It holds 2" accessories easily and the unit rotates superbly.



Even better, it fits into my grab and go bag!

 

Yeah thanks, it is pretty cool. Colour matched as well lol. I got first light at about 20:00 BST on Venus. The plan was to try to do some rich field as it got darker, before the Moon got too high. It had been like a summer's day without a cloud in the sky all day ... until about 20:30 ... when the sky porridge appeared! Still, I got first light.

 

I got first light with the new focuser. I was set-up by 20:00 BST and the plan was to catch a setting Venus and as it got darker to try some rich field before the Moon was too high. I estimated that if I was lucky I may have until 21:30 until the Moon was a problem. As it was warm, sunny, and there had been a pristine and cloudless sky all day, I reckoned I was in with a chance. Of course, at 20:30 cloudy sky porridge filled the entire firmament effectively ending the session.

The first thing I’d noticed about the MoonLite was its weight compared to the Sky-Watcher (Long Perng) focuser unit. The SW with a Baader 1.25” adapter is 565g. The MoonLite with its stock adapter is 890g. Some 325g difference. I’d been using the SW focuser for nearly eleven months and had got used to the OTA being lighter than when it had the TS Optics (GSO) unit fitted. The TS Optics/GSO focuser with its original 1.25” adapter is 860g compared to the MoonLite at 890g. I don’t need the Baader (or MoonLite) adapter normally so by losing the adapter the MoonLite is ‘only’ 225g heavier than the SW focuser and roughly compares with the overall weight of the GSO.



My ST102 is fundamentally a rich field scope and it is the biggest refractor I can easily transport and set-up on the SW AZ5 mount/tripod. As a consequence I rarely use magnifications above around 60x and I’m usually observing between 18.5x and 42x. I only take two eyepieces out with it (27mm Panoptic, BHZ). I also take out a Celestron Luminos 2.5x Barlow in the grab and go bag for occasional higher magnifications. In use the Barlow usually has a Baader Fringe Killer/Neodymium stack threaded into it.

When I initially set up the MoonLite I noticed that the focusing controls and the rotation were very smooth. An odd thing was that I noticed that the left-hand finder shoe screw would push the reflex sight foot slightly forward as it rotated and tightened. To keep the finder as accurate as possible I usually push the foot into the shoe while feeling for the edge of the shoe with my finger. When it is flush with the edge I know it is in the right place. This is a particularly useful operation when setting up in the dark. It does this every time I place the reflex sight into the shoe though so once the finder has been aligned it doesn’t matter as it always slides back to the same place.



As I was observing Venus at between around 100x to 156x the extra weight of the MoonLite was quite noticeable. The vibration return at these magnifications was slower than with the lighter SW unit. I discovered that the smoothness and precision of the focusing controls offset this slightly though. Another interesting factor was the MoonLite’s shaft lock system situated directly under the left-hand focusing knob. This locks with absolutely no image shift that I could detect.



Just before the sky porridge came I had a look at Sirius, Procyon and Cappella at 18.5x with the Panoptic. It was still technically twilight but these particular stars are very bright. Any vibration was not an issue at this magnification. The only drawback appears to be getting used to the extra weight again. All in all I’m very impressed with the MoonLite and it is a joy to use. It oozes quality and is beautiful to look at. I’ll have to eventually stop taking jpegs of it lol.

 

You're welcome Reggie. I doubt I'll be imaging any time soon, the only camera I have is on an old Asus tablet lol.

 

Thanks Reggie. I thought they definitely rock! A nice brace of MoonLites lol.



The MoonLite I put on the ED80 came with a Tele Vue/Explore Scientific finder bracket. I didn't know what it fitted at first and contacted MoonLite. Ron at MoonLite is going to send me a replacement Synta type free of charge. So I've taken it off the ED80 and put it on the ST102. I used to have them in that position (on the right) on my ST80's and ST102. It is easier in some ways as I have to hold the scope to guide it with my left hand predominantly. I have them on the left now though mainly. Plus I realised it's easier to sit to the right of the AZ5 after rotating the focuser and reach the slo mo with my left hand. If that isn't too confused.com? lol


Above: ED80 with TV/ES bracket on the left before being replaced with a Synta type.


Above: ST102 now with the TV/ES bracket on the right.

Might come in useful if I can save up for a Tele Vue Starbeam sight. They cost more than the ST102 lol. I'm itching to test the ED80 under the stars, but it's the usual June thunderstorms at the moment.



So meanwhile I'll listen to Gloria Jones ...