bosun21

Nice captures and a nice lens👍.

Another fine image Kostas. You have become very proficient at layering in the moon's. I have had constant cloud cover unfortunately.

Unfortunately total cloud cover for me again, but may the "Astro Gods be kind to you. Good luck 🤞.

Yes they sold them here in the UK just named the Celestron First Scope albeit without the fancy paint job

The springs i fitted on my 12" were 15mm in length, 12mm in diameter and 1.2mm guage wire. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155039917362?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=7mzay4pntzc&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=bx3n7nxfspg&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Regarding eyepieces for your scope I would start off by buying a couple of BST Starguider eyepieces. They are far superior to those that come with your telescope. In the UK they retail at between £50-£60. Eyepieces are a large topic for discussion and can quickly become expensive. The BST Starguider eyepieces will be more than enough for you cut your teeth in astronomy and observing. I wouldn’t buy expensive eyepieces until you decide whether this hobby is for you or not. There’s plenty of time and opportunity down the road for upgrades.

Welcome to SGL Mark 👋. Everybody has to start somewhere. A pair of 8x40 or 7x50 binoculars is a good first step.

Nice report, I read these with a degree of envy creeping in due to being clouded over for over seven weeks now 🙄. I am really looking forward to the planets being back on the rota again as i spend an inordinate amount of time on them. Thanks for posting 👍.

I use the M43 extension ring on the 4.5mm and the 6.5mm only. I find that it places my eye more or less in a comfortable viewing position. Regarding the others I am fine without the extension. I tend to have enough distance between the eye lens and my eye to prevent any grease from my eye soiling the lens. Now that I am conscious of this I will keep my eye on it (pun intended 😂).

Agreed, but the 17.5mm Morpheus is still my most used eyepiece and is extremely comfortable.

I have the full set of Baader Morpheus eyepieces and I have stopped looking for anything better. I find them sharp and clear and most of all really comfortable to use. The 17.5mm, 9mm and the 6.5mm stand out slightly over the other three IMO. I personally wouldn’t part with any of them.

Just buy a lazy Susan bearing. They are relatively inexpensive and work great.

Hi Paul👋 welcome to SGL.

Do the GPC's fitted in the Maxbright II's magnify by their stated values? I know for instance that the 1.7x is closer to 1.5x. I will be placing them in their designated placements IE the 2.6x into the eyepiece side of the T2 32mm diagonal and the 1.25 & 1.7x screwed into the Zeiss bayonet of the binoviewer itself. I would like to get an idea of the magnification factor to enable me to purchase the eyepieces suited to my scope. Thanks.

Great images @simmo39 👍. Have you had any halo troubles with your L Extreme as others have experienced?

The Baader 2.25x barlow will work just fine with the Hyperion eyepieces. It can be used with any eyepieces that a filter thread to attach it

As far as my understanding goes there’s no reason for the platform not to work at 36 degrees North. As long as you have the correct curves made and fitted. Could you possibly contact Reiner Vogel and ask him to even send you a template for your latitude by email so you can make them yourself? An EQ platform is a very good upgrade for dobsonians. Good luck.

Both these scopes are very good for visual astronomy although personally I would go for the 8” model. The strong plus for the Bresser is its large altitude trunnions which gives it a slightly better movement in this axis. The Stella Lyra has a dual speed focuser whilst the Bresser has a single speed (can be updated to dual speed by buying the kit). The Stella Lyra has a better finder scope which is a 8x50 RACI (right angle correct image). The Stella Lyra also has a rear fan which can aid with cooling the telescope when first put outside to cool (reach equilibrium temperature). If a telescope hasn’t reached equilibrium with the outside temperature it can affect the views. Some points are, 1: How far do you need to move it to where you intend to observe? 2: How dark are your skies(light pollution etc? A 10” dobsonian is not a small telescope by any means. Can you take photos? A dobsonian isn’t designed for astrophotography however you can still manage to photograph the planets by taking short videos and stacking them. Some people including myself can do a bit of EEA(electronic enhanced astronomy) by placing the dobsonian on an equatorial platform which will track the target as it moves through the sky. Regarding proper astrophotography, forget it. The only real accessory I would recommend at the start would be to upgrade the eyepiece(s). Good luck with whatever you choose.

Great report? Did you miss out on the reduced price that ended on Saturday? I am seriously considering buying one of these for myself but I’m still waiting for some actual nighttime testing by an experienced observer to get a proper insight on the optics. (So I hope you get a few clear nights soon) The problem with large apochromatic refractors is their price. If I end up not buying one of these then it’s a case of keep saving for an alternative.

Will now be having a good look at Dubhe the next time I have the 12" out again. I didn't even know that Dubhe was indeed a double star.

I can see the basic shape you are referring to and describe. Light and shadows can most definitely highlight and enhance these shapes in our minds eye. I will now be looking for my own elephant when next revisiting this area.

Where's the mirror? I imagine that the mirror will be no lightweight either.

Surely just a sheer coincidence 🤔🙄.

I used to own the full range of Nirvanas and found them to be very good eyepieces apart from the 16mm. Great value for money as well. I have now moved them on as i found that I am more comfortable with the 76 degrees provided by the Morpheus eyepieces. Some folk enjoy the wider field whereas others don’t. I fall into the later category.

Commonly referred to as “Nukes” when I was a lad🙂.