Posts Made By: Jim Pomanto

I’m relatively new to amateur astronomy and have never used a better instrument than the one I have, an Orion 120mm achromatic refractor f/8.4. It’s a decent instrument for a 120 achro, however, I know there are much better. It’s what I could afford for a first scope. What I’ve noticed is, on deep space objects like clusters and nebula, I get really nice views on clear nights with moderate light pollution. Galaxies, on the other hand are not so nice. Even M31 is your basic smudge of light on a dark background with no arms visible (actually one large one in the center and one smaller one off the starboard side). I’ve read/heard that galaxies are the most difficult objects to view and the first to go when viewing conditions degrade so I’ve accepted the fact that, until I can get to a decent viewing location, I’ll have to live with the galactic views I do get. What I was wondering is, are there any telescopes for retail purchase that will give detailed views such as arms and mini-clusters when I am viewing from a good location under excellent conditions? I realize this is somewhat subjective and apologize if the answer to this obvious for those who have been in this hobby for many years. The reason I’m interested is, I’m considering adding a 10-inch dobsonian to my equipment, however, I really don’t want to spend the money unless I’m confident I’ll get nice detail on galaxies and other faint DSOs when conditions allow. One thing I’ve learned from my own experience is - viewing conditions have more to do with the level of detail you observe regardless of what type of objects you’re viewing. It’s possible that, like many new to the hobby, my expectations exceed reality. Thanks for any help/info on this subject.

Ok, here’s another one. Would it be worth the expense of say, a Tele Vue Everbrite – around $190 US, to enhance my viewing pleasure with an Orion 120mm - f/8.4 achromat? The factory piece is cheap feeling and plastic. If the TVE is overkill, any recommendations for something more adequate. BTW - the EPs (coated Sirius Plossls) seem pretty good though I do plan on getting better, wider angle units in the future…big surprise eh…

I purchased an Orion Shorty Barlow 2x ($40 US) and must say have not been too pleased with the results. The mag is OK of course, but it seems to have knocked the brightness down more than I expected, especially at higher mags. Any thoughts on this? Should I have gotten an ED Barlow? I use an Orion 120 f/8.4 achro. Maybe what I really need is a better quality diagonal. Thanks for any opinions.

BTW - please no jokes about needing a better quality scope... 8)

Last night I was experimenting with “collimating down” my 120 achro to reduce the amount of chromatic aberration (CA). I used a piece of cardboard to effectively reduce the objective opening of the dew shield by 1 cm. It did reduce the CA and also reduced the brightness of the view (expected). What was really apparent was how bright the view was with the dew shield removed completely. Of course, the CA on brighter objects seemed more pronounced, however, for viewing DSOs this is not an issue, and, even though viewing conditions were average, the DS objects were clearly brighter.

So I was wondering, would it be standard practice to remove the dew shield on refractors when viewing DS objects? Do any of you do this when conditions allow? Is there some other reason for leaving the shield on even when dew is not a problem? At this time of year down here in south Texas, dew is not an issue unless the instrument is out when the sun comes up in the morning. Thanks for any input/info/opinions.

I agree with Anthony, the Moonlite is really a nice piece for a reasonable price and it’s basically plug-and-play for your model.

Lordy Lord!! That’s an incredible image! Nice work.