ES 102mm FCD100 Triplet APO Refractor First Impressions

[Sky Daddy]

Hope Everyone Is Well On SGL, Just Received The ES Triplet Last Night, Decided To Take It Out Last Night In Front Of My Building In The Bronx NY, Light Pollution At A Maximum And The Seeing Conditions Were Poor At Best, But The Little Triplet Delivered, Full Moon Was Tack Sharp Alot Of Detail Visible With Out A Filter, I Then Zeroed In On Jupiter, And Was Very Impressed, A Total Of 4 Bands Were Visible And It's 4 Largest Moons Were All Present And Looking Like 4 Little Diamonds On Black Velvet..... BTW I Was Using A Baader Hyperion 24mm EP And Televue 2× Barlow, Can't Wait For A Better Night To See What The Little Triplet Can Really Do, Very Happy With My Purchase So Far And Would Totally Recommend This ES APO Triplet To Anyone..... Side Note, While Looking For Jupiter I Thought I Saw Something Red And Fuzzy, Could It Have Been A DSO, Nebula Or Am I Just Losing It? Thank You In Advance For Any Replys..... Kudos To Explore Scientific.....

[Alan64]

If the red, fuzzy object was seen a bit below Jupiter and closer to the horizon, then you may have seen...

...the star, ANTARES, there on the right.

Antares, and compared to the Sun...

By the way, congratulations upon receiving the latest apochromat from Explore Scientific.

[Sky Daddy]

Thank You Alan64, Can't Wait To Get It To A Really Dark Spot And Open Her Up, So To Speak. This Is My First Triplet And So Far I Have No Complaints. I've Been In The Hobby For About 3 Years, But Until Now The Scope I Used Was The Omni XLT 127mm SCT From Celestron And A 150mm Newt Also From Celstron..... If You Don't Mind Me Asking, Any Recommendations To Get The Best Possible View Out Of The Triplet? Thank You In Advance.....

 

 

[Alan64]

A 4" apochromat, if exemplary in quality, can realise 400x, and before the image begins to break down into a soft mush.  But let's just say 250x to be safe...

Your refractor has a focal-length of 714mm, at f/7...

714mm ÷ 250x = a 2.9mm eyepiece.

But let's round that off to 3mm(238x).  You can 2x-barlow a 6mm, or 3x-barlow a 9mm.  Did you know that you can convert your 2x barlow into a 3x by inserting the barlow into the focusser first, and before the diagonal and eyepiece, as shown on the right...

Do you have to wear eyeglasses when observing?

Also, are you using a CG-4 equatorial with the refractor?

[Sky Daddy]

No Eyeglasses, And Yes I'm Using A CG4 EQ.....

[ronin]

They are not much talked of over here but I have never read a bad report about the FCD100's, usually it is a case of how impressive they are.

Antares is around the Jupiter region at present, sort of left of it, but a fair way left so if close to Jupiter then slightly doubtful. Equally 2 nights back I was looking at Jupiter and Antares was (by eye) not quite as big but was almost white in colour - looked somewhat similar to Jupiter and for a while I wondered if it was Saturn (not due at this time however). I looked on the basdis of "If that is Jupiter then what is that one?"

 

[Alan64]

In that you do not have to wear eyeglasses whilst observing, then you may avail yourself of practically any eyepiece on the market; of any amount of eye-relief.

Plossls shorter than 10mm have very tight eye-relief, and to where one would almost have to touch their eyeball to the field-lens of the ocular in order to see full field-of-view.

Orthoscopics have slightly better eye-relief, but with narrower fields-of-view.

I enjoy pushing my telescopes to the limit, in extracting every last bit out of their objectives.  Many objects are at their most beautiful and engaging at the higher, and highest powers of which a telescope is capable; particularly the Moon, the planets, and the double-stars.  Refractors are the ideal when attempting to split double-stars.

