Someone please tell me about the Saxon 6" Achromatic

[overlord]

I think I have found the planetary scope I have been looking for... It's quite a decent price too...

http://www.saxon.com.au/products/product-details.php?productid=10212

http://www.astronomyalive.com.au/refracting-telescopes/advanced-level-telescopes/saxon-15012-eq5-dual-axis-motorised-go-to-150mm-refracting-telescope-system.html :D

[casstony]

For that money I'd point you towards the Orion Eon ED120 in the classifieds for $1400 and buy an EQ5 to put it on. The Eon has better optics, better focuser, sliding dew shield and is a much more manageable size to use (more than a foot shorter with dew shield retracted).

[gbeal]

Agree with Tony. Either the Eon 120, or my ED127 triplet, also in the Classifieds.
Gary

[overlord]

Thanks guys!

But like I mean this to be an observatory scope... i'm gonna build a swivel dome and stuff and i think 4" ain't enough? ... or it it? :shrug:

[gbeal]

Possibly, but the 4" you talk of to me fits more in the "take it with you" category. The 6" achro is getting too big for that I reckon. The 120 or 127 is part way between, with the thrust of Tony's and my comment more aimed at arguably better quality for similar money. I felt a 5" apo is going to be way better than a 6" achro. Plus I was having a shameless plug.
Gary

[overlord]

Is APO rly that much better? I wanna biggggg refractor. hehehe

[overlord]

lol k. Well I guess I would agree there. :thumbsup: :thanx:

[ballaratdragons]

Over 2 grand!!!!

The Skywatcher 150mm is under $1100 at My AStro Shop:
http://www.myastroshop.com.au/products/details.asp?id=MAS-045H

and the same scope is only $799 at Andrews with Free Freight.

and even better is the f5 version at $799 with Free Freight also at Andrews.
http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm

It pays to look around :thumbsup:

I use the Skywatcher 150mm f5 version for all my 'Live' astro broadcasts. Great scope.

[casstony]

The 6" achro would be ok if you get a good one and use filters to control the CA. The focuser might need replacing if you're fussy.

More aperture is better if you've got good skies - how about a high quality f/6 or f/7 newt? There's a dozen choices you could make.

[casstony]

Great low power, wide field scope but the overlord is looking for a planetary scope.

[ballaratdragons]

Ahhh, I just re-read your initial post.

Planetary!

Hmmmm . . . ED over Achro.
Maybe even a nice little Maksutov.

:shrug:

[overlord]

Dammit I just read that achromats are not much good for photography..... but 5"APO isn't enough for me! (even though it is really really good). I want something huge.

Yes Ken, back to MAK 4 me. ahaha

[casstony]

Intes Micro 715D in the classifieds.

I'm surprised at the amount of good scopes on offer at good prices in the classifieds - it's a buyers market.

[ballaratdragons]

Depends on how much work you want to put in.

The 6" f5 Achro I have now was Berts (Avandonk) and he did some of the nicest Deeeeeep DSO work I've have seen.
He used a monochrome chip and different filters for each colour, and it just takes the tiniest tweak of focus on each colour.
Bingo, 6" very deep imaging.

But yeah, Planetary is a different ball game.

[ballaratdragons]

What would be ideal is a Skywatcher ED120 ED APOchromatic refractor.

Andrews has a special on: $1999

Skywatcher BD-ED120 ED
2" dielectric diagonal
One 2" 28mm LET eyepiece
Straight-thru 9x50 finderscope
Tube rings
Dovetail bar, 45mm wide
Aluminium carry case
Free Freight
http://www.andrewscom.com.au/images/products/telescopes/refractor/5.jpg

That is a bargain.

[rmcconachy]

I agree with Tony and Gary, I used to own a Synta 150mm f/8 scope and it was not great for observing planets (not so bad on Saturn, worst on Mars and Jupiter). The colour error was huge on bright objects (it exists with faint objects too but you don't see it) and the scope was quite big (~4ft long and ~10kg) and awkward to handle, in part because it is very nose heavy. The websites you mention show the scope being held at about its midpoint, this will only work if you hang extra weight off the rear of the scope. In reality the balance point for the f/8 version is ~1/3rd of the way from the objective to the focuser meaning that you need a tall tripod or pier to mount it on or you are going to be on your knees when observing near the zenith. Speaking of mounts, IMHO you will want an EQ6 or stronger mount to adequately cope with the big moment arm of this scope. All up, I much preferred using the slightly smaller 120mm version of this scope which weighs just over half as much as its bigger sibling and balances close to the midpoint of the objective and focuser. The reasonably priced 120-130mm ED scopes available today are much better again than a 120mm achromat. If you can give up on the idea of a refractor (but still want some glass up the front of the scope) the IM 715D mentioned above should beat any 5" or less APO on planets and give a 6" APO a good run for its money.

