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Generally underwhelming results from 8” LX200 classic

Started by cocheeze, 07/20/2020 08:57AM
Posted 08/21/2020 06:18AM #10
Originally Posted by Steve Nugent

Pablum?  This is 95% facts.

I hope you are not getting your news on Social Media.  This is flooded with propaganda from foreign countries.  Not reliable.

What Trump is doing is EXACTLY what happened in Germany in 1930's.  This is exactly what happened in Poland and Hungary, which both used to be Democratic.  There is only one playbook for dictators and authoritarians, and they all use the same tactics.

We just had Trumps Gestapo in Portland busting heads, shooting people and detaining people and now his ICESTAPO in Bend, Oregon where the residents tried to prevent them from taking two immigrants who had lived here for more than a decade.  Enough is enough.

So only 5% lies then? LOL.....Dude it looks like you picked all your talking points straight off of the most biased unreliable source of news on the planet....CNN....Ohhh well, it appears you are beating all around the bush without actually calling Trump a Nazi. Thats where discussion dies with me as continuing is useless, you are simply rabid smile

20" MidnighTelescopes f/5
8" f/16 Muffoletto Achro
Meade 6" AR6 f/8.0 Achro
Celestron C11
Parallax PI250 10" F/5 Newt
Vixen FL102S,NA140SS,R200SS
80mm Stellarvue Nighthawk with WO APOupgrade lens, 90mm f/16.67 Parallax Achro
LXD75/LX200, Mini-tower, GP-DX, CG5 ASGT, LXD650, GM-8, G11, GM-100, GM-150EX, GM-200 and a Gemini G40
4" portable AP convertable 44" or 70" pier
Stellarvue M7 Alt-Az, TSL7 Pier/Tripod
12.5" f/5 MidnighTelescopes DOB Swayze optics
Monroe GA
Posted 08/21/2020 10:17PM #11
Originally Posted by Greg Shaffer


So only 5% lies then? LOL.....Dude it looks like you picked all your talking points straight off of the most biased unreliable source of news on the planet....CNN....Ohhh well, it appears you are beating all around the bush without actually calling Trump a Nazi. Thats where discussion dies with me as continuing is useless, you are simply rabid smile
Wow Greg Stevie Nugett must not of read anything about Hitler and Nazi Germany at all !!  I agree he is rabid.wink
Posted 09/03/2020 07:45AM #12
In 2016, I was flabbergasted by the Dems trying to install Hillary as the President of the United States of America.  Underestimating the intelligence of the American public.  Then in this race, the dog & pony show the Dems put on to at least make it appear to be a legitimate 'people's choice' selection for the Democratic Candidate.  Although it will certainly not be in 2020, the handwriting is on the wall that the Left Wingers are going to get their shot at creating their Dream Country.  

 My guess is that the DNC is actually got their sights focused on the 2032 election.  After President Trump's second term, the next President will be an outstandingly bright and talented black Republican Woman Senator, currently a first-term Congressman.  No!  Not a Congresswoman nor a Congressperson.  So, there is a 12-year window for a miracle to change the course of American politics, and thus the Country. 

I figure that by 2031, the Democrats will have taken control of their party and will rely on sheer number power generated mostly by our educational institutions.  If we can't figure out a way to level that field, it's over.  When the Democrats lulled us all to sleep while they slipped in the 18 year old vote on us' I suppose that the majority of us were thinking; well. just how bad can it be?  

I'm going to look back and find out what the Republicans gave up to the Dems in order to allow that to happen.  Are we already in an unbreakable choke hold?  Just try to un-ring THAT bell.  Who will history hold accountable for that?  Aren't you curious?  BTW, many of those entitled 18-20 year old voters are on display nightly in the streets of what once amongst the greatest cities in America.  The compelling argument back then was that if an 18-year-old could pack an M-1 and possibly give his life for his Country, he should be entitled to vote.  Yeah, RIGHT! 

SO, it appears that for the next 12 years, we will have to depend on the left-winger's own stupidity to keep us in the game as a great Nation.  Actually, now that I think about it, I rather like that prospect.
   


 
Posted 09/08/2020 03:02PM | Edited 09/08/2020 03:29PM #13
Originally Posted by Casey Montgomery
Please feel free to move this if it belongs in beginner astronomy or equipment talk instead.

I have owned my Meade 8” LX200 classic (EMC) for a few years now, and i have found over time that i can never get satisfactory results from it when viewing anything other than the moon or sun.

I typically only attempt to view solar system objects, because DSOs all just tend to look like hazy blobs. 

