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Originally Posted by ghsmith45
If a 12" can't take 200x magnification, then one (or more) of the following applies:
1. The optics (main mirror or diagonal) are faulty
2. The collimation is off
3. The seeing is bad
4. The eyepiece is a bad one.
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5. Your mirrors haven't cooled to ambient. Good high power views depend on this.
It is more likely for the optics to be pinched by incorrect mounting than for the optics to be lemons. Check for nice round rings on an out of focus star test collapsing down to a point of light as you come to focus.
Do the rings look nice and solid or are they wavering and mushy? If not it indicates poor seeing or optics which haven't reached ambient temperature.
Experience will tell you which is the cause.
Quote:
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BTW it is normal for galaxies to darken with higher mag--you are spreading the same amount of light over a wider area
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Very true.