What will you use on Mars 2018?

[GavStar]

I’m in the process of arranging a trip to tenerife specifically for viewing Mars in the summer. However I’d also want to view DSOs etc given the hopefully good skies.

My current intention is to take my tv85 with me. However the aperture may be a bit limited for mars. So for £250 I could get a 127 skywatcher skymax which I think should be ok for hand luggage.

It would be quite a departure for me as I’m a big refractor fan. 

I just wondered what views people had on whether the 127 would be a better bet than the tv85? Maybe I could take both with me if the Mak would be much better on mars and use the tv85 for widefield dso viewing?

Thanks

Gavin

[MarsG76]

27 minutes ago, GavStar said:

I’m in the process of arranging a trip to tenerife specifically for viewing Mars in the summer. However I’d also want to view DSOs etc given the hopefully good skies.

My current intention is to take my tv85 with me. However the aperture may be a bit limited for mars. So for £250 I could get a 127 skywatcher skymax which I think should be ok for hand luggage.

It would be quite a departure for me as I’m a big refractor fan. 

I just wondered what views people had on whether the 127 would be a better bet than the tv85? Maybe I could take both with me if the Mak would be much better on mars and use the tv85 for widefield dso viewing?

Thanks

Gavin

Sounds awesome... if you have to pick one over the other than the 127 is definitely the better option IMHO.

[GavStar]

Or I could take my Tak FC100 to bits like Stu and Mark do. Bit nervous about doing this though. The internal length of my carry on scope backback is 48cm - not sure if the Tak taken to bits would be short enough? ?

[MarsG76]

17 minutes ago, GavStar said:

Or I could take my Tak FC100 to bits like Stu and Mark do. Bit nervous about doing this though. The internal length of my carry on scope backback is 48cm - not sure if the Tak taken to bits would be short enough? ?

Bigger backpack perhaps???

make sure it doesn't get mistaken for some kind of launcher... 

[RayD]

Just now, MarsG76 said:

Bigger backpack perhaps???

make sure it doesn't get mistaken for some kind of launcher... 

That is a very valid point.  

In Malaga recently they suggested removing my cameras from the bag in a similar way to a laptop, and also suggested letting my airline know I would be carrying a telescope in future.  He said it looks very different on X-ray to a normal large telephoto lens as there is only glass at one end.

[RayD]

1 hour ago, GavStar said:

I’m in the process of arranging a trip to tenerife specifically for viewing Mars in the summer. However I’d also want to view DSOs etc given the hopefully good skies.

My current intention is to take my tv85 with me. However the aperture may be a bit limited for mars. So for £250 I could get a 127 skywatcher skymax which I think should be ok for hand luggage.

It would be quite a departure for me as I’m a big refractor fan. 

I just wondered what views people had on whether the 127 would be a better bet than the tv85? Maybe I could take both with me if the Mak would be much better on mars and use the tv85 for widefield dso viewing?

Thanks

Gavin

Lovely choice to have given the destination location 

I would look at what you are likely to be more focused on and take what will satisfy that best in your opinion.

Would the Skymax be susceptible to collimation issues?

In an ideal world it would be lovely to take them all as the skies there are supposed to be superb.

[Ags]

14 minutes ago, RayD said:

In Malaga recently they suggested removing my cameras from the bag in a similar way to a laptop, and also suggested letting my airline know I would be carrying a telescope in future.  He said it looks very different on X-ray to a normal large telephoto lens as there is only glass at one end.

Thanks for the tip, I will let my airline know too. 

[MarsG76]

58 minutes ago, RayD said:

That is a very valid point.  

In Malaga recently they suggested removing my cameras from the bag in a similar way to a laptop, and also suggested letting my airline know I would be carrying a telescope in future.  He said it looks very different on X-ray to a normal large telephoto lens as there is only glass at one end.

Unfortunately we live in the age where security is nearly paranoid thanks to s group of adherents of "peace" so let the airline know just so that you have a smooth trip.

[RayD]

4 minutes ago, MarsG76 said:

Unfortunately we live in the age where security is nearly paranoid thanks to s group of adherents of "peace" so let the airline know just so that you have a smooth trip.

I didn't and don't mind at all.  I'd rather take a little longer but know all is as safe as can be expected.

Yes I have notified Easyjet on all our future booked flights, which was no more than sending customer services and email with my booking reference and a note saying I will have an 80mm telescope in my hand luggage.  I'm guessing they just pass that on to the relevant security teams on the day of our flight so they are expecting it?  I'm not sure how that bit works.  Very easy to do and worthwhile if it saves doing what I had to do which was to dismantle the scope to just short of removing the focuser so they could look inside.

[GavStar]

I took my tv85 to Portugal with ba last summer and had no issues. But it’s a helpful heads up. Thank you.

[RayD]

6 minutes ago, GavStar said:

I took my tv85 to Portugal with ba last summer and had no issues. But it’s a helpful heads up. Thank you.

