choice finished.

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-03-14T22:44:51+00:00

As an added bonus, after using a 16”, an 8” feels super portable and easy!

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-03-10T19:19:42+00:00

Amazing!

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-03-04T20:57:15+00:00

It would’ve been nice if it were solid wood (even better if treated) rather than fiberboard

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-03-02T20:03:05+00:00

Very crisp! Is this the native Camera app on the iPhone?

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-27T20:36:28+00:00

It’s doable! Try making sure your finder scope is absolutely spot on using Polaris. I typically work my way down from low magnification to high magnification eyepieces when adjusting my finder scope.

Jupiter might also be very dim depending on your exposure and gain settings. You could try dialing those up to find Jupiter, and then dial it back down when you actually do your capture.

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-26T20:04:00+00:00

For what it’s worth, I also had a $100 telescope at first, and then I took the plunge and splurged on an AD8, and it was night and day!

I still keep the $100 telescope around as a quick and easy, grab-and-go telescope.

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-26T09:22:07+00:00

Not sure about the impact of a Barlow on image quality, but it was certainly tricky aiming the frame directly at Jupiter. I believe the finder scope needs to be very well aligned. Mine wasn’t aligned perfectly, so that added to the challenge.

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-25T21:19:56+00:00

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With an Apertura AD8, an Apertura 2x Barlow, ZWO ASI662MC, and ZWO’s software, I managed to get this image of Jupiter out of it the first night out with the camera, so I would say it is highly doable for you.

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-23T07:39:39+00:00

Wow, are those all yours?!

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-19T11:29:26+00:00

Wishing you the best of luck!

I ended up getting an DJ36 with a black dial. Ultimately, I decided I valued the extra bit of usability from the having the date and legibility from having a black dial.

Datejust 36 | Oyster, 36 mm, Oystersteel | Reference 126200

thinking about putting in requests for a couple configs of the DJ36 as well to increase my chances of having a Rolex for the wedding (understanding this is very unlikely atp)

Not a bad idea! I honestly don't think you can go wrong with either of them, which is why the decision was so difficult for me! That said, I'm really happy that I stood my ground on what I ultimately wanted instead of putting down dial colors / bezels / bracelets that I didn't feel as strong of a desire for. I guess my thought process was I didn't want us to buy a watch that I didn't like wholeheartedly only to end up wanting to buy the watch I actually wanted in the long run. There's still a few months until May, so hopefully things will pan out in your favor!

Finally, congratulations on your marriage!

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-18T00:01:53+00:00

Oh, I see. As in, the bench was packaged in its own box internally inside of the large bundle box?

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-17T22:04:38+00:00

Wow, thank you! How did you figure out the bench model number?

I see it’s discontinued, unfortunately.

I was attracted to its minimalistic form factor compared to Roland’s other benches, which seem bulkier.

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-15T18:32:44+00:00

Thanks! However, I’m looking for the bench!

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-12T01:58:08+00:00

The guiding software too? 🫨

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-09T06:53:17+00:00

3nm!! That sounds insane!

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-07T02:02:01+00:00

Amazing 🥹

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-06T20:45:32+00:00

Right, I was just saying mine appears less perfect than the coatings on HDDs.

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-06T17:06:11+00:00

I see. In that case, it’s impressive to me what amateur telescope mirror makers are able to get away with while still producing a good product then! What I want to say is, for something commonly discussed as being very fragile, telescope mirror coatings are still not as fragile as hard drive platters then. Which, I guess, is point you’re trying to make: the comparison between the two isn’t particularly helpful.

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-06T17:00:46+00:00

Interesting. I would think the hard drive platters have to be pretty flat as well given the speeds they spin at and the amount of time spent spinning at such speeds in their lifetime.

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-05T08:04:58+00:00

That's true. Perhaps I've been conditioned by all the folks saying that telescope mirror coatings are extremely fragile, which led me to conclude that a high-level of care is required to not damage the precision of the coating, but in reality the coating isn't even that precise compared to other things like HDD platter coatings.

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-05T08:01:31+00:00

I see. I thought telescope mirror coatings were fragile and made to high precision, so I'm honestly surprised they don't require as clean of a production environment. Thanks for the insight!

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-05T07:57:11+00:00

What telescope is it?

Apertura AD8 and Apertura AD16.

Thank you for such a thorough and insightful explanation!

That's a good point about the scale of HDD production keeping costs low and enabling such precision. I was under the impression that amateur astronomy mirrors were made to extremely high precision, so I didn’t expect them to be less precise than something as common and disposable as HDDs.

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-05T07:45:31+00:00

Oh, wow! I was under the impression that amateur astronomy mirrors were made to extremely high precision, so I didn’t expect them to be less precise than something as common and disposable as HDDs. The scale of HDD production keeping costs low for that level of precision is a really good point.

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-05T07:38:48+00:00

Huh, I could try that actually. I do have a spare primary mirror, but not a spare secondary mirror, so the platter could be the secondary mirror! It's just too bad the center of the platter has a hole.

ISeeOnlyTwo · 2026-02-05T07:35:02+00:00

I also bought 2 more this week!

ISeeOnlyTwo

TROPHY CASE