849 replies to this topic

[Fiske]

Wren looking on is the delightful cherry atop this wonderful sundae of an image 

My faithful and constant companion. 

[aznuge]

Here is my newest support telescope.  It's a Celestron Explorer LT, 114mm, F9 reflector that was given to me by my neighbor a few days ago.  His company gave these telescopes as gifts to the employees, and he ended up receiving an extra one.  I don't usually name my instruments after people but if I did, this one would be named Justin after my generous neighbor.

 

This reflector will take neither the 2" Baader prism diagonal, nor the the 2" Baader amici that I acquired last year .  Internal diagonal and strictly 1.25" all the way.  First light was with 20mm XW and a 15mm Vixen SLV.

 

I have put it through some "sucker holes" in my cloudy skies already and I can see stuff.

 

Edited by aznuge, 05 January 2024 - 08:16 PM.

[Mark9473]

What is that contraption in the middle?

[aznuge]

What is that contraption in the middle?

It's a cradle for the Starsense (not installed) - a phone holder (and App) to guide the scope as a finder, but I won't be using that.

[Fiske]

It's a cradle for the Starsense (not installed) - a phone holder (and App) to guide the scope as a finder, but I won't be using that.

  

[Bill Barlow]

That looks like a nice grab and go option, Fiske.  
 

Bill

[Fiske]

That looks like a nice grab and go option, Fiske.  
 

Bill

Thank you, Bill.

 

I expect it will be. Particularly with a red-dot finder appended. 

 

But, speaking of nice grab and go options, I realized that another under-utilized bit of kit would be an excellent complement for the Celestron 6SE -- a Baader Hyperion Zoom eyepiece, which provides focal lengths from 24 to 8mm with a 68* AFOV, so magnifications from 62.5 to 187.5x.

 

[dmorrow]

Hyperion Zoom is an excellent choice!  The FOV varies from 48* at 24mm to 68* at 8mm.  I find the views sharp and contrasty. A really nice match with the SVX102D.  The EP gets plenty of love over in the EP forum. 
 

I use two, the second one always has the 2.25x Barlow attached.  The Barlow is so light there is no rebalancing needed for the SV M2C Mount.  Provides a really convenient two EP solution for 30x to 200x when cruising the skies with my 4” F7 frac.  

 

All I need to add is the Obi 20x70 EDU Ultra and my backyard setup will be complete (yeah right  )

Edited by dmorrow, 07 January 2024 - 08:27 AM.

[Fiske]

Hyperion Zoom is an excellent choice!  The FOV varies from 48* at 24mm to 68* at 8mm.  I find the views sharp and contrasty. A really nice match with the SVX102D.  The EP gets plenty of love over in the EP forum. 
 

I use two, the second one always has the 2.25x Barlow attached.  The Barlow is so light there is no rebalancing needed for the SV M2C Mount.  Provides a really convenient two EP solution for 30x to 200x when cruising the skies with my 4” F7 frac.  

 

All I need to add is the Obi 20x70 EDU Ultra and my backyard setup will be complete (yeah right  )

Uh-huh...

 

It is a wonderful binocular, though. 

 

If I were only keeping 24 binoculars, it would easily make the cut.

 

  

[Fiske]

And thank you for the details / impressions of the Baader Hyperion.

 

I'm going to be comparing it with a few fixed FL eyepieces on the 6SE, but a single eyepiece to cover all views is enticing, to say the least. 

[Erik Bakker]

Tonight, we had the first clear night in weeks. I took out my 7x50, 10x70 and 18x70, along with my ED82 and Celestron Super C5. For low to mid magnifications, the ED82 is a great companion to these binoculars at night, though up to 25x, the 18x70 is a strong competitor. From 30x-75x, the ED82 is wonderful. Above that, from 75x and up, the driven fork mounted Super C5 is really nice. Tonight I was mesmerized by the amount of detail it showed on Jupiter at 100-120x. I do have a sample with very good optics and mechanics, with an AstroZap dewshield and the OTA and dewshield wrapped in Reflectix, twice. The images basically stood still at 120x, despite freezing cold and wind kicking in. Detail was fantastic on the King of planets. The combo’s with either the TeleVue smooth top 10.5mm Plossl or 12.8mm Zeiss Victory Diascope eyepiece are very nice. Both the Nikon ED82 and the Celestron Super C5 showed the companion of Rigel well at 50x and also easily split Castor at 50x.

