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Old 17-05-2019, 04:31 PM
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pgc hunter
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Location: Renmark, SA
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Lunar with the Vixen R130sf

Last night and tonight headed out with my newly set up grab n go rig, a Vixen R130sf on an alt-az mount, for my first proper lunar viewing with this scope. Seeing was quite average both times, but with some steady moments. To put it simply, the view with the 7mm Delite, was, in a word, sublime. Such high contrast, jet black shadows, very sharp, and beautiful natural tones. Spent quite a lot of time on Rupes Recta and the surrounding features. Rima Birt was clearly seen, including the craters at both ends. The tiny crater Birt K could also be seen. The four main Plato craterlets also popped into view. The walls of Copernicus were stunningly clear.


At times seeing was good enough to Powermate the 7mm for 232x, which split Plato C and D. Rupes Recta now appeared not very straight at all, and Birt K could be seen as a tiny bowl. Exceeding 45x/inch, I was getting a substantial net increase in resolution.


I also had the opportunity to compare the Delite to one of my remaining LVWs. While the LVW has a 5mm focal length and thus 130x vs 93x, the view in the LVW was clearly warmer-toned and seemed to lack the edge of the Delite. Could be the magnification difference, but to me, the Delite was aesthetically more pleasing and just seemed to be a hair sharper. The Delite is looking like a ripper lunar eyepiece.


I got this scope secondhand a few years ago and its only now I got it properly outside (save for a nice galaxy session a couple weeks ago). The previous owner fitted it with a Moonlite Focuser and got rid of the push-pull collimation arrangement and I've ordered a RACI finder to replace the neck breaker. It sits on a GSO Skyview mount and together makes a nice lightweight grab n go setup intended for sessions like this. With the tripod fully retracted it sits at the perfect height for seating observing, so all in all, this is proving to be a comfortable and agreeable setup for grab n go observing.


Now, I need to get a good lunar atlas and certainly some short FL Delites.
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Old 04-06-2019, 01:54 PM
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Tinderboxsky (Steve)
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Thanks for your report, Sab. The R130Sf seems a very under rated scope. They do not appear to be available any more.
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