First Light sort of...

[wavelandscott]

Not much of substance but filled with enthusiasm/optimism...

I finally got a chance to spend a few minutes (and I mean very few) with my recently acquired 12.5" Discovery Dob under the night sky...

I was collimated up and ready...but, between the weather and my travel schedule (which is not letting up anytime soon) I have only had the plesure of staring longing at it in our front room...

Well tonight in spite of some other commitments I noticed that it was "sort of clear" in my backyard and so I wheeled her out for a quick look...

Unfortunately for some reason my neighbors (on all sides) decided that they needed to have their backyard lights on (I've never seen them all on before at the same time) so I only got a little view time...

Truth is, I did not even get a chance to really get the scope cooled down but, like a kid in a candy store I could not wait to try it out.

First impression is that I will fall in love very quickly!!!

I used only my 11 mm T6 Nagler and a few minutes of my 2.5x Powermate (between no cool down and the local seeing the Powermate was too much) so just the 11 mm T6 had to do...

I looked at the moon and it was spectacular...

Unfortunately Venus was behind the trees

Jupiter looked okay but without enough cool down and the not great seeing the image was about the same as what I was use to seeing in the 8"...the powermate was too much for the night...

Then for no reason that I could tell my neighbor's (on both sides) turned their lights on and it made seeing very difficult!

I did get a brief look at the Jewel Box...it was spectacular...I've never seen so much detail...it looks much better than in the 8"

Between my neighbor's lights and some work I've got to get done that was it for tonight...So a very quick look but I am very happy...the scope is a keeper!

I've just got to read the Argo Navis manual so I can use it and I'll be set!

Conclusions:
The motion and movement of the scope is very nice, there was no problem at all with the weight of the T6 and powermate...it can take much more...

The JMI focuser is not nearly as nice as the Moonlite focuser on the 8", I will be switching them at some time in the not so distant future...the Moonlite is too nice for my kids to play with on the 8"...

I've got to get an adjustable chair...my Ikea (non adjustable stool) is not tall enough for this scope...being a "hefty lad", I'll need to find something industrial strength to do the task...I found myself standing/crouching in really odd ways looking through the eyepiece...I will need to fix that...

Anyway, I've got a feeling that this scope will be dynamite under a dark sky...

I can't wait...

[[1ponders]]

Congratulations. Sounds like your on a real winner there. I can feel your excitement from here. :cool: I can sypathise with you about what its like with the lights, Tuesday nights here are always clear even if its been raining for two months. Why? Because that's when the tennis club next door turn their lights on. :lol: Murphy's law:lol: sounds like you had your own version:thumbsup:

[iceman]

Excellent Scott, I can't wait to have a look at that beauty when you come up to the central coast sessions.

Don't forget the jetstream is overhead at the moment, causing bad seeing so don't worry about how Jupiter looked.

I'm sure on a steady night with time to cooldown and darker skies, you'll be most suitably impressed. You just *have* to come to our central coast meets soon.

[p medcraft]

"The Jewelbox comes up a treat doesn't it Scott!
Wait for dark skies and your first look at something really challenging for that amount of glass. In the interim she loves Planetaries. Start with the Blue Planetary (just to see what a Blue Planetary really looks like through a good size chunk of glass) and then head over to the Ghost of Jupiter. These objects are quite easy to enjoy in polluted skies so they make a good target.
I have now had several sessions with the Discovery's replacement as we have had better weather than you guy's. Unfortunately I am not having as much fun with the software side of things. The scopes build and optics are amazing but so far the accuracy of the GOTO is a bit of a letdown (actually a lot). I figure I must be missing a step but the instructions are so BAD (read ambiguous) especially when it comes to Southern Hemisphere usage that I can't tell. Naturally an email to the Manufacturer after a $13000.00 purchase gets no response...
Third time out started to produce some reasonable accuracy, nothing compared to my LX200 but none the less useable as long as I stayed in the Southern Hemisphere, the moment I head North it starts to lose the objects in the eyepiece but keeps them in the finder scope, hhmmm....
As I get the polar alignment right the accuracy gets better but it is supposed to adjust for a rough polar alignmnent which is were it seems to fail. I know where the pole is but when rushing to use a new toy you are unfamiliar with the patience to wait until dark to set up properly just fails me so a rough align it has been so far.
You would think a scope this pricy would come with a polar finder...
Enough on the negatives, the view through this baby?
wow!


Paul medcraft

[wavelandscott]

Paul,

No doubt that the Discovery is a "peach"...

I hope that you get the software side sorted out!

I'll be traveling a lot the rest of July and so won't get viewing time...hopefully August will bring clear and dark nights for all!

Cheers!

[ving]

your next step is to make a pair of 8 inch binos... for that you will need another 8" dob... so i will happily sway your 12.5 for my 8.... deal? ;)

[dhumpie]

Nice report. Keep them coming :)

Darren

[wavelandscott]

Wow, a "tempting" offer...but, I think I will let this opportunity pass this time...

[ving]

oh well, your loss :rolleyes:

tell us whats its like when you get a proper viewing! :D