cajen2

Ursa Major is the brand name that FLO uses for scopes it has sourced from the likes of GSO, along with StellaLyra and StellaMira. GSO make good quality stuff.

I believe it's this one: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/ursa-major-102mm-tabletop-dobsonian-telescope.html and it's being compared to a SW tabletop like this: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/heritage/skywatcher-heritage-100p-tabletop-dobsonian.html

I think SD is referring to the new Ursa Major tabletop dobs, which have spherical mirrors. My own instinct would be to go for the parabolic, but I've never used or looked through an UM, so I don't speak from experience. One of my dobs is a tabletop with a parabolic mirror (Heritage 150p) and it has very good optics.

I was at a star party and forgot to take socks 🙄. So I rushed to the nearest suitable shop and the only thick ones they had were JCB! 😆 They proved to be very warm and comfortable so they're my first choice now for cold nights.

It's a StellaLyra one (probably similar). It's slightly cheaper than the SW one. Astro Essentials do one which is cheaper still.

+1 for a RDF and a RACI for a Newt. I use the RDF for getting the scope in approximately the right area and the RACI for centralising the target. One thing nobody's mentioned is how easily a slight touch can put finders out of alignment, so it's good having two. A space-saving mod is to use a twin finder mount. Here's mine:

Yes, the Morphs are excellent. The 17.5mm is especially good, I'm told (I'm already covered at that f/l so I haven't bought one). As I said, the SL UFF 30mm is supposed to be the the same as the Celestron that I mentioned and is great VFM.

Just a brief question, Pat: are you happy with your range of Plossls, their FOV and eye relief? If the answer is yes, fine. Good Plossls and Orthos (like the BSOs) can give great views. Personally, I'm addicted to wider fields of view (70°+) and long eye relief (perhaps because I use only dobs and get very tired of nudging the scope constantly). Can I also ask if you prefer the experience of viewing with your Morph or your WO? I'm very aware that what suits one person may not suit another, which is why the subject of EPs seems to generate so much debate. My own collection includes EPs by Baader, Pentax and StellaLyra but my favourites are the Morpheus range, my 2" 80° 20mm SL and my newly acquired Celestron Ultima Edge 30mm. YMMV! 😛

That's two, Scott - cheating! Nice, though.

Nice, Knobby. Keep them coming, folks!

I'm no imager, but I love seeing what all you clever /persistent people have done. Please post one image that you've taken in 2022, which is the one you're most proud of.

I don't see any problems with the springs on mine: once the bolts were loosened, the mirror sprang back to perfect alignment completely. Oh, and a diagnostic tip: I noticed before the problem that the dot on my laser collimator was like the stars - with 'crows feet'. After the correction, it was a tiny dot again. So from now on, step one of collimation for me is to check the laser dot (I know the laser itself is perfectly aligned).

I recently bought the Celestron Ultima Edge 30mm, which is yet another clone of the UFF. I was extremely impressed by its clarity, contrast and ability to show targets sharp right to the edge of the FOV. I also have several higher-mag Morpheii and you're right: it's very reminiscent of a Morph view. Once again note that the new StellaLyra UF is the same EP (apart from cosmetic differences) but is £40 cheaper than the CUE.

My first ever astronomy book was also PM's The Observer's Book of Astronomy. I used to read it over and over again - I even taught myself the Greek alphabet with it. In fact I'm sure I knew more about astronomy when I was 10 than I do now.....😊 Still have it....

People who have never collimated a scope are terrified of it (perhaps it's the strange name) but honestly, it's a simple job. Most adjustments take no more than 2-3 minutes. Today I went back to the beginning and recollimated the whole scope (an 8" dob) and it took 10 minutes max. Most scopes only need doing occasionally. So please don't let scare stories put you off dobs - they offer extremely good value for performance.

Just an update for anyone with a similar problem or just interested: I adjusted the secondary (wasn't far out). I then loosened all the primary screws (locking and collimation) completely. To my surprise, the collimation was now exactly right. Gently tightened all screws till I felt the first resistance. So, pinched optics or not, I think it's solved the problem. Moral of the story: don't tighten a knob unless another is loosened.

Sure, that's what I thought and it's why I want to take my time tomorrow rather than do a rush job now. I'll check the secondary alignment too.