If the CG-4 is motorised, or if the slow-motion cable for the RA-axis is adequate for tracking, and the mount is aligned to the NCP, the north celestial pole, via Polaris, the north star, then you can't beat orthoscopics for the higher powers...

http://agenaastro.com/eyepieces/1-25-eyepieces/shopby/kk_fujiyama_hd_ortho/kokusai_kohki.html

For the lowest power, for observing the galaxy in Andromeda and the Pleiades in the fall and winter; and for scanning the congested star-fields of the Milky Way in summer...

https://www.astronomics.com/34mm-68-field-argon-purged-waterproof-2-eyepiece_p20162.aspx (21x)

https://www.astronomics.com/40mm-68-field-argon-purged-waterproof-2-eyepiece_p20163.aspx (18x)

If your dark-adapted pupil expands to 7mm, then you can go a little lower in power...

http://agenaastro.com/gso-50mm-superview-eyepiece.html (14x)

One thing that I would suggest getting squared away, and pronto, is to purchase or make an extension for the refractor's dew-shield, lined with an absorptive material like felt or other, and to further protect the objective from dew and dirt; say, about 6" or 8" beyond the existing dew-shield.  Pollen is wafting about through the air at this time of year.  Such would also help to further block artificial and natural stray-light sources(street lights, the Moon, etc), and from reaching the objective.

[Sky Daddy]

Thank You For All The Info, Will Be Very Useful To Me..... Do You Know Where I Can Purchase A Dew Shield Extender? Sorry For Such A Late Response But Last Night I Fell Asleep..... Again Thank You.....

[Louis D]

2 hours ago, Sky Daddy said:

Do You Know Where I Can Purchase A Dew Shield Extender?

How about making your own from foam crafting sheet for $1 plus tape or glue?  I figure your existing dew shield is around 15" in circumference, so that 12x18" sheet should be able to extend things about 10" for super cheap.  There's a Michael's at 610 Exterior Street, Bronx, NY (Bronx Terminal Market) that should carry it or could order it in for you.  You could also browse around the store to see if some other sheet material might work better for you.  They could also help you find the right tape or glue for it.

[Sky Daddy]

Thank You For The Advice, But I Ordered An Astro Zap Dew Shield Extender.....  From Highpoint Scientific, Full Time Dad And Work Nights, So Very Limited On Time..... But Again Thank You For The Advice..... Also Only Paid $25 Dollars For The Dew Shield..... So I'm Not Too Worried.....

[Alan64]

Which one did you order?  Can you post a link to it?  The reason I ask is that the ones that High Point sells for $25 are for telescopes of 90mm and 80mm.  The diameter of the dew-shield of your refractor looks closer to 130 to 150mm in diameter...

ES is known for its rather wide dew-shields.

[rwilkey]

On 13/04/2017 at 07:01, Sky Daddy said:

Thank You Alan64, Can't Wait To Get It To A Really Dark Spot And Open Her Up, So To Speak. This Is My First Triplet And So Far I Have No Complaints. I've Been In The Hobby For About 3 Years, But Until Now The Scope I Used Was The Omni XLT 127mm SCT From Celestron And A 150mm Newt Also From Celstron..... If You Don't Mind Me Asking, Any Recommendations To Get The Best Possible View Out Of The Triplet? Thank You In Advance.....

 

 

Hi Skydaddy, the first thing I found when I got my doublet was that I needed to upgrade my ep's, I guess you will find the same to get that great clarity that these scopes can produce.  I went for the ES82's and have not looked back, very pleased with the results. 

[Sky Daddy]

Thank You Sir, Yes I Already Started Pricing Different EP's, I'm Looking At ES °82 Series And The Televue Ethos Series..... Just Need Some Time To Put Together The $$ That These EP's Demand..... Thank You For The Advice Nonetheless.....

[Sky Daddy]

http://www.highpointscientific.com/astrozap-flexible-dew-shield-for-etx-125-or-c5-telescopes-az105?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=AZP-AZ105&gclid=Cj0KEQjw5sHHBRDg5IK6k938j_IBEiQARZBJWj503XsnBlFq3lT7fble1g2lRERVq23EoxSjSNhu33kaAtOT8P8HAQ.   Hey Alan64 Sorry I Took So Long To Reply, Working All Night, But Here's The Link To The Dew Shield I Purchased.....

