Quote:
Originally Posted by AnotherNewbie
Just rang AstroShop and while he said the Vixen 130 is a good scope, he recommended this 8' dob. Can anyone give me an idea of how high it is, and how high the eyepeice would be? It seems like it would be awkward to lug around and not the sort of thing that would fit in the boot of a smallish car. Oh and would it be any good optically?
I really don't like the idea of pushing a dob around the sky, I think I'd much prefer a mount with couple of knobs for fine tuning.
Edit: Russel I didn't see your post when I wrote mine. Your pretty much repeating what the guy at AstroShop advised. My only concern is the expense of turning a dob into a goto, and its size. |
No worries
- The tube length is 1.2 metres the base will add some height. but the eyepiece will be around 1.2m off the ground when looking straight up. it will obviously be lower on the 45deg angle etc.
- for ease of transportation it will probably fit in the car as one unit or you could separate them which you would probably want to do anyway. Or if you are worried about space a collapsible would do the trick
http://myastroshop.com.au/products/d...sp?id=MAS-041E
I have the 12" version of this and it is
very well made.
- optically it will be good, as long as you collimate it before use.
- ask how much upgrading it to goto would cost. I have a feeling it may be only be able to be done on the black diamond model (which is what I linked above - as far as the skywatcher products go).
Trying not to bombard you with options but you may find that instead of upgrading the dob to goto you buy an eq mount (eg HEQ5) and you could put the telescope tube onto it when photographing deep sky and mount it on the dob when looking visually.
I know what you mean about fine tuning, and yes while an eq mount will be able to make good fine tune movements, having the tube and eyepiece in a comfortable spot wont happen most of the time - trust me this is not that user friendly - plus you will probably have to use a smaller sized telescope offering less impressive views. The dob will get you to your object quicker and will be in a more comfortable position for viewing and give you much finer views due to its light grasp and resolution.
Astronomy can be frustrating even when you have the right equipment etc, it sounds to me that you should perhaps save a bit more in the first place and buy a goto dob. the last thing you want to do is spend $800 on something that doesn't really do what you want it to. it could put you off astronomy or spending more in the long run due to upgrading to what you "should" have got in the first place (or you may have many years of enjoyment with it
).
a goto dob you can set up with a simple 2 star alignment and tell the handset what you want it to find thereafter (or try a manual dob at the astronomy club to see how the nudging annoys you).
the cheapest I can find is
http://www.bintel.com.au/Telescopes/...oductview.aspx in an 8" however it is sold out, it might be worth seeing if they are restocking at the same price.
In the mean time there is plenty you can do with your canon and naked eye. you can create landscape shots of the milky way and constellations, construct panorama's (stitch together images to nab the milky way, make interesting night time timelapses, photograph the up coming lunar eclipse. check out the nightscapes section in images for some inspiration.
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/f...splay.php?f=49
Edit - I see Andrews have the upgrade kit for the black diamond flex tubes only, they have it at $699 for the upgrade.