Decent portable scope for planets and DSOs

[ss-22]

Hi guys,
I work in a pretty remote area in WA (Pilbara region) and am blessed with some very clear skies for the majority of winter. I've been visually observing the stars for several years and have reached a stage where I'd like to start observing them through a telescope.
Ordinarily I'd take the advice from countless experts and just get the 6-8" dob and be done with it. However this advice seems to be catered to ameteurs observing around their house and so the dob could be wheeled out of the garage on castors or something similar.
I on the other hand have to get a telescope to the mine site in my checked luggage, and in order to make decent observations would likely have to put the telescope in a work ute and drive it down the road so I was away from the horrible Na floodlights they use around the mine camp. Our rooms on site aren't exactly luxuriously sized so storage space is at a premium. A compact unit is a must.
The most logical solution seems to be a Cassegrain telescope or derivative (Mak-Cass etc). What kind of aperture/focal length am I going to need to be able to discern some of the larger nebula and a decent amount of planetary detail?
Any suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[rustigsmed]

Hi Martin,

Welcome!

You could also consider large binoculars ... I'm not sure you'd get much more advantage from a telescope that needs to fit into checked luggage?
aperture however is what helps with planetary resolution, so if you were to get a scope a mak-cas, or similar may work but i think they are pretty heavy... a 5-6" would be alright although i don't know how you'd fit a tripod in too. i'm sure there are others on here with some travel scope experience.

all the best

rusty

[John K]

Gather you fly in and fly out of your work destinations as you say - so sounds like you need a set up like people who go eclipse chasing! One key thing is if you want to just do visual stuff or if in the future perhaps also take some photos. Perhaps also work back with the baggage allowance you have in KG's.

- something like a 3.5" mak-cass like this http://www.meade.com/etx/specifications with a hard case could do the trick for you.

- if only visual, a telescope like this could do the trick http://www.scientificsonline.com/astroscan-plus-telescope.html

- my money would be on something like a 4" or 5" short focus refractor with a hard case
http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/Refractor-Telescopes/Refractor-Telescopes-for-Astrophotography/Orion-EON-130mm-ED-Triplet-Apochromatic-Refractor-Telescope/pc/1/c/10/sc/337/p/103506.uts and you can either put this on an altazimuth mount when you are travelling or try and get a small equatorial mount.

I have a small 80mm refractor with a photo tripod that I take with me with a hard case - 80mm I find is too small and really binoc's could do the trick.

Overall, go for the biggest aperture you can squeeze into a case / bag allowance as this will give you the best views across both planetary and deep sky.

Let us know what you end up with.

John K.

[omegacrux]

Hi Martin
Mac cass are a very good scope I have had the skywatcher 127 great on moon and planets , but the field of view is small
Another option is an ed80 a good allround scope . Skywatcher also sell a road case for the scope
on an alt-az mount it won't take too much room
Also keep your eyes on icetrade , good scopes come up all the time .
And you can save heaps

David

[Amaranthus]

John, you won't get the EON 130mm ED Triplet APO on a small EQ! It's a serious scope, mainly for imaging, and the OTA weighs in at >10kg!

[ss-22]

Sorry guys I could have been more clear in my initial post.
My intention is to bring the telescope to work and leave it in my room, so the issue of plane luggage is only transitory.
The main issue with size (and hence why I am shying away from a Dobsonian) is the storage space I have in my room (a 0.5m w x 0.5m l x 1.5m h cupboard) and the prospect of lugging a telescope a couple of hundred metres from my room to the tray of a utility.

[raymo]

I don't know if you know your way around the night sky; if you don't, then the Celestron SLT 127[5" Mak] would suit you down to the ground,[or up to the sky]. It is GoTo, easy to carry fully assembled. You would need to buy a small gel rechargeable battery[ $30-40], as the AAs don't
last that long. It would easily fit in your cupboard. You would need an
extra very low power eyepiece, because, as stated by omegacrux, the field of view is limited, but it's aperture is enough for you to get decent planetary views.
raymo

[Renato1]

Easiest portable telescope is an 80mm or 100mm short tube refractor, preferably with a red dot finder and 6X30 finder. You'll want them to be ED for looking at the planets, or get cheaper non ED ones and use something like the Baader refractor filter on the planets. Plus the lightest good mount you can find.

