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All The Telescopes You Want?


Sunshine

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600mm f4 Dob with the best optics you can get, and, the dark skies to go with it.

Want a planetary apo too? The 600mm can take an offset sub aperture mask of about 230mm without obstruction. That's a 230mm f10.4 apo :biggrin:

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9 hours ago, John said:

This scope has fired my imagination for many years - Sir Patrick Moore's 5 inch F/12 Cooke achromat:

pm5inch.jpg.bdbef2ad8ae2fe817c91e75a69460275.jpg

And I also dreamed of one of these - the Vixen FL102M which I often drooled over (metaphorically speaking) during visits to Telescope House in Farringdon Road, London:

catvixen.JPG.f82198ab55b2651f10642eb9f4912405.JPG

5 years ago I was able to purchase instruments that were of similar form and quality in the shape of a Takahashi FC100-DL and a TMB/LZOS 130mm (5.1 inch) F/9.2 triplet:

tak100vixgpdx01.JPG.c7004a46005a2bf9f2a2c35c293b4887.JPGtmb130heq501.JPG.f8e41907718628355387665ccc854e1f.JPG

The above scopes seem to have satisfied my refractor dreams :smiley:

My remaining dream would be to own a really large (18-20 inch) quality dobsonian AND to have a property suitable to use it from. The scope I can afford, the property, probably not currently :rolleyes2:. This is the sort of scope I mean (the location looks nice too !):

263149108_Obsession18.jpg.a3d0016557c4281b81779d1155a54985.jpg

The largest aperture scope that it is practical for me to own and operate from home currently is my 12 inch dobsonian which acts as quite a capable alternative to the larger light bucket of my dreams: :smiley:

johnscope.thumb.jpg.ac5158e44c76dc404946e471853cc601.jpg

This thread is about aspirations and dreams of course so there are no "wrong" answers :grin:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It seems you have taken all the dream scopes, nothing  left for us!.

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I think it would be fair to say I've pretty much got what I need for the rest of my lifetime across the range of scopes I have.... the combination of Mewlon 180 and FC-100 is particularly compelling in use 👍

However, there is still a small itch that will at some point need to be scratched I'm sure, and that's a refractor in the 5" range... will it be better than the Mewlon, not sure, but I would still like to find out one day 😁

0F65319D-865C-4E97-B847-309158E725C4.jpeg

Edited by HollyHound
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54 minutes ago, johninderby said:

An Officina Stellare scope on one of their OS mounts certainly qualifies as a dream scope. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

 

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It certainly does! but in my case a dream scope would be one which doesn’t require a small crane to assemble.

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2 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

It certainly does! but in my case a dream scope would be one which doesn’t require a small crane to assemble.

If you are rich enough to afford one you just have the butler sort it out for you. 😁😁😁

Edited by johninderby
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1 hour ago, HollyHound said:

I think it would be fair to say I've pretty much got what I need for the rest of my lifetime across the range of scopes I have.... the combination of Mewlon 180 and FC-100 is particularly compelling in use 👍

However, there is still a small itch that will at some point need to be scratched I'm sure, and that's a refractor in the 5" range... will it be better than the Mewlon, not sure, but I would still like to find out one day 😁

0F65319D-865C-4E97-B847-309158E725C4.jpeg

This is a magnificent looking setup you have, berlebach tripod to boot, worthy of a beauty contest!

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It's odd in some ways that I have ended up with Takahashi and LZOS refractors really. The name that I followed with most interest over the years has been Astro Physics. They don't come up for sale often though and to buy a new one seems to involve a waiting list of a number of years.

I nearly bought an Astro Physics Star 120ED back in 2013. I made some enquiries elsewhere and the impression that I got (including from people who owned both scopes) was that there was unlikely to be a significant difference between the AP 120ED and the Skywatcher ED120 that I already had. Small differences, yes, but the AP was 3x as much as I had paid for the ED120 so I didn't go for the AP in the end. Maybe a good decision or maybe not :dontknow:

When the TMB/LZOS 130 came up for sale I made some more enquiries and the balance of opinion was that the scope would likely be in the same league as an AP 130 or a Takahashi TOA 130 (not identical but comparable) which helped swing the decision for me. I suppose there are a few lucky people around the world who have the opportunity to own and compare a number of the scopes at this level, but not many. Thomas Back's involvement in the design of the objective before his premature death was of interest to me as well. Thomas was clearly heavily influenced by the work of Roland Christian at Astro Physics writing this history of their objectives:

http://www.csun.edu/~rprovin/tmb/tmb1.html

With the Takahashi FC100-DL, I was looking for a Vixen FL102 as I said earlier but there was quite a lot of excitement around when Takahashi launched a limited run of F/9 100mm fluorite doublet refractors and I did already have a nice little Vixen ED102SS F/6.5. I thought that I had missed the boat with the FC100-DL's but heard that there might be one still available from a reputable vendor (Ian King) so I decided to see if it was still available. It was :smiley:

There have been one or two Astro Physics 130mm refractors on the market since I made my decisions but the asking prices have been more than I paid for both the Takahashi and the TMB/LZOS so I'm reasonably content with my lot now.

