Replacement for Nexstar 8SE

[philcart]

Hi All

I'm going to have to ask the dreaded "What telescope should I get?" question :eyepop:

Bit of background. I originally started with a nice push-to 12" Dobsonian and was very happy with it. Used primarily for visual observing with the odd afocal image posted to social media. After about 12 months or so, I "upgraded" to my current scope, a Celstron Nexstar 8SE. My experience with this scope hasn't really been satisfactory.

My backyard observing is limited to a strip of visible sky about 2m wide. I still get a good overhead viewing arc. Whilst this seemed great in theory as it blocks out things like wind and stray light from neighbours, etc..., in practice I've never been able to get a satisfactory alignment with the 8SE. Whenever it says it's aligned, the tracking goes astray. When the scope is setup at a place away from home, and I have a much wider field of view, the tracking works without any issues.

With the 12" Dob, being able to push the tube around to view objects was great. It meant I could get in some observing time during the week. With the 8SE, there doesn't seem to be a way of manually moving the tube around that doesn't come with a rider that it will lead to problems later on. This presents a problem as when I'm observing the backyard I'm manually moving the scope around all the time. So this means my observing time is currently very much curtailed to the weekend when I can go and setup elsewhere.

So now with the 8SE consigned more and more to sit in the corner of the room, I've decided it's time to replace it with something that better suits my needs.

My budget is $5,000 - $6,000, but my wife would be thrilled if I didn't spend that much :thumbsup: I'd like to go back to a larger aperture Dobsonian as I do miss the extra detail the 12" brought out. And it should have a GoTo package capable of doing some basic tracking. Will mainly be used for visual observing.

So, what telescope should I get?
1. Budget $5,000 - $6,000, preferably lower
2. Larger aperture than the current 8", would prefer 12" or above
3. GoTo mount
4. Truss tube design for portability

I like the look of the Orion SkyQuest XX12g (http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/Dobsonian-Telescopes/GoTo-Dobsonians/Orion-SkyQuest-XX12g-GoTo-Truss-Tube-Dobsonian-Telescope/pc/1/c/12/sc/30/p/102637.uts), or it's bigger brothers, but not sure they're available in Australia anymore.

Hope someone can give me some ideas, directions.


Cheers
Phil

[MortonH]

SkyWatcher 'Flex Tube' Dobs are available with GoTo.

The 12", 14" and 16" are all within your budget.

http://myastroshop.com.au/products/details.asp?id=MAS-041L

http://myastroshop.com.au/products/details.asp?id=MAS-041M

http://myastroshop.com.au/products/details.asp?id=MAS-041N

[hickny]

Hi Phil,
Why don't you have a look at Gondwana Telescopes
http://gondwanatelescopes.com/ultralight-telescope-marana
Alex makes beautiful telescopes perfectly balanced and smooth action. With Nexus or Argo Navis attached you'll have all the benefits of a goto but better in my opinion. Others may not agree but I have Nexus on my DOB and absolutely love it.
Alex can fix both types devices.
Other benefits of one of these is that it packs up so small and if you ever want to travel to a dark site you won't have a large 12" barrel and heavy dob base to transport.
Check Gondwana out, you won't be disappointed.
http://www.gondwanatelescopes.com/news-and-events
Special price for Queensland Astrofest well within your budget!
Hope this helps.
Peter

[gaseous]

What MortonH said! A 16" skywatcher goto dob should still leave you at least 2K spare from a 6K budget, which can either go towards some super accessories, or something nice for your missus, who seems pretty understanding. Astropete's appears to have 16" goto dobs for around $3900. If you didn't need the goto, you can get a larger skywatcher stargate 18" truss dob for $6k. Good luck - I'm envious!

[Camelopardalis]

Just beware, a mass market 16" goto Dob is a very big and heavy telescope :P

[dannat]

you can choose to not align the 8SE, just drive the motors in alt/az [on full speed], if you are viewing mostly overhead don't you exp. the dreaded dob problm of being awkward to navigate around zenith?
if oyu can find an old ornage tube tmount -they had locks to undo to move the tube manually, then you can lock up & engage drives

yes i agree 16" is big

[AEAJR]

Philcart,

I don't have one but from what I read the Goto and tracking on the 8SE are usually pretty good. Wondering why you are having problems. What alignment method are you using? Two Star?

I would imagine if you can't see enough sky with the Celestron to get a good set-up of the GoTo you will have the same problem with a Goto dob.


Have you tried using the 8SE without alignment? Use the hand control to move the scope around with the arrows. Not quite as convenient as swinging a Dob but it should work.


If you like the 8SE OTA but feel the mount is not working for you, why not just change the mount to an EQ mount with tracking or an ALT/As mount? Can you view the sky sufficiently to do a polar alignment?

[philcart]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Looking at 14" or 16" dobs now. (for me size isn't an issue :D )

Question this leads me too now is, do I get something more like this and add Astro Devices Nexus,
http://www.myastroshop.com.au/products/details.asp?id=MAS-041H1

Or do I just get the complete GoTo package for approx. $500 more?
http://www.myastroshop.com.au/products/details.asp?id=MAS-041N
:confused2::confused2::confused2:



Ohhh, now that does look like a nice setup. I like that it packs up in a nice little box. Now do I need the extra 4" that I can get for that same discounted price :question:


But from what I've read about the GoTo Dobs I'm looking at, they have a clutch mechanism that you can disengage to move the scope manually. Also, from a primarily visual point of view, the 8SE was a bit of a let down.


Cheers
Phil

[Camelopardalis]

You've also got to set your expectations realistically :P

Going from a 12" scope to an 8" scope is a good drop. IMO above 12" you need to make quite a jump to make it worthwhile. Not only that, you've got atmospherics to consider. Longer focal length scopes can be affected more easily by iffy conditions.

[dannat]

what suburb in Mlebourne are you in? i know at botanic gardens 12" is still not good, but by time you get to burwood viewing quality increases

[philcart]

I'm out in Rowville and light pollution is not too bad as long as I don't look West :eyepop:
If I want to do more serious viewing, I'll head out towards Lysterfield. Location of choice is a family place in Yarck which is a couple hours driving.

Cheers