105 replies to this topic

[L. Regira]

I watched the Pink Full Moon earlier this week with my 313 Jason although the clouds ended my viewing early. I used one of those cheap mirror diagonals that allowed me to use 1.25 inch eyepieces.  At 36 power I was not used to seeing the full moon with so much space around it and at f15 the moon looked great.  A few days later I tried my luck with Venus as the sun was just setting and I got a great view of the phase at 150x in the still bright sky. Once the sky darkened however the view got very colorful due to Venus getting lower in the sky as well as getting so bright.  I have not been able to view it since due to clouds and other distractions of life.  The view of Venus brought me back to my teen and pre teen years when I earned my spurs on 60mm telescopes.

Lawrence

Edited by L. Regira, 09 April 2020 - 07:59 PM.

[MarkGregory]

I keep my AT60ED  set up on an Orion XHD tripod with a Universal Astronomics DwarfStar mount. For me, this is the perfect true grab 'n' go. I find the views of the Moon breathtaking with copious detail. My AT92 has spoiled me on most objects, but for the moon, the little 60mm still works wonders. 

Can you please post a photo of your setup. Sounds interesting. Mark

[Jaimo!]

What a great thread.  I have a "Roll your own" 60mm Carton f/16.7, that our own Sheldon Faworski offered in the classifieds a few/many years ago in the classifieds.  It came with a lens cell and tube, I added the dew shield, focuser, rings and dovetail (from Crawmach).   The next chance I get I plan on observing Luna with it...  Thanks for posting!

 

 

[MarkGregory]

What a great thread.  I have a "Roll your own" 60mm Carton f/16.7, that our own Sheldon Faworski offered in the classifieds a few/many years ago in the classifieds.  It came with a lens cell and tube, I added the dew shield, focuser, rings and dovetail (from Crawmach).   The next chance I get I plan on observing Luna with it...  Thanks for posting!

 

IMG_20200410_113922 - cropped.jpg

 

IMG_20200410_113929 - cropped.jpg

Omg, That is one gorgeous scope. Can’t wait to get a Luna report from you. Mark

[donadani]

I must say I´m not the biggest fan of 60mm scopes because the bigger one show much, much more - but I like the views of a good achromat from the early days too for sure! 

 

Zeiss made some nice ones like the C63 from Thomas or the earlier AS63 - my actual favorite is a not so common one build around a lens from Dieter Lichtenknecker. As it´s 70mm in diameter I hope not to break the thread rules!

 

It´s named AK70 and has 1000mm focaol length - it´s a cemented doublet lens showing a very, very nice startest and I could not detect any falsecolor at the moon. The scope itself seems to be a custom build but a very nice one... what was the reason to buy it. I thought about selling it again but as it looks nice, is so light (I can carry the whole set with one hand...) and shows a very nice view I decided to stay with it now.

 

cs

Chris

 

 

 

 

[donadani]

and the lens...

 

 

cs

Chris

[MarkGregory]

and the lens...

 

a4.jpg

 

cs

Chris

Man, I am envious. Such a cool scope. I would never give it up. Especially because you said it gives a good view of the Moon and is very light to move around. 5 thumbs up. Mark

[ascii]

I take my AT60ED out for quick lunar sessions.  It's so light, I can go out for 15 minutes, and it doesn't feel like a chore.  There are certainly limitations to 60 mm, but it's great for those quick looks.  I just add a 2x Barlow to this setup with the 8-24 zoom for up to 90x.  A 3 mm eyepiece would yield 120x if you want a bit more.  The mount is a Stellarvue M1V (with a 7-inch dovetail bar added to the scopes foot) on an Orion headless photo tripod.  It's an easy one-hand carry.

 

[donadani]

Man, I am envious. Such a cool scope. I would never give it up. Especially because you said it gives a good view of the Moon and is very light to move around. 5 thumbs up. Mark

 

Yes views it delivers are really good! the lens has the same quality as those from Zeiss - I especially like how it shows a airy disc, don´t know why but all those C and AS lenses I had/have as well as this LK lens now - show such a nice flufffy round airy disc... it always reminds me to a little pingpong ball

 

I think a lot of work went in this scope when I just see how it is made... The tube is made from plastic (as many LK scopes are btw.) is blackend inside and has two baffles. The baring of the focusser is made by a long wooden cylinder fittet perfectly inside the tube end - it gives a very soft and even move with the chromed focuser tube. The rack is very wide with a skew gearing and all the focuser mechanics are high quality and fit perfect together.  

