TheSkySearchers

Well, they sent me an ad... And I have been wanting to upgrade... and I want something that I can carry. And I paid the rent last week. And I have not told my wife yet...
What did it for me really was the fine tuning. I think that all telescopes should come with it.

I also bought the non-Meade Meade 82-degree 14 mm waterproof ocular they had a hundred of at half retail.

The grey focuser reminds one of the 111mm scope that got rave reviews. I have a TS Optics 115mm with dash51 triple glass. This size scope is enough to really start seeing good planetary detail, without being too heavy. Mine works well on the Stellarvue M2 mount.

This is a fine scope, congrats! You will love it, on Moon, planets and doubles in particular. Small APO scopes like that can go to crazy powers. I would invest in a good EP in ~3mm FL range.

I also bought four SunCatcher filters and a "1x Certified Pre-Owned Twilight I Adjustable Angle Alt-Azimuth Mount" marked down 25% all from Explore Scientific. So, APO ED telescope, ocular, and mount on tripod I think that I will have the telescope I always wanted. We have rain this week while the gear is in transit. Also, it has been four days since I ordered and I did not get an advice notice from Astronomics. So, I called them. They gave me 47 seconds of attention to tell me that the only two workers in the place were shipping the 115s as fast as they could. (Like, the sooner I hang up, the sooner I'll get my telescope. It's all good.)

Twilight I is a nice light duty mount. It should work for your ES 102mm frac. However, based on my experience it will be too shaky and hard to balance and use with 115mm triplet. In part because triplets are front-heavy.

I have tried a few single-arm AZ mounts and discovered that this design is not suited for slower refractors. Block design (Stelarvue M2), dual mounts (SW Skytee 2) or EQ mounts (you can use them in AZ mode) work better.

Bigzmey wrote: ↑Wed May 12, 2021 8:11 pm However, based on my experience it will be too shaky and hard to balance and use with 115mm triplet. In part because triplets are front-heavy.

I noticed that right away: there is no neutral position. If the AT-115 does not work, it can sit in its case until I get a tripod and mount.

And I am still waiting for a diagonal and for other gear. I bought a 1x Certified Pre-Owned Explore Scientific 99% Reflective 2" Diagonal marked down to $119.95 and also from Stellarvue one of their 90-degree prisms with a focusser. (The Stellarvue is for my 102 mm.)

But thanks for the heads-up.
Mike M.

Bigzmey wrote: ↑Wed May 12, 2021 8:11 pm... it will be too shaky and hard to balance and use with 115mm triplet.

I might need to wait another week for clear skies to test it, but I did set it up again in the living room and it seems OK. It is front heavy. But so is my 102 in the First Light mount. As you can see, it is balanced to the back for more moment arm against the weight forward. And I added the foam rubber guards to protect it from falling forward.
I agree that the Twilight mount will serve well for the 102 mm. I tried attaching a grip to the 102 and just took it and the original off and just move the telescope by holding the tube. (It's like riding a horse Roman style plowing with two hands instead of guiding with one hand English style like they teach now.) Anyway, with the Alt-Az gearing and control rods the Twilight will make guiding a lot easier.

Only thing is, the tripod spreader plate has a huge 2-inch hole. I understand: it takes 2-inch lenses. But I already had something fall through that disposal chute when I was setting it up the first time. It just seems to me that it is better to have a 2-inch attachment on the plate over a 1.25-inch hole than to have a 1.25-inch eyepiece on the ground.

As for the 115-mm APO, I was thinking of counter weight in back, maybe an aerobics 0.5 kg wrist weight. I will put foam up front on this, also. It's an easy fix.

"All decks! Damage report!"
Astro-Tech
AT115EDT f/7 ED Triplet Refractor OTA
$1,399.00
Explore Scientific
Certified Pre-Owned Twilight I Adjustable Angle Alt-Azimuth Mount -
CPOMAZ01-00
$217.99
Ad Libs - Astronomics
Meade 14mm Series 5000 1.25" Ultra Wide Angle (14 mm 82-degree eyepiece.) waterproof No-Name Item# MUWA14
$79.95
Astro-Tech Astronomics
8x50 Right Angle Finder Scope Item# ATRAF850
$59.95
Explore Scientific
Certified Pre-Owned Explore Scientific 99% Reflective 2" Diagonal
$119.95

Stellarvue
90-Degree Erecting Prism with Focuser
(Intended to be used with my ES-102)
$79
Explore Scientific
Sun Catcher Variable Large Aperture Solar Filters (4)
Sun Catcher Solar Filter for 80mm / 102mm ED APO and Doublet Refractors
Sun Catcher Variable Large Aperture Solar Filter Sun Catcher Solar Filter for 127mm and the Comet Hunter
$97.96

Don't stop me now ...

This is like second Christmas! Enjoy, and better check for the storms coming your way.

More than I spent in six years on telescopes, books, and tuition.

