Hello All

[Wasted Wizard]

just a few seconds to say hello ..am a first time telescope user..purchased a SkyMax 127 and am waiting on an opportunity to dial it in.  Have been taking photos for the moon with my Nikon D750 with a 200 500mm lens 

an hope to do  little better with the Skymax.   Any hints, tricks and advice is welcome.

 

Ron

[Sunshine]

Welcome! I have never had the Skymax 127 but I’m sure many here have, you can do some very basic photography of the moon with inexpensive items such as a phone adapter and your phone with really nice results. I’m sure you’ll find many ideas and helpful hints within this forum, enjoy your stay!.

[PeterCPC]

Hello and welcome.

[wookie1965]

A warm welcome to SGL 

[bosun21]

Hi Ron👋, welcome to SGL.

[PeterC65]

Welcome to SGL. This site is a great source of ideas, advice and support.

My first scope (May 2021) was a Skymax 127. I still use it regularly and I'm sure you will be impressed by what you can see with it. It is best for smaller, brighter targets such as the Moon and planets, and also the smaller star clusters, double stars and the brighter planetary nebulae.

What mount do you have? I bought my Skymax as a package with the SynScan AZ GOTO mount which remains my only mount. I now have two more scopes which I also use on this mount.

[Joef]

Welcome to SGL, I just got my a Skymax 127 just under 2 weeks ago, have not had that much opportunity to use it, but have been able to get good views of the Moon and a decent view of Jupiter and it’s moons. Enjoy your voyage. 

[wesdon1]

11 hours ago, Wasted Wizard said:

just a few seconds to say hello ..am a first time telescope user..purchased a SkyMax 127 and am waiting on an opportunity to dial it in.  Have been taking photos for the moon with my Nikon D750 with a 200 500mm lens 

an hope to do  little better with the Skymax.   Any hints, tricks and advice is welcome.

 

Ron

Welcome! The Skymax 127 mak will be ace for Planetary imaging! I just started out doing Planetary recently but have been doing visual for years. A little tip...Mars reaches opposition in early December, so currently great for imaging. Very high in night sky too so less atmospheric interference to worry about. You will have to check your local seeing conditions to determine the focal ratio, magnifications and other parameters you will be best using. I'd suggest to start out low to medium mags, and see how the seeing is affecting your imaging. Also, don't forget you're not using a equatorial mount, so will have to adapt for that when imaging. Best of luck! please keep us posted on your progress! 

 

Wes, Liverpool, UK.

[Wasted Wizard]

3 hours ago, PeterC65 said:

Welcome to SGL. This site is a great source of ideas, advice and support.

My first scope (May 2021) was a Skymax 127. I still use it regularly and I'm sure you will be impressed by what you can see with it. It is best for smaller, brighter targets such as the Moon and planets, and also the smaller star clusters, double stars and the brighter planetary nebulae.

What mount do you have? I bought my Skymax as a package with the SynScan AZ GOTO mount which remains my only mount. I now have two more scopes which I also use on this mount.

Peter,   Thank you ..I received my mount this morning ...Explore Scientific FirstLight EXOS Nano Mount with ST1 Tripod . so am working to get everything assembled .. with rain due today I probably wont have a chance to gaze ...maybe tomorrow..

Ron

[Wasted Wizard]

1 hour ago, wesdon1 said:

Welcome! The Skymax 127 mak will be ace for Planetary imaging! I just started out doing Planetary recently but have been doing visual for years. A little tip...Mars reaches opposition in early December, so currently great for imaging. Very high in night sky too so less atmospheric interference to worry about. You will have to check your local seeing conditions to determine the focal ratio, magnifications and other parameters you will be best using. I'd suggest to start out low to medium mags, and see how the seeing is affecting your imaging. Also, don't forget you're not using a equatorial mount, so will have to adapt for that when imaging. Best of luck! please keep us posted on your progress! 

