Telescope Reviews: Re: Cracked up -- OTA Replaced!

Yes, my thought exactly, use the C6R for public parties (esp with kids) - don't want em messing with the TMB

Ok, had first light last night. My initial impressions:

Worked great on ASGT CG-5 mount, no balance issues, 3 sec vibration die down without pads. I schlepped the whole thing carefully to 3 different spots in the yard, kind of a big grab and go but doable and easier than C6-R. I might have to think about putting the rings closer on the dovetail to make room for the dew shield to slide down to speed up cool down. They say 1-2 hours for the triplet, kinda longer than the C6-R, so setup early and let it adjust.

Neighbors roof/trees a couple hundred yards away perfect, like a Canon telephoto lens. No CA, razor sharp.

Went straight for Saturn at Zenith but view was not spectacular - only strong suggestion of Cassini at anse. No C ring. The smaller image scale vs the C6 of course means shorter eyepieces for same mags. Will keep trying, but Saturn is down to 18 now. However, unlike C6, no glare around planet, black background, and saw a triangle of 3 tiny moons right next to planet never saw in C6-R. Also, no image breakdown up to Nagler 3.5 (260x) unlike C6-R which for me starts getting muddy at 7mm Nagler (170x).

Swung over to full moon. No glare. No CA. Giant white sphere in black space. Black shadows on craters at edge. 40mm plossl view about 2x full moon width. Tons of small detail at all mags up to 260x. Binoviewers also nice. Switched to ND filter to keep form going blind. Very fine detail in rays, face-on crater rims.

Stars seemed pinpoint, color free (no juicy purples like the C6-R, aw that was cool!), and background very black despite washed out full moon light polluted sky. Didn't waste time waiting for M13 to some up. Also no wide-field objects to enjoy. 2 weeks...

It seemed like it was losing sharpness/swimming a bit at points, maybe needed more cool down time. Also my eyes were messed up from allergies.

Lastly looked at tiny Mars at 200-260x (right over the roof of my garage). A bit swimmy again at times, but glimpses of polar cap and green feature even at small size.

The rotating focuser lock ring of the Feathertouch takes some getting used to - the Moonlite on the C6-R is much easier/smoother to use, however the FT feels abit more secure clamped.

Hoping to do Jupiter one morning this week...

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TMB130SS 5.1" f/7 apo
C6-R 6" f/8
ASGT Goto+GPS
Coulter Odyssey I 13.1" f/4.5
Coronado PST
Seibert BN 21mm Binoviewers, TV Nagler EPs
9 guitars, 4 amps, 2 beagles

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