I love my 7" Maksutov on the planets. It takes a while to cooldown but it's tack sharp when it is. It's equivalent to a good 150mm apo. It's an Intes 715.
I was torn between Mak and refractor and you convinced me - I need short cool down period and to just get to observing because of time constraints. Thanks.
A lot of wisdom shared in a succinct 8 minute video. I've bought a lot of nice scopes in pursuit of better planetary views but nothing overcomes seeing. And larger scopes need better seeing to shine. I had exactly one night this year when my C11 outperformed my 5" refractors - but it definitely did. I also agree with your assessment that a 7" mak can be comparable to a 5" refractor when collimated and cooled: I own two 7" maks and four 5" refractors and that has been my experience. I also agree with a statement you made in the comments section that there is very little difference between the performance of premium refractors. I own a TSA 120, SV SVX 127d, TV np127is, and a TEC 140. The difference among them optically is the difference between a bomb and a stick of dynamite. Where i do see a difference is weight, cool down time, focal length, fov, etc. I would add two thoughts to your comments regarding the importance of SCT scopes operating at thermal equilibrium: 1) if you live in an area with rapidly dropping temps it can be difficult to bring the scope to equilibrium 2) that said, some folks have had luck insulating their sct/mak with reflectix or other materials. I would add two thoughts to viewing with larger sct or dobs - you get more exit pupil which can help with floaters and you can get more color. Again, very informative video Vlad!
Jack thanks for your feedback, it is much appreciated. I can tell that you are a rare breed that has actually tried more than just the one telescope that you happen to own and think it the best. Very valuable input on the subject!
Interesting and well put comparison as usual! Could you maybe do a MAK vs SCT in the future? Get the two of similar aperture and compare the planetary, double star, cool down times, practicality, collimation etc... I think it would be interesting. Anyhow nice video :)
Hi Vlad, a suggestion for video, mainly for newbies, comparing 80mm apo vs 130mm newt vs 127mm mak vs 100mm achro & the kind of magnifications you could expect through each scope. These are more budget scopes so I'm guessing people getting into astronomy on a budget & wanting to start with planets/lunar as most new people then move onto stars, dso when they realise there is so much more to see,just a suggestion as I know you've done similar videos ..great videos Vlad
Thanks for the suggestion! I don't currently have all those scopes but that sounds like a fun comparison. Ill add it to my to-do video list! Thanks again!
Nice info. Thnx. Btw you sound a bit like Ace Frehley from the band KISS. He loves astronomy. Your voice used over animated footage of Ace Frehley using a telescope would be really cool.
Great video and a favorite topic of mine! I was wondering what your opinion is on the planetary performance between say a 5 inch Maksutov and same sized apo refractor, how close does the Mak percentagewise get to the performance of the apo refractor; Being that they are both in collimation, similar optic quality, cooled and if they are compared on the same great night? Taking this into consideration how much of a bigger Mak would equal a 5 inch apo refractor? Would a 6 or 7 inch Mak be the refractors equal? +1 vote on making a video comparing same sized telescopes, same level playing fields, but different designs, on planetary with pros and cons as mentioned in comments. One can only hope! Thanks Vlad!
Good question. So if you take bothe scopes out and start observing 5minutes later the apo will show a sharper image due to the cool down being faster o. The APO. An hour into observing I'd say you will be within 10-15%. The APO will show a significantly brighter image. I'd say that with both being totally equalized in temperature you will need a 7" Mak to truly match the 5" APO in both brightness and overall clarity of the image.
The favorite planetary scope among my small collection is a WO FLT 110 with a TMB objective lens. I had to change out the focuser that quit working correctly and replaced it with a Feathertouch focuser. The scope gives great planetary views when the atmosphere is stable. I mostly use Televue Radian eyepieces on the planets and on the moon.
Thanks, this was very helpful. I'm researching a telescope to look at planets with my 4 year old who is obsessed with astronomy. His early bedtime gives us a very limited window of opportunity. I hadn't considered the cool down time issue until viewing this. Now it is clear that a refractor is the way to go. A question... do you think that a 70mm f/10.0 refractor would give enough magnification of nearby planets to be worthwhile as a starter scope? On the one hand I want something simple enough that we can do quick observations without hassle. On the other hand, don't want a setup so rudimentary that the images are uninspiring and kill our momentum. Thanks!
