bosun21

What threads are on your focuser draw tube as Baader makes a few low profile eyepiece holders. I would definitely change to a standard mirror/prism diagonal regardless of your focusing problem.

Great captures and portrayal of a variable.

Better with thin felt as yoga mats are a bit too thick IMO.

I may be wrong but I think the initial link was for the pre release and the later the post release of the phone mount.

Those items usually get changed on all reflectors. I don't know why manufacturers don't just fit them as standard.

Same as above 👆.

I have found that the Starsense works fine with a full moon in the sky (bortle 6 at home). It only starts to struggle plate solving when really close to the lunar disc itself. If trying to observe a target close to a bright moon the Starsense will still direct you to the target location, however may struggle with the plate solving for the final fine adjustments to centre the target.

I would choose the Skyline as well if I hailed from the States. The addition of the dual speed focuser, 8x50 RACI, etc swings it for me.

The Skyline model is made by GSO and is identical to the Apetura, Stella Lyra etc.

I would never run dew heaters from the camera auxiliary port. I won't even run them from my battery running my mount. I always use a separate battery solely for my dew heaters.

In addition to what has already been said the addition of a good wooden tripod also helps in this regard.

I agree with you. If I had known that PS Align pro had this facility I would have probably stuck with that. I did look at it beforehand purely for Polaris positioning whilst polar aligning but didn’t see this facility at the time. We live and learn.

I owned the 120/1000 Evostar refractor which was decent enough although the CA on the planets and moon irritated me. I bought the Semi Apo 2” filter which helped with this.

Same here with the addition of the 2”-1.25” clicklock.

He was comparing it to a Schmidt Cassegrain not a dobsonian.

I owned both an Orion and Skywatcher 8” dobsonians previously and noticed nothing between them. Orion Optics on the other hand could have higher quality mirrors.

A DPD delivery on a Sunday is a first for me. This time it’s a Baader 7.5nm Solar Continuum filter to use with my Starfield wedge.

Walking on eggshells here 😂. As @ollypenrice has stated the reflector if collimated properly will provide better views especially on brighter targets like the moon and planets due to not suffering from chromatic aberration. If the refractor were an ED(extra low dispersion) or a triplet then it would be better than the reflector. The larger aperture of 130mm will not be so much of a gain due to its central obstruction causing loss of contrast. For some people the chromatic aberration doesn’t seem to be a problem while for others, myself included it’s off putting. If you can cope with the collimation aspects of the reflector then I would go for that, if not then get the refractor. Good luck with whatever you choose.

I have also jumped on the bandwagon and just ordered one for myself. I was getting frustrated trying to use my Pixel 6 pro with a cheap plastic phone holder as it was as rigid as cooked spaghetti.

Welcome back to the forum @N3ptune.

Have your springs arrived yet?

I’ve now edited it to reflect this point.

What if you are using a Herschel wedge? I have always been told no plastic focusers etc. Is this wrong?

Make sure your telescope has no plastic parts like the focuser etc if using a Herschel wedge otherwise they will melt from the heat. If using Baader solar film make sure there’s no breaks or holes in it.

Nice capture of M92👍.