Which scope and mount would you buy?

[John W]

We all dream - which telescope and mount would you buy if you suddenly had enough money ?

For me I would get a Planewave CDK 12.5" scope (about $20K) and a Planewave L350 mount (also about $20K). Allow some money for attachments. This would be a nice combination. What would you pick ?

[RugbyRene]

I'm with you. Planewave is my dream. Unfortunately given the cost, it will always remain a dream.

Rene

[Rainmaker]

APM - LZOS Apo Refractor 203/1800 CNC LW II and a mount that can keep it steady.....

[ab1963]

Takahashi TOA-150B,Discmounts DM6,Berlebach tripod ,Similar to what i have now but on super steroids......

[Peter Ward]

Upgrading to an Alluna RC20 on a Bisque Taurus AE mount would be nice :question:...then again...the divorce would be sooo expensive...

[RugbyRene]

Ooooh, yes Alluna. Forgot them. I'd also be partial to an Officina Stellare.

[Startrek]

I’m more than happy with my existing low cost budget Chinese rigs especially
my 8” f5 GSO newt on an Skywatcher EQ6-R Mount at my weekender (Bortle 3)
Photo of rig and outdoor laptop workstation
Photo of NGC 253 Sculptor Galaxy
No interest or aspirations in throwing money at medium to high end AP equipment ( a self funded retiree )
Each to their own !!

[JeniSkunk]

For me, any scope I select has to be transportable on my rollator walker. That limits me to the smaller, more travel friendly scopes.

This lot would readily compliment my existing main scope and eyepieces.

Sky-Watcher 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain and AZ-GTi mount and tripod set. $1200
I can use either the 127mm Mak-Cass, or my 130mm Newt on the AZ-GTi.

Sky-Watcher 90mm Maksutov-Cassegrain and Virtuoso tabletop Dobsonian mount set, and SynScan hand controller. $500
I can use either the 90mm Mak-Cass, or my 130mm Newt on the Virtuoso mount. The SynScan hand controller makes the Virtuoso mount full GOTO.

Saxon Cielo HD eyepieces 18mm, 9mm, and 4.5mm. $110 each
These three fill in blanks in my existing collection of eyepieces. The 2.3mm Cielo is too powerful for the OTAs however, so it's not on this list.

Celestron X-Cel LX 1.25 inch 2X and 3X Barlows. $220 each
A better quality 1.25 inch 2X Barlow than what I currently have, and a 3X Barlow as well.

All told, that lot comes in at about $2600

[HowellObsy]

Dear Rene,
I agree with you, as an Officina Stellare (OS) user I wouldn't use anything else. The spot size is much tighter than my previous Alluna unit I used in obsy in USA, when I changed upgraded to OS and my images were improved, and quite markedly. As a recent arrival in Australia I am setting up my obsy here now, I am relishing the skies here, they are superb, the extra resolution of the Officina in the southern hemisphere is a godsend.
For my money a Direct Drive Eq and an OS scope, they can't be beaten.

[lazjen]

Hubble - sick of clouds, satellites, etc. Get above it all. :)

[Slawomir]

But that pesky orbital decay...;)

[Atmos]

An ASA 500 with an ASA 1m F/1.8 that has a 135mm corrected field, large enough to take the FLI Kepler 6060 ;)
All in all it likely hits around the $2M mark :lol:

For a more realistic approach it would be a 12" F/3.6 that comes in under 20kg to use with an ASI6200. It would be the largest instrument that I would feel comfortable using on my ASA DDM60 and allows everything to remain portable.

[lazjen]

If I can afford to buy it, I can afford to fix that problem too. :)

[Ukastronomer]

??? I must be missing the point.

Surely we have all bought the scope we want haven't we ???

Unless it is "What scope would you buy to show off rather than use" ?

[Atmos]

I'm pretty sure I cannot afford to dump a few million on a system but this is a research telescope; not about showing off.

[JeniSkunk]

Part of the original question, I think, is what would be our dream top of the line scope. The one we couldn't afford, but we still LUST after.
The other part, I think, is the more practical side, what would we love to upgrade to, if we had the cash.
For me, my reduced mobility, and having to deal with stairs, is what limits what I can seriously consider getting. If I didn't have to deal with that, then my dream scope would be a Celestron NexStar 8SE.

[skysurfer]

Canon EOS R5 (https://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/slrs/canon_eosr5) camera and an EF 600mm f/4L lens. The lens is an excellent 15cm travel APO, weighs only 4kg and can be used visually with a simple adapter.

For at home: a super lightweight 40cm Dobson of only 32kg.