[Fiske]

Tonight, we had the first clear night in weeks. I took out my 7x50, 10x70 and 18x70, along with my ED82 and Celestron Super C5. For low to mid magnifications, the ED82 is a great companion to these binoculars at night, though up to 25x, the 18x70 is a strong competitor. From 30x-75x, the ED82 is wonderful. Above that, from 75x and up, the driven fork mounted Super C5 is really nice. Tonight I was mesmerized by the amount of detail it showed on Jupiter at 100-120x. I do have a sample with very good optics and mechanics, with an AstroZap dewshield and the OTA and dewshield wrapped in Reflectix, twice. The images basically stood still at 120x, despite freezing cold and wind kicking in. Detail was fantastic on the King of planets. The combo’s with either the TeleVue smooth top 10.5mm Plossl or 12.8mm Zeiss Victory Diascope eyepiece are very nice. Both the Nikon ED82 and the Celestron Super C5 showed the companion of Rigel well at 50x and also easily split Castor at 50x.

I noted the support telescope details in your post this morning on the Observing with Your Binoculars and BTs -- 2024 topic, Erik.

 

Leading by example!

 

  

 

It is snowing here. 

[Erik Bakker]

[Yesterday we had a clear half hour or so, tonight is the first clear night for hours on end. Makes quite a difference. Tonight I took the opportunity to observe many different objects at a range of magnifications. I like easy to use telescopes when I use them together with my binoculars. The orientation in the ED82 is a bonus, as it is the same as in the binoculars. Resolving power and advantages of a driven mount go to the Super C5, a rare black 1983 double forkarm version with Starbright coatings and native 220V. Here are some pictures I took a few years ago. Now the beauty is more difficult to see because of the very effective Reflectix around the OTA and dewshield.

 

 

[Rich V.]

Cute little scope; it's like a mini version of my mid '90s Ultima 9.25.  clearly a lot easier to lug outside, though.    

[Rich V.]

My easy, portable "support telescope" is my LOMO 80/480 on a Manfrotto 475.

Attached Thumbnails

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[Erik Bakker]

For ease of use, great views  and effortless starhopping, this combo works great:

 

[Fiske]

Thank you for sharing all these images Erik and Rich!

 

  

[ABQJeff]

With the arrival today of a Baader 2-inch Amici diagonal (clear aperture 1.49 inches) one more hopeful has joined the competition for ideal support telescope, my long neglected Astro-Tech AT-80.

 

 

With the Baader diagonal, the view is correct-image for easy star-hopping. I was concerned that vignetting might be an issue, but discovered the only eyepiece in my collection that would actually vignette is the Nagler 31mm Type 5, which I would never use with it anyway. The only thing remaining is to attach a red-dot finder. (Prusa i3 3D printer standing by.  )

 

I have decided to name the AT-80 in honor of my friend (and 80mm refractor advocate par excellence) Jon Isaacs. And since I already have one instrument named in his honor, my 10.5x70mm Resolux (Big Jon), the AT-80 will henceforth be known as Little Jon.  Jon appreciates a thrifty bargain, but even he would be hard pressed to top the deal I got on the AT-80. Free.  (Okay, the Baader 2-inch Amici diagonal, not so much.)

 

And before anyone asks, my cat's name is Wren. 

Nice Bourbon collection!

[Fiske]

Nice Bourbon collection!

I've lost my taste for it!

 

  

 

The only whiskey I drink now is rye. It's crazy. It happened when I was doing adventures in medical science last winter. There was nothing, honestly, that should have made that much difference. I half-suspect it is psychosomatic, but I have not recovered a preference for the flavor. I sometime tell people it might be the covid vaccines and boosters.   Oddly, none of my doctors are advising me to drink more whiskey. Go figure. 