 

I have to search for a good dewcap and maybe will give the tube a white paintjob for a even more classic finish.

 

cs

Chris

[MarkGregory]

I take my AT60ED out for quick lunar sessions.  It's so light, I can go out for 15 minutes, and it doesn't feel like a chore.  There are certainly limitations to 60 mm, but it's great for those quick looks.  I just add a 2x Barlow to this setup with the 8-24 zoom for up to 90x.  A 3 mm eyepiece would yield 120x if you want a bit more.  The mount is a Stellarvue M1V (with a 7-inch dovetail bar added to the scopes foot) on an Orion headless photo tripod.  It's an easy one-hand carry.

 

Love your scope and entire setup. This is exactly what I had in mind when thinking about buying a 60mm scope. I am encouraged by your post. Mark

Edited by MarkGregory, 11 April 2020 - 03:57 AM.

[daquad]

and the lens...

 

a4.jpg

 

cs

Chris

Very nice fork mount.  Intuitive motions in RA and Dec and no counterweights to deal with.  Don't ever sell it or the scope.

 

Dom Q.

[contrailmaker]

+1 for the TV60.

[MarkGregory]

+1 for the TV60.

Must say, I love Tele Vue. 

Edited by MarkGregory, 12 April 2020 - 10:27 AM.

[contrailmaker]

Here’s a pic. Ultimate grab and go.

Attached Thumbnails

• 

Edited by contrailmaker, 12 April 2020 - 10:22 AM.

[MarkGregory]

Here’s a pic. Ultimate grab and go.

Nice, I was just Googling the TV-60. A real beauty. Love the gold accent touches. 

[contrailmaker]

This TV60 was my main scope while I was recovering from surgery a couple of years ago and was limited to lifting no more than 7 lb. I got to rediscover how much fun a small telescope can be. The little guy has great optics and planetary/lunar views at 156x were sharp when the atmosphere allowed. 
My intention is to use it as a travel scope but it has been getting quite a bit of use lately from my balcony.

 

CM
 

[Mike Allen]

I suggest you visit Alexander Kupco’s web site,  He goes by the name “Sasa” on Cloudy Nights.  His sketches and observing reports using his Takahashi FOA 60 Q are inspirational.

[MarkGregory]

I suggest you visit Alexander Kupco’s web site,  He goes by the name “Sasa” on Cloudy Nights.  His sketches and observing reports using his Takahashi FOA 60 Q are inspirational.

Thanks for the heads up. 

[Jaimo!]

So, I took the 60mm Carton out 2 evenings ago along with my AT102ED, peeking through sucker holes in the beginning of the evening (see photo).  I first observed Venus at ~100x in each scope I did notice approximately the same amount of CA in both scopes.  Then waited until around 1:00 a.m. for the Moon to rise.  Both scopes performed similarly up until about 100x then the larger aperture of the 102mm showed more contrast due to more light being captured (I assume), but the 60mm performed very well up to 200x where I stopped magnifying, the seeing was very good.  All in all, the 60mm Carton f/16.7 performed very well as a lunar scope and it weighs much less than the AT102ED, so the mounting requirements would be much less, especially for a Grab-n-Go outfit. 

 

But as I re-read this thread, the OP seems interested in the more modern 60mm f/6 ED scopes from AstroTech, William Optics and Apertura.  I have an older 66mm WO f/5.9 refractor (similar to the 60mm F/6 scopes), and I have tried it on the Moon and other targets, but unfortunately with it's short focal length 388mm, vs 1000mm in the Carton f/16.7, the magnification of the short focal length scope was lacking.   I find the short focal length scopes better for wide field sweeping, a step up from binoculars.  I currently use the WO66SD for wide field imaging.  I think you would be more satisfied lunar observing with the Mak or Refractors mentioned in your signature then with a short focal length refractor, it's just not the right tool for the job...  Don't get me wrong it can be done, just like everything in this hobby there are trade-offs, it's just not optimal IMHO.  In order to get a 200x magnification in the 60mm f/6 scopes, I'd need a 1.8 mm eyepiece.  I have been longingly looking at these scopes, bit not for lunar or planetary observing... 

