Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexN
Another great shot Dennis... Have you given the C9.25 a run on the sun? I would imagine it too would be a fantastic solar imaging scope... The optics in the M180 would probably be that little bit sharper though.. And the closed SCT tube with heat issues might be a problem.
I honestly can't believe you braved the sun today... Working in a factory as I do, it was REALLY hot inside, but out in the sun it was a scorcher! You are indeed a brave man... I hope you wore plenty of sunscreen!!  |
Hi Alex
Thanks and yes, it was quite a gruelling session under that fierce Sun, although I still haven’t decided which is the worse yet; dehydration and sun stroke versus hordes of mosquitoes and exhausting all nighters!
I have tried the C9.25 on a couple of occasions, although not during this current spell of excellent seeing, so I cannot offer any comparisons between the Mewlon 180 and the venerable C9.25.
On previous occasions, I found that the seeing didn’t hold up to the C9.25 x2 Barlowed focal length of 4700mm versus the Melwon 180 x1.6 Tak Extender combo at 3450mm. What is very noticeable is that throughout the entire session, the off-white Tak tube remains remarkably cool whereas the black tube (CF) and rails of the C9.25 really heat up.
The open tube design of the Mewlon certainly allows the scope to cool down quickly at night compared to the C9.25 and I suspect that it would also be the case for daytime observing. The M180 is much lighter than the C9.25 and so should have a smaller thermal mass from this alone.
It would take a very brave man to swap OTA’s mid-session, during these moments of good seeing to run some side by side tests!
Cheers
Dennis