 

 

I've got an un-opened bottle of Blanton's in my reserve. Not to mention partial bottles of Pappy 10- and 12-year (if you want to talk about seriously allocated items). 

Edited by Fiske, 08 January 2024 - 07:23 PM.

[norvegicus]

I have partial bottle of Pappy's that I bought new in the early '90s for something like $35.  I mostly share it with bourbon drinking friends that know what it is.

 

I think I have an un-opened bottle of Blanton's too, or opened and one sip gone.  Someone gave it to me.  I don't really care for it.  meh

[Erik Bakker]

Revisited the subject tonight with my fork mounted and driven Celestron C5 and my Nikon ED82 on a Gitzo Carbon mount and Gitzo fluidhead.. In the end, the alt-az mounted Nikon ED82 was my preferred instrument. Great views from 25-75x, completely silent in operation and image orientation identical to binoculars. Contrast, sharpness and brightness of this little scope are astounding, with a very detailed Jupiter and a beautiful shadow transit of Io, preceded some 1.5 hours by Io itself becoming visible again after transiting Jupiter. My C5 could match most of the detail on Jupiter and resolved tight doubles really well, but could not quite match the contrast, color nuances and sparkle of the views in the ED82. 

[Erik Bakker]

Just came in from another hour under the stars. Very cold, windchill of ca. -15 C, clear skies, great seeing, quite good transparency . Because of that, I took only my 8x42 EDG out, along with my ED82 A and 50x Wide eyepiece. Open clusters ere wonderful in the 8x42, including M35, M36, M37, M45, the Hyades, the belt of Orion and the ever stunning M42 region and the sword of Orion.

 

Bring in the ED82 A @ 50x and a 1.4 degree FOV.  The amount of detail in M42 was staggering, floating in the sword of Orion. As were the beautiful splits of bright Rigel and it’s faint companion, similar two bright components of Castor and Gamma Leonis. And all the open clusters mentioned before, with the some being  too big to fit the field of view of course, but M45 fitting in wonderfully, with nebulosity seen across this great star cluster of diamonds on velvet. All with 1 scope and 1 eyepiece. A great night under the stars indeed. Finally, after weeks of rain and clouds.

[Rich V.]

Erik, I like the design of the Nikon ED82; it uses a Schmidt roof prism like others do, but an oversized one that offsets the light path so the roofline doesn't intrude. No chance of roof spikes; a nice clean image.  It's similar to our bino telescopes that use the same Schmidt roof prism configuration.  You can see that the eyepiece is offset from the optical axis of the objective; proof of the use of an oversized roof prism.

 

I've resisted getting a spotter for years; my only experience is with a friend's Swaro 80mm which uses a Schmidt roof in the conventional manner like a small roof bino does.  Their roof prism quality is excellent, though, and I've seen no roof spikes on stars at 60x with the zoom ep, but never pushed it beyond.  The Nikon looks like a sweet design.  

[Erik Bakker]

Out with the big scope tonight, as it will be the last clear night for some time to come. Paired it with the rubberized 8x42, because I am observing mostly standing tonight and don’t want to bump instruments into each other and inflict damage. This is more a case of a support binocular than support scope though, to see what Jupiter brings tonight 

 

Switched on my outdoor lights to facilitate in setting the 16” f/5 up, all switched off now.

 

[Erik Bakker]

Jupiter had too many atmospheric obstructions between it’s mighty globe and this humble observer. After 2 hours, the 16” f/5 was performing well, but the Earth’s atmosphere did not fully cooperate. Regardless, as a companion to my modest 42-70mm binoculars, I prefer a small, high quality grab and go refractor, like my Nikon ED82 A, with my C5 being a good alternative at times. The little Nikon ED82 mm is a seamless companion to my binoculars under basically any sky for any object. Does it show more than my 16” when everything cooperates? Of course not. But it shows a lot, even when conditions are not that great and does so soon after taking it outside. In that way it is a great and natural companion to my binoculars, always ready for observing and enjoying the beauty of the night sky (or wildlife during the day) with little effort. A bringer of great joy!