[Alan64]

4 hours ago, Sky Daddy said:

http://www.highpointscientific.com/astrozap-flexible-dew-shield-for-etx-125-or-c5-telescopes-az105?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=AZP-AZ105&gclid=Cj0KEQjw5sHHBRDg5IK6k938j_IBEiQARZBJWj503XsnBlFq3lT7fble1g2lRERVq23EoxSjSNhu33kaAtOT8P8HAQ.   Hey Alan64 Sorry I Took So Long To Reply, Working All Night, But Here's The Link To The Dew Shield I Purchased.....

Yes, that's the one I'd probably pick, too, and out of all of them.  If it comes un-lined, you can get self-adhesive sheets of black felt most anywhere(Hobby Lobby carries the best) and line the inner surface.  There in the store I picked up brown instead of black, given the store's lighting, and perhaps my eyes too...

 

But no matter, as it was used in the first attempt.  It lent a reddish-brown cast to the Moon that night.  I then got the black and made the dew-shield even better than before; all's well that ends well.  

That would help further in keeping moisture away from the objective-lens.  I have a 4" apochromat, too, and a few years ago I was observing the Moon and one edge of it was yellow.  It turns out that a layer of fine debris, mixed with dew, had thickened up somewhat on the surface of the front element.  Two years passed before I discovered it, but no harm was done.  I carefully cleaned it off and later took the refractor out during an extended drought we were having, and in August of 2015...

It was only during that time that I risked it.  I'll need to make an extension for it as well if I want to use it more often.  The humidity is notorious, infamous even, here in my area, and even during the winter in the form of frost...

Through the 6" f/5 Newtonian, the Moon, at right, had all but vanished as a result.  All telescopes, regardless of design, need an extension where dew and floating debris is of concern.

[Sky Daddy]

Thank You Alan64, Being Fairly New To Amateur Astronomy I Probably Wouldn't Have Thought About A Dew Shield Til Later On Down The Line, You Most Likely Saved Me Alot Of Frustration..... Again Thank You.....

[Alan64]

You're more than welcome, sir.

Now, in that your refractor is a triplet, extra care must be taken when handling.  When a triplet gets knocked out of collimation, the user is unable to collimate it.  It must be sent off for that, so always remember...kid-gloves.

Have you thought about solar observations, and during the day?  I've used my refractor a few times for such.  Astrozap makes those, too...

https://www.astrozap.com/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=31

To dim down the Sun, if needed, or the Moon for that matter, a variable-polariser attached to the eyepiece or diagonal comes in awfully handy...

http://agenaastro.com/antares-1-25-variable-transmission-polarizing-filter-2095.html

http://agenaastro.com/bst-2-variable-transmission-polarizing-filter.html

The polariser allows from only 2% up to 40% of an object's light through to the eyepiece and eye of the observer.  It can also be used to dim down Jupiter and Venus; Venus, and in order to see its Moon-like phases more easily, depending on the magnification.  If Jupiter at the higher powers still appears too bright, and as a white ball, the polariser will help reveal colours and details of the planet's surface.  

No one should be without a variable-polariser, I daresay.

[rockystar]

1 hour ago, Alan64 said:

No one should be without a variable-polariser, I daresay.

I agree, I use mine a lot, but I know there are some people here that will disagree and think there is no need for them.

[Stu]

18 minutes ago, rockystar said:

I agree, I use mine a lot, but I know there are some people here that will disagree and think there is no need for them.

I think a lot depends upon the observer's eye sensitivity, some find the moon too bright, others don't. Neither are wrong  

[Sky Daddy]

Thanks Again Guy's, BTW I Do Have An Astro Zap White Light Solar Filter, And Also I Will Look In To Getting A Polariser..... Now If I Can Only Get A Clear Night, I Live In NYC And The Weather Has Been Horrible Since The Day I Received The Triplet..... But Everyone I've Spoken To Tells Me That Anytime You Receive A New Scope, It Usually Comes With Horrible Weather..... Lol.....

