SingAstro

weixing wrote:Hi,
If you are not in a hurry, I had a UniStar Deluxe Alt-Az mount coming in soon for my Celestron 6" F5 Achromatic Refractor (which is around the same length and weight as ES127 APO). Will let you know how is it.

Have a nice day.

That's good to hear! Where did you get the UniStar? It's not cheap.

superiorstream wrote:Hi,Vivid
The 127Apo sold to me by Chee Yuin has no issue with the focuser as he had changed it to a moonlite focuser;and the original is also bought by me.I see no issue with the focuser-original- except that I think people get confused about the function of the various adjustment screws and in the end make the wrong adjustment --for example there are 2 screws at the bottom of the focuser,one for tension,one for locking the focus position--and side by side-- and if in the dark,you adjust the wrong one,your EP may slide outward.Also,the original is not so firm and so if your afocal setup--or EP-- is heavy,when you are near the zenith,it may slide and so you have to increase the pressure on the tension knob.The moonlite focuser is perfect.My advise is--buy the scope first;if its ok for you then save the cash;however if your unit,by sheer luck had a bad focuser,then change it;but remember to get a fitting one as the 127 tube end is threaded and so you should look out for fitting threaded adapter for you WO or other focuser.

I see, so what i understand is that you have purchased the original focusser as well as the ML one, and you think the original is just fine for normal visual usage?

EPs which are below 500g/20 ounces are ok?

Hi,Vivid
Yes,both focuser are fine,of course the moonlite is better if you has the vitamin M.As for EP,a range of 3.5 to 55 or 56 mm will fit the scope well--both visual and afocal;but do test for quality of image as cheaper ones may destroy the sharpness and introduce CA into the image.If you dont want to go into the trouble of testing,take the televue nagler---and for wide field take the televue plossel 55mm--then you are in bussiness exploring both planets,clusters,moon etc;and if you want to go even wider field,get a 6.3 reducer--usually used for SCT--and install it before the EP and you can now get a 3 to 4 degree view and use your scope as a viewfinder too---basically for dim objects---and take out the reducer only to take a closer look.For heavy setup,just increase the tension and do so as your target approaches the zenith.Now you are in bussiness with just this one scope.;happy observing the sky for YEARS to come.As for normal telephoto use you may find the scope too powerful.
Finally,if you want to include the sun into your list,get a thousand oak filter--for white light(or a 540nm narrowband with proper prefiltering) and you can enjoy the sun too.However do note that not all can stand the stress of the sun extreme heat.Quit it if your skin cant stand the stress.Happy obing!

Thanks for the suggestions Chia!

So i got my first taste of the Lunar eclipse through a 7 x 50. Nice. Pretty clear night too.

vivid wrote:So i got my first taste of the Lunar eclipse through a 7 x 50. Nice. Pretty clear night too.

Yea. We are really lucky this time!

Hi , I am still learning how to navigate this huge site , So here goes , I have a NG 127 apo and its an awsome scope , It was mounted on my celestron CG5 for a while , no problems at all , a little shaky at high 250x plus but very usable .
I now have an iEQ45 Ioptron under her and this mount holds the 127 with ease , quite expensive for me , but well worth it , its a really nice GEM mount . If thats what you are looking for.
Brian ,
Darwin Australia.

It's done.

ES-EPWP8214-00 Explore Scientific
14mm 82° Series Waterproof N2 Eyepiece - 1.25 $119.95 1 $119.95

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ES-DAR152065-00 Explore Scientific
152mm f/6.5 Achromatic Refractor with Accessories $699.95 1 $699.95

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ES-EPWP8230-00 Explore Scientific
30mm 82° Series Waterproof N2 Eyepiece - 2" $249.95 1 $249.95

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ES-EPWP8247-00 Explore Scientific
4.7mm 82° Series Water Proof N2 Eyepiece - 1.25 $99.95 1 $99.95

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OS-DP65080 OPT
65mm X 80-120mm Eyepiece Case $3.95 3 $11.85

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ES-EPWP8288-00 Explore Scientific
8.8mm 82° Series Waterproof N2 Eyepiece - 1.25" $119.95 1 $119.95

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OS-DP80120 OPT
90mm X 120-200mm Eyepiece Case $7.95 2 $15.90

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9780971092433 Astronomy Library
Deep Space Image Catalog $34.95 1 $34.95

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OS-P125 OPT
Dust Plug - 1.25" $2.00 1 $2.00

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AZ-116 Astrozap
Flexible Dew Shield for 6" Celestron SCT $32.95 1 $32.95

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OS-CF2 OPT
Plastic Case for 1.25" or 2" Filter $2.00 1 $2.00

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ES-MAZ02-01 Explore Scientific
Twilight II Alt-Az Mount with HD Tripod $449.95 1 $449.95

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ES-TPE001-00 Explore Scientific
Twilight Mount Pier Accessory $99.95 1 $99.95

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LO-VUP Losmandy
V-Series Universal Dovetail Plate - 14" $59.00 1 $59.00


$395 via USPS Express International Mail, from OPT.


Losmandy VUP is via a recommendation by another AR152 user in CN. To allow for cone adjustments, the stock dovetail is not that good. Also an extruded piece with normal aluminum, in practice it is not that good esp at high mags. With a good mount like Twilight II + VUP, it should be very enjoyable. Twilight II needs to be balanced at the other end for optimal usage.

This is supposed to be a very very good visual scope even if you do not factor the $699 price, the owner literally has like a dozen scopes and if he actually prefers this to his C14. Just don't look at the moon/planets/Vega/Sirius! LOL! But according to some users (very experienced gear-heads who experimented with lots of stuff), you need to use good eyepieces with it. The four ES 82 deg are usd110 cheaper than before.

DGM Optics O-III and also NPB filters to be purchased from omegabob2 soon. Supposed to be same performance as the newest Lumicon, which are a bit hard to get.

Celestron VSP, Antares 1.25" variable polarizing filter for 29 bucks shipped (I want 2" but only Baader is available and that's a $100 shipped investment, no way) and Baader Fringe Killer 2" to be purchased from agentaastro soon.

I actually wanted to get my stuff from telescopes.net (Woodland's Hill)
The CT152 (Kunming) has a slightly better focusser, but is a bigger investment. I wanted to pair with the Heavy Duty Duo T mount with ashwood tripod, but i read mixed comments. Some said it's good, some said it's just ok. This one has slow-mo..... Twilight II does not have.

Just my entry-level start into this hobby!


Oh...also thinking about a Garrett 20 x 80 later on.

Oooooo...... we're in for some really cloudy and rainy nights now!

No worries, they still haven't shipped out yet.