At 25X, a 100mm refractor will show you scores of galaxies in Virgo at a dark site without much difficulty. My experience is that after picking up a cheap non-ED Celestron 102mm Wideview Spotting Scope on Ebay and replacing its finder, I've more or less nearly stopped using my previously much loved 80mm ED refractor.

If you go for the 5" MAK, the power is higher and field of view narrower than in a short tube refractor, and you need a half decent mount to use it easily - which will increase weight. The views on the planets will be better, but you'd want one which takes 2" eyepieces for the low power views (which are often the best views).
Regards,
Renato

[OzStarGazer]

Have a look at this thread: http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=118872 Some good advice there.

[John K]

Fair enough!

[dannat]

For max dso gain ig get a 5" newt on alt/az mount, vixen used to make a 130mm f5 on portal, either that or the ed80 / spotting scope, celestron make a good 100mm ED ultima

[Wavytone]

Hi Martin,

I have had some experience travelling by air with maks and cassegrains.

Long ago I flew to Tasmania to see a solar eclipse, with a Celestron 8 dismantled so that the OTA went in a sleeping bag cover as cabin luggage and the fork went in the luggage along with a very squat compact base I had made instead of the usual wedge and tripod which are far too big to take. At that time the domestic airlines limit was dimensions, not weight; from memory the bag weighed in at 45 kg. while it is only just feasible, stripping the mount isn't a good idea to do regularly.

I've also tried flying with a 4" SCT and 6" Mak. For the 4" SCT I used a solid camera tripod for the mount, very easy to fly with. While it is perfect for solar eclipses, too small for deep sky. The 6" skywatcher Mak with an EQ mount likewise is equally suitable to fly with, though you have to leave the legs out and make yourself a smaller base that can fit in the luggage.

Consequently I'd have to say that a 6" Mak or SCT - either a skywatcher Mak, or the Meade lightswitch 6" - will be the practical upper limit, however in both cases you'll have to think carefully about how to mount it, and possibly make a compact base of some sort.

An alternative could be to leave a tripod base at home, and another at the mine and just carry the scope.

[astro744]

I think the Edmund Scientifics Astroscan deluxe package would be ideal

See http://www.scientificsonline.com/astroscan-telescope-deluxe-package.html

Remember if you go with a compact refractor you still need to carry a mount although you may get away with a photo tripod.

The Astroscan can be hand held for low power viewing and for extended planetary viewing at higher powers a table top is all that is needed.

[ss-22]

Thanks for the advice guys, looks like my choice is between a 80mm ED refractor and a 127mm Mak.

Are the Orions any good? Their prices are very competitive.

[Camelopardalis]

If you err on the sized of the Mak, I'd make another suggestion...a Celestron C6... weighs the same as the 127 Mak, same focal length, but an extra inch aperture for DSOs.

Neither Mak nor SCT are wide field scopes though...but an 80mm fast achro would make a great companion :D

[Steffen]

Or you could go for the sweet spot in aperture, portability and performance and go for a 6" f/10 Mak, like the Alter M603. Put that on a T-style alt-az mount and leave a tripod at the work site.

Regardless of what others are saying, telescopes are not for wide field viewing, that's what binoculars are for :P :scared3: Get one of those, too.

Cheers
Steffen.

[ss-22]

Yep, fortunately the binoculars I can borrow from work (use them for ore spotting). 8x56 steiners, they do the job...
For some reason I could not convince them that a 5-6 inch telescope was required at work...

[omegacrux]

Ed80 on an ioptron cube pro
That would fit your space and give you go-to
Easyer setup than eq
hang on that's what I want ! .

David

[Stardrifter_WA]

Hi Martin,

Here is one solution.