For accessories/hardware, I have meade super plossl eyepieces of the following sizes: 40mm, 26mm, 25mm, 15mm, 12.4mm, 9.7mm, and 6.4mm. I also have a celestron x-cel lx 3x barlow. The diagonal is a standard 1.25” meade. The tripod is stock. I have added a larger dial to the focusing knob to improve fine tuning, but that is the only real modification.

I find that i am not able to manually focus on objects with anything smaller than about a 25mm eyepiece. I think that the problem is that the scope is simply too shaky. A couple of nights ago i was viewing Neowise, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars from a dark site in central oregon, and i just felt completely underwhelmed. Neowise looked okay with the 40mm lens, but anything else was just too blurry and unfocusable. It honestly looked more exciting through my mediocre vivitar 4x30 binoculars. Jupiter looked pretty cool (but very small) through 40mm, and the 40mm with barlow. I was able to spot the 4 galilean moons and pluto in the same shot. All of the other eyepieces were too hard to focus. Same with Saturn. It was focusable at 40mm, but too small to appreciate. Mars was a tiny red dot and really disappointing.

Finally, my questions:

First, am i expecting too much from this scope? Do i need something bigger or more recent to really get good views of those objects?

Second, i have a lead on a NEQ-6 mount with a bunch of upgrades done to it for about $1500, and i am considering deforking the lx200 and trying it on a more robust mount. There is also a 10” lx200gps for sale near me for about $1900, which seems a bit steep but would probably be a big improvement in light collection.

I am just generally not sure where to go from here. I know my stock 8” lx200 classic isn’t doing it for me, and i am willing to make a decent investment to upgrade... but i am not sure where the best place to spend the money is.

Apologies for the long winded post!

Thanks,
Casey

Hi Casey (and All),

Casey, I live near you (45-46 Deg. North Latitude). TIP: Focus on a star, not a planet !!!

Your biggest challenge with Jupiter is how low in the Southern sky it (and Saturn) are this year. I can barely get to 100 power in my 8 inch SCT like you are experiencing.

In contrast, I can split the "Double-Double" (Epsilon in Lyra) pretty easily when it is overhead near the zenith. Focus on and watch Vega from an open area as it moves toward zenith and then check back as it moves to different, lower altitudes above the horizon as time goes by: When it is high, Vega twinkles very little, but later when it is low in the sky, it twinkles a lot because of the atmospheric turbulence "takes over". The atmosphere is the limiting factor, not your scope. Take you scope to AZ, NM or TX and see that Jupiter and Saturn are a whole different, better viewing experience. We are "too far" North !!! Pick objects that are nearer the zenith !!! Another nice object is M-57 (aka the Ring Nebula) as it gets high overhead, but once again, focus on Vega first, then swing over to the Ring without changing focus.

Best Regards,

Ed (aka eblanken)
Posted 09/18/2020 07:49AM #14
Originally Posted by James Moore
In 2016, I was flabbergasted by the Dems trying to install Hillary as the President of the United States of America.  Underestimating the intelligence of the American public.  Then in this race, the dog & pony show the Dems put on to at least make it appear to be a legitimate 'people's choice' selection for the Democratic Candidate.  Although it will certainly not be in 2020, the handwriting is on the wall that the Left Wingers are going to get their shot at creating their Dream Country.  

 My guess is that the DNC is actually got their sights focused on the 2032 election.  After President Trump's second term, the next President will be an outstandingly bright and talented black Republican Woman Senator, currently a first-term Congressman.  No!  Not a Congresswoman nor a Congressperson.  So, there is a 12-year window for a miracle to change the course of American politics, and thus the Country. 

I figure that by 2031, the Democrats will have taken control of their party and will rely on sheer number power generated mostly by our educational institutions.  If we can't figure out a way to level that field, it's over.  When the Democrats lulled us all to sleep while they slipped in the 18 year old vote on us' I suppose that the majority of us were thinking; well. just how bad can it be?  

I'm going to look back and find out what the Republicans gave up to the Dems in order to allow that to happen.  Are we already in an unbreakable choke hold?  Just try to un-ring THAT bell.  Who will history hold accountable for that?  Aren't you curious?  BTW, many of those entitled 18-20 year old voters are on display nightly in the streets of what once amongst the greatest cities in America.  The compelling argument back then was that if an 18-year-old could pack an M-1 and possibly give his life for his Country, he should be entitled to vote.  Yeah, RIGHT! 

SO, it appears that for the next 12 years, we will have to depend on the left-winger's own stupidity to keep us in the game as a great Nation.  Actually, now that I think about it, I rather like that prospect.
   


