Dismiss Notice
New Cookie Policy
On May 24, 2018, we published revised versions of our Terms and Rules and Cookie Policy. Your use of AstronomyConnect.com’s services is subject to these revised terms.

Observing with Small Apertures: 130mm and Below

Discussion in 'Telescopes and Mounts' started by Ray of Light, Jul 26, 2016.

Observing with Small Apertures: 130mm and Below

Started by Ray of Light on Jul 26, 2016 at 5:34 AM

4364 Replies 481044 Views 0 Likes

Reply to Thread Post New Thread
  1. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2016
    Posts:
    4,919
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Tonight's looking promising.

    baaderzoom1.jpg

    May be time for the super dalek ...
     
  2. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2016
    Posts:
    4,919
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I may only need these two all night.

    baader2inch31mm.jpg
     
  3. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2016
    Posts:
    4,919
    Trophy Points:
    113
    celestronz1.jpg

    Zoom shootout in small refractors soon ...

    celestronz4.jpg

    Watch this space.
     
  4. Orion25

    Orion25 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 23, 2016
    Posts:
    1,895
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Georgia
    These are all some very nice pieces of glass. You have quite the collection, Mak :)
     
    Mak the Night likes this.
  5. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2016
    Posts:
    4,919
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Thanks Reggie. I've used the Baader zoom but the weather hasn't allowed me to night test the Celestron yet. They're quite different in many respects. I'll do a report/comparison when I get the chance.
     
  6. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2016
    Posts:
    4,919
    Trophy Points:
    113
    celestron baader zooms.jpg
     
  7. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2016
    Posts:
    4,919
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I decided to put a Lynx Astro visual back adapter with a compression ring on my ED72.

    R755VzW.jpg

    This drastically improves the ability to rotate the diagonal in the focuser.

    d8b5T85.jpg

    Why Synta don't put these in as stock is a mystery.

    7BScuug.jpg

    The diagonal is easier to secure now and doesn't rock in the focuser.

    ipwHnWx.jpg

    The ED72 focuser adapter has a different thread to other Evostar models and I've had to order a different one for my ED80. It's taking its time. I believe they may be made to order in the UK.
     
  8. Mmac54

    Mmac54 Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2017
    Posts:
    40
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Oakwood, Illinois
    Lookin good!
     
  9. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2016
    Posts:
    4,919
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Thanks.
     
  10. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2016
    Posts:
    4,919
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I've been experimenting with the 102mm Altair Starwave.

    wave.jpg

    And added a second finder shoe.

    twin.jpg

    This will enable the addition of an RACI for possible zenith viewing.

    small.jpg

    6x30 or 9x50?

    big.jpg
     
  11. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2016
    Posts:
    4,919
    Trophy Points:
    113
    The ST102 has had a makeover ...

    2fx.jpg

    I've swapped the GSO focuser for a Sky-Watcher.

    5fx.jpg

    There were rotational issues.

    1fx.jpg
     
  12. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2016
    Posts:
    4,919
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Last October I acquired a 32mm GSO ‘RK’ Kellner. Why? I hear you all say. Well, possibly temporary insanity. Seriously though, I had a cunning plan. We all know the *Kellner was invented way back by ‘wiggy blokes’ to use in aerial telescopes or something. OK, I made that up, but even in the Reversed Kellner format it is technically an old design. It is reviled by many because of its edge of field astigmatism and comparatively limited field of view compared to modern eyepieces.

    XgYjpcU.jpg

    But I digress, as I said, I had a cunning plan. I regularly use 31mm and 36mm Badder Hyperion Aspherics in my small refractors. These are nice, physically light rich field EP’s with a 72° FOV. The weight factor is important for me as I am partially paralysed in my right arm and hand. This complicates the manipulation of both OTA and mount. It also limits the weight of an eyepiece I can comfortably use in a 2” diagonal. The plan was to get a 2” Barlow with a detachable cell and thread it onto either of the Aspheric eyepieces. This then gives me more magnification choices for a minimum of weight increase. Unfortunately, the Baader threads were incompatible with the 2” GSO 2x Barlow. Which is why I ordered the 32mm GSO RK. Most retailers claim these are now discontinued although both Meade and Celestron still market these GSO 2” eyepieces and the GSO 2” Barlow in kits.

    vIHI0Io.jpg

    I managed to try the 32mm RK in my 72ED Evostar last year a couple of times. It was not very successful in the f/5.8 refractor and edge of field seagulls were more akin to pterodactyls. Not only that they seemed to be flying ever nearer the on-axis view. The addition of the Barlow didn’t appear to ameliorate the astigmatic avian menace either.

