The plural form of software is software. This is true even when you're referring to multiple programs. Softwares (with an S at the end) isn't an actual word.

Like! An off topic question. If I use for visual observations for example a Skywatcher 150/750 mm F5 achromat and a Skywatcher 120/900 mm APO, I understand that with the APO the Moon and planets will look 10x better and sharper but how about galaxies ? Will the galaxies look better in a high-quality 4.7 inch APO than in a 6 inch short F5 achromat ? (For visual observations only, not astrophotography). Also is the contrast on galaxies better in the APO than in the achromat ? Thank you!

Looks like Pi Scorpii is vDB 99.

What is the lowest temp in Celsius where we can use these mount during the Winter ?

sound too low!!

Does the 12 have the baffles ?

Is it true north or magnetic north for az mounts ?

@SkyWatcherUSA Is any of these mount heads compatible with the HEQ5 tripod?

The Heritage 150P is a Brilliant Telescope.

Will the 150i have a recommended maximum focal length? If so, what is it?

Has the issue with the USB hub been fixed?

I would love to attend this sometime just for the experience. How cool would it be if the dark national parks provide and area for club star parties? One big crowded event doesn't sound like much fun. Much better would be a lot of smaller gatherings.

you guys really should add a manuel for people who masses their adjustmets even knowing what is what is almost imposible. I have no choice but mass up more or just give up my scope after alot of frustrating nights. I do not mind serching info for my hobies I even do with my free time but this become obligation and frustration. You have some manuels for newtonians why not put a extra one for this scope. I love the scope do not get me wrong but one misshap and you are done and can not even find info. I sould be rely the company not read endless pages about SkyWatcher 190 secondry miror. I am not trying to be rude or blame anyone but I thing there should be some info for people how their stuff works. This is why people just gets refractor and does not want to deal with any mirors. instead of just do not touch it you can give some info about funcunalty it is 53 minute video you guys have time. What about people who want to change focuser do you want them to send it to you or just sell the scope all together. I am sorry I am a bit frustrated about industry assumes eveyone expert at everything.

I wish Sky-Watcher's Syncscan app had a MUCH better "tonight's best" list. The one currently included is very lacking.

Sounds like a great event that’s been on my bucket list for a while. Maybe next year! Thanks for the tour and info.

thanks Kevin !

GTI, 10 deg min latitude…if you put a wedge can you go lower?

Have you done a presentation of the AZ-GTiX?

Your new Straiwave mounts are fugly. Please add some bling to them before releasing them. The existing ones are beautiful, like the HEQ5 , CQ350 and the Star Adventures. The Waves need to Go Away.

Great content ! Please, could you also update the podcasts? It's not updated since a year.

Kevin I love my Skywatcher Dobsonian telescopes, I own a 16", 12" and 10" inch telescope.

Try learning the night sky in bortle 9, and you'll soon realize why a goto system is almost necessary. I just got a Skywatcher Dobsonian SynScan 10". Even this is kind of tough. Finding 3 stars for alignmen is hard. Going to darker skies is doable, but newbs, are going to find this a hassle at first. I've been looking at, and imaging the moon for 60 years. My first look with this dob, and included 10" eye piese took my breath away! WOW. Worth the price of admission. Can't wait to start really seeing the planets later this summer.

Hello!

Hi, can you say anything about Gen 3+ night vision tubes? I suspect they will be available in Europe as soon as the Ukrainian war is over, basically US equipment given to the Ukrainians.

I just found your channel. Great review of the Eagle. I own an Eagle 5S and it is awesome. I just started down this road and want to learn more. I am also in Arizona, Phoenix. Do you guys meet somewhere?

Nice presentation Kevin. Thanks

Great webcast Kevin. Looking forward to imagining the “eyes” this month. Dr B from Manitoba, Canada 🇨🇦

My opinion: the needle galaxy is better than the sombrero. With large aperture, you can see the dust lane going through the core.

Add a "Rumors" feature to the webcast...teasers about new upcoming products and software.

I am excited for my Quattro 150P to be delivered today

Hi, I have a Lunt 60 tilt solar telescope, but I am tired to use the slow motion I also want to concentrate to one thing without using the knobs. Question: will this work with the Lunt tilt for visual use? And is the little more expensive "second tripod" from skywatcher better for me? Thanks for the tip!

Very late comment to the video .. I have an f5.9 Starwave 150mm scope . Apart from the beautiful red colour it has a massive rotatable focuser and some very nice glass. The lens is individually matched to the scope ( so the blurb says ) and whilst it shows colour on the bright objects ( no surprise) it’s actually very well corrected . I saw the Leo Triplet for the first time in this scope . It’s an amazing scope . I bought it from Altair Astro ( UK) . I use it on my SkyTee with a wooden tripod . Sitting behind the focuser of a 6”frac on a beautiful evening comes pretty close to being perfect . Thank you for this video regarding visual astronomy . There is far too much emphasis put on astrophotography these days which is a shame as side is really a completely different hobby ( yes they do merge in the middle ) . For me pure astronomy is visual . I , however love the photos that others produce ( after their camera has done most of the work … expecting hate comments now lol) .