I've just been out and have to report a failure (I think it's just as informative as reporting successes!). I collimated my SL 8" dob today and all looked good. On the way out of the door, the OTA took a bit of a knock, pushing my RACI finder out of alignment 😡. On setting up, the scope achieved focus just fine but the stars were not their usual sharp points of light: all seemed to have "crow's feet". I tried several different EPs but to no avail. I came back in high dudgeon. Either the knock put the scope out of collimation again or I've tightened too many knobs and pinched the optics. I'll have to give it a good going over tomorrow - too late now. 😥😥😥

Oh, by the way, there's a computerised version of the 150p which might interest you and is only just over your budget: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/heritage/sky-watcher-heritage-150p-flextube-virtuoso-gti.html

I have a 150p Heritage Flextube as one of.my scopes and it's a great piece of kit: all-round ability (good on planets and the brighter DSOs), cheap, light, portable yet with excellent optics. It will let you see more than any of the other options. If you're worried about the dob mount, don't be. All you need is a stool or box which is sturdy enough not to shake. Alternatively, the Heritage has a Vixen-style dovetail so is easily mounted to a tripod; you'd have the best of both worlds. The only drawback might be the helical focuser, which some people don't like. The 130p simply has less light-gathering power. You'd see more with a larger aperture. The 102 Mak is a nice little scope which is pretty good on the moon and planets but again gathers less light and has a narrow field of view. If you decide to go on and look for galaxies, nebulae, etc it wouldn't be a great option.

I was trying to be polite, Mike! 😉😆

Doh! I've just noticed that Ant compiled a similar list back in 2011. His is more comprehensive.....😆

A novice to astronomy must be extremely confused when reading some of the threads on here, so I thought this might help. This is just an introduction to the kind of language people use here: short forms, acronyms and so on. It's NOT a comprehensive list of technical terms; these are easily looked up. First and most important: SGL - Stargazers Lounge: this site! 😉 (Auntie) FLO - First Light Optics. Sponsors of this site and excellent retailers. General AP - Astrophotography (strange deviant behaviour that costs ££££) BAA - British Astronomical Society CA - Chromatic aberration. False colours on an image CN - Cloudy Nights: an American astro website in some ways similar to SGL 😉 DSO - Deep-sky object: galaxy, star cluster, nebula, etc. See also PN, Glob. EEVA - Electronically Enhanced Visual Astronomy (another good way to spend excess money! 😉) Glob - globular star cluster OTA - Optical tube assembly. The scope without mount or accessories LP - Light pollution PN - Planetary nebula Telescopes and accessories BIns / binos - binoculars (also sometimes binoviewers) EP - Eyepiece: the bit you look into Frac - refractor. Type of scope using only lenses Newt / dob - Newtonian reflector/ Dobsonian. Types of scope using mirrors. A dob is a Newtonian scope mounted on an easy-to-use base Cat / Mak / SC / RC - types of scope using mirrors and lenses Alt/az - altitude and azimuth (= up and down, left and right). Often used for a type of telescope mount. EQ - Equatorial. Also used for a type of mount. GoTo / go-to - computerised mount that automatically finds targets for you RDF - Red dot finder. A non- magnifying tube with a red dot for locating objects and pointing the scope Manufacturers ES - Explore Scientific SL - StellaLyra SW - Skywatcher Tak - Takahashi TV - Televue WO - Williams Optics I'm sure there are plenty more that I've missed. All we need now is an AP user to do the same (I'm not qualified!).

Why have a lot of EPs? For the same reason as so many people have a lot of scopes! Which scope or EP you use depends on what you want to see, the observing conditions, etc etc. I have only two scopes: 6" and 8" dobs so I need a variety of EPs for different targets and conditions. I'm a dilettante and love a wide variety of targets (planets, DSOs, double stars, etc). Also, my two 2" EPs won't fit my 6" dob, so I need a couple of 1.25" EPs to fill the low mag gap. Oddly, the bits of kit that would obviate the need for a variety are the ones I use the least - a zoom and two Barlows. I just find good fixed f/l EPs are better. I have nine of those....😉

I showed my 5-year-old grandson Jupiter for the first time with my 8" dob. Predictable response: "Wow, that's so cool!" I think showing him a photo wouldn't have had the same reaction.