Got my My new Meade 127 APO today!

[mattias]

At last. Drove the 160 km to Astro Sweden in Skovde (a town in Sweden) today, to pick up my Meade 5000 127mm APO, with the NEQ6 mount.

I can tell you all, that this is definitely NOT a "grab and go" kit. It is HEAVY!! I think it's at least 45 Kg's with the crate.

But very sturdy, and I think that will be in favor to my astrophoto plans.

Haven't found any real EQ6 manual showing how to do the polar alignment, so if someone out there have got it or know the way to turn and twist this little bunny into perfection I would be very very happy

Along with it I got some oculars, Nikon and Canon adapters, 2x and 5x barlows, finderscope and a piggyback mount. The owner Christer was very helpful helping me find the right stuff I needed.

I also need to find a suitable case for the EQ6...

[atharh]

congratulations...looking forward to your images.

[rocketandroll]

I picked up a second hand 127mm Meade last month... They are a lovely scope.

Good luck with the imaging... Looking forward to seeing some more pics from one of these!!

Ben

[mattias]

Thanks!

Yes, it's really a beauty!

It's a demo piece so it has some minor scratches on the tube but besides that it's like new.

[NickK]

The EQ6 manual has polar alignment instructions but it's really confusing. Best have a look on youtube!

1. align the polar scope centrally within the axis of the scope - that's where you rotate the axis and keep adjusting the scope centering.

2. set the transition point (ie when the polar circle is straight down.

At the start of each session:

3. set the polar alignment position (ie where the polar circle should be)

4. move the mount base alignment until Polaris is in the polar circle.

5. Start star alignment..

[ollypenrice]

I thoroughly enjoyed my Meade 127 and would still have it if a second hand TEC140 had not turned up for sale. I had it on an EQ6 guided by an ST80 and got good results. Hot blue stars tend to swell a bit in images but can be corrected in Photoshop. Visually it was outstandingly good and in imaging it has a bigger flat field than the TEC.

I wrote about the setup in a Gearheads article for Astronomy Now a while back.

I'm sure you will enjoy the scope.

Olly

[mattias]

Some images!

Img 1: My home made solar filter.

Img 2: My kit ready for gaze!

Img 3: The moon. Here shot in wind speeds of around 10 m/s

Img 4: The NEQ6 with the new wonderful latitude bolts. Ordered from Astro Developments.

Img 5: The Peli-style case, also ordered from Astro Developments.

Img 6: mount case and telescope case

[Capricorn]

Just for information have a look at Astro-Baby Astronomy Website. She did some work on an EQ6 some montha ago and will probably have done a write up of it.

Problem is that I have no idea what it covered so may be irrelevant. But worth looking at in any case I suspect

Seem to recall that she did manage to break a finger while working on it.

Oops, wrong mount, just seen that you say NEQ6.

[Andy79]

Sorry to go off topic but would those latitude bolts fit an EQ3-2 mount? Its just that the originals are starting to do my head in.

Lovely scope by the way mattias!!

Oh yeah...what did you use for the solar filter you made?