1359 replies to this topic

[preprius]

I confess....  I added an Orion EON 80mm to my light gathering equipment.  I was reading this thread and figured why not. Orion store is just 35 miles away.

 

I only had a cpc1100 with binoviewer.  

 

The joy of small refractor...

Does not need power.

Grab tripod with telescope set it outside. 

No aligning.   

a 38mm is its own finder scope.

I can now see Orion, and Palaides now. Oh and double cluster.

 

I did find, yes find, Andromeda.

 

Down side is no goto.   So I had to find stuff for the first time. 

But I will use digital angle guage and 360 deg markers to help find stuff.   Make my own push to refractor. 

I will print out my 360 degree stuff over the holidays.

 

 

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[SpaceConqueror3]

I've had my ST80 for over 25 yrs now....and I acquired a Tasco 99VR a couple years and I've been using it periodically for outreach mounted on the same tripod pictured and many are quite surprised at what can be found with it, even in heavily light polluted skies.

 

Edited by SpaceConqueror3, 20 December 2022 - 06:36 PM.

[jcj380]

But I will use digital angle guage and 360 deg markers to help find stuff.   Make my own push to refractor. 

I will print out my 360 degree stuff over the holidays.

I started back in the hobby with a Wixey and an Az circle, switched to encoders, and then switched back to my Wixey and a DIY Az circle.  Encoders are very handy, but I don't miss them.  YMMV.

[Jon Isaacs]

I recommend this digital level:

 

https://www.amazon.c...,aps,506&sr=8-6

 

The advantage is that it provides white digits on a black background so a red film to cover the screen turns it into red on black, ideal for protecting your night vision.

 

Jon

[preprius]

So I was out there playing and thought I have an app on my phone for inclination,   so they must have a compass app.  I downloaded a compass app, pointed my phone at polaris, noted about 10 deg off magnetic.

Went to stallarium, looked up ngc 869, double cluster.

got the az / alt.   uses compass app for az, used inclometer for alt and found the double cluster. 

 

Then I looked up how to get 2 apps on screen at the same time. 

So alt and az on phone just align it with telescope.  

And it will get you close.  a 38mm on 80mm 560fl will show +-2.5 °  

 

 

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Edited by preprius, 20 December 2022 - 11:39 PM.

[Mark9473]

Preprius, that app on the bottom, what is that?

[Jon Isaacs]

Preprius:

 

If you have an Android phone, try Skeye. It's an astronomy app written by a Cloudy Nights member and has a the compass, inclinometer and planetarium intergrated. Many apps do this. What sets Skeye apart is that it has a mode that allows you to mount the phone on the scope so it's comfortable and then calibrate it.

 

Jon

[Far-Out]

A TeleVue Pronto is up for sale in classifieds , a great small scope. Built to last.

[preprius]

Preprius:

 

If you have an Android phone, try Skeye. It's an astronomy app written by a Cloudy Nights member and has a the compass, inclinometer and planetarium intergrated. Many apps do this. What sets Skeye apart is that it has a mode that allows you to mount the phone on the scope so it's comfortable and then calibrate it.

 

Jon

Thanks I installed and like it.

[Adluginb]

Preprius:

 

If you have an Android phone, try Skeye. It's an astronomy app written by a Cloudy Nights member and has a the compass, inclinometer and planetarium intergrated. Many apps do this. What sets Skeye apart is that it has a mode that allows you to mount the phone on the scope so it's comfortable and then calibrate it.

 

Jon

If only it was available to us IOS users...

[wykbbb]

 

 

Down side is no goto.   So I had to find stuff for the first time. 

But I will use digital angle guage and 360 deg markers to help find stuff.   Make my own push to refractor. 

I will print out my 360 degree stuff over the holidays.

Starhopper is a free web application that can turn a smart phone into a push to system.  

 

Article: https://astronomytec...23/astrohopper/

Demo video: https://www.youtube....h?v=AtArqBLWWJ8

CN thread: https://www.cloudyni...etting-circles/

[artik]

Starhopper is a free web

Now it is called AstroHopper :-)

[George Blahun Jr]

Reading the refractor forum on Cloudy Nights can get expensive.  I was thinking about getting a diminutive scope to use until my Agema SD130 is done in a couple of months, and reasoned I could use it for a solar scope as well.  The next thing I knew this FOA-60Q arrived from UPS.  You'll also notice the stormy skies here in SE CT.

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Edited by George Blahun Jr, 23 December 2022 - 02:38 PM.

[JeremySh]

The FOA 60Q is a wonderful scope. Enjoy!

[phxbird]

I love my refractors! Including my 60 mm F/15 no name refractor. Years ago I used a stock Meade 60 mm refractor with wobbly legs, bad eyepieces and all, to do a color sketch of Mars. It ended up being added to a montage of other drawings and made it to an image of the day honor. Mine was the only one done with a 60mm. I have found that the optics of most 60 mm scopes are good, but focusers, mounts and eyepieces are not. With a little TLC you can make a usable grab and go scope.

