bosun21

A DPD delivery today from FLO. Today it was an Explore Scientific 2x telecentric barlow. I had one of these before but sold it, but found that with a standard barlow I couldn’t get on with the eye relief changing hence the purchase.

I also have the Pixel 6 pro but I just haven’t got around to trying it out for AP. Maybe on a good clear night when I have both scopes out I will try it on one of them. The reason I sold my AP kit was because I would rather be observing than standing around doing nothing. It’s the old horses for courses again.

Courtesy of @Mr Spock the postman dropped off a pristine Vixen SLV 2.5mm. I want this for my Starfield for planetary and tight doubles when those nights of good seeing come knocking.

Altair astro used to be fairly good at responding to enquires and questions, however as of late this has changed for some reason. On their site they state “check that the item is in stock” but on several occasions I have done so for numerous items but all I heard was crickets. Something or someone has obviously changed IMO.

Hi Chrissy👋. Welcome to SGL.

The guide for the one from Simply bearings states that it should be the inner ring that is secured and not the outer. Whether this makes a difference I ain’t sure, but why would they state that otherwise.

I actually prefer a 1.25” barlow due to the 2” eyepieces I have are long focal length (30mm) for example. Using a barlow with this is pointless as I have that magnification covered by other eyepieces (as will you if you buy the 7-21mm zoom. Also again a 28mm-30mm eyepiece already has a considerable eye relief (the distance from the eyepiece lens to your eye) and this could become uncomfortable to use if you were to double it with a 2x barlow. A barlow increases the eye relief as well as magnification.

No you would need a 2” barlow to use a 2” eyepiece but you can use a 2” barlow with both the 2” and 1.25” eyepieces with the addition of a 2”-1.25” adapter. You will discover the sky seeing conditions by observing a target and gradually increasing the magnification until you suddenly lose the sharpness of your image. That’s a good indicator of the seeing conditions.

Don’t buy a 5x barlow as this would greatly extend the eye relief of your existing 28mm eyepiece rendering it virtually unusable. You would be better to add say a 12mm or a 15mm and a 5-6mm and then you can add a 2x barlow for those nights with good seeing. Or you could just get a 7-21mm zoom eyepiece similar to the one you highlighted, but not the 10-30mm as you already have that covered with the 28mm you already own. Good luck with your new hobby.

I agree with you about the learning experience side of the journey but I was merely talking about the money lost by buying new eyepieces and then selling them on. If I were to go through it again I would only buy used eyepieces until I found what I was completely happy with.

Hi and welcome to SGL. You can buy the spider for reflectors separately from the scope. Measure the inside diameter of your telescope tube to ensure you buy the correct size.

I have the 17.5 Morpheus and find it to be optically superb almost edge to edge. I don’t wear glasses and find the ER to be fine. I can comfortably find my viewing position instantly and due to it not suffering from kidney beaning gives it some flexibility in this regard. I only have to use the extension piece with the 4.5mm and the 6.5mm.

It can prove to be an expensive learning curve. I did the journey in incremental steps before settling on a full set of Baader Morpheus eyepieces and several orthos along with a low power eyepiece. This was a costly mistake and I wish I had just went straight to a quality eyepiece. Once I tried one Morpheus I had found what I was looking for, so I just added another and another over a period of time. This is just my thoughts on the matter, you may have an entirely different outlook.

Hi 👋, welcome to SGL.

Agreed, but he was considering buying a 4-5mm eyepiece(s) and buying a barlow would allow him to use it with longer focal lengths he already owns.

The Morpheus 17.5mm is a better eyepiece than the UFF 18mm. I owned the later and sold it due to the lack of sharpness at the edges. The 30mm UFF is the best of that particular range.

Another vote for not buying a kit. If I were you I would buy a few good quality wide field eyepieces and a barlow. You have to remember that your scope has a focal length in the region of 2000mm making the use of a 4-5mm eyepiece a rare occurrence. The Explore Scientific and Nirvana eyepieces are good starting points.

I was thinking on weight saving. As you say horses for courses.

Looking good 👍, Personally I use a RDF and a 30mm wide field EP for target finding. It eliminates the need for a RACI. This is what I found anyway.

Didn’t I give you one of these with the Maxbright II binoviewer?

If you are fit enough to move it the short distance to where you observe from, then go for the 10”. But I echo what has been said previously, the difference is noticeable but not massive. I also have the 12” and it’s one big fat fella for sure. Good luck with whatever you choose.

I would definitely fit the counterweight if I was you. The mount will thank you for it. Your set up looks great and ready for action. Good luck.

Raining here in Oxford also 🌧.

I’ve often considered buying a Berlebach tripod, but the farthest I’ve gotten is a Berlebach charon observing seat. What exactly are the benefits over a standard stainless steel tripod? I presume weight for starters.