Glad the video was helpful. Overall for the planets I would recommend at least a 4" scope. Having said that I started with a 60mm myself and was hooked!
Very Cool Video. I use a Reflector for Planetary and DSOs. It does a fine Job on Detail on planets. I will upgrade to a Mak For Deeper planetary imaging sometime..
could you make a video talking about the state of the telescope market and what not? like companies buying other ones, making scopes in the same factories but selling at different prices. it’s real confusing to know what’s high quality
Hey Vlad, how you doing? I haven’t commented for a while as the skies in the south east of France have been surprisingly milky and humid for much of this year, and not had good seeing conditions, so the scope hadn’t been out. But my dog got me up at 4am this morning and suddenly I saw the first super clear sky of the year….. jupiter, plaides, andromeda and a beautiful stripe across the sky from the Milky Way, and about 5 meteors! I was too dazed to get the scope out but I have a good set of Nikon binoculars easily to hand so used those. Seeing 4 Jupiter moons with binoculars was magical, and I think it was my favourite ever view of plaides. Anyway, long story short, it’s nice to be back, and hope all is groovy with you and all your viewers 👍👍 Please keep the action coming. PS…..my next challenge is buying an iPhone 13 and getting a good image of Saturn from it through the scope 🤣
If your doing primarily deep sky I think the achoro at f/9.4 would give pretty satisfactory results. For the planets it would still show a healthy about of CA above ~100x. Just to give you an idea that f7 fpl51 is about as good as an f15 achro in regards to color correction. Give the small price diffrance I'd personly go for the smaller better APO. 👍
Hey, thanks for the vid. I have an Explore Scientific ED 127mm but I find the focal length isn't great for planetary. I tired adding a 3x barlow but the image isnt great. Am I wasting money buying one with a bigger focal length?
For imaging yes what you need is more aperture on the planets. Most people that do it with great results are using c14 SCT'S. And a c14 is not a requirement but the more aperture the better assuming you have good seeing. 👍
as always, a very factual and specific article! Thank You for your work! I'm very interested in distant galaxies, which has become fashionable lately thanks to the images from the James Webb telescope. Maybe in the future you will be able to prepare similar material with your recommendations for distant galaxies
Always great videos. Thanks. For people on budget or want simple grab go My WO 81 doublet can deliver 250-300x On planets. I like it as much as televue 85. Light weight and easy fast set up. Nice cost effective unit. I had 127 apo and honestly too heavy and not any better for consistency in my experience. I use WO 3x week easy. I can always bring out 12 dob if seeing is exceptional for planets and I have few hours to burn.
Scott with respect I will need to disagree with what you said. You must have quite the night brightness perception to do 300x with an 80mm. The image is way too dim for me even at 200x on the planets. And unless the seeing is absolutely terrible even someone that has never looked through a telescope will easily be able to see the difference between an 80mm and 127mm APO at anything above 120x. Agree on the 12" dob piece;)
@@AVTAstro I am not saying side by side it is better. I am saying given seeing conditions it is as good as needs to be and since set up so easy i am in practice using 80 mm scope more often than when I had 127 which means more time at eye piece. More experience leads to learning how to see and enjoying hobby offset by gain get from bigger refractor which I found pita to set up. On good night and assuming object has good altitude a nice 80 can deliver the goods. I use televue diagonal with powermate 4x and delos or Baader zoom depending on needs. Also use filters. Particularly on Jupiter which is too bright for my preference. As for high mag w 80 I wouldn’t believe it either but having used it and been lucky I logged several sessions getting 285x using Baader zoom on 8mm. Keep in mind that is not all objects give same results in session. This morning Saturn too low and over roof, I could only hit 150x w crisp views. Vs Mars at over 60 alt I got 285x in/out w 250 consistently crispy, Jupiter little lower was best at 228x more ideal around 190x. All 430am to 620am. I do have really sensitive eyes for contrast and color so definitely possible my eyes give me advantage. My approach is based on the old saying “The best scope is the one that gets used” : ) Just offering different perspective. I really enjoy your channel and benefit from your research. Cheers and clear skies.