 
Posted 09/18/2020 07:49AM #15
Originally Posted by James Moore
In 2016, I was flabbergasted by the Dems trying to install Hillary as the President of the United States of America.  Underestimating the intelligence of the American public.  Then in this race, the dog & pony show the Dems put on to at least make it appear to be a legitimate 'people's choice' selection for the Democratic Candidate.  Although it will certainly not be in 2020, the handwriting is on the wall that the Left Wingers are going to get their shot at creating their Dream Country.  

 My guess is that the DNC is actually got their sights focused on the 2032 election.  After President Trump's second term, the next President will be an outstandingly bright and talented black Republican Woman Senator, currently a first-term Congressman.  No!  Not a Congresswoman nor a Congressperson.  So, there is a 12-year window for a miracle to change the course of American politics, and thus the Country. 

I figure that by 2031, the Democrats will have taken control of their party and will rely on sheer number power generated mostly by our educational institutions.  If we can't figure out a way to level that field, it's over.  When the Democrats lulled us all to sleep while they slipped in the 18 year old vote on us' I suppose that the majority of us were thinking; well. just how bad can it be?  

I'm going to look back and find out what the Republicans gave up to the Dems in order to allow that to happen.  Are we already in an unbreakable choke hold?  Just try to un-ring THAT bell.  Who will history hold accountable for that?  Aren't you curious?  BTW, many of those entitled 18-20 year old voters are on display nightly in the streets of what once amongst the greatest cities in America.  The compelling argument back then was that if an 18-year-old could pack an M-1 and possibly give his life for his Country, he should be entitled to vote.  Yeah, RIGHT! 

SO, it appears that for the next 12 years, we will have to depend on the left-winger's own stupidity to keep us in the game as a great Nation.  Actually, now that I think about it, I rather like that prospect.
   


 
Posted 09/25/2020 04:20AM #16
Originally Posted by Casey Montgomery
Please feel free to move this if it belongs in beginner astronomy or equipment talk instead.

I have owned my Meade 8” LX200 classic (EMC) for a few years now, and i have found over time that i can never get satisfactory results from it when viewing anything other than the moon or sun.

I typically only attempt to view solar system objects, because DSOs all just tend to look like hazy blobs. 

For accessories/hardware, I have meade super plossl eyepieces of the following sizes: 40mm, 26mm, 25mm, 15mm, 12.4mm, 9.7mm, and 6.4mm. I also have a celestron x-cel lx 3x barlow. The diagonal is a standard 1.25” meade. The tripod is stock. I have added a larger dial to the focusing knob to improve fine tuning, but that is the only real modification.

I find that i am not able to manually focus on objects with anything smaller than about a 25mm eyepiece. I think that the problem is that the scope is simply too shaky. A couple of nights ago i was viewing Neowise, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars from a dark site in central oregon, and i just felt completely underwhelmed. Neowise looked okay with the 40mm lens, but anything else was just too blurry and unfocusable. It honestly looked more exciting through my mediocre vivitar 4x30 binoculars. Jupiter looked pretty cool (but very small) through 40mm, and the 40mm with barlow. I was able to spot the 4 galilean moons and pluto in the same shot. All of the other eyepieces were too hard to focus. Same with Saturn. It was focusable at 40mm, but too small to appreciate. Mars was a tiny red dot and really disappointing.

Finally, my questions:

First, am i expecting too much from this scope? Do i need something bigger or more recent to really get good views of those objects?

Second, i have a lead on a NEQ-6 mount with a bunch of upgrades done to it for about $1500, and i am considering deforking the lx200 and trying it on a more robust mount. There is also a 10” lx200gps for sale near me for about $1900, which seems a bit steep but would probably be a big improvement in light collection.

I am just generally not sure where to go from here. I know my stock 8” lx200 classic isn’t doing it for me, and i am willing to make a decent investment to upgrade... but i am not sure where the best place to spend the money is.

Apologies for the long winded post!

Thanks,
Casey

Digital photography allows a SCT scope to be repurposed into a very sensitive instrument less dependent on it's limited apeture.  Also consider an equatorial mount to allow full use of the drive mechanism to extend exposure times for the scope and/or a lensed piggyback camera.
Posted 09/30/2020 08:21PM #17
Casey,
When was this scope last properly collimated?
Posted 10/01/2020 11:39AM #18
Originally Posted by James DellaPenna
Casey,
When was this scope last properly collimated?
Good question James !!!

I still suspect that much of the problem is due to trying to observe objects low in the southern sky, but with an SCT, collimation is always something to question.

Ed (aka eblanken)