Advice needed! Celestron 4SE

[adaregazer]

I retired about four years ago to the country. I have been interested in astronomy since Halley's comet passed this way in 1986. I remember being on night shift in the police patrol car at Cleveland Point in the early hours with my binoculars watching the beautiful sight over the seven night shifts (it wasn't so busy in those days!). Anyway I digress! I have just sold my Skywatcher 135EQ2 reflector with motor drive and I have researched the net for my next scope. I did have trouble with the Skywatcher trying to locate objects and its bulky weight/size. I am interested in planets, nebulae, galaxies and general astronomy. I initially selected the Celestron Nexstar 130SLT at $749 but for $150 more I can get the Celestron Nexstar 4SE $899 at Telescopes Direct. Mostly I will be using the scope on my acreage property where there is mostly dark skies (apart from the street light outside the front!) I have considered a Dobsonian (bigger bang for buck) but size/weight/storing is an issue and I really like the GOTO facility on the Nexstar scopes. The way I see it is the less time I have to fiddle with a telescope in the dark with a red torch and have more time viewing objects is better for me. I wear reading glasses and it is annoying sometimes! I did have moderate success taking shots of the moon and running it through registax but I am still learning! Does anyone have the Nexstar 4SE and what do they think of it?

I have the following equipment: Canon 1000D, T Adapter and ring, Celestron 1.25" eyepiece and filter kit, Laptop with backyard EOS and Registax6 installed, 10 x 50 binos.

[Amaranthus]

The 4SE is a nice portable scope, but be aware it is a Mak-Cas with a high f/ratio, so the field of view will be reasonably restrictive - not great for extended DSOs. It has a built-in eq wedge so you can use it for basic astrophotography, but because it is a very slow scope, you will probably want to restrict your shots to lunar and planetary.

[yoda776]

Great advice. I think a smaller scope is great and have been told the best scope is the one you use. I have used my Meade ETX105EC (can only get secondhand when people actually wish to part with one) and Celestron C90MAK on trips and the portability is great. I have a nice 14mm Ultra Wide Meade eyepiece and have some great views of the night sky.

I like either Celestron or Meade and think you would enjoy the 4SE. It is a good balance of size vs weight.

As for Dobsonians, in my fossicking around web sites and gathering information myself I have found dobsonians you get bigger bang for buck, but the space required can be prohibitive. There is one like the Orion SkyQuest XX series that actually can be disassembled into pieces - secondary mirror, trusses and base with primary mirror. Apparently can fit in the boot of a small hatchback (in fact I have seen a dobsonian of 16 inches fit in a small hatchback at a viewing night - something I thought I would not see given their usual size). As a bonus it also comes with GOTO. The 16 inch is a bit pricey, but the 12 inch is not too bad.

Good luck with your choice and hope you have many clear night skies to view.

[Screwdriverone]

Hi Graham,

It may be a bit late but try contacting pwilly about this nexstar 5SE for $649 which was just withdrawn, he may still have it.http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=127227

Great scope with GOTO and eq mode so you can use it for photography.

Cheers

Chris

[Screwdriverone]

Also, don't forget WWW.andrewscom.com.au who also sell Celestron, their 4SE is only $799, which is $100 cheaper than the others.

Coming from a skywatcher 5" to a mak 4se would be a bit of a backward step, the target field of view would be narrower and probably significantly dimmer due to the mak having higher secondary obstruction with a smaller aperture as well.

Cheers

Chris

[raymo]

Once again, if you buy a Dob, make sure that it will come to prime focus, as many brands will not. The Skywatcher collapsible goto Dobs will come
to focus, and are very popular.
raymo

[UniPol]

A fairly comprehensive user review here :

http://www.astro-baby.com/reviews/nexstar%204SE/nexstar4se.htm

[Camelopardalis]

Welcome to Ice in Space Graham!

In my opinion, a 6" scope is just starting to make some things look interesting - planets, globs for example - and 8" catches some welcome extra light without becoming overwhelmingly large. Of course that's a personal thing though.

If I were you, I'd keep an eye out on the classifieds and lookout for a 6" or 8" scope - Dob or SCT. Examples are the Nexstar 6SE or 8SE, Skywatcher Synscan Dobs, or Meade LX90. They do come along every once in a while. The Skywatcher Synscan system is very similar to the Nexstar.

[adaregazer]

Thanks to all for the advice. I did end up getting Pwilly's Nexstar 5SE and now we have the moon shining at 12 o'clock washing everything out and now the clouds have come in! Will have to wait for clear skies. My plan is to play with the Celestron for 12 months and then go for a dob. Haven't decided on size yet.

[Camelopardalis]

Congrats on your new scope Graham, hope you enjoy it :thumbsup: I'm sure it'll show you plenty!

[adaregazer]

Now I have the celestron nexstar 5SE with accessories and today I picked up an 'as new' secondhand skywatcher 8 inch collapsable dobsonian with a big celestron lens kit and Barlow and filters for a great price. Can't wait for clear skies thanks to all for the good advice. What a great site!