USER OBSERVATIONS Last updated: 13 April 2006

Subject:	ETX-125/ Meade 826 Observation report
Sent:	Sunday, April 9, 2006 20:58:46
From:	The Brown Family (chrisbrown4@cox.net)
I caught another super-steady night with my ETX-125/Meade #826 combo...
Here's the report.

My Meade ETX-125 / #826 EQ mount combination continues to impress, I
bought this OTA from an observer who's Go-To electronics failed, so he
separated the OTA from the forks.

I had an old AC drive # 826 tripod handy, and the installation was a
natural! This mount is a little short (especially at zenith!), but a
lawn chair puts everything right. The mount is much heavier than the ETX
OTA, so stability is never an issue.

I had a chance to test the 125's optics (and the mount's stability!)
last night, as I caught one of those rare, atmospherically stable
weather conditions that allow very high magnifications!

I was observing the moon, in the area around crater Wolf, very near the
terminator, and I realized that I was running out of eyepieces! My
Celestron Epic ED 8mm (232.5x) was a walk in the park for the ETX, so I
tried a 7mm Vixen Ortho (271.43x), and I was getting no breakdown! At
316.67x (circle-T 6mm Ortho), I could see a crater along the rim of the
crater that I was observing, and at 380.0x, (5mm Vixen Ortho), I FINALLY
saw some softening of the image!!I must note that the detail between
316.67x and 380.0x wasn't improved, but the image was bigger, with no
floaters!

Time for Saturn!

Using a Vixen 10mm Plossl to start, 190x was ultra sharp and clear, with
two clear bands, a clear-cut shadow on the rings, and a Cassini Division
seen clearly all the way around the rings! Pushing up to 271.43, the
image remained sharp, with three small moons (Tethys, Rhea, and
Enceladus, I think) visible with averted vision!

Pushed to 316,67x, the moons were more visible, but the planet was
softening. My best view was with a Sirius 7.5mm Plossl, with 253,37x,
another victory for Plossl eyepieces!

I highly recommend using a heavy EQ mount with these telescopes (get the
spotter version,!) I had no trouble tracking at 300x-plus powers, very
little correction (properly aligned!), and NO shakes!

Last night, the ETX-125 gave me the finest views of the Moon and Saturn
that I have ever seen, through any telescope, including a 10-inch Cave
reflector, a 12-inch Meade SC, and even an 18-inch obsession! Maybe it's
just my eyes, but the quality of image is unparalleled! I spent an hour
last night just on Saturn alone, at 253.37x, seeing details I have
missed in the past...

I hope another night like this comes along soon!
Chris Brown 

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