I think they just like to wear cool shades and pose.

 

Had a lunar loony session. Transparency was better than yesterday. Got a very sharp 80x with a GSO Barlow element threaded into the Bushnell Kellner.



Filters were Baader Polariser and Neodymium.

 

I was surprised by the quality of the GSO 2X Barlow lenses. I bought an Orion 'Shorty' from Orion (USA) just to scavange the removable achromat from it. Several years ago. Gave it a little case. It works beautifully in other 1.25" eyepieces. Not quite a TeleVue, but the lens-element in those are a different size & threading.

The GSO gives a very smooth 1.5X (or 1.6X?) addition to the magnification. If anyone is thinking about getting one of these, you'd have my endorsement. Me like! The cost is low, as GSO has become a good outfit that had a spotty past. But as a result of making a change in their reputation, GSO-gear is some of the best to be had, and the low-cost is a true bargain.

R & D

 

Well, you know me and Barlows. The light inexpensive achromats can be very good. I have a load of these, most are in pieces, and many came with kits.



The Celestron Omni originally had an aluminium drawtube with an undercut. The Celestron T-adaptor came with a kit I bought ages ago and had a chromed brass drawtube (they're aluminium with an undercut now). It's one of the most useful things I own and often gets used as an extension tube. In fact I used as such when I discovered my 19mm Panoptic wouldn't focus the first night I tried the ST80 with the GSO Crayford.



I'm pretty sure the Celestron are all Barsta, they are distinctly different from the GSO.



I prefer the thumb screw on the GSO. Also the GSO elements focus differently as is evident by the different drawtube lengths.



You can see the Barsta housing is actually longer than the GSO on the right. I don't think there's much between these Barlows, but if I was going to recommend one it would be the GSO. Mainly because I think the thumb screw is more secure and bigger. That and GSO are phasing out their undercuts.

 

I had a second session last night.


With a different Mak. This time I found M41 easily. M45 was a bit hazy though.

 

Got to see a bit of the setting Moon. Petavius was easily recognised but the Terminator isn't showing its rille yet.

 

That's a short mounting-rail on your SW Maksutov, Mak. Curious - my SW Mak came with a 10" rail on it. Though your 'shorty' rail makes more sense. These Mak telescopes are all heavy beasts and need to be mounted all-the-way rear-ward.

 

There's a reason for that.



It was originally on an EQ2.



It is a dovetail as well though. I took it off and turned it 180 degrees so the dimples were on the opposite side. I could then use it on a Vixen style mount. The 90mm Orion is basically the same.

 

I found these pictures of my some of my old filters. They are 'Celestron' and came out of a kit.



The threads were mostly dodgy.



The #58 Green didn't thread onto anything lol. I don't know who the OEM was. The filter glass was pretty decent though.

 

I bought a set back around 2000 that had about same colours in it. Bought it from Orion over here. The filters were/are excellent! Made by Hoya in Japan (but now Orion's colour-filters are Chinese - haven't tried any of those yet). And the threads on the Hoya's are excellent, too.

I'll snap a picture later to show the filters and a funky case Orion used back then.

Older is Better!

 

I doubt mine were Hoya glass but they seem more or less as good as my TS Optics/GSO's. Well, except for the threads lol.

 

All the 10 filters wratten i bought will thread easily on anything. Of all my filters only once i had a threading problem with the Orion variable polarizing and i can't remember which eyepiece...

I am going to sleep now.. very tired.

 

It's probably why my old Celestron filters were included in an eyepiece kit, they couldn't sell them any other way lol.

 

I saw that on baader's website.. what's the purpose of buying square 51x51mm of filtered glass.. ?

http://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/baader-o-iii-8.5nm-ccd-narrowband-filter.html
http://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/baader-h-alpha-enforced-narrowband-35nm-filter.html

 

Probably something to do with AP.



I was going to to a search but SP is having a bit of a slow day. This is the first time I've ever seen this. There's always DDG I suppose lol.

 

@Mak the Night, oh no! you give me the same previous darklord medicine. (Why don't you search it on Google?)

I was now aware of that but they sell large expensive telescope to. You can pay more then 100 000 Euros for a telescope of you want.

http://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/telescopes/planewave.html

 

Yeah, but they won't fit my Porta II lol.

 

hehe nope It's not robust enough

 

Plus it would be difficult to carry in my bag.

 

I only wish for a good night of observation with my 8" and eyepieces at the present moment..

Usually the end of January to Febuary is not a very good period for astronomy (too cold, too much snow).. but we had a very very bad month of December and first part of January.. also I hope it's going to improve from now and live an incredible observation..

Just like the latest pictures of Reggie, the double stars to cheer you guys up.