My new Astro Tech 102 ED arrived yesterday! I got my ST80 back on it's original mount, put the AT102ED on the EXOS Nano mount, and moved the finder-scope from the ST80 to the AT102ED. Tonight didn't have the greatest viewing conditions, but I was too excited to try the new scope out that I had a first light session anyway.
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My first target was M44. The first thing I noticed was how "crisp" the image produced by the AT102ED is. The focuser works well, and I was able to get a great focus on some of the dimmer stars in the cluster.
I then moved on to ζ Ursae Majoris as an anchor point in finding M101. I took time to test the view with a 3x barlow to push the magnification, and the clarity of the image was able to hold well even into higher magnifications.
M101 was difficult to see, as expected. The conditions were not the best tonight, and I was unable to get more than an detection of "noise" in the area. I even looped back for a second attempt at M101 after M81 and M82, but the results were no better.
M81 and M82 looked as brilliant as ever. I took extra time with M82 and really pushed the magnification on it to see how close I could get while retaining detail. Using the 3x barlow, I went well into the 130x range and was able to retain detail. AV while this close showed more of the "smoke" coming from the cigar than I've previously been able to see.
I then moved on to M94 in Canes Venatici. My journal with the ST80 from last year listed it as "very faint", and while it still was faint I'm not sure I would categorize it as "very faint" in the AT102ED.
I then turned to the Mel 111 star cluster. This is the first time I've viewed it and it was pretty stunning. I quickly tried to find the Needle, and I was able to detect it but didn't stick around with it since it's on my list for later this year.
I then turned to α Boötis. While focused on it, and zoomed in to about 100x, I gradually de-focused in order to get a series of refraction rings around the star to test the collimation of the lens. The rings were nice and round.
Super excited that I now have this scope. The only down side I noticed is the added weight of the scope adds a longer "settling" time after a vibration, this is even more evident at higher magnifications. I'll have to find ways to possibly dampen the vibrations on the EXOS Nano.
[1] M 44, Beehive Cluster (Praesepe) (ID)