 

Wes, Liverpool, UK.

Wes  thank you for the welcome.. I received my mount this morning.. Explore Scientific FirstLight EXOS Nano Mount with ST1 Tripod so hopefully after I stuff myself I will have a chance to explore

 

Ron

[Seoras]

Welcome, I’ve found the people on this forum to be extremely helpful and supportive, I’m sure you will too,

 

take care, Geo

[PeterC65]

8 minutes ago, Wasted Wizard said:

Peter,   Thank you ..I received my mount this morning ...Explore Scientific FirstLight EXOS Nano Mount with ST1 Tripod . so am working to get everything assembled .. with rain due today I probably wont have a chance to gaze ...maybe tomorrow..

Ron

OK, so a manual 7kg load EQ mount, which should be fine with the Skymax 127. You will need to learn to find your targets though!

My best piece of advice for the Skymax 127 is get yourself a clothes peg and use it to move the focus knob as it is VERY sensitive, and you will struggle to get accurate focus just by turning the knob directly. A clothes peg will also let you adjust the fine focus without setting the whole scope wobbling.

Here is why I use ...

[Jimbo64]

48 minutes ago, PeterC65 said:

OK, so a manual 7kg load EQ mount, which should be fine with the Skymax 127. You will need to learn to find your targets though!

My best piece of advice for the Skymax 127 is get yourself a clothes peg and use it to move the focus knob as it is VERY sensitive, and you will struggle to get accurate focus just by turning the knob directly. A clothes peg will also let you adjust the fine focus without setting the whole scope wobbling.

Here is why I use ...

Great invention, Peter.  Make sure you patent it soon or you could see ASIAR paint it red and put a sticker on it!

[Floater]

Welcome. Hope you have lots of fun. 🙂

[barbulo]

Welcome to the Lounge!

[wesdon1]

On 24/11/2022 at 13:49, Wasted Wizard said:

Wes  thank you for the welcome.. I received my mount this morning.. Explore Scientific FirstLight EXOS Nano Mount with ST1 Tripod so hopefully after I stuff myself I will have a chance to explore

 

Ron

Hi again Ron! beautiful little mount you got there my friend! I haven't ever owned one, but I have seen them in YT vids and they look well made and are a great price too! 

Wes.

[vlaiv]

Hi and welcome to SGL

[wesdon1]

On 24/11/2022 at 07:13, PeterCPC said:

Hello and welcome.

totally off subject here sorry Peter! But I just been looking through some of your Astro images via the link on your comments and I was blown away! Especially your Horsehead nebula shot! Just stunning! I'm TRILLIONS of miles from getting to that level but my goodness I will get there eventually! LOL. I just bought my first decent imaging filter, after using a cheap ( £25'ish ) Light Pollution Filter. The results with said cheap LPF are really impressive for personally, it allowed me to increase my sub-exposures from 10-20 secs to 1 minute before LP and SG starts to really wash out the subs. The new filter is the Optolong L-Extreme Dual-Band Imaging Filter. What are your totally honest thoughts on this filter as a first proper one for an imaging novice please Peter ? For information, I'm planning to use it with my OSC DSLR Camera, with an F5 200/1000 Newt. Reflector on my HEQ5 mount. 

[wesdon1]

On 24/11/2022 at 13:58, PeterC65 said:

OK, so a manual 7kg load EQ mount, which should be fine with the Skymax 127. You will need to learn to find your targets though!

My best piece of advice for the Skymax 127 is get yourself a clothes peg and use it to move the focus knob as it is VERY sensitive, and you will struggle to get accurate focus just by turning the knob directly. A clothes peg will also let you adjust the fine focus without setting the whole scope wobbling.

Here is why I use ...

If I may, I would also suggest, in the future when finances allow, you purchase an external focuser, to avoid the troublesome image shift problem that is inherent with Maksutov Newtonian and Schmit Cassegrain Telescopes. It will also give you more focusing travel and the ability to use adaptor rings etc when struggling to find focus with new gear. 

