Telescope pondering
Jan. 17th, 2011 06:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
johnridleySo, it having been about 10 years since I was actually in the market for a new telescope, and I haven't subscribed to any of the major astronomy magazines for about 6 years, I've been re-familiarizing myself with the market.
There's a lot of neat stuff out there. And I have been sorely tempted to buy an 8" or 10" dobsonian; for $450 I'd get as good a view as the $1200 8" SCT scope I've been looking at. But I have to keep in mind the real reason I've abandoned the path I was headed down; portability. The Celestron NexStar leverages the computer control and the fact that it's really designed strictly for visual use to make a supremely portable scope. Due to the computer control, you don't need a bulky wedge to track the sky, and due to visual use, the mount can be much lighter; a single arm suffices, and the tripod can be lighter (it still damps vibration in 2 seconds so it's not bad, and people actually HAVE used it for photography, just not on a windy day).
The net result is an 8" scope that weighs 33 pounds complete and you can carry under one arm with tripod.
So, Brother Guy, yes, I'd go back down the Dobsonian path if it were just about optics, but the bulkiness of those scopes is the reason I've turned away from them.
If space/portability weren't a consideration, I'd have a 10" Orion dob in a heartbeat.
I was seriously considering a 5 or 6" scope, but I've been so disappointed with these in the past that I don't think I'd be happy for long. They're superb on solar system objects, but I like the deep sky stuff too much to just decide I'm not going to look at them any more.
I am surprised by the quality that you can get for much cheaper now than you could 10 years ago when I bought my last bunch of stuff. I think I'm going to actually buy brand new replacements for all the stuff that I sold that's at least as good, for less than I SOLD the old stuff for, let alone what I paid for it. The OIII filter I paid $200 for and sold for $120 I'm going to replace for $80. I've selected an eyepiece set that's on a darn good sale for the next few weeks, giving me time to save up for them.
The scope itself will wait until later. I think in the end I'll wind up with what I've already selected, but it's fun to shop anyway.
There's a lot of neat stuff out there. And I have been sorely tempted to buy an 8" or 10" dobsonian; for $450 I'd get as good a view as the $1200 8" SCT scope I've been looking at. But I have to keep in mind the real reason I've abandoned the path I was headed down; portability. The Celestron NexStar leverages the computer control and the fact that it's really designed strictly for visual use to make a supremely portable scope. Due to the computer control, you don't need a bulky wedge to track the sky, and due to visual use, the mount can be much lighter; a single arm suffices, and the tripod can be lighter (it still damps vibration in 2 seconds so it's not bad, and people actually HAVE used it for photography, just not on a windy day).
The net result is an 8" scope that weighs 33 pounds complete and you can carry under one arm with tripod.
So, Brother Guy, yes, I'd go back down the Dobsonian path if it were just about optics, but the bulkiness of those scopes is the reason I've turned away from them.
If space/portability weren't a consideration, I'd have a 10" Orion dob in a heartbeat.
I was seriously considering a 5 or 6" scope, but I've been so disappointed with these in the past that I don't think I'd be happy for long. They're superb on solar system objects, but I like the deep sky stuff too much to just decide I'm not going to look at them any more.
I am surprised by the quality that you can get for much cheaper now than you could 10 years ago when I bought my last bunch of stuff. I think I'm going to actually buy brand new replacements for all the stuff that I sold that's at least as good, for less than I SOLD the old stuff for, let alone what I paid for it. The OIII filter I paid $200 for and sold for $120 I'm going to replace for $80. I've selected an eyepiece set that's on a darn good sale for the next few weeks, giving me time to save up for them.
The scope itself will wait until later. I think in the end I'll wind up with what I've already selected, but it's fun to shop anyway.
