So far so good Ian.
The weather's been fairly ordinary for weeks, as you know. What chances I've had to use it have been quite fleeting but I did get about 2 hours the other night to go for a quick "cruise" along the line of the Milky Way.
I thought I'd try and take in as many of my favourite objects as I could while the air was still and the temp wasn't falling so fast as to make thermals an issue with the 9.25.
I have to say M17 was very nice, even without a UHC or any other filter. Just some lovely detail in the body and neck of the Swan, with wisps of nebulosity very clear.
As you point out, the 24mm Pan does create a very nice dark background and nowhere was this more apparent than on nearby M23 and M25.
Stars presented as very sharp pinpoints across the entire field, although it's true what they say about the SCT/Panoptic combo producing a bit of field curvature. You can really see it when you make a slow slew from one area to one very nearby.
A small price to pay for a very pleasant view once the scope comes to a standstill
The one view which did surprise me (pleasantly) was of Jupiter, with the 24mm in the 2.5x Powermate. Plenty of detail in the main bands, with festoons and white spots in the SEB also quite easily seen.
Jupiter's moons were also quite crisp and circular, without the usual "flaring" which one often sees with SCTs, particularly in ordinary seeing and when the planet is as low in altitude as Jupiter is at the moment.
I will say (when viewed through native) I've noticed eye positioning is quite critical and takes a little getting used to. It doesn't take much veering off-axis to see those little comet tails, even when well-collimated.
However, I'm sure like most eyepieces this is something which will diminish as I become more familiar with it.
