MalcolmM

Wonderful read! Great scope and great location, only slightly envious Malcolm

I was comparing your hits with my observations using the Mewlon 180. I reckon you have a darker sky site than me but I was observing roughly a month ago with respective darker skies. I managed to get 4461 but failed to get 4458 and 4477 I also tried the Chain with the 100DC. Unfortunately I didn't record which ones I saw, I just noted "Can't see them all!" Nothing like some precise accurate observing notes 😀 An impressive list of targets! Great read thanks! The 128 sounds wonderful. Malcolm

I must try the mount with a 60CB without a counterweight and see if that runs smooth. OTA plus prism plus cradle plus eyepiece would be approximately 1.9kg Malcolm

Just to be fair, I have now used this with a counterweight and as others have said, the counterweight makes a big difference. It is now very smooth in azimuth. The marketing suggests it can take 4kg without Counterweights and whereas this may be possible, I have found even a 2.5kg scope really needs a Counterweight in order to make the azimuth smooth. But with the counterweight, it is an excellent mount, albeit more bits and weight to fit into carryon luggage. Malcolm

I have a DC with the smaller focuser so would presumably need some sort of converter to use this one? Malcolm

@JeremyS and @Littleguy80, I already have the CQ 1.7x Extender for the 60CB and 76DCU Jeremy. I was thinking of this one which should work in the FS60CB, 76DCU and FC100DC https://www.firstlightoptics.com/takahashi-extenders/tak_tka00595.html Malcolm

Thanks very much everyone for your replies. It sounds like both are optically excellent and in a sense either would do grand. Thanks @josefk for the pics, they are very helpful. Generally, with the exception of Binoviewers, I like to keep things small and light! The Powermate does look quite a big chunk of metal and glass! Funny, but last night, it occurred to me too that a 2.6 GPC would be a good way to easily up the power of the Maxbrights. It would probably require a small spacer to come to focus. Regarding the Extender/Powermate, I think if I'm honest I'm torn between getting another Tak accessory (which is always a pleasure 😀 ) and the x2.5 Powermate which arguably is a better amplification factor. Generally when I have these decisions, Tak wins 😀 Thanks again, Malcolm

I feel on the best of nights my Taks could take more power than the TOE 2.5 gives me. I tried a Tak Barlow but couldn't get it to come to focus! I've read great reviews of the Extender-Q 1.6X and how it's much better than a Barlow. But how would it compare to a Powermate, aside from the obvious power difference (1.6 vs 2.5)? I love Tak kit but am just wondering what the difference might be. The benefits I'm looking for include extra power and using lower power eyepieces to get the power (more eye relief). I presume neither option will help with small exit pupils and floaters. I could possibly get a x2.5 and a x5 Powermate for the cost of the Extender-Q. Will I have any issues getting the Powermate to come to focus? I assume not as it's parfocal. Any thoughts/experiences on the above are very welcome. Malcolm

Reminds me of a Richard Prior sketch where he was describing visiting Africa for the first time. He said even the rabbits were scary in Africa 🙂I reckon you had a lucky escape 🙂 Malcolm

What a brilliant idea! Thanks for sharing. I've been struggling how to visually show what doubles are within reach of 60mm/100mm scopes. Malcolm

That's my experience too. Also observing early morning or late afternoon when the sun is low helps Ha surface detail. Evening is particularly good when bizarrely, I'm observing over the smog of Belfast! Malcolm

Thanks @JeremyS and @Alan White. It's not too bad a break and rather than big Naglers, I got a tiny Tak Abbe 4mm today 🙂. Amazing the difference 1mm makes! That's what I keep telling my partner 🙂 now I've got the proof 🙂 And thanks to an extremely light G&G setup I can still observe one handed, so all's good! Malcolm

Brilliant. I was going to say it's extremely difficult to capture surface detail and proms in the same pic (I certainly find it so) and then I saw @Stu already said it! Malcolm

Wow! Spectacular sketch of one of my favourite Lunar targets. Malcolm

Fabulous! No more glowing reports though please @Stu. Jealousy is such an undignified emotion in me 🙂 Joking! I've just broken my wrist so I'll Tak huge vicarious pleasure from reading observing reports, especially with such a lovely scope! Congratulations! Malcolm

This Takitis is very contagious! Malcolm

For me, this is really important and you can still get lots of fun and great views with a 60/70mm scope. My grab 'n' go is 60mm and not only can I lift the whole scope/mount/tripod with 2 fingers, I can pack it all into a small rucksack and take it on a plane as hand luggage. Malcolm

I didn't think of that. You could be right. Go for a 210, it's a crime to have mount crying out for a bigger scope 😀 I would be very envious, as I already am of @JeremyS's Malcolm

Just to add a differing experience to @The60mmKid. What he says is true, the Mewlon is known as a Lunar/planetary scope; coma and long focal length! However, with my Masuyama 32mm (which itself is reputed to be bad at the edges), I can just about fit the Pleiades into the FOV and I don't notice the aberrations. This may be because I'm not looking for it, or my eyes are not sensitive enough, or I am just looking at the overall view/context but whatever, I really enjoy the views. I actually have enjoyed the Mewlon with the 32mm very much by pairing it with an FS60CB plus 28mm Erfle on a Giro Ercole (manual AltAz). I use the CB as a finder and observe open clusters and galaxies. The light gathering of the Mewlon is significantly more than the 4" Tak. @PatientObserver, two different experiences from two different users 🙂 I think the Mewlon compliments the 100DC and/or FOA-60Q brilliantly. My only caveat; I'm a self confessed Takophile 😀 Malcolm

I remember reading a book on the Moon in the school library, dated I think around the turn of the last century (my school library was bang up to date 🙂). It was talking about the serious possibility of there being Elephant like animals on the moon! I have seen a couple of Elephant proms however! Malcolm

Very very pleased! Cool down - no problems, I keep it outside in a plastic box for a couple of hours before observing. Caveat is my climate is possibly less severe than yours. Some on this forum use a battery powered fan I believe to help cool down. Collimation - no problems yet! Collimation was perfect out of the box, I have not needed to touch it. Though it might be a bit tricky, I'm sure it's doable with a bit of patience and so far in my experience, it would seem to keep Collimation very well. The finder was also spot on out of the box. I have had no dew problems either which is a big benefit of the open tube. Potential future purchases for you 🙂: a 2" Masuyama 32mm eyepiece gives great widefield (for a 2m focal length scope!) views. Other wide field eyepieces are available 🙂 Also I use a pair of Maxbright binoviewers with the Mewlon and they genuinely give an almost 3D view! Highly recommended. FOA-60Q ... Great choice. It's a truly beautiful scope to look at. The views through it aren't bad either 😀 Malcolm

Did anyone else see the huge changing prom this afternoon? I was ducking in and out while cooking and it seemed to change shape before my eyes. This may be slightly wishful thinking as with an unguided mount the sun is moving in and out of the Lunt 50 sweetspot and I'm nudging it to try and keep the feature in the sweetshop as best as possible. I was using a Lunt 50 plus Stella Lyra Linear Binoviewers plus BCO 10mm eyepieces. At its largest I estimated it to be approximately 1/8 the diameter of the sun in height. At one point it resembled a 4 legged deer (as opposed to a deer with any other number of legs 🙂 ) Malcolm

I'm a great believer in ease of use and portability. If I were in your position I would have gone for the 6". I think you've made a very good choice. Malcolm

Totally agree! Now all we need is for someone to come along with a better way of doing it! So I set it up a certain way and then change eyepieces to change magnification. I think @Stu does something slightly different for example. He uses the same eyepieces, but changes Barlows and/or adds extension tubes ... I think! Malcolm

And just for completeness (I'm enjoying this 🙂and it's good to record it all), here's the native setup, no GPC. Note the Tak coupling has had to be removed to shorten the light path enough! I don't really like doing all this screwing and unscrewing in the dark, so I try to set it up before observing, depending on what I'm observing! Malcolm