If I get a chance to use an Astro Physics telescope sometime I'll certainly take it though. The name still has an allure about it :grin:

Note: I do own one item of Astro Physics equipment - one of their Maxbright 2 inch diagonals which I use with the TMB/LZOS 130 refractor.

 

 

 

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On 14/12/2021 at 23:13, Sunshine said:

Do you have all the telescopes you want?

Truthfully? I think I do!

My FS128 is as near to my all around scope as I think I could get, and I have a nice old Vixen 102m F10 which I enjoy for that "retro" observing feel (other children of the 1960s era might understand what I mean😊).

I think the only other "things" I could want, and which might enhance my enjoyment of the hobby (which after all is the most important thing?) would be:

- a modern Tak mount such as the EM200

- a high quality adjustable Berlebach tripod

- a garden with a flat 360 degree unobstructed view

- a Tak 10x60 RACI finder (if it were ever to exist!)

- a new set of Mk II eyeballs

The first two items on my wish list might at some point become a possibility, I think the last 3 are wishful thinking!

But seriously, I'm just very fortunate to have the kit I now have, and scopewise I'm very content 👍.

Dave

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1 hour ago, F15Rules said:

Truthfully? I think I do!

My FS128 is as near to my all around scope as I think I could get, and I have a nice old Vixen 102m F10 which I enjoy for that "retro" observing feel (other children of the 1960s era might understand what I mean😊).

I think the only other "things" I could want, and which might enhance my enjoyment of the hobby (which after all is the most important thing?) would be:

- a modern Tak mount such as the EM200

- a high quality adjustable Berlebach tripod

- a garden with a flat 360 degree unobstructed view

- a Tak 10x60 RACI finder (if it were ever to exist!)

- a new set of Mk II eyeballs

The first two items on my wish list might at some point become a possibility, I think the last 3 are wishful thinking!

But seriously, I'm just very fortunate to have the kit I now have, and scopewise I'm very content 👍.

Dave

What? No luxury handle on the list, Dave?
🤔

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I just want a nice scope 60-70mm objective with a 90 degree correct image, perfect colour correction, pin point stars, internal focusing and with a large eye lens that gives a perfect image no matter where you place your eye oh an around 6-7 X magnification. Tall order but I looked through a military instrument like this many many years ago and nothing since has come close..

Alan

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On 14/12/2021 at 23:39, Robindonne said:

Here a short list of mine to start off this probably ever growing thread.

EdgeHd14

any 20” dobson

and indeed a very nice high quality refractor, the one you mentioned fits that category.  

although this hobby has only attracted me for 3 years, I have already decided that I will not wait until my 70th birthday to buy my dream instruments.  Save, save and save and ensure that the wish list is completed within 2 years. 
Im too young to know which beauties were made and stopped being produced, but im sure this post is going to be a encyclopedia filled with the worlds best astronomy instruments.

 

i have your dream here

i think i seriously have my dream scope. but would love a 28" when i go to spain to live 😁

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6 minutes ago, faulksy said:

i have your dream here

i think i seriously have my dream scope. but would love a 28" when i go to spain to live 😁

How did you get on if applying for citizenship Mike?

 

8 hours ago, Highburymark said:

All I dream about are darker skies. Sounds trite, but they are more valuable than any telescope. 

Darker skies and just occasionally good weather around a new moon phase.

Then a simple 16" F4 dob.

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29 minutes ago, scarp15 said:

How did you get on if applying for citizenship Mike?

 

Darker skies and just occasionally good weather around a new moon phase.

Then a simple 16" F4 dob.

you apply for that after you have lived there, got a good law man (not clint eastwood) who will sort it all out when we are ready😄

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I think in terms of scopes I am quite happy with what I have. I love my dob as a perfect balance of weight/portability vs aperture. My new frac combination rig gave me so much fun the other night, if the clouds can do one and then I can continue with the shootout.

If money was no option in the following order I would buy a house in the sticks with a cracking south aspect, then in the grounds of said aspect building myself a observatory and add a APM LZOS ED 254 OTA and slap it onto a suitable mount, maybe a HOBYM like this bad boy. mount

I would want to piggy back a decent astrograph like the Vixen VSD100 F3.8 or similar for remote viewing/imaging.

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I have a wonderful APM LZOS 130/f9, but too little time and space to get the most out of it. And a couple of other nice achromats and ED refractors between 80mm and 150mm. But even so I stilll daydream....

..... about this!

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/444899-the-great-wetherell-refractor-rises-again/

I just love that whole steampunk vibe :)

More realistically, I do wonder about an 8C or 9.25 cat, or equivalent dob/newt... . Honestly, I'd settle for a bit more free time and a 1 notch drop on the bortle scale where I live, though.

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