Wes

[PeterCPC]

4 minutes ago, wesdon1 said:

totally off subject here sorry Peter! But I just been looking through some of your Astro images via the link on your comments and I was blown away! Especially your Horsehead nebula shot! Just stunning! I'm TRILLIONS of miles from getting to that level but my goodness I will get there eventually! LOL. I just bought my first decent imaging filter, after using a cheap ( £25'ish ) Light Pollution Filter. The results with said cheap LPF are really impressive for personally, it allowed me to increase my sub-exposures from 10-20 secs to 1 minute before LP and SG starts to really wash out the subs. The new filter is the Optolong L-Extreme Dual-Band Imaging Filter. What are your totally honest thoughts on this filter as a first proper one for an imaging novice please Peter ? For information, I'm planning to use it with my OSC DSLR Camera, with an F5 200/1000 Newt. Reflector on my HEQ5 mount. 

Thank you for your kind words. I actually tried the L-extreme filter but I did not like the results that I got (maybe just me). For LP I use an IDAS D2 which I am much happier with.

[wesdon1]

21 minutes ago, PeterCPC said:

Thank you for your kind words. I actually tried the L-extreme filter but I did not like the results that I got (maybe just me). For LP I use an IDAS D2 which I am much happier with.

Oh right ? Wow I wasn't expecting that Peter!? LOL. May I ask what telescope and camera you used it with please ? I can send it back and exchange for something else, if you, as a very capable and experienced imager, suggested I did so ? 

Edited November 26, 2022 by wesdon1
forgot to ask what camera!

[PeterCPC]

5 minutes ago, wesdon1 said:

Oh right ? Wow I wasn't expecting that Peter!? LOL. May I ask what telescope and camera you used it with please ? I can send it back and exchange for something else, if you, as a very capable and experienced imager, suggested I did so ? 

I would not presume to advise you to do that - my sky conditions are different to you and equipment. I use an Esprit 100 and an ED80 Evostar.

I suggest that you try what you have and come to your own conclusions.

[wesdon1]

Just now, PeterCPC said:

I would not presume to advise you to do that - my sky conditions are different to you and equipment. I use an Esprit 100 and an ED80 Evostar.

I suggest that you try what you have and come to your own conclusions.

Ok thanks Peter! I have 3 options...200/1000 Newt. reflector. 80/900 Achromatic Refractor. 90/910 Achro Refractor. I will be using my 8 inch Newt., it's F5 so fairly fast optics for DSO's. I use the Refractors for planetary. Thanks Peter! I really appreciate your advice and comments! Clear Skies!

Wes

[PeterCPC]

4 minutes ago, wesdon1 said:

Ok thanks Peter! I have 3 options...200/1000 Newt. reflector. 80/900 Achromatic Refractor. 90/910 Achro Refractor. I will be using my 8 inch Newt., it's F5 so fairly fast optics for DSO's. I use the Refractors for planetary. Thanks Peter! I really appreciate your advice and comments! Clear Skies!

Wes

Interesting. I would have thought that the Reflector being the biggest would be for planetary and the refractors for DSOs.

[wesdon1]

1 minute ago, PeterCPC said:

Interesting. I would have thought that the Reflector being the biggest would be for planetary and the refractors for DSOs.

I actually started out with using the 8 inch reflector for planetary, but I have decided to use the refractors instead, because  I'm assuming it'll be easier framing them in post processing ? In the 8 incher, I'm finding it very hard to "zoom in" enough ? even with my SVBONY EP Projector fitted with a 9mm planetary EP ? The planets are STILL small in the final image ? I read yesterday that I should be using F20, up to F30 if the conditions allow, and my refractors are naturally longer FL's than my big f5 reflector. Obviously I'm a novice in imaging so please bare with me if I sound stupid!? LOL

Wes