cajen2

They look very similar to the APM UFF / Celestron Ultima Edge range. Please don't tell me they're the same - I've just ordered from you the Ultima Edge 30mm at £40 more.....

Just been out viewing Jupiter. Seeing and transparency were both excellent and I could see at least four bands plus sundry whorls at mags between 130x and 240x in my SL 8" dob. Question: how possible is it that I'm seeing a fifth Jovian moon? I"m not particularly well up on the system, but I could see a fainter and more distant spot on the same plane as the others. Moon or field star?

As usual, budgets limit ambitions but if you're prepared to pay a little more, there are 30ish mm EPs out there with a much wider FOV than the Omni Plossl, which is only 50°. My Xmas present is also a Celestron: an Ultima Edge 30 mil. This is the same EP as the well-regarded APM UFF and has a 70° FOV.

Reminds me of the WW2 German Mistel system, where an unmanned bomber was flown with a fighter mounted on top: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mistel There's nothing new under the sun.

A 10" dob is eminently portable if you split the base and OTA for carriage or even better, have a dolly for it.

Now tell all the boys and girls what you saw, Mike....😉

There's a strange echo in here! 😄

It's the opposite in the UK: the Morpheus are £50 cheaper I have 2 XWs and 3 Morphs. Both are excellent but for me, the Morphs just shade it.

Just a note: the 100p has a fixed primary mirror so that won't need collimating. It does have very good optics but only a 400mm focal length (F/4) meaning it needs well-corrected, short f/l eyepieces (even a 5mm EP will only give 80x magnification). It is, however, very small and light, making it a doddle to store and carry. The 130p has a 650mm f/5 focal length, so the same 5mm EP gives 130x mag. Its optics are also very good but will need occasional collimation. Please don't be put off by this: after a couple of tries, this becomes a routine, five-minute job. I've never used the ST80, so unlike the other scopes, nothing I say is based on first-hand experience. I will note, though, that it has a smaller aperture, the same short f/l as the 100p and will also suffer from colour fringing on any bright targets like Jupiter at higher magnifications. If it were my money, I'd go for the 130p - the best all-rounder giving the best views.

You should check that the laser itself is properly centred. Here's my easy way: https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/400843-collimate-your-collimator-the-easy-way/#comment-4297466 I have an Astro Essentials laser from FLO and it turned out to be perfect straight out of the box. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/other-collimation-tools/astro-essentials-125-laser-collimator.html

I have one for my campervan - clean and easy.

I have this system: the double mount with a RACI in one side. You're right - the RQ doesn't fit on a normal finder mount though I suppose if you're clever you could adapt it. It would make the finder very high on the scope, though. I use a Baader Skysurfer RDF on the other fork, as it's now high enough not to have to contort yourself so much. I hardly ever switch mine on as using it as a 'gunsight' is usually enough to locate the target in the RACI.

+1 for the Morpheus - my favourite range of EPs. Also check out the two StellaLyra 2" 80° (14 and 20mm) for really wide views. The 20mm has a similar FOV to a 30+mm Plossl, with obviously much larger magnification and is bright and sharp right across the field.

She also always says "J U S T" instead of JWST. Drives me insane.

Hi Ilya and a warm welcome to SGL. You'll find everyone very helpful here, so please ask if you need any help. Great choice for a starter scope - you'll find some wonderful stuff with it. Start saving up for some decent eyepieces to replace the giveaway ones! 😄

I use a Clas Ohlson pick foam case. Can't give you a link as Amazon don't seem to sell it any more but there are hundreds of manufacturers selling similar items. Most people store their EPs horizontally but my case is tall enough to take them vertically, so I need only one case. It's no problem finding an EP in it: I store mine in focal length order so I only need to count. I suppose you could write on the lens covers too if you really wanted to. This way of storing stuff allows me to put in all 9 EPs, two Barlows and sundry other items, all in one case: And still room for another EP I'm getting for Xmas!

Time to install a Porta-Potti?

I don't think the X-Cel is of top quality but I'm told the Ultima Edge range is excellent (same EPs as the APM UFF). I'm getting the 30mil for Xmas! 🍾

Great report, Mike. It's interesting that the Q70s were ok in such a demanding scope. It might save you a lot of money having to replace all of them! 👍 Note for anyone interested: the Long Perngs that Mike.mentions are the same as the 2" 80° StellaLyra range.

If the universe is infinite, then everybody's in the middle! 😉

It's my birthday today (don't ask which one...!) and I've just received this from my daughter: What a weird combination of authors! Some great photos:

Excellent, and doesn't suffer from over-colouration as so many images do.

A 150p is called a 'table-top' dob because you put it on a table...😉, though actually you're much better off finding a stout three-legged stool to put it on ( that's what I use). Please don't be swayed by ideas that the collapsible tube is somehow inferior to a 'solid' tube: it's extremely well designed and has superb optics for its price. A floor-mounted scope has to have a base large enough that you can look through the eyepiece while standing or sitting. Thus, automatically, it's significantly heavier and less manageable. I have a floor-mounted 8" too.

The 150p will gather 33% more light than the 130, allowing you to catch fainter objects. It also has a slightly longer focal length (650 v 750mm), which means slightly higher magnifications are possible, though much over 200x are not optimal in most seeing conditions.

I think you'd be better off with the BSTs. Also check out the Vixen NPL range - superb value for money, though I wouldn't go shorter than the 20mm, as eye relief becomes a problem. I used a 30mm as my wide-field EP for ages and it gave very respectable views.