Yeah I'm not trying to call you out or anything, and if a particular scope works for you who am I to tell you that it should not. I'm just stating my experience with the scopes as im pretty sure thats the reason a lot of people view this content. I have literally had a 3", 4", 5", &7" APO's out side by side on the same night. I have also owned and extensively compared the 80mm/480 LOMO witch is widely considered as the best 80mm ever made to several nice 4" scopes. I sold the 2 80mm LOMOs that I had and still have several 4 and 5" APO's. Just my humble experience. 😁
Excellent video In my Astro experience I have seen 10” Meade lx200 in Florida on Saturn was beautiful and I bought the same scope in Wisconsin and I never ever got the same view on Saturn. In Wisconsin I was in the club viewing Mars side by die 10” lx200 vs some Russian Newtonian telescope mn6 some like that that Newtonian was blowing a way 10” lx 200 Meade Now I own 15” classic obsession it is beautiful on planets as well on nebulas Specifically when I use DM binoviwers on good night Jupiter is fantastic . On obsession laser Colimator does e great job Here in USA I bought used 9.25 celestron because some people said it’s a special scope in the length.but that didn’t really work for me I’m not happy with it on focusing drive me crazy.
Thanks for the feedback from the field. Yup just confirms that seeing is the most important part. But when the seeing is good you do wat to have the best scope possible!
Tuning in from the Scottish border. It’s taken me quite a while to ‘acclimatise’ to your accent and laconic delivery but I’ve kept at it because your content is very much worth it, as is your knowledge. I’ve just recently, over the last 6 months or so, bought an 8 inch LX10, a SKYWATCHER ST120 with eq5 mount and a SVBony sv503 70ED plus a Star Adventurer. Altogether, I hope they provide me with the variation I think I need for planets, dso’s and wide field targets. I intend to mount the ST120 on a ‘todmorden’ pier and use it primarily for EEA. Question: Have you looked at the badger contrast booster for use with achromats? I see a lot of very good reviews for its affect on CA but I worry about the reduction in brightness and the yellow tinge it’s meant to produce. Any thoughts?
Glad the content has been helpfull👍 In regards to the filter I think you will find that it will work just fine for EAA as you can tune out most of the color tint in the software(sharpcap I asume). Best, Vlad.
Great vid! Thanks for taking my suggestion. What you have said makes sense. Seems there are people who are passionate about their particular type of scope for planetary viewing whether refractor or reflector. It seems that it is a combination of aperture, seeing, optics, and telescope design, with each design having its benefits and detriments. By the way I am curious about your mount, the one the Tak is on in the vid? The mount looks strong and yet its small.
Thanks again for the suggestion, video made perfect sense with planet season coming! Mount used is one I got with some astro gear and not labeled. It looks VERY similar to the Explore Scientific FirstLight EQ mount though.
Witam! Ciekawy odcinek z ciekawym zagadnieniem. Akurat wczoraj udało mi się przeprowadzić w miarę dobrą obserwację Jowisza. Ostatnio udało mi się kupić stary teleskop w bardzo niskiej cenie. Teleskop działający w systemie cassegrain'a o średnicy lustra głównego 15cm i ogniskowej 2,8 metra. Z okularem 9mm mimo że wyszło duże powiększenie (311X) nadal było dość dobrze widać. Niby taka krótka tuba teleskopu, a tak długa ogniskowa. Ogólnie chciał bym zapytać: (Przy dobrych warunkach pogodowych i przy dobrej widoczności) Jakie maksymalne powiększenie użyteczne mogę zastosować w tym teleskopie cassegrain'a o aperturze 150mm i ogniskowej 2,8 metra? Pozdrawiam serdecznie! 😄🤚🔭🤩🪐
@@AVTAstro OK! Czyli wszystko według standardowych klasycznych "książkowych" wyliczeń 😊. Zastanawia mnie jeszcze jedna sprawa: Jak przeprowadzić kolimację w teleskopie cassegrain'a? W teleskopie systemu Newtona, kolimacja jest prosta. Wystarczy poświecić laserem w centrum lustra wtórnego i w centrum lustra głównego, i łatwo jest ustawić lustra. Można też przeprowadzić kolimację optyczną za pomocą specjalnego okularu, który może kupić lub łatwo zrobić. W przypadku teleskopu cassegrain'a można by ustawić w ten sposób tylko lustro wtórne, ale nie da się poświecić laserem w centrum lustra głównego, ponieważ w centrum lustra głównego jest otwór. Pytanie brzmi: jak ustawić lustro główne w idealnej pozycji? i jak po prostu przeprowadzić kolimację luster w teleskopie cassegrain'a? Pozdrawiam 😊🤚😉🤔🔭
I always wanted to have a good refractor for planets but can’t effort astrophysics Can Explorer Scientific Refactor ED127 Triplet APO do better than 12” obsession Or at list better than celestron 9.25 I have not the hd. I just love the classic style of refractors . I’m thinking if we compare on the best night side by side.