    PARLobU.jpg

    However, as Kellners tend to fare better in scopes of f/8 and slower I chanced the RK in my f/7.5 ED80 Evostar a couple of times. The 32mm RK with 56° FOV doesn’t really compare with the 72° of the 31mm Baader. The RK does have about a 35mm field stop though and is ergonomically pleasant to use. With the Barlow threaded directly on to the eyepiece GSO reckon that it magnifies by 1.6x. Therefore technically turning the 32mm into a 20mm EP. This now gives almost exactly one arc degree, fifty two minutes of true field with a magnification of 30x and a 2.6mm exit pupil.

    RO1y1Ph.jpg

    I decided to test this combination on a few open clusters. Then out of curiosity I directly compared it with a 15mm Altair ULTRAFLAT on IC 4665 aka the Summer Beehive. Both eyepieces were used in a 2” Altair dielectric mirror diagonal. The ULTRAFLAT obviously gave a flat, sharp field right to the edge. The RK plus Barlow accounted for itself pretty well however. There is still some EOF avian activity but the large field stop makes on-axis views quite pleasing as it gives the sense of a much larger eyepiece (which it is). Not bad for a 2” EP that cost under fifty quid! I suppose I should have tried the RK in the Barlow for 2x as well but I was distracted by a rising Saturn. The weight of the combination is fairly easy to handle as the ED80 is very nicely balanced on the AZ5. I shall experiment further, I have a cunning plan.

    y2G1llL.jpg

    [​IMG]


    *The original Kellner orthoscopic eyepiece was invented in 1849 by Carl Kellner an optician from Wetzlar (now in Hesse, Germany).
     
  13. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2016
    Posts:
    4,919
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Had a pretty decent session with the ED72 last night. Started off with a twilight Jupiter and ended with a rising Saturn.

    8hNBqk2.jpg

    I gave the 19mm Luminos a bit of a workout as well.

    waitingjup4.jpg
     
    Nebula likes this.
  14. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2016
    Posts:
    4,919
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Sunday night bino session with 127mm Sky-Max/AZ5.

    9lb51oc.jpg

    William Optics bino mainly with 20mm WO SWAN's.

    TDfWEBq.jpg
    Main target was a setting Moon. Jupiter and Saturn also observed.

    Vn8YyQN.jpg
    After the Big Mak had cooled I started off with the 20mm SWAN's for 75x. As it got darker I added the 1.6x GPC for 120x then eventually the 2x GPC for 150x.

    jo1u8Wg.jpg
    I managed Jupiter until transit even though the conditions were deteriorating. Finally ending with a rising Saturn.
     
    Nebula likes this.
  15. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2016
    Posts:
    4,919
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I was using my modified SW ST80 last night. As I rotated the focuser and moved the OTA on the AZ5 mount the entire focuser, plus diagonal, popped out into my hand!

    0f5b57b4-2c5d-4193-9189-5db120e66b5e.jpeg

    Even weirder the same thing happened to my Orion ST80 when I replaced the SW with it five minutes later. The GSO facilitates rotation by loosening slightly and hanging on a flared flange. This total detachment has never happened before. I'm guessing I'm the culprit as I was seated and operating everything with my left hand. My right arm and hand being partially paralysed. I reassembled the OTA's but I'm a bit wary of using them now. I'll have to re-evaluate how I operate these scopes.
     
  16. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2016
    Posts:
    4,919
    Trophy Points:
    113
    The whole focuser hangs on this flange with one screw.

    2.jpg

    Loosening the screw enables the rotation.

    1.jpg

    The whole assembly can be pushed on and off when the screw is removed.

    6.jpg

    A gap opposite the screw appears when it is loosened. Keeping this gap at a minimum is essential when rotating.

    3.jpg
     
  17. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2016
    Posts:
    4,919
    Trophy Points:
    113
    OrionST80.jpg OrionST802.jpg
    OrionST803.jpg

    Lightweight rich field grab and go kit ready to go.
     
  18. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2016
    Posts:
    4,919
    Trophy Points:
    113
    [​IMG]

    Under 130mm but still light enough to carry!

    [​IMG]
     
    Nebula and Orion25 like this.
  19. Orion25

    Orion25 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 23, 2016
    Posts:
    1,895
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Georgia
    Sweeeeeet!!!!
     
    Mak the Night likes this.
  20. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2016
    Posts:
    4,919
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I have more pictures! lol

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
    Orion25 likes this.

Share This Page