 

Eyepieces used for Lunar observing: 21 XL, 14 XW, 10.5 XL, 7 XW, 5 XW.  Yielding mags of 34x, 51x, 68x, 102x, and 143x in the AT102ED and 48x, 71x, 95x, 143x, and 200x in the 60mm Carton, respectively.  I considered comparing some Abbe Orthos too, but it was late and cold...

 

Edited by Jaimo!, 12 April 2020 - 02:53 PM.

[MarkGregory]

So, I took the 60mm Carton out 2 evenings ago along with my AT102ED, peeking through sucker holes in the beginning of the evening (see photo).  I first observed Venus at ~100x in each scope I did notice approximately the same amount of CA in both scopes.  Then waited until around 1:00 a.m. for the Moon to rise.  Both scopes performed similarly up until about 100x then the larger aperture of the 102mm showed more contrast due to more light being captured (I assume), but the 60mm performed very well up to 200x where I stopped magnifying, the seeing was very good.  All in all, the 60mm Carton f/16.7 performed very well as a lunar scope and it weighs much less than the AT102ED, so the mounting requirements would be much less, especially for a Grab-n-Go outfit. 

 

But as I re-read this thread, the OP seems interested in the more modern 60mm f/6 ED scopes from AstroTech, William Optics and Apertura.  I have an older 66mm WO f/5.9 refractor (similar to the 60mm F/6 scopes), and I have tried it on the Moon and other targets, but unfortunately with it's short focal length 388mm, vs 1000mm in the Carton f/16.7, the magnification of the short focal length scope was lacking.   I find the short focal length scopes better for wide field sweeping, a step up from binoculars.  I currently use the WO66SD for wide field imaging.  I think you would be more satisfied with lunar observing with the Mak or Refractors mentioned in your signature then with a short focal length refractor, it's just not the right tool for the job...  Don't get me wrong it can be done, just like everything in this hobby there are trade-offs, it's just not optimal IMHO.

 

Eyepieces used for Lunar observing: 21 XL, 14 XW, 10.5 XL, 7 XW, 5 XW.  Yielding mags of 34x, 51x, 68x, 102x, and 143x in the AT102ED and 48x, 71x, 95x, 143x, and 200x in the 60mm Carton, respectively.

 

IMG_20200410_210848 - small.jpg

Thanks for posting your comments and observations. I have not made up my mind on the 60 yet. I keep waffling back and forth. I do know one of the reasons I want an easy grab and go is because I like to do quick outreach nights where I show people the Moon and planets. If I even get that much from the scope I will be happy. Mark

[m9x18]

Must say, I love Tele Vue. 

Me too!

[contrailmaker]

I suggest you visit Alexander Kupco’s web site,  He goes by the name “Sasa” on Cloudy Nights.  His sketches and observing reports using his Takahashi FOA 60 Q are inspirational.

I have. Great sketches. I’d love to get me hands (eyes?) on one of those Taks. I may get one someday just to satisfy my curiosity.
BTW Mike, I get to wear those wings to work (well, the new version).

 

CM

[BigC]

Chris. That 70x1000 is a size "they" should have mass produced.
And you'll be sorry if you ever pass that scope on while you're still able to use it.
When old age limits our weight-lifting those of us who weren't fortunate to acquire a permanent mounted observatory setup will be glad to have a lightweight scope to revisit old favorites and the occasional new object.

[donadani]

Wise words - thanks BigC - will stay with it... - and while I had some time over Easter staying home I made a nice dewcap for it and repainted the adapter on the focuser end that was a bit worn... - looks even more classic now in my view

 

 

Good week for all and stay safe!

cs

Chris

[vilchez]

Sometimes I used my superlight gear with the moon, a WO Zenithstar 61 on an Omegon AZ-Baby mount on a photo tripod.  Little equipment is needed to enjoy the moon. No electronics, no noise, no mounting complications, no weight ... a seat and comfortable position, an eyepiece and to enjoy the moon views.

 

 

Edited by vilchez, 15 April 2020 - 04:14 AM.