[overlord]

You guys are awesome, and rmconnachy, thanks so much! I think that's the same scope.

Anyway... I am reading elsewhere that basically everyone says that a big dob like a 12" has the capability to blow almost any refractor out of the water for planet detail, so I think it's another dobby for me. No need for any exotic stuff lol.

Where do I get a 16" in australia lol?! Haha.

[rmcconachy]

The Synta and Saxon are the same scope Chucky. If you get a decent size Dob of reasonable (doesn't have to be perfect) quality and keep it well collimated and acclimatised then it will show more details and colour saturation than any reasonably sized APO could ever do. Bintel in Camberwell sell Dobs (including 16" ones) and I can recommend their service if you want somewhere local.

[toc]

Im a sucker for SCT's myself - mostly because of the ease of use. Im too lazy to deal with constant collimation, and for planetary work I wouldn't want to use a Dobsonian mount - but thats just me :-D

[overlord]

hehe i'm in camberwell so it's close-as. Yep. Ive decided. 16" Dob from Bintel... and then i'll get a servo motor put in lol. it'll have it's own observatory too.

I was actually thinking... maybe an obsession 20" for like $7000+ but i'd rather not have to deal with overseas... I might go with the 16" instead since I can buy it pretty fast locally and it's way cheaper. hell yeah!

https://www.bintelshop.com.au/welcome.htm

I might stick a filter in it for planets. Clouds are the best filter I reckon, tho. omg yes. this will be the best solution to see the celestial orbs! :thumbsup: :D:D:D:D:D:D U guys are awesome. Thanks so much for clarifying things.

[overlord]

nooooooooooooooooooo, the bintel 16" is an F/4.5 NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I can't take it anymore! i want at least f/5. help me

[overlord]

can i see planets sharp on this? It has a fine focus but no paracorr



why is this happening to meeeee

[PlanetMan]

Hi

You have been given some great advice here and I am an unashamed refractor-oholic. However, always remember the best telescope is the one you use the most. Big dobs are certainly nice but unless you have some sort of observatory (aka ready to go garden shed etc) you will be hard pressed to beat the convenience of even an average quality APO refractor (100-127mm) on a strong Alt/Az mount. If you want to have a fantastic view of the planets etc on a 'big' telescope, dodge the expense and let someone else take care of the set-up - treat yourself to a trip to an Australian observatory. If you want something that 'you' are most likely to use often and thus through your overall time in usage get the most value out of your money - IMHO - maybe think a little more about a biggesh APO refractor - you don't have buy Tak, AP or Televue for great views these days and although a big Achro might sound better initially than a medium APO the old saying is quality over quantity. I am sure you will have fun with whatever you pick.

[renormalised]

You want something huge....how much money are you prepared to spend??

Have a look at these....

http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=1-600-1195-9826

http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=1-600-1195-9829

http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=1-600-1195-9831

[casstony]

Chucky, have you considered going to a public observing night and looking at Saturn through a bunch of different scopes?

There's a lot of good choices but only 1 or 2 of them will suit your particular preferences and your typical observing conditions. For example a large, high quality instrument would be wasted if you rarely get stable skies, or you might prefer the convenience of a refractor and the aesthetics of its images, or you might prefer to tweak a large newt and wait for fleeting glimpses at high power, etc.

[toc]

Assuming the scope is well collimated, then you will in theory be able to get very very good views of the planets - Keep in mind that at high magnification, you will need some sort of tracking system, otherwise the object will fly out of the edge of the eyepiece.

I would definitely recommend going to a star party to check out the variety of scopes available, and how they work in practice. Each design has its strengths and weaknesses, and one persons strength is another's weakness :D

[robz]

Agree with Tim here and all.
You need to look through and use some of these scopes to get a feel of what is ''mother's milk'' and what is ''poison'' to you.........and I mean TO you!:D

Tim and I settled on a 12 inch SCT and from what I have experienced so far, I would not have anything else.:thumbsup: