2 nights ago ... went out around 8 o'clock ..setup the Scope and did a quick ' pan ' around ( alt/az mount ) ...sky was fairly ordinary...so I gave it away for a while .... waiting for Pleiades / Jupiter / and Orion to appear.
11pm .... what a difference ...the sky was ' black ' this time .
All 3 ' targets ' were climbing high in the eastern sky.
Jupiter was 1st ...using a Vixen LV Zoom 8 to 24...the planet was very bright ... so using a ' yellow ' filter the ' Bands ' just displayed themselves like ' highways ' stretching across the planet.
Views were ' crisp and clean ' contrast excellent ...and her moons were like diamonds ' hovering ' along with her.
Next was the Pleiades ( 7 Sisters ) ...just beautiful using a 35mm Panoptic ..filled the whole eyepiece ...but ... I could notice a very ' tiny ' ever so small ' comet like ' tail on the stars...at the outer edge.
Switch over to a 24mm Tak ( smaller fov ) stars went to ' pin point ' .
What a joy using Tak eyepieces with this Scope .. very contrasty indeed.
Put in a Orion ' ultra block ' filter ... and could make out the ' wispy ' blue Nebula that surrounds some of these stars.
Then came Orion Nebula ( M42 ) ...what a sight that was ...the sky was so ' black ' ... the expanse of the Nebula was spread out like ' angel wings ' ... really outstanding to look at .... I could easily see 4 inner stars of the Trapezium .. and using averted vision .. a 5th appeared just faintly ... I just sat and looked and looked at this for ages ..!!
I went back and forth between these 3 ' targets ' for some time ... and called it in about 1am.
During this time .. I used several different focal length eyepieces ..just to give the Scope a good ' try out ' ........was not disappointed ..!!
This Scope ' sports ' a 3" inch Focuser ...fully rotatable 360# degree ..!!
The SharpStar 107 ED is a wonderful performer .... I am glad I bought it.
Flash ..!!
Last edited by FlashDrive; 18-11-2012 at 08:58 PM.
Sounds like my Vixen Fl102.... my first look at the mighty Jovian system revealed bands, spots, and coloured moons on a perfectly black background, with NIL colour fringe whatsoever (it is f/9 ). Turning it to brighter DSO's revealed INCREDIBLE detail that any of my SW ED's FAILED to show, ever. I could split ANY double you can see on a spring night, easily.
It's the scope of my dreams. I know what you mean and how you feel!
Awsome review and lovely scope Colin , there is just something about viewing stars and planets in a super quality set of refractor optics , as Lewis says ( he knows ) , sounds a lot like the session I had friday morning 2am here using my SKY90 on the same 3 objects ( and almost the exact same eyeplece ) the seeing was perfect , like you said so dark and clear here as well , nice! . .
Good on ya mate .
Brian.
Mort ...Yes it does actually ....very little ' shake ' when you give the Scope or Mount a decent ' tap ' ... settles in about 1 sec' ....very sturdy ...I'd say the 8" inch pier ( made of solid steel ) attributes to it's steadiness.
Sounds like my Vixen Fl102.... my first look at the mighty Jovian system revealed bands, spots, and coloured moons on a perfectly black background, with NIL colour fringe whatsoever (it is f/9 ). Turning it to brighter DSO's revealed INCREDIBLE detail that any of my SW ED's FAILED to show, ever. I could split ANY double you can see on a spring night, easily.
It's the scope of my dreams. I know what you mean and how you feel!
Thanks Lewis ... It is very nice and glad to hear the same with your new Scope.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AG Hybrid
Good looking thing isn't it?
Thanks AG ....She is certainly ' looks ' the part ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stardrifter_WA
So, no cloud then Colin? Great to see that you are enjoying it.
Cheers Peter
Peter ...Cloud free that night ....was great to get ' her ' out and see what she could do ..!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by brian nordstrom
Awsome review and lovely scope Colin , there is just something about viewing stars and planets in a super quality set of refractor optics , as Lewis says ( he knows ) , sounds a lot like the session I had friday morning 2am here using my SKY90 on the same 3 objects ( and almost the exact same eyeplece ) the seeing was perfect , like you said so dark and clear here as well , nice! . .
Good on ya mate .
Brian.
Awesome Brian ...nothing like it .... ' black ' sky ... good Scope ....clear up above ....and away yah go ... ...
I have my 106 "Sharpstar' for 18 months now and am very pleased with it. I consider it the best portable instrument I could have bought and its relatively small size makes it very comfortable on the SPDX mount I use. It can do most of the things my 130EDT AP does, but often needs better conditions to achieve these results. I do not think the field is any near as flat as the 130, using a 27 panoptic is much more pleasurable in the 130 which is F8, than the Sharpstar.
It would be very interesting to compare it with the flourite Vixen 102. These scopes are exceptional, and LewisM made a wise choice when he bought this one.
My only question is, when did it become a 107?? I think I will get my verniers out and measure the objective!
I have my 106 "Sharpstar' for 18 months now and am very pleased with it. I consider it the best portable instrument I could have bought and its relatively small size makes it very comfortable on the SPDX mount I use. It can do most of the things my 130EDT AP does, but often needs better conditions to achieve these results. I do not think the field is any near as flat as the 130, using a 27 panoptic is much more pleasurable in the 130 which is F8, than the Sharpstar.
It would be very interesting to compare it with the flourite Vixen 102. These scopes are exceptional, and LewisM made a wise choice when he bought this one.
My only question is, when did it become a 107?? I think I will get my verniers out and measure the objective!
John ... was some what surprised myself ... why 107mm ...when a 106 was already on ' the books ' ....don't know why
I sure like it... but...that 1mm difference is of ' no ' consequence between yours and mine ....Yours would be just as impressive ..!!
LewisM certainly has a great Scope in the Vixen 102 ..what a score for a ' not so easy to find ' instrument.
Mine compared very favourably to my Lomo lensed SV105.
IMHO this is the king of 4", short fl scopes at the moment (well in the sub $3000 range anyway).
It's sold under various names - TS, APM, Astro-Tech and seems to vary in aperture from 105-107, depending on whose flogging it.
The Sharpstar version, gets a check-up from Barry at KK before being shipped so its usually spot-on-arrival.
Great scope.
). Turning it to brighter DSO's revealed INCREDIBLE detail that any of my SW ED's FAILED to show, ever. I could split ANY double you can see on a spring night, easily.
Great to see that you are enjoying it.
) the seeing was perfect , like you said so dark and clear here as well , nice! .
.