If the optics are good on the larger scopes, collimated, cooled down, and the night of seeing is good then even the 5" AstroPhysics will lose out to the larger scopes your have. Do keep in mind that that's a lot of "IFs" I listed. On the average night with no cooldown the ES 5" APO will likely show a more pleasing/detailed image then the larger scopes.
@@AVTAstro I was thinking to get Explorer Scientific Refactor ED127 Triplet APO I just love sharp focusing on refractors Hopefully planets would be ok on this one too for 900 focal lengths
Vlad I noticed that you have owned the Celestron C6 SCT and 5" maks. In my on average 250x skies what is the difference on visual planetary views between them and would there be much benefit for someone that owns a 5" mak to upgrade to the C6 for planetary? Thanks!
Question for ya Vlad, when it comes to premium refractors, is there a big difference between say a Takahashi and an Astro Physics? I just got a TSA120 as my first "premium" scope and its great, but Im just curious are AP scopes that much better? or am I kind of hitting the ceiling of how good a scope can be optically.
If you have a TSA you esentialy have perfection. At best I would say the average TSA is 98% perfect and the average AP is 99% perfect. Is someone going to tell 1% apart??? Maybe a AP owner but not us mear mortals🤣🤣🤣🤣(OK people that's a bit of fun is all). I have owned a TSA-102 and AP-130GT at the same time for the record. Enjoy the TSA, you already own the best!
I'm thinking about buying a 5 in sky watcher reflector for Saturn next month. I have an 8 in dob but I have an injury that is exasperated by setting it up. How big of a difference will 3 in make with Saturn? I enjoyed this video but unfortunately I can't afford a nice refractor.
So yeah this kind of goes back to how good the seeing it. Overall you will get a nice bump in resolution by going the 8" if the seeing is good enough. Having said that if you cannot setup the 8" safely currently that's not even a consideration in my opinion. Get the scope you can use safely!
I would like to know if you could give me an opinion on which is better the meade sct or celestron edge sct Want to buy another scope right now I have an 8" celestron but everything is backorder from celestron And I can get a meade right now should I be patient and wait for the celestron?
Thanks. Could you tell me if the refractor telescope suffers a lot of damage if I want to observe from the seashore? I say this because of the salinity that can affect the lenses. Is there a trick to protect it and be able to go anyway?
I don't know of a way to protect the Optics. A refractor should be a lot safer to use then a mirrored scope though. Lenses are much more durable than mirrors.
I love my 7" Maksutov on the planets. It takes a while to cooldown but it's tack sharp when it is. It's equivalent to a good 150mm apo. It's an Intes 715.
I have a 7” Mak as well, and it’s amazing! They don’t call it a “planet killer” for nothing!
I was torn between Mak and refractor and you convinced me - I need short cool down period and to just get to observing because of time constraints. Thanks.
Glad I could help! I think you made the right choice if time is an issue!
A lot of wisdom shared in a succinct 8 minute video. I've bought a lot of nice scopes in pursuit of better planetary views but nothing overcomes seeing. And larger scopes need better seeing to shine. I had exactly one night this year when my C11 outperformed my 5" refractors - but it definitely did. I also agree with your assessment that a 7" mak can be comparable to a 5" refractor when collimated and cooled: I own two 7" maks and four 5" refractors and that has been my experience. I also agree with a statement you made in the comments section that there is very little difference between the performance of premium refractors. I own a TSA 120, SV SVX 127d, TV np127is, and a TEC 140. The difference among them optically is the difference between a bomb and a stick of dynamite. Where i do see a difference is weight, cool down time, focal length, fov, etc. I would add two thoughts to your comments regarding the importance of SCT scopes operating at thermal equilibrium: 1) if you live in an area with rapidly dropping temps it can be difficult to bring the scope to equilibrium 2) that said, some folks have had luck insulating their sct/mak with reflectix or other materials. I would add two thoughts to viewing with larger sct or dobs - you get more exit pupil which can help with floaters and you can get more color. Again, very informative video Vlad!
