging rig or a large dob. I opted for the large dob as I love being out under clear dark skies, hunting out obscure faint fuzzies which I have found with my eyes, no go-to, no motor drives, just good old fashioned visual astronomy. I have had and been fortunate enough to share some "wow" moments when observing visually and am hopeful that they will keep coming since I have upgraded my scope. I think it all comes down to personal preference but for me and most of our club, visual all the way.

I have to agree John, whilst it may be present it is not too bothersome and probably not so noticeable to my inexperienced eye. At F/4 it was glaringly obvious, hence the initial enquiry.

Yes it was with the 20 inch, not used it in the 12 inch yet but at F5 coma was much less of an issue, though still present.

Not at all. The more input and information the better.

Hi and welcome, also in Lincolnshire.

I am happy to report that I managed a short observing session the other night and wow, what a difference a Paracorr makes. Using a 28mm Skywatcher Nirvana I used the middle setting on the Paracorr and with a slight tweak it was great, flat field almost to the edge with minimal coma on the very edges of the FOV. I can see that my observing experience will be much improved in the coming months. Thank you all for the help and advice. Mark

Many thanks, I will try both methods. Mark

Hi Gerry, It is just the coma. In my f5 the Nirvanas performed reasonably well and coma was limited was not too much of a distraction and I could live with it. Having started using an f4 I can immediately see the difference. The middle of the field of view is lovely and bright and sharp, however coma is now really noticeable in the outer parts of the fov and whilst I do not find it too bothersome, having the Paracoor can potentially enhance my experience at the eyepiece. I am sure that with all the great advice given I will find the improved observing experience reasonably easy to achieve. (Fingers crossed) Mark

Thanks Richard, In the absence of a definitive list that sounds like a good method to try. Mark

Hi, I am currently using an f/4 dob and as part of the purchase a Televue Paracorr type 2 was included. I have not used the Paracorr yet and I am noticing greater distortion than when I was using an F/5. Naturally I want to get the most out of my observing. As I am not currently using Televue eyepieces, is there a guide out there somewhere as to which settings would be used for different eyepieces? My eyepiece collection is mainly Skywatcher Nirvana`s. Thanks. Mark

It is always encouraging to read report such as yours as it gives me things to look forward to. Having made a substantial step up in aperture recently I am getting a good idea of what to expect. Just waiting for the darker nights..

Considering the conditions I think you have done well.

What a great read and a fantastic piece of work. Cannot wait for darker skies to return.

It was made by a chap called Bob Sutton who unfortunately passed away recently and is modelled on an Obsession telescope. The scope is approx 13 years old and the primary was recoated with Orion Optice Hi Lux coatings late last year. The optic were sourced from Markus Ludes (APM) and are either Lomo or Intes Micro optics and is what I call "my forever scope" as I do not think I will ever manage to negotiate that well with the wife again! I am also waiting for the darker nights as I have had first light with the scope but conditions are less than ideal this time of year so I have not had the chance to see how deep the scope will go, but if first light is anything to go by I am in for a treat.

Really interesting read and good to get an idea of some potential targets for the season ahead. It is reassuring to know that existing objects take on a whole new wow factor using a large dob, and galaxies that were not visible previously are now within reach.

I picked up a 2 step stepladder for £5 at our local car boot.

Me too Ron!

I am sure I will, enjoy revisiting old targets that will take on a new perspective, seeking out subtle colour in objects that looked neutral previously and seeking out those faint fuzzies that we all enjoy. Just considering eyepiece choices now as I have recently slimmed it down somewhat.

Considering the conditions there is a lot of detail , the belt around the GRS seems to have faded somewhat. Nice capture.

Thank you guys, needless to say I am chomping at the bit to get the scope set up and out under a clear sky. As the scope has barrow handles I was thinking of buying an 8X6 shed to house it in and leave it set up. Should be able to just wheel it out when in use. Can`t wait, thanks for all the suggestions. I will be sure to post a first light report and if your comments are anything to go by first light will be a revelation. Previously I was using a 12 inch dob so quite a jump. A colleague has a 16 inch flextube which gives impressive views.

M13 should be impressive, M57 looks good through my 12 inch dob so will be interested to see what difference the new scope makes. The thought of seeing the spiral of M51 instead of using averted imagination is exciting. Typical that we have a week of rain now!

I have just been fortunate enough to purchase a 20 inch F4 dob with a type 2 paracorr. I was wondering if anyone with a similar setup could advise of expectations and give some new targets to look out for? Thanks,

I agree. I have often referred back to the observation target pages in the magazines.