I don't think it is airline specific Gav, it was the guys at security that pulled me up as I think they have been told to tighten up.  It was Christmas so they may have been double cautious.  I've travelled dozens of times in the last couple of years with no questions (apart from a Losamandy plate balance weight which I wasn't allowed to take so had to put it in the hold).

Either way you'll get through fine, so enjoy the trip and hope you have some great views whatever you end up taking.

[Stu]

3 hours ago, GavStar said:

Or I could take my Tak FC100 to bits like Stu and Mark do. Bit nervous about doing this though. The internal length of my carry on scope backback is 48cm - not sure if the Tak taken to bits would be short enough? ?

Got to be worth taking the Tak Gavin, better than the TV85, no heavier I would think? With careful packing, and maybe a different case it will go onboard.

[GavStar]

3 minutes ago, Stu said:

Got to be worth taking the Tak Gavin, better than the TV85, no heavier I would think? With careful packing, and maybe a different case it will go onboard.

Thanks Stu, and given you had a Mak, you wouldn’t suggest getting the 127?

[Stu]

23 minutes ago, GavStar said:

Thanks Stu, and given you had a Mak, you wouldn’t suggest getting the 127?

I don't know for sure, but would back the high power performance of the Tak over the Mak. Mars is always smaller than Jupiter and I have found it benefits from using high power when the conditions allow.

If it were a 150 then the conversation would be different, but then you are into bigger mounts, cool down etc etc. The Tak is just such a reliable performer that I would trust it to deliver.

I've had a TV76, 85, Tak 60, 76 and 100mm. As a direct comparison, the Tak 76 is a step up from the TV76 optically, not huge but noticeable, sharp and better colour correction. Given that, and the addition aperture, the 100 is worth the extra hassle to take for the better views.

[GavStar]

Ok thanks Stu, I will ask you more about taking the Tak to bits the next time we meet if ok, in particular the dew shield and how you protect the lens ?

[Stu]

9 minutes ago, GavStar said:

Ok thanks Stu, I will ask you more about taking the Tak to bits the next time we meet if ok, in particular the dew shield and how you protect the lens ?

No problem  

[FranckiM06]

Hi all,

So for sure, I will use my refractor Takahashi because I have always very good result on planetary Imaging. Mars 2016 were very nice and I hope to get wonderful images in 2018 even if I know it will be low latitude :

[FranckiM06]

And my best planetary images in 2016 was that :

Franck

[michaelmorris]

I'll be using my C9.25 with a ZWO adc to counteract some of the effect of the low altitude. 

For imaging I'll use my DMK 21 camera with RGB + IR pass filters. For visual my Baader Neodymium filter will likely be heavily used.

[BGazing]

C8, and I have bought ZWO ADC to see whether it helps with low altitude. Will probably be at the seaside for at least two weeks during July. I travel by car and have already learned how to pack family and Evolution 8 :). Lymax cooler will also come in handy. Mars will be at 22 seconds and above for the entire July and August, so that is quite a generous window. Of course, August will give less time every night for viewing, so July is probably the best bit. Have no idea how much I can push C8 on Mars, I reckon 250x is the reasonable limit...so 8.8, jetstream permitting.

Or should I just by a 100mm Tak and be done with it? LOL

[marcus_z]

Whatever you do, don't forget the "red dot finder"

[Ruud]

I'll just be viewing the whole Mars season visually.

Yesterday morning I was watching the conjunction of Mars and Jupiter with my binoculars and noticed that the seeing was probably good enough to get the telescope out. I had a big surprise. Mars and Jupiter were lower than I'd normally care to observe them but the view was really good. Mars was minuscule, but it showed detail so I made a schematic sketch of its albedo features.

From the albedo 'sketch' and from memory I made this view which shows Mars' tiny 5 arcsec disk.

Mars, 8 Jan 2018, 0700-0730 MET, Nexstar 6SE (1500mm) + Nagler 4.8mm

 

[iPeace]

On 1/5/2018 at 11:42, GavStar said:

I just wondered what views people had on whether the 127 would be a better bet than the tv85?

Having compared the TV-85 to a 102 Skymax, I decided for myself that a Mak would have to be at least a 150 in order to be worthwhile.

On 1/5/2018 at 16:03, Stu said:

the 100 is worth the extra hassle to take for the better views

If I was prepared to take my beloved indestructible lump of TV-85 anywhere, the dismantling of a Tak 100 would seem no hassle at all.

[GavStar]

22 minutes ago, iPeace said:

Having compared the TV-85 to a 102 Skymax, I decided for myself that a Mak would have to be at least a 150 in order to be worthwhile.

If I was prepared to take my beloved indestructible lump of TV-85 anywhere, the dismantling of a Tak 100 would seem no hassle at all.

Thanks Piero. I’ve decided to stick with the fracs!

[iPeace]

5 minutes ago, GavStar said:

Thanks Piero. I’ve decided to stick with the fracs!

I will gladly relay your gratitude to Piero.

(Never mind, you're not the first and won't be the last.)