Jack thanks for your feedback, it is much appreciated. I can tell that you are a rare breed that has actually tried more than just the one telescope that you happen to own and think it the best. Very valuable input on the subject!
Interesting and well put comparison as usual! Could you maybe do a MAK vs SCT in the future? Get the two of similar aperture and compare the planetary, double star, cool down times, practicality, collimation etc... I think it would be interesting. Anyhow nice video :)
Yeah that would be fun! If I get two at the same aperture I'll do that!
Hi Vlad, a suggestion for video, mainly for newbies, comparing 80mm apo vs 130mm newt vs 127mm mak vs 100mm achro & the kind of magnifications you could expect through each scope. These are more budget scopes so I'm guessing people getting into astronomy on a budget & wanting to start with planets/lunar as most new people then move onto stars, dso when they realise there is so much more to see,just a suggestion as I know you've done similar videos ..great videos Vlad
Thanks for the suggestion! I don't currently have all those scopes but that sounds like a fun comparison. Ill add it to my to-do video list! Thanks again!
Nice info. Thnx. Btw you sound a bit like Ace Frehley from the band KISS. He loves astronomy. Your voice used over animated footage of Ace Frehley using a telescope would be really cool.
Lol, yeah people have said that I sound like a few different famous folks. 🤣
Great video and a favorite topic of mine!
I was wondering what your opinion is on the planetary performance between say a 5 inch Maksutov and same sized apo refractor, how close does the Mak percentagewise get to the performance of the apo refractor; Being that they are both in collimation, similar optic quality, cooled and if they are compared on the same great night? Taking this into consideration how much of a bigger Mak would equal a 5 inch apo refractor? Would a 6 or 7 inch Mak be the refractors equal?
+1 vote on making a video comparing same sized telescopes, same level playing fields, but different designs, on planetary with pros and cons as mentioned in comments. One can only hope!
Thanks Vlad!
Good question. So if you take bothe scopes out and start observing 5minutes later the apo will show a sharper image due to the cool down being faster o. The APO. An hour into observing I'd say you will be within 10-15%. The APO will show a significantly brighter image. I'd say that with both being totally equalized in temperature you will need a 7" Mak to truly match the 5" APO in both brightness and overall clarity of the image.
Nice video. Simple, straight forward information dealing with comparisons and time allowed for viewing.
Thanks!
The favorite planetary scope among my small collection is a WO FLT 110 with a TMB objective lens. I had to change out the focuser that quit working correctly and replaced it with a Feathertouch focuser. The scope gives great planetary views when the atmosphere is stable. I mostly use Televue Radian eyepieces on the planets and on the moon.
Yeah that's a sweet scope. I have had the TEC version of the same scope.
Thanks, this was very helpful. I'm researching a telescope to look at planets with my 4 year old who is obsessed with astronomy. His early bedtime gives us a very limited window of opportunity. I hadn't considered the cool down time issue until viewing this. Now it is clear that a refractor is the way to go. A question... do you think that a 70mm f/10.0 refractor would give enough magnification of nearby planets to be worthwhile as a starter scope? On the one hand I want something simple enough that we can do quick observations without hassle. On the other hand, don't want a setup so rudimentary that the images are uninspiring and kill our momentum. Thanks!
Glad the video was helpful. Overall for the planets I would recommend at least a 4" scope. Having said that I started with a 60mm myself and was hooked!
Simple, easy to understand comparisons of the scopes. Great video, thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!
Very Cool Video. I use a Reflector for Planetary and DSOs. It does a fine Job on Detail on planets. I will upgrade to a Mak For Deeper planetary imaging sometime..
Thanks! Get the 7" mak!
could you make a video talking about the state of the telescope market and what not? like companies buying other ones, making scopes in the same factories but selling at different prices. it’s real confusing to know what’s high quality
Not sure I have all the knowledge for that one. Sorry.