 

I currently have the 60 mm F/15, Astrotech ED70 (fantastic scope), Orion ST80, Celestron 80mm F/10, Meade 90mm F/9 and my favorite a Celestron 6" Achromatic refractor. The 6" is not a grab and go scope but is still a lot of fun to use. In fact my usual grab and go scope is the ST80 on a Bresser Alt/AZ mount. It is light, easy to move and provides good views after I used a collimator to tweak the optics. I also adjusted the focuser to make it more usuable. 

 

Since my normal activity is doing photometry with several automated scopes it is a lot of fun to actually look through a telescope from time to time!

 

My next scope, hopefully, will be an old Celestron C102-HD. Always wanted one so hoping to get it in january. 

 

Paul

[Jsg]

Oh well... Guess I have to run through a bunch of big ones before I'll appreciate a small one. In the process of obtaining a 6" apo. In my old age I'll want a 70-80 mm grab n go I suppose.

[lwbehney]

Nice topic! I restarted Astronomy on the binocular path with my first BT, a ED 120 BINOPTIC. Completely amazed by it, I wanted something smaller: Thought about a Tak 22*60, which I nearly purchased... but in the last moment, a LOMO 80 BT by BINOPTIC appeared... will I be upset because of the smaller aperture? Is it stupid to downsize? I was surprised how much I could see under Bortle 4 skies with it... what should I say, it is my most used scope ever!

 

B-Apo-80-k-4..jpg

 

For me it is so pleasing to have my little array of Binocular Telescopes, that complement each other wonderfully... The details in M31 that I saw in the rare nights with my BT 300/1800 make me smile, when I see it in the Lomo 80 BT, just appriciate it much more than before... the Fuji 10*50 makes me sweep through the sky with the 80 BT, which I didn't do before

 

So I wouldn't be part of the only small refractor group, but of the group, that knows the value of small refractors and highly appriciates it...

Your Lomo 80 BT looks fantastic! What an amazing find. I see from the photo that it has potentially several prisms; does it give a correct image view? If I may ask, what true field of view can you get from it and what is the magnification limit in your experience? What is the magnitude reach? I have read binocular summation is 1.6 X so I would guess your maximum magnitude reach would be about the same as a mono view through a 100 mm refractor. 

[Jeff Gardner]

My Televue 60, TV 32mm Plossl, on a TV Panoramic mount, gets plenty of use during the winter months. I use it indoors to enjoy the birds at my bird feeder, and for quick views outside at night.

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Edited by Jeff Gardner, 24 December 2022 - 03:36 PM.

[lwbehney]

Reading the refractor forum on Cloudy Nights can get expensive.  I was thinking about getting a diminutive scope to use until my Agema SD130 is done in a couple of months, and reasoned I could use it for a solar scope as well.  The next thing I knew this FOA-60Q arrived from UPS.  You'll also notice the stormy skies here in SE CT.

The Agema SD-130 looks pretty special! How long does one have to wait to get one? How many were made in the latest run?

[George Blahun Jr]

The Agema SD-130 looks pretty special! How long does one have to wait to get one? How many were made in the latest run?

It will be a little over a year when I get it.  I'm fine with the wait since I recognize crafting an aspheric super APO can't be rushed.  Lana and Eduard have kept me updated on the process  throughout.  I don't recall the precise number of SD130 scopes being made but it's fairly small, likely in the single digits.  During this current run there are also SD120 and SD150 telescopes being fabricated also.  They make everything, not just the optics.

[Cobber]

Just need to get a mount and finder for this bad boy and I'll be right to go...

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[GSansoucie]

I started back in the hobby with a Wixey and an Az circle, switched to encoders, and then switched back to my Wixey and a DIY Az circle.  Encoders are very handy, but I don't miss them.  YMMV.

I can’t believe I haven’t thought about this for my TV85.  I had a custom AZ circle I made up and had printed at Staples and used a Wixey for Alt as well. The AZ circles was pretty large for my 10” Dob base, I could get pretty accurate with it.

 

 I had to give up on NGC 2169 this evening as I was getting cold and it was seriously impacting my Star hopping abilities :-)

[GSansoucie]

Just need to get a mount and finder for this bad boy and I'll be right to go...

Another TV85.  Nice.
 

Mine is currently defrosting.

 

Looks like you will need a mount with some balancing room for that huge grenade there.

[Spikey131]

Another TV85.  Nice.
 

Mine is currently defrosting.

 

Looks like you will need a mount with some balancing room for that huge grenade there.

Some balance challenges with a TV76.  Thank goodness for the TV Balance Aid!

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[Bomber Bob]

Old, small, short, high-performance grab & go -- 1973 Takahashi TS-65/500 F8 Semi-APO:

 

 

... that won against a Classic Vixen 60mm F15 on the Moon & planets last night.