Modified ST102 & 19mm Luminos

[Nightspore]

I'm hoping to get the ST102 out fairly soon, preferably on a Moonless night.

 

 

Weight and balance trials with the Porta II/TL130 combination seem promising with the 19mm Luminos. The Altair dielectric is one of the few twistlocks that holds the Luminos safely. 

 

 

The Luminos aren't half as bad as many would have you believe. I like their overall visual ergonomics and the 19mm seems much less 'squinty' than the 18mm ES equivalent.

 

 

OK, there's the EOFB amongst other quirks, but I really like the 30mm field stop, even if the eyepiece does weigh almost as much as a two door Volvo. Although I admit they probably perform better with slower focal ratios (Luminos, not Volvos). 

 

 

This gives 26.3x and just over three arc degrees true field (grey reticule circle above). 

[Nightspore]

The Luminos was fine!