Hey Vlad, how you doing?
I haven’t commented for a while as the skies in the south east of France have been surprisingly milky and humid for much of this year, and not had good seeing conditions, so the scope hadn’t been out.
But my dog got me up at 4am this morning and suddenly I saw the first super clear sky of the year….. jupiter, plaides, andromeda and a beautiful stripe across the sky from the Milky Way, and about 5 meteors! I was too dazed to get the scope out but I have a good set of Nikon binoculars easily to hand so used those. Seeing 4 Jupiter moons with binoculars was magical, and I think it was my favourite ever view of plaides.
Anyway, long story short, it’s nice to be back, and hope all is groovy with you and all your viewers 👍👍
Please keep the action coming.
PS…..my next challenge is buying an iPhone 13 and getting a good image of Saturn from it through the scope 🤣
Very cool, glad you had a chance to observe!!!
Interesting video. How would a 127/1200 mm F9.4 achromat (400$) compare to a 102/714 F7 FPL51 (700$) for visual observations ?
If your doing primarily deep sky I think the achoro at f/9.4 would give pretty satisfactory results. For the planets it would still show a healthy about of CA above ~100x.
Just to give you an idea that f7 fpl51 is about as good as an f15 achro in regards to color correction. Give the small price diffrance I'd personly go for the smaller better APO. 👍
@@AVTAstro Thank you for your answer.
Hey, thanks for the vid. I have an Explore Scientific ED 127mm but I find the focal length isn't great for planetary. I tired adding a 3x barlow but the image isnt great. Am I wasting money buying one with a bigger focal length?
Are you doing visual of imaging?
@@AVTAstro imaging.
For imaging yes what you need is more aperture on the planets. Most people that do it with great results are using c14 SCT'S. And a c14 is not a requirement but the more aperture the better assuming you have good seeing. 👍
@@AVTAstro great thanks for the reply. 👍🏻
as always, a very factual and specific article! Thank You for your work!
I'm very interested in distant galaxies, which has become fashionable lately thanks to the images from the James Webb telescope. Maybe in the future you will be able to prepare similar material with your recommendations for distant galaxies
Thanks, I appreciate it👍
Always great videos. Thanks. For people on budget or want simple grab go My WO 81 doublet can deliver 250-300x On planets. I like it as much as televue 85. Light weight and easy fast set up. Nice cost effective unit. I had 127 apo and honestly too heavy and not any better for consistency in my experience. I use WO 3x week easy. I can always bring out 12 dob if seeing is exceptional for planets and I have few hours to burn.
Scott with respect I will need to disagree with what you said. You must have quite the night brightness perception to do 300x with an 80mm. The image is way too dim for me even at 200x on the planets. And unless the seeing is absolutely terrible even someone that has never looked through a telescope will easily be able to see the difference between an 80mm and 127mm APO at anything above 120x. Agree on the 12" dob piece;)
@@AVTAstro I am not saying side by side it is better. I am saying given seeing conditions it is as good as needs to be and since set up so easy i am in practice using 80 mm scope more often than when I had 127 which means more time at eye piece. More experience leads to learning how to see and enjoying hobby offset by gain get from bigger refractor which I found pita to set up. On good night and assuming object has good altitude a nice 80 can deliver the goods. I use televue diagonal with powermate 4x and delos or Baader zoom depending on needs. Also use filters. Particularly on Jupiter which is too bright for my preference. As for high mag w 80 I wouldn’t believe it either but having used it and been lucky I logged several sessions getting 285x using Baader zoom on 8mm. Keep in mind that is not all objects give same results in session. This morning Saturn too low and over roof, I could only hit 150x w crisp views. Vs Mars at over 60 alt I got 285x in/out w 250 consistently crispy, Jupiter little lower was best at 228x more ideal around 190x. All 430am to 620am. I do have really sensitive eyes for contrast and color so definitely possible my eyes give me advantage. My approach is based on the old saying “The best scope is the one that gets used” : ) Just offering different perspective. I really enjoy your channel and benefit from your research. Cheers and clear skies.
Yeah I'm not trying to call you out or anything, and if a particular scope works for you who am I to tell you that it should not.
