Skywatcher Evostar 72ED - First couple of sessions

[Victor Boesen]

I've had my Skywatcher evostar 72 now for a little over a week and fortunately I've been lucky with the weather. The first day on arrival it cleared up in the evening which allowed me to try out the scope for the first time. Coming from a 10" dobsonian I was worried the small 3" scope wouldn't satisfy my expectations. I rushed out on my balcony as soon as i could see Jupiter slowly drifting towards the rooftop of the appartement a couple 100 meters away. This was something I had missed with my 10" dob - easy and quick set-up.
I pointed the scope towards Jupiter which was really close to drifting behind the rooftop now. First thing that struck me was the slightly warmer hue to the view compared to the dob. The two bands were easily visible with my 4,7mm eyepiece giving 89X together with the four moons. When Jupiter was gone I grabbed everything and went down to our parking lot to get a glimpse of Saturn. Saturn was even better than Jupiter.... I could just about notice the banding on the planet itself and sometimes I could just about notice the Cassini division at times.

A couple of days later I was finished designing a 3D-solar filter for the scope and I got to try it out last day.

It was my first time observing the sun so I didn't really know what to look for really. It focused sharp and I believe I noticed som faculae in the bottom right towards the limb but other than that I didn't really notice anything else. False color was apparent on the limb but only slightly.

Later in the evening last day the weather continued to be clear so I went down to the parking lot again. Saturn was better this time and the cassini division was easier spotted together with the banding. I feel like the view was more stable and more comfortable through the refractor than the dob on saturn.

I looked for the Polaris double and I quickly noticed the dim companion at a 5:30 position. I then went towards Almach and easily split the double which was brighter than the polaris double. Clouds started rolling in and I packed up satisfied with the results of the small frac. It seems like just what I wanted and I look forward to bringing it to my grandma and grandpa's house where the milky way is visible. I'm still waiting to receive my Takahashi prism diagonal since it wasn't in stock when I ordered the scope. If anyone is considering to purchase this scope I highly recommended doing so while you can still price mach the price of the scope from FLO.

Clear skies!

Victor

[scarp15]

Good report and pictures, these small refractors become so addictive.

[Victor Boesen]

27 minutes ago, scarp15 said:

Good report and pictures, these small refractors become so addictive.

Thank you! I had been wanting one for a little over a year so when I heard the price of Skywatcher scopes was going to rise together with brexit and taxes I knew it had to be now;)

[DirkSteele]

I love my small refractors.  It means there is never an excuse not to observe.  Easy to carry, quick to cool so even short sessions are in play.

[Victor Boesen]

1 hour ago, DirkSteele said:

I love my small refractors.  It means there is never an excuse not to observe.  Easy to carry, quick to cool so even short sessions are in play.

Your experiences with your small takahashi scopes have really been an extraordinary help in deciding the scope however at one point it almost had burning a hole in my wallet Keep your post coming cause I and many others really enjoy them:) Even though most of us are also jealous of your scope inventory...

[DirkSteele]

3 hours ago, Victor Boesen said:

Your experiences with your small takahashi scopes have really been an extraordinary help in deciding the scope however at one point it almost had burning a hole in my wallet Keep your post coming cause I and many others really enjoy them:) Even though most of us are also jealous of your scope inventory...

Thanks! That is very kind to say. I enjoy writing them so would do so even if no one read them but it is good to know others enjoy reading them. Have at least two more reports planned from my recent trip to Mozambique.

[Victor Boesen]

7 hours ago, DirkSteele said:

Thanks! That is very kind to say. I enjoy writing them so would do so even if no one read them but it is good to know others enjoy reading them. Have at least two more reports planned from my recent trip to Mozambique.

I look very much forward to reading those:)