I wanted a grab-n-go set up that was ultra portable. This case contains a AT65EDQ (Quadruplet) telescope that is an excellent performer for is size and price. Check out some of the reviews on line, along with some of the photos taken with this scope. The case also contains a GL laser as a finder, being a wide filed scope, a normal finder isn't absolutely necessary. Other finders would be okay, but I prefer the laser, as I find it extremely difficult (due to neck injuries) to view through straight finders.

I also have two eyepieces in this case, a Tele Vue 24 Panoptic and a 7mm Nagler, along with a Tele Vue Starbrite diagonal which really suits this telescope well (the scope doesn't come with a diagonal, but it does come with mounting rings and V style dovetail). Also shown is an ADM 'Mini Max' mounting device, which you probably won't need, along with a couple of other accessories, such as a lens pen and a red light torch.

The case itself was made by Image Alloy Cases in Kewdale, WA, with a machined foam inset. His prices are very reasonable, compared to other local case manufacturers, and he is great working out the best way to fit everything. He did an amazing job with my other eyepiece and telescope cases.

Although this set up isn't exactly cheap, costing me well over a grand (the telescope itself is only USD599) it is a great set up for a g-n-g scope, particularly considering that you can later use it for astrophotography as it is also an astrograph (it has an inbuilt field flattener, thus making it a quad).

It would be great for flight luggage, as it is a compact set up, with a case size of approx. 400x350x170mm, which is also lockable.

However, there is a downside, in that you would also need a mount, which isn't as compact. I am yet to solve that problem, although I am currently looking into something portable, but not motorised, as that just adds bulk.

I also use this scope along with my WO110FLT, with a goto mount, but as you can see, it is rather bulky for a g-n-g set up.

The AT65EDQ would be a good place to start, that would also be useful later on, as your interest grows.

However, I found out last night from Astro-Tech, on behalf of a friend, that the AT65EDQ is quite popular with about a two month wait period, from time of order. I waited around 3 months for mine, last year, but IO am glad I did so, as it is a 'stellar' performer (yes, pun intended). :)

A mount like Flashdrive advertised (in IIS classifieds) in the past couple of days would have been ideal. Damn, wasn't quick enough to grab that one. :sadeyes:

Cheers Pete

[brian nordstrom]

:) I have had and loved many small quality refractors in the 70-100mm size over the years and the only one that came close to the one I ended up keeping , my 'Takahashi SKY90' was a lowely old Saxon (Orion) ED80 :eyepop:, this scope had perfect ED doublet optics ,only a hair behind my Tak but in these sizes 10mm in a lot .

Yes these have awesome optics and good build quality and even new are well under $1000 and just 1/2 that price 2nd hand .
As Trev says one of these on the Ioptron cube pro is the go .

:question:as I typed this I see a beautiful TV76 has arrived in the classifieds , only $1200 ,,:question::question: .... choices

ps. I have looked thru Peter's AT65EDQ and its a powerful little scope , easily taking 170x and giving nice wide fields at 12x , nice little scope , and cheap .

Brian.

[Varangian]

Check out the collapsible Dob Skywatcher Heritage 130. Plenty of YouTube vids, portable and capable. Performs well under dark skies.

[SkyWatch]

As a lot of folk have said, a quality 80mm refractor gives great views and is very easy to carry around. The Orion Eon 80ED has a lot of great reviews, and would be pretty hard to beat in its class. Better yet, the Tak Sky90 that has already been mentioned! Magic scope if your budget can stretch to it.
Like Brian, I am drooling about the TV76 that is currently advertised!

A 80mm refractor will show you lots of DSO's, as well as a fair amount of detail on Jupiter, Saturn, and even Mars (at the moment). Plus it will give you great wide-field views, which the SCT's or Maks can't do without a fl reducer.

I have an iOptron MiniTower mount and it does a very good job with my 4" refractor. It is very compact, and sets up in a couple of minutes.

Oh, and I wouldn't recommend putting any scope in the back of a ute on rough roads unless you have some pretty good padding around it!