I'm just stating my experience with the scopes as im pretty sure thats the reason a lot of people view this content. I have literally had a 3", 4", 5", &7" APO's out side by side on the same night. I have also owned and extensively compared the 80mm/480 LOMO witch is widely considered as the best 80mm ever made to several nice 4" scopes. I sold the 2 80mm LOMOs that I had and still have several 4 and 5" APO's. Just my humble experience. 😁
I have a c14 and a 5 inch apo and that's a great combo side by side 😁
Yeah I'm sure that's a killer combo to use! Your fortunate to have such a nice scope setup👍
Are you still planning on making videos? I love watching your channel.
Lol, summer is very busy for me with work and play. But I'm actually currently working on 2 videos. And thanks a million for the support!👍
Excellent video
In my Astro experience I have seen 10” Meade lx200 in Florida on Saturn was beautiful and I bought the same scope in Wisconsin and I never ever got the same view on Saturn.
In Wisconsin I was in the club viewing Mars side by die 10” lx200 vs some Russian Newtonian telescope mn6 some like that that Newtonian was blowing a way 10” lx 200 Meade
Now I own 15” classic obsession it is beautiful on planets as well on nebulas
Specifically when I use DM binoviwers on good night Jupiter is fantastic .
On obsession laser Colimator does e great job
Here in USA I bought used 9.25 celestron because some people said it’s a special scope in the length.but that didn’t really work for me I’m not happy with it on focusing drive me crazy.
Thanks for the feedback from the field. Yup just confirms that seeing is the most important part. But when the seeing is good you do wat to have the best scope possible!
Tuning in from the Scottish border. It’s taken me quite a while to ‘acclimatise’ to your accent and laconic delivery but I’ve kept at it because your content is very much worth it, as is your knowledge.
I’ve just recently, over the last 6 months or so, bought an 8 inch LX10, a SKYWATCHER ST120 with eq5 mount and a SVBony sv503 70ED plus a Star Adventurer. Altogether, I hope they provide me with the variation I think I need for planets, dso’s and wide field targets. I intend to mount the ST120 on a ‘todmorden’ pier and use it primarily for EEA. Question: Have you looked at the badger contrast booster for use with achromats? I see a lot of very good reviews for its affect on CA but I worry about the reduction in brightness and the yellow tinge it’s meant to produce. Any thoughts?
Glad the content has been helpfull👍 In regards to the filter I think you will find that it will work just fine for EAA as you can tune out most of the color tint in the software(sharpcap I asume). Best, Vlad.
Great vid! Thanks for taking my suggestion. What you have said makes sense. Seems there are people who are passionate about their particular type of scope for planetary viewing whether refractor or reflector. It seems that it is a combination of aperture, seeing, optics, and telescope design, with each design having its benefits and detriments.
By the way I am curious about your mount, the one the Tak is on in the vid? The mount looks strong and yet its small.
Thanks again for the suggestion, video made perfect sense with planet season coming! Mount used is one I got with some astro gear and not labeled. It looks VERY similar to the Explore Scientific FirstLight EQ mount though.
@@AVTAstro I have the first light mount. Yours looks stronger. That's why I asked. It looks like a good small mount.
Witam! Ciekawy odcinek z ciekawym zagadnieniem. Akurat wczoraj udało mi się przeprowadzić w miarę dobrą obserwację Jowisza. Ostatnio udało mi się kupić stary teleskop w bardzo niskiej cenie. Teleskop działający w systemie cassegrain'a o średnicy lustra głównego 15cm i ogniskowej 2,8 metra. Z okularem 9mm mimo że wyszło duże powiększenie (311X) nadal było dość dobrze widać. Niby taka krótka tuba teleskopu, a tak długa ogniskowa.
Ogólnie chciał bym zapytać:
(Przy dobrych warunkach pogodowych i przy dobrej widoczności) Jakie maksymalne powiększenie użyteczne mogę zastosować w tym teleskopie cassegrain'a o aperturze 150mm i ogniskowej 2,8 metra?
Pozdrawiam serdecznie! 😄🤚🔭🤩🪐
Thanks! With a 150mm you should be able to do at least 300x!
@@AVTAstro OK! Czyli wszystko według standardowych klasycznych "książkowych" wyliczeń 😊.
Zastanawia mnie jeszcze jedna sprawa:
Jak przeprowadzić kolimację w teleskopie cassegrain'a?