Great conversation with a fine talent in the field - indeed many fields, thank you! I see what looks like a classic MiniMoog in the background. I wish we could have heard a little of John’s music performed live.

Kevin thank you for sharing your knowledge of astronomy.

What about a Full Disc video?

I had a look at the Player One Apollo-M MAX and it's SEVERELY undersampled for my Lunt 60. What can I expect from rolling shutter issues with solar imaging?

I use 585 cool from Touptek (HDR mode 16 bits/ 14 sptos) from my side is the best camera from Galaxies without having large focal lengths.

The SkyWatcher website's software download page has a Mac OS download. Is it available? Is it working well?

Y'know what would make them maks fly off the shelf? Matched reducer/correctors. Get them to somewhere astrophotographers would use e.g. f8-ish at 1000mm FL via a f6.3 reducer, people will take a long hard look at them vs say, comparable SCTs. Engineer them in a way that one can fit the usual accessories there easily (e.g. electronic focuser, a guidescope or OAG, maybe even a filter wheel) and you'd have a very, very compelling product (and that will really help in balancing out the big mirror up front) that will work for both visual and astrophotography. And honestly - if I have the mount and space for that mak-newt, I'd get one and all it a day in scope collecting. Well, aside from a small one for visual, but that mak-newt will be the main imaging workhorse that will putter on while I star-surf before turning in at night.

I enjoyed this presentation Kevin. Thanks and Happy Memorial Day weekend

Hey Kevin , The best way I've found is to use Ha filter and then green and blue to collect the data. I don't use the red at all. The images look pretty good that way.

Kevin, huge thanks for answering my questions on the webcast.

Excellent presentation, cheers.

Here in Scotland, Kevin, I have the infamous Esprit 100mm Quintuplet - full frame, very sharp and flat! Also a couple of the WO 80 mm F6 Triplet Lomo Fluorite refractors you mentioned - now using with the Starizona 0.65 reducer - brilliant, though lot of cloud in Europe recently.

I am going to disagree with you on “Glass type doesn’t matter”. For many of us glass type does matter. And we are willing to pay the extra cost. I have been burned in the last 2 years purchasing triplets that didn’t stand up to high power viewing or astrophotography and ended up returning one for a refund and selling the other. Both of these companies didn’t specify glass type. The images were soft, prone to CA or they had tilt problems. IMO - companies that use higher-end glass and state this in their literature generally have better quality control. There are exceptions to this. I do own Esprit 100ED and it’s a good scope for imaging. I haven’t tried it viewing so I don’t know how much I can push the optics.

I have a reflector and a refractor. I have to collimate the reflector and take the back of the optical tube regularly to clean the mirror. Lot's of maintenance I do not have to do on my refractor.

Did I get this correct, that for the USB the port on the DEC could be used as an input, routed through the mount to the saddle and that is than connected to the USB-B on the Saddle to control the mount? Because if I am mounting my Mini-PC on the Telescope, this would be the best case to control the mount without cable snagging...

Although I do disagree with the "get a premium refractor, you pay for it once etc. etc." I'm a newtonian lover myself but I got a skywatcher ED80 on the used market for 300$. It's hands down the best telescope I've used (again, i'm used to newtonians....not a refractor guy). I did need to tinker with the focuser to get it to work smoothly but at least now if I somehow have the budget to get a premium refractor I'll know what to expect and will actually appreciate it. Also the refractor being easy to setup (as compared to newts, you just plop it on your mount and it just works) it's got me learning about sky conditions and seeing and transparency. Previously I was just worried about the collimation and then the mirror acclimatizing to temps and then internal reflections in the tube etc. etc. its a long list of worries :D

Thanks for doing this Kevin and team at Skywatcher. I have many years of astronomy experience myself but I still learn a lot from your videos.

One thing I would need to say that differs from Kevin's POV is not to get the premium scope you can afford UNTIL you find out what it is you like to see. Go to Star Parties, use OPT ( other peoples telescopes) and see what truly tickles your fancy. Maybe visual is it, maybe imaging. It may be both and you will likely find you need different scopes to meet those needs. I highly disagree with getting your mount and camera now. The tech changes so fast. When the field was covered with CCD cameras and now they are invariably CMOS. The other things are the mounts. When we once shared his side by side config, I did that with a Celestron CG-5 & a pair of 80 mm refractors. Now the CG-5 is the AVX. Arguably, the Strain Wave, Harmonic Gear mounts are taking over that lower end mounts. I'd wait. Get some good astronomy rated binoculars, learn the sky and find out what you like to see. Mounts change. I asked Vic Maris of StellarVue about a top Celestron mount or an Astro-Physics Mach 1 for a 130 mm imaging/visual scope and he said Astro-Physics all day. Now the Mach 1 is already out of production. I'll leave you with the words of Astro-Physics, Roland Christen: "The single most important item for the imager is the mount. Next comes the mount. Then comes the mount.... Get the picture?"