All the best,

Dean

[Stardrifter_WA]

That scope, on the rough roads of the Pilbara would want to be well protected, otherwise, you may spend a lot of time collimating it, let alone the problem of that fine red dust getting onto the mirror. A great little scope, but I wouldn't recommend it in those harsh environments.

You would need a well sealed case, as that red dust gets in everywhere. :sadeyes: In fact, any scope would require a well sealed case, no matter what type it is.

The same goes for the mount. The red dust would be murder on the drive. :sadeyes:

[Regulus]

The 6" Mak for sale in the Classifieds for just $470 would be excellent on a $300 Skywatcher Alt Az or the Vixen Alt Az.

The kind of set up that is made to go in the car and travel with you.

[sn1987a]

Have you considered a secondhand 3.5 Questar Martin?. Scope,mount, eyepieces the lot in one compact leather case. Not cheap but they pop up on eBay and Astromart every now and then. If you get the powerguide 2 installed then you have tracking as well.

[Stardrifter_WA]

That is a great scope Barry, I had one for short time. Mechanically they are a well thought out scope too, completely portable, but the table top tripod, left a bit to be desired though.

They are probably the ultimate in portable scopes, complete with a 'white light' solar filter.

Sadly, as you say, they are hard to get hold of, particularly when you consider that they made over 10,000 of them. The gentleman that ended uo with the one I had, I know he would never sell it.

Cheers Pete

[Varangian]

Yeah fair enough - makes sense.

[rrussell1962]

I took a 102mm Vixen refractor across the Simpson a few years ago, but kept it inside the vehicle in a sealed bag. No problems with dust and awesome views under very dark skies. I suspect anything in a ute tray, never mind how well protected, would suffer from vibration and dust. Even my old Astroscan gives nice views out there. I think the previous comments about an 80mm short tube refractor are spot on.

[LightningNZ]

Given all the restrictions I'd also vouch for the ED80. The AT65EDQ is a great scope but unless you're mostly doing photography then the flat field is largely wasted on visual use - it's also a fairly small aperture. Likewise I often pimp the Skywatcher heritage P130 but I think it'd get shaken to bits on regular long trips.
-Cam

[ss-22]

Thanks for the advice guys, short tube 80mm ED refractor it is.
I'll have to get a dustproof case for it, you are correct, the dust gets into everything. It even makes it past the air-con filters and slowly collects on our desks in the office.
In reality I would probably travel to a viewing site with the telescope in the cab, not bouncing around in the tray.
Thanks!

[sn1987a]

I just saw this posted on cloudynights.

http://www.kasai-trading.jp/zingaro6.htm

[Steffen]

Cool, I like that optical bench look. I wonder how rigid it is. At 3kg (if I read that correctly) it certainly is lightweight. My 6" Mak weighs almost 7kg...

Cheers
Steffen.

[julianh72]

76,000 Yen = $800 - not bad!

[OzStarGazer]

Pretty cool.
Here is a review: http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/6331231/Main/6327472

[mithrandir]

NoScript doesn't want to let Google Translate work on the page. Chrome translates as 150mm primary, F/5, 41mm obstruction, 3Kg.

The Jinglish isn't good but I think it says 2.8Kg if you want the version with the Orion Optics Suprax mirror. 128000 yen

There's a 200mm, F5 version too at 4.8Kg. 98000 yen

[rrussell1962]

There was a post about an Astroscan. I have used an Astroscan for a long while as a cart anywhere scope. For DSO's at low magnification it is fantastic, I'm not sure it would do for planets as it does not really bear a high magnification. You can collimate it (by shimming the glass plate that holds the secondary) to take up to around x75 or so, but it is a real pain to do. I did mine earlier this year when I replaced the foam behind the primary, but it was an absolute pain. As a really portable easy to use telescope for DSO's though I agree it is great - possibly unbeatable. I am very fond of mine. I'm not sure though what it offers that, say a C5 or anything else of a similar aperture, would offer apart from ease of use. I have kept mine because I am too fond of it's cuteness to sell it.