W teleskopie systemu Newtona, kolimacja jest prosta. Wystarczy poświecić laserem w centrum lustra wtórnego i w centrum lustra głównego, i łatwo jest ustawić lustra. Można też przeprowadzić kolimację optyczną za pomocą specjalnego okularu, który może kupić lub łatwo zrobić.
W przypadku teleskopu cassegrain'a można by ustawić w ten sposób tylko lustro wtórne, ale nie da się poświecić laserem w centrum lustra głównego, ponieważ w centrum lustra głównego jest otwór.
Pytanie brzmi: jak ustawić lustro główne w idealnej pozycji? i jak po prostu przeprowadzić kolimację luster w teleskopie cassegrain'a?
Pozdrawiam 😊🤚😉🤔🔭
I always wanted to have a good refractor for planets but can’t effort astrophysics
Can Explorer Scientific Refactor ED127 Triplet APO do better than 12” obsession
Or at list better than celestron 9.25 I have not the hd.
I just love the classic style of refractors .
I’m thinking if we compare on the best night side by side.
If the optics are good on the larger scopes, collimated, cooled down, and the night of seeing is good then even the 5" AstroPhysics will lose out to the larger scopes your have. Do keep in mind that that's a lot of "IFs" I listed. On the average night with no cooldown the ES 5" APO will likely show a more pleasing/detailed image then the larger scopes.
@@AVTAstro
I was thinking to get Explorer Scientific Refactor ED127 Triplet APO
I just love sharp focusing on refractors
Hopefully planets would be ok on this one too for 900 focal lengths
@@AVTAstro
Sounds like either choose is good on the different way.
Vlad I noticed that you have owned the Celestron C6 SCT and 5" maks. In my on average 250x skies what is the difference on visual planetary views between them and would there be much benefit for someone that owns a 5" mak to upgrade to the C6 for planetary? Thanks!
I don't think you would see much diffrance. You would need to go up to the c8 for an appreciable diffrance.
Question for ya Vlad, when it comes to premium refractors, is there a big difference between say a Takahashi and an Astro Physics? I just got a TSA120 as my first "premium" scope and its great, but Im just curious are AP scopes that much better? or am I kind of hitting the ceiling of how good a scope can be optically.
If you have a TSA you esentialy have perfection. At best I would say the average TSA is 98% perfect and the average AP is 99% perfect. Is someone going to tell 1% apart??? Maybe a AP owner but not us mear mortals🤣🤣🤣🤣(OK people that's a bit of fun is all). I have owned a TSA-102 and AP-130GT at the same time for the record. Enjoy the TSA, you already own the best!
I'm thinking about buying a 5 in sky watcher reflector for Saturn next month. I have an 8 in dob but I have an injury that is exasperated by setting it up. How big of a difference will 3 in make with Saturn? I enjoyed this video but unfortunately I can't afford a nice refractor.
So yeah this kind of goes back to how good the seeing it. Overall you will get a nice bump in resolution by going the 8" if the seeing is good enough. Having said that if you cannot setup the 8" safely currently that's not even a consideration in my opinion. Get the scope you can use safely!
I would like to know if you could give me an opinion on which is better the meade sct or celestron edge sct Want to buy another scope right now I have an 8" celestron but everything is backorder from celestron And I can get a meade right now should I be patient and wait for the celestron?
I think the Mead will be more hit/miss. The Edge HD have very good Optics from the 2 random samples that I have owned.
Thanks. Could you tell me if the refractor telescope suffers a lot of damage if I want to observe from the seashore? I say this because of the salinity that can affect the lenses. Is there a trick to protect it and be able to go anyway?
I don't know of a way to protect the Optics. A refractor should be a lot safer to use then a mirrored scope though. Lenses are much more durable than mirrors.
@@AVTAstro thank you and clear skies
Summary at @7:14
Thanks!
so basically the SCT wins
Yes it would IF: 1)it's a good optical sample. 2) Cooled down. 3) In collimation. That's a lot of ifs for most people. Lol.
@@AVTAstro what would you say is the best all round scope
Best planetary scope. Largest aperture you can afford with the longest focal length. Don't need a 8+ minute video to know that lo. Good video anyway !
Thanks. 👍