Refractor or reflector help.

[Ray Mondo]

27 minutes ago, Louis D said:

I've gone down that route, and it works fine except for some oval reflections off the rear port when bright stars pass by the edge of it.  See my post here.  I don't recommend using an SCT diagonal because there won't be enough clearance with the focuser knob.  The 2" visual back pushes the diagonal back far enough it won't collide with the knob.  It's still so tight that I have to insert the diagonal retention screws after screwing on the visual back.

Here's a couple of photos of my 2" 127 Mak setup with a decloaked 40mm Meade 5000 SWA and 2" refractor style diagonal:

Very interesting and a fantastic setup. 

Would you say going 2” has any major benefits? Do you ever mount a camera to it?

Thanks for the info Louis

[Louis D]

5 hours ago, Ray Mondo said:

Very interesting and a fantastic setup. 

Would you say going 2” has any major benefits? Do you ever mount a camera to it?

Thanks for the info Louis

If I didn't have the 72ED mounted to the other side, the 2" advantage would be enormous when trying to find and center objects.  The max field of view in the 127 Mak with a 1.25" eyepiece is only 1 degree versus 1.7 degrees when maxed out with a 2" eyepiece.  Since I do have the 72ED mounted to the other side and can reach 6 degrees with it, I tend to use the 127 Mak in 1.25" mode at higher powers.

I haven't tried mounting a camera to it or the 72ED.  Maybe I'll try a few shots this fall and winter through each just to see what is possible without tracking.  I have a feeling the camera might "see" the narrow rear port of the 127 Mak as either a shadow or vignetting that the human eye can't readily perceive.

[Ray Mondo]

On 26/10/2018 at 02:23, Louis D said:

If I didn't have the 72ED mounted to the other side, the 2" advantage would be enormous when trying to find and center objects.  The max field of view in the 127 Mak with a 1.25" eyepiece is only 1 degree versus 1.7 degrees when maxed out with a 2" eyepiece.  Since I do have the 72ED mounted to the other side and can reach 6 degrees with it, I tend to use the 127 Mak in 1.25" mode at higher powers.

I haven't tried mounting a camera to it or the 72ED.  Maybe I'll try a few shots this fall and winter through each just to see what is possible without tracking.  I have a feeling the camera might "see" the narrow rear port of the 127 Mak as either a shadow or vignetting that the human eye can't readily perceive.

Thanks for the help and information Louis