My first telescope was a Celestron EQ-130 reflector and I was never happy with it. On the other hand, I also bought the Celestron lens and filter kit and it has served me well and only now am I buying better oculars to go with the better telescope.

I know the same learning curve from numismatics. I was an editor for Coin World when I finally figured out that I am not a collector. As they say, education is expensive but less expensive than ignorance. Also: Better to regret the purchase you did not make, than the one you did.

Now that I have one nicer ocular for the better telescope, I thought that I would see what a really nice one would cost. So, I went to Tele Vue Optics to look over the handiwork of Al Nagler. They do not list prices. But they do list sellers. And I know one of them, Enerdyne in beautiful Suttons Bay, Michigan. So, I called them for prices and availablity. Nagler 31 mm = $666.99; Ethos 21 mm = $854.95... "Ok," I replied not wincing, "How much for a 7 mm?" One ninety nine. (Wow!!) "... only have one... been on the shelf a long time..." So, it's a Model 4?, I asked. "It's older than that. It's from before models." So I bought it.

Enerdyne website here: https://enerdynet.com/
My review of the store from two years ago: https://necessaryfacts.blogspot.com/201 ... s-bay.html

(My wife's family is from Suttons Bay. In all the years we have been up there visiting she never let me go to the store. She let me go to bars with her cousins because she knew that I would not drink more than one or two... but she never let me go to Enerdyne. The last time, I forget how it happened, but I was alone in a house two blocks from the store. That went OK, actually. I bought something for my telescope and paid cash, pocket money, basically. My mistake was locking the door on the way out. "Why???" Now we're all locked out." Village of 650: why lock the doors?)

mikemarotta wrote: ↑Thu May 20, 2021 12:58 am Now that I have one nicer ocular for the better telescope, I thought that I would see what a really nice one would cost. So, I went to Tele Vue Optics to look over the handiwork of Al Nagler. They do not list prices. But they do list sellers. And I know one of them, Enerdyne in beautiful Suttons Bay, Michigan. So, I called them for prices and availablity. Nagler 31 mm = $666.99; Ethos 21 mm = $854.95... "Ok," I replied not wincing, "How much for a 7 mm?" One ninety nine. (Wow!!) "... only have one... been on the shelf a long time..." So, it's a Model 4?, I asked. "It's older than that. It's from before models." So I bought it.

Enerdyne website here: https://enerdynet.com/
My review of the store from two years ago: https://necessaryfacts.blogspot.com/201 ... s-bay.html

(My wife's family is from Suttons Bay. In all the years we have been up there visiting she never let me go to the store. She let me go to bars with her cousins because she knew that I would not drink more than one or two... but she never let me go to Enerdyne. The last time, I forget how it happened, but I was alone in a house two blocks from the store. That went OK, actually. I bought something for my telescope and paid cash, pocket money, basically. My mistake was locking the door on the way out. "Why???" Now we're all locked out." Village of 650: why lock the doors?)

Is that Nagler smoothie (aka "original" or type 1) then?

Bigzmey wrote: ↑Thu May 20, 2021 7:40 pm. Is that Nagler smoothie (aka "original" or type 1) then?

Dunno. I bought it over the phone. They messaged me a picture of the receipt and UPS shipping label. The receipt only says, TELE NAGLER 7.0

I just did a google search and found the Type 1 7mm "smoothie" discussed on Cloudy Nights and found a couple sold on Astromart. CN reviews were mixed, of course, and reflective of cognitive dissonance. Those who upgraded to later models are happy that they they gpt better coatings and eye relief. Those who kept them say they are great. When it arrives, I will post it here, of course.

(Rain and clouds through next Friday here. Do you think that if I stopped buying astronomy gear, the skies would clear up?)

The Nagler ocular arrived from Enerdyne.
The stocking tag shows that it was last inventoried and priced 01 16. The barrel is stamped Taiwan ROC.

Type 1, but not smoothie. The eye relief is a bit tight but should be a good match for your refractors. Enjoy!

Bigzmey wrote: ↑Wed May 12, 2021 8:11 pm Twilight I is a nice light duty mount. It should work for your ES 102mm frac. However, based on my experience it will be too shaky and hard to balance and use with 115mm triplet. In part because triplets are front-heavy.

I had to wait to get the finder scope and then get it mounted. It still is not perfect. As you can see the telescope balances nicely because I bought a diagonal and I am using larger occulars. I also have a non-Meade 14mm 82-degree.
We will see how shaky it is when the monsoon season finally ends. As with my 102, I wrapped some rubber around the tube to minimize the inevitable small shocks from touching the base.

In my experience the shakes come for the arm. It could be improved by reinforcing the arm with a block of wood, etc. I found that wrapping it with bungee cord makes vibrations to die out faster.
Also, Orion SkyView Pro Telescope Mount Extension Pier can be used with T1 mount.

https://www.telescope.com/Orion/Orion-S ... ion%20pier