Show us your set up in action at night.

[HollyHound]

2 hours ago, IB20 said:

Interested to hear people’s views of the CQ extender module on the 76DCU. I’ve found the standard set-up pretty awesome to date but might prove beneficial for the planet season, particularly Mars?

Is it just more for easier higher magnifications?

I have a wish list of upgrades, but lots of other bits are in front of the extender unless I can be persuaded otherwise. 😅
 

As @Stusays in the post above, it really does both flatten the field and also tighten the stars up too.

For me it’s also meant that my 1.25” eyepiece set (XWs) have a more useful magnfication range too, rather than topping out at 160x. I find that my Taks tend to be able to take more magnification than usual, so nice to have the option without breaking out other eyepieces 👍

One minor downside, the scope is a bit longer and so (very) slightly more unwieldy when carrying outside, but no issue at all for me… it’s one corridor and two doors.

Excellent review of this combination here… http://www.scopeviews.co.uk/TakFC-76Q.htm

[powerlord]

53 minutes ago, Stu said:

Are you in a swimming pool?? 😉

Hoi, less of the cheek! This is my state of the art observatory made from composite material I'll have you know!

🤪

[Stu]

6 minutes ago, powerlord said:

Hoi, less of the cheek! This is my state of the art observatory made from composite material I'll have you know!

🤪

Tee hee, with the added bonus of being able to enjoy a paddle whilst observing 😉

[Stu]

30 minutes ago, HollyHound said:

As @Stusays in the post above, it really does both flatten the field and also tighten the stars up too.

For me it’s also meant that my 1.25” eyepiece set (XWs) have a more useful magnfication range too, rather than topping out at 160x. I find that my Taks tend to be able to take more magnification than usual, so nice to have the option without breaking out other eyepieces 👍

One minor downside, the scope is a bit longer and so (very) slightly more unwieldy when carrying outside, but no issue at all for me… it’s one corridor and two doors.

Excellent review of this combination here… http://www.scopeviews.co.uk/TakFC-76Q.htm

I notice that Roger seems to have the full length (145mm) rear section from an FS60C on his setup. This may make life a little more difficult in terms of back focus. I use a 127mm tube from the FS60CB which does help, particularly with binoviewers.

[Craney]

Got myself a new Dewshield to match the OTA courtesy of @fwm891

All looking very smart.....  apart from the cables.  Snag-tastic !!

[HollyHound]

On 26/03/2022 at 11:20, Stu said:

I notice that Roger seems to have the full length (145mm) rear section from an FS60C on his setup. This may make life a little more difficult in terms of back focus. I use a 127mm tube from the FS60CB which does help, particularly with binoviewers.

Oh yes indeed, you’re right… that’s interesting, as you know @Stumy extender came with the wrong tube length (145mm) and I can confirm that it doesn’t work when placed in the middle. I’m sure it has to be precisely placed (127mm) in order to make that doublet arrangement work 🤔

Doesn’t look like Roger is binoviewing and that Takahashi diagonal probably has a short optical path.

Having the longer tube at the rear will indeed lose some backfocus though. Hence why I’ve just ordered (and received) another 127mm tube for mine.

I am loving this FC-76Q 😃

Edited March 31, 2022 by HollyHound

[gorann]

Got my dual RASA8 rig with NBZ dual-band HaOiii filters aiming at a possible SNR that I by accident stumbled on two nights ago but only caught a bit of it. It seems never to have been imaged before. I hope the sky co-operates.....

Cheers, Göran

[Paz]

I had the 127mm Maksutov out for some Lunar tonight.

[chrispj]

Out peering at the moon tonight with my new binoviewer. Lovely and clear until the cloud started drifting over around 21:00. Viewing with two eyes seems so comfortable and more immersive. The ST102 is set up as a supersized RACI finder with a 2" erecting prism diagonal,  works very well with usually a 35mm Panoptic giving a good field of view!

 

[cajen2]

My scope is black with a black mount....you can't SEE it in action at night! 😛

[Sunshine]

23 hours ago, cajen2 said:

My scope is black with a black mount....you can't SEE it in action at night! 😛

You must bang your head into it a lot looting for the eyepiece 🤣

[cajen2]

Yes.....silly colour for a scope, now I think about it. Perhaps it's a stealth scope...

[CCD-Freak]

Here is a moonlight shot of my 10"RC riding on an AP900 mount perched on the recently constructed Todmorden pier at SRO. 

I was doing some equipment testing before the New Mexico trip at the end of the month.

Edited April 10, 2022 by CCD-Freak

[SuburbanMak]

1900 vintage Clarkson 3” f15 giving super views of the brighter Messiers available Friday 8th/Saturday 9th April. 

[josefk]

 

First light with this kit a couple of weekends ago - a dry run of sorts. Nearly an epic fail for not having read even the quick start guide on the Nexus. Did figure it out in the end and here i'm pointing at M53. Arcturus showing brightly on the left.

[Dave scutt]

Not the set up your use to but my son wanted to go fishing. 

And we were off to a good start. 

[Sunshine]

1 hour ago, Dave scutt said:

Not the set up your use to but my son wanted to go fishing. 

And we were off to a good start. 

That looks like a mini shark!

[Dave scutt]

6 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

That looks like a mini shark!

It's a bull huss member of the shark family 

[Stu]

9 hours ago, Dave scutt said:

It's a bull huss member of the shark family 

Hope you put it back!

[Dave scutt]

47 minutes ago, Stu said:

Hope you put it back!

All the fish are returned so my son can keep catching them 

[OK Apricot]

Hehe, "at night"... Last night's blinding moon 😎

Edited April 16, 2022 by OK Apricot
Double pic

[gorann]

Roof off and the dual-RASA8 rig up and running, with a Samyang 135 piggybacking. To play it safe I've now got one lapttop per camera and another running the mount. Aiming at Sharpless 140 and I just wish that annoying moon was on the other side of the planet, but my IDAS NBZ filters are hopefully doing their best to ignore it. This will be one of the last sessions for the season - only 3 hours of astro darkness at night now here at 60°N🥴

Apparently my smartphone camera produces oval moons😄

Cheers, Göran

[Sunshine]

3 hours ago, gorann said:

Roof off and the dual-RASA8 rig up and running, with a Samyang 135 piggybacking.

Do the lights in your town dim when you turn on that rig? 🤣 amazing!

[AstroGS]

I miss a clear night like this…..

 

with my old mount, which has been absolutely fantastic. You do not get every day PE of 0.34!
Cannot wait to setup my new EQ6R over the forthcoming weeks and start imaging again.

[gorann]

7 hours ago, Sunshine said:

Do the lights in your town dim when you turn on that rig? 🤣 amazing!

Good thing is that I am not in a town, so no lights to dim😁