[Sky Daddy]

Hey What's Up Alan64, Recieved The Dew Shield From High Point Scientific, Fits Like A Glove, I Don't Much Like The Look It Gives The Scope, But It's Not About Looks. Care And Performance Is The Motivation..... I Also Had A Question For You, I Have A Choice To Make, Concerning Eyepieces. If I Buy This Week I Can Only Afford ES °82 Series, If I Wait A Month Or So I Can Spring For The TV Ethos, No Matter Which Brand I Choose I'm Going With The 4.7mm 2 Inch Barrel Offering..... Should I Bite The Bullet And Wait Or Get The ES °82 EP This Week?  Note* Currently I Don't Have Any High Mag EP's In My Arsenal The Highest I Can Go Right Now Is A 15mm TV Plossl And Barlow It With A TV ×2 Barlow..... I Need A High Mag EP..... Your Wisdom Is Always Greatly Appreciated, Thank You In Advance.....

[Louis D]

20 hours ago, Sky Daddy said:

If I Buy This Week I Can Only Afford ES °82 Series, If I Wait A Month Or So I Can Spring For The TV Ethos, No Matter Which Brand I Choose I'm Going With The 4.7mm 2 Inch Barrel Offering

Split the difference and get a Lunt Engineering HDC 5 mm 110° x-treme Wideangle Eyepiece.  Reviewers on CN report there isn't much to differentiate it from the 4.7mm Ethos.

[Sky Daddy]

Thanks For The Info On The High Mag EP, I Will Definitely Take A Look At That EP..... It's Funny, I've Been Doing This For 3 Years And I Don't Have 1 High Mag EP, Go Figure..... I Purchased A 6mm Meade 5000 Series For My Cat And The Views Were Horrible, So I Got A Little Gun Shy When It Came To High Mag EP's..... But I Really Need 1 Now, So Now I Have Three Choices, 2 Have Great Prices And 1 Is A Little Bloated On The Price Tag..... I Just Can't Look Past All The Excellent Reviews On The Ethos..... This Hobby Is Gonna Leave Me In The Poor House With Alot Of Cool Astronomy Equipment..... Lol.....

[rockystar]

On ‎17‎/‎04‎/‎2017 at 21:27, Sky Daddy said:

Hey What's Up Alan64, Recieved The Dew Shield From High Point Scientific, Fits Like A Glove, I Don't Much Like The Look It Gives The Scope, But It's Not About Looks. Care And Performance Is The Motivation..... I Also Had A Question For You, I Have A Choice To Make, Concerning Eyepieces. If I Buy This Week I Can Only Afford ES °82 Series, If I Wait A Month Or So I Can Spring For The TV Ethos, No Matter Which Brand I Choose I'm Going With The 4.7mm 2 Inch Barrel Offering..... Should I Bite The Bullet And Wait Or Get The ES °82 EP This Week?  Note* Currently I Don't Have Any High Mag EP's In My Arsenal The Highest I Can Go Right Now Is A 15mm TV Plossl And Barlow It With A TV ×2 Barlow..... I Need A High Mag EP..... Your Wisdom Is Always Greatly Appreciated, Thank You In Advance.....

not sure of the cost of these EPs in the US, but in the UK, the Ethos is about £500 and the ES are about £120 - if it was me, I would get the ES and next month get another 3 ES.  I have the 24mm ES, and if I didn't already have the higher end covered, I'd get more of them.

I suspect you will get a split of opinions though, and has Louis has already done, offer up option C

 

[Sky Daddy]

Hey Rockystar, Love The Game Plan, I Have To Be Honest, I Think I'm Leaning Towards Getting The One With Little Green Letters On It..... What Sucks Is The Wait, But This Hobby Comes With Alot Of Exercise In Waiting..... I Really Appreciate All The Advice, All You Guy's Are Like A Jedi Council On Amateur Astronomy, Will Keep You Posted..... Thank You.....