USER OBSERVATIONS Last updated: 20 August 2004

Subject:	ETX105 performance
Sent:	Tuesday, August 17, 2004 09:38:32
From:	Mark Mittlesteadt (markm@expetec1117.com)
My family and I were out enjoying the Perseids meteor showers. We were
all lying on a blanket on the ground and of course I had my ETX105
setup.

I decided to use the Autostar's "Guided Tour" that night and it was a
very nice feature and with alignment as perfect as could be, I got a
chance to view things I never took the time to star hop to before. I
checked out some objects that I had already seen with my larger 8" SCT
just to compare. The Autostar put every object near the center of the
FOV of a Televue 32mm EP, every time. So much so, that almost all night,
I rarely adjusted.

The Lagoon nebula was a wonderful sight. The whole area around it was a
very interesting site. I must have studied that nebula and the
surrounding stars for over an hour. The Ring Nebula was also quite
stunning. The ring was a perfect doughnut. It looked like an eye looking
back at me. Just beautiful. Of course with such a small aperture, there
were no central stars visible (which I understand are impossible to see
with anything smaller than a 10" scope).

I also checked out many clusters and all were just so beautiful. I
rarely used anything other than the Televue 32mm EP. I also have a
Televue 25mm and a Meade 18mm SWA, but the 32mm just gave such pleasing
views that I never did use the other EP's much.

All objects stayed in the FOV for as long as I viewed and the Ring and
Lagoon easily stayed in the EP for well over an hour each. I'd go lie on
the ground and check out the meteor showers (which were occasionally
nice) for a good while, and when I returned to the scope, the objects
were still very close to centered in the EP.

The ETX105 certainly gives very sharp, high contrast views and the
Autostar performed flawlessly and has, for me, for quite some time now.

I highly recommend to anyone who owns an ETX, to check out Televue
Plossls. The 32mm gives such wide field views (especially for such a
fast f/14 scope like the ETX105). The 25mm is also a winner. Those two
EP's are wonderfully sharp EP's. I've tried a lot of EP's with this ETX
and the Televue Plossls are not that expensive and are far superior to
any other Plossls I've used. Very distinct, pinpoint stars with high
contrast, all the way to the edge of field. Focusing was much easier
with the Televues versus other EP's I own. Very rarely would I have to
keep playing with the focuser to achieve sharp images. It just seemed to
snap right to focus.

I have tremendously terrible night skies...a lot of city light all
around me, houses all around me and just generally poor seeing
conditions. Yet the ETX with the Televue 32mm gave me quite sharp
images. The Lagoon nebula was viewed right over the rooftop of a
neighbor's house and he was outside that night and had a fire going in
his fire pit as well. Even with all that, the view was very sharp. I can
only imagine how much better the views through my ETX would be if I
would get it out to a dark sky.

I can't say enough good things about the extremely sharp optics of this
scope. I feel like I got an apo refractor for the price of an achromat.
The Autostar is such a blessing to those of us who don't have much time
to view via star hopping. Because of the Autostar, I saw more in one
night than I ever had before.

Just thought I'd share some positives about the ETX line.

Mark Mittlesteadt
Artist / Owner
AirDesigns
www.airbrushdesigns.net

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