MalcolmM

You could consider a 60CB with the option of the 76 objective unit; best of both worlds

Malcolm

Great report @paulastro and fabulous pictures, especially the closeup! I was observing that area the other night and it's lovely to see such a detailed photo. 

Fantastic drawings @mikeDnight. That same session I started to try and draw what I was seeing and gave up. Far too difficult for me. I really appreciate the skill involved in producing sketches like yours.

Malcolm

I clicked the like button. If only there was a 'like very much' button! Very impressive sketch.

1 hour ago, Cleetus said:

Anyway, have you been given any idea of the delivery time for the Mewlon?

No, I haven't I'm afraid. FLO says 7 to 10 days on their website. I am still wavering, it being yet another big outlay! But it does look fabulous I currently use a 100DC with a 60CB side by side and would love the option of the 4" with the 180.

Malcolm

Take a drill to a Tak? Shock horror! I certainly would not be that brave

What you say sounds sensible to me. If you want to cool a cup of tea you blow on it  

Thanks again,

Malcolm

Thanks @dweller25, that's very interesting and exactly the sort of information I am looking for.

It sounds like a wonderful scope.

I started laying the groundwork with my partner last night on a romantic moonlit walk on the beach  I told her it was a beautiful  thing, I'm not sure she knew what I was talking about!

I had read that they can take a bit of time to cool but I thought that with the open tube and not too extreme UK temperatures it would not be too bad, so I'm very interested to hear you needed active cooling for 40 minutes.

Thanks again,

Malcolm

Calling all Tak enthusiasts

I think I have read just about everything I can find on the 180c in this and other forums and a very good article by Roger Vine. Most people seem to rate it very highly.

I am very very tempted with one (I would almost buy it based on looks alone!) but I would love to hear from people who have used both and can give me a comparison based on real practical experience, not a theoretical comparison.

I think I understand the shortcomings of the 180c. I am not considering other makes, I am not considering a 210 or a 250.

I have an FC100DC so....

In your opinion, would the 180c provide a big enough step up in lunar/planetary/small DSO views in UK Bortle 4/5 skies to warrant the expense of buying one?

I would envisage dual mounting it with the 100DC, and it would be for visual use only.

Many Thanks,

Malcolm

Just another Tak

The TOA full image is stunning!

Thanks @PeterStudz, some more good advice I'll try.

Malcolm

Thanks @Stu , I'll try your technique. I've been holding off upgrading my phone for 4 years now as it does what I need it to do but maybe now I need to rethink

Malcolm

Forecast was for cloud, looking outside there was cloud so I watched some good ole BBC. I was totally unprepared for when I saw the moon in the skylight. But I grabbed my FS60 in Q mode and was outside in 20 seconds. Seeing was ok through some light cloud and there was some lovely detail on the terminator below Mare Crisium with a 4mm TOE in. I started to try and draw the view, gave up as there was just too much fine detail overwhelming me and then remembered my Orion Steadypix had arrived which I had ordered on a tip from @Stu - thanks!

Quite fiddly to get the phone centered and quite fiddly keeping it in place. And then one of the side clips pressed the reset button!!! I'm not convinced my phone (very old moto g plus) is perfect for the Steadypix! One restart later and I had to remove the rubber eyecap from the TOE in order to get the eye relief right and a decent FOV on the phone. A couple of pics later and I thought I had everything right and in good focus, good exposure, pressed the button, the timer counted down 3 ... 2 ... and the battery died!!!

Anyway here's a couple of pics I got just before the phone died. I think that's Langrenus, Vendelinus and Petavius. Unfortunately they do not do justice to the fabulous views visually from the FS60Q, Langrenus had a lovely double peaked shadow of it's central mountain on it's far rim, but I know with practice I can do better but I had great fun trying

Thanks for looking,

Malcolm

Looks fabulous @Fedele. I am very envious

I would be very interested to hear how your Mewlon compares with your FC100DL. I think the Mewlon looks a gorgeous scope and could be very tempted (I have a 100DC and love it and think it might be great mounted alongside a 180c )

Good luck with your new scope,

Malcolm

@Nik271, @John & @Stu thank you all very much for the useful information.

I'll check out the lunar on-line resources.

I have been hovering over the buy button for the Wood & Collins atlas on Amazon for a few days!

