this telescope I was lucky enough to buy in 2007 from a western sydney pawn shop in st marys.I got a terrific bargain.
There is something about a "live" view through a telescope that is very difficult to capture in photographs, no matter how spectacular
The front objective lens doesn't have adjustable screws like the current skywatchers.It has no brand name but i think it is an early skywatcher.It produces good sharp images.It is a good companion to my big apeture (10 inch and 12 inch)dobsonians.
THIS IS MY 5 INCH SAXON REFRACTOR.
It is black in colour while my other 4inch refractor is blue.
it is a high quality refractor without breaking the bank!! It is achromat refractor design which is the same design as the worlds biggest refractor: the yerkes 40 inch refractor built in 1895.
Its objective lens is a Lens doublet (A set of two lenses, one concave and one convex, made from different types of glass. Together the lenses correct both spherical and chromatic aberrations. A single lens alone cannot correct these aberrations)
It is nice to look at and nice to look through.
IT IS ON A 17 YEAR OLD JAPANESE EQUATORIAL MOUNT.It is very solid and sturdy and doesn't shake, rattle and roll.
IT PRODUCES SHARP IMAGES OF THE MOON AND OTHER PLANETS. IT HAS ADJUSTABLE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE LENS CELL .
This is my second refractor.I think it is a rebadged skywatcher.They not only rebadge cars but they rebadge telescopes too!
It has motor drive attached(see box attached to mount in photos) but I've never used it.
The mount holds two telescopes side by side or a single telescope on one side. The telescopes do not have to be of equal weight since this is an isostatic mount with the center of gravity near the telescope position. This configuration improves damping time showing less vibration than one arm fork mounts..!
- Dual mounts to attach 2 telescopes or 1 telescope + some accessories
- Butter smooth head movements
- Very sturdy William Optics Walnut wooden tripod
One of the scopes can be positioned ''anywhere'' it likes and does not interfere with the other scopes position. ... so 2 people can be viewing at different ' targets ' at the same time. You can see this as per photo shown.
Cheers .... Colin.
Last edited by FlashDrive; 09-03-2011 at 12:33 PM.
OK so this image is a bit out of date (lovely motorised Moonlight focuser & some "electric spaghetti" cleanup added since then) but I thought I'd add it to the list of toys anyway.
At this latitude ( -12.5 deg ) it sits quite low & almost needs a weight on the back leg to stop it toppling over.
As for the Aussie flag ground mat...well I'm no great patriot it's just that we have quite a few F18 Hornets & Tiger attack helicopters flying overhead at times so if they mistake it for a missle launcher at least they know it's a friendly.
About time to update what I am currently using.
I don't think I have updated my gear in this thread for a few years.
- EQ6 Mount with v2.5a Skyscan
- Saxon 120mm f5 Achromat with Modified ToUcam Pro II guide camera & Orion Accufocus electric focusser
- Skywatcher 6" f5 Achromat with Modified Samsung SCC-A2333 AstroVideo camera
This set-up is for Live Astrocast broadcasting on Night Skies Network.
All driven remotely from inside the house
A few pics of how 2 scopes are " handy " in conjunction with each other. Comparing 2 different Scopes on the " one " object is quite interesting .... especially with different focal lengths.
My grab and go is getting there slowly. Main scope is an FLT98CF with a FT focuser, a zenithstar 66 rides on top and its all swung by a Sphinx SXD mount. Main camera is a QHY9 with a QHY5 for guiding and a 7 position 2" FLI filter wheel. The hub is a nice addittion with 9 adjustable power outlets, 4 adjustable dew heater outlets, 5 USB 2 powered outlets, focus control and GPS all in one box. Only 2 wires out plus the guide cable
.... makes my Meade LX90 8" ACF look like a toy . 
