TS127 refractor arrives

[Albireo380]

Hi Everyone,

I had been thinking about a 5” short tube refractor for those “quite wide field, but not very wide field” views, that could be mounted on an HEQ5, with a 2” focuser – with a focal length of 800-1000mm.

I considered two possible scopes. The Skywatcher 120mm f5 (F/L 750mm) and the Teleskop Service 127mm f6.45 (F/L 820mm). A TMB 130mm f7 Apo would have been nice, but the price – Oh dear – NO.

After seeing a Skywatcher at Kielder and talking to Bern at ModernAstronomy, I plumped for the TS127/820. Bern checked the exchange rate and gave me a good price on the OTA, finder, rings and dovetail.

A huge box arrived at my house on Thursday. The box was 18” square, and 5” long. I struggled through three layers of packaging and discovered a crisp, white OTA nestling in the middle.

At first glance, the ‘scope appears robust and well made. The paint finish is excellent – no dings or blemishes. The objective lens is blemish free, with a slight greenish hue. The 2” focuser is a rack and pinion, but seems to move smoothly. Okay, not a Crayford – but fitting one would have increased the price markedly.

Yesterday evening, it was cloudy, so I set up in the kitchen and aligned the finder, using a brightly lit kitchen window about 100 yds away. The image through a 20mm EP (x41) was crisp and I could see no problems – but of course, I will need dark skies and lots of stars to guage the colour correction.

So, all set to go, only need the cloud gun. I have attached 3 quick photo’s, to let you see what it looks like.

Pray for clear weather.

Tom

[daz]

Fingers crossed for you Tom!

[Jamie]

Yeh good luck to ya mate.