And Stu, I think you have nailed what I saw. The seeing was very good for me last night with a 2.5mm TOE so I probably will not be able to see any more detail on the Rille ... but I'll keep trying

Thanks again,

Malcolm

7 hours ago, John said:

I snapped an image of it a while back with my mobile phone at the eyepiece of my 12 inch dobsonian

That's a great image. The visual view must have been stunning. What atlas is that @John? I'm on the lookout for something a little more detailed for lunar observing than Turn Left at Orion.

Thanks,

Malcolm

I was out tonight in very clear seeing between the clouds looking for the Hadley Rille (think I was successful, have posted a sketch in another thread). Anyway I noticed 2 dark lines coming in from the North West and from the South West from the edge of the view in the eyepiece. I rotated the eyepiece and the lines stayed put. I swapped eyepieces and the lines stayed put. I changed diagonal from Tak to Baader and the lines stayed put. I changed telescope (100DC to FS60Q) and it had the lines too. I was using a Nagler 3-6 zoom and a Tak TOE 2.5mm.

Has anyone else ever noticed this? 

I was told on another thread that Takahashi's can exhibit dark star spikes when imaging and am wondering if this is the same problem?

A pity as otherwise the views were stunning and razor sharp despite a ridiculously high magnification!

Thanks,

Malcolm

I was going to post last night asking if the Hadley Rille was possible in a 4" refractor. I tried for half an hour, the sky was clear but the seeing was unsteady and while Hadley was pretty easy there was no sign of the Rille.

The clouds were out tonight but in-between there were clear bits and I took my 60CB out to check the seeing. In-between the clouds the seeing looked rock steady so I thought I'd give it another go.

So I brought out the 100DC on a Giro Ercole and battling the odd gust that shook the scope, the clouds that only gave me glimpses and nudging the scope manually I thought I could see it with a Nagler zoom on 3mm. Really excited now and thinking the conditions could allow more magnification I put in the Tak TOE 2.5mm and it was really quite obvious. I have attached a shocking sketch (not easy I find in the best conditions let alone shifting cloud and nudging scope!). It was more of a curving light streak rather than the dark one in my sketch but hopefully it has enough detail that someone can confirm it's the Rille. I could only see it on one side of Hadley but I had read you needed an 8" scope to see it and someone else said they had seen it in a 5" refractor.

A very excited,

Malcolm

Very enjoyable read @Stu, and all the other comments too.

I've just watched Masterchef final and found it very tense. But nothing compared to Tak vs Telementor

I must admit to rooting for the baby Tak the whole way through

Malcolm

Blast you @Stu, just when I thought there was nothing else I could possibly buy ...

Found the Orion one on Amazon, I like the look of it and you give it a pretty good review

Much easier than messing around with a DSLR I'm hoping. It looks like it should be fine with the Tak eyepieces.

Many Thanks for the recommendation,

Malcolm

Those look fabulous to me. Very impressive. I have only ever tried occasionally with pencil and paper to record what I see and always end up throwing them out! I find it incredibly difficult and yet I would love to be able to record visually what I observe. I have toyed with a DSLR on the moon and a few short exposures stacked in Sequator of brighter deep sky objects but realistically I either have to set up visually or go for the camera.

I would be very pleased if I were able to produce sketches like yours!

Malcolm

Thanks @Stu, having looked at the Televue website I suspected that might be the case. A pity, as it looks much nicer than the other phone adapters that are available, but I have invested too much in Tak eyepieces to go on a Televue spending spree  And the couple of TV I have are not compatible!

Some day I'll maybe try one of the other adapters. 

Keep posting your pics please, I enjoy very much seeing what can be done with a phone at the eyepiece!

Malcolm

@Stu, will the Fonemate work with eyepieces other than Televue? Most of my eyepieces are Tak.

Malcolm

Great pictures. I especially love the one of the moon, the contrast and crescent shape make it one of the best I've seen! I'm off now to check out Fonemate adapters

Malcolm

11 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

and with just 60mm!!

@F15Rules Actually I had attached the 76DC objective module when I was in Malin so a whole extra 16mm but from my limited experience, even the 60mm gives surprisingly good deep sky views; from other posts and online reviews it seems its high contrast gives it a boost here!

Malcolm

Thanks @Nicola Fletcher , tonight it travelled all the way to the side of the house where I was looking for the Rima Couchy (courtesy of Turn Left at Orion) with too low a magnification, when the view in the eyepiece started getting dimmer and brighter and dimmer again and I thought my eyes were going funny and when I looked up ... Clouds

My little 60CB is now dejectedly pointing to the ground in the living room waiting for the dew to burn off the objective

I'll cross my fingers things open up and you get a chance to use your scope in foreign and exciting dark locations:)

Malcolm