Quote:
Originally Posted by poncho
Hi guys,
Am a beginner, had a 8"dob til recently. Had to sell it.
Am now looking at 10" dob with synscan.
Mainly for visual astronomy, but wouldnt mind getting some average qual pics with a webcam.
Would the synscan make viewing much easier and quick?
And the size bump wont be tooo big will it?
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Hi Ponch
Just on the observing questions
Moving from an 8" to 10" would provide about a 1.56 increase in light gathering. So DSO's will appear slightly brighter, there wont be a notieable increase in magnification (as this is generally limited by atmospheric conditions).
GoTo will make finding DSO's quicker, and Tracking will make observing easier.
However, the Synscan needs a bit more time to setup and align (level base; enter time and location; align on two known stars).
It also requires power, which brings into play batteries and cables.
(Don't trip over the power cord, or have cord wrap, or you need to re-align)
So your setup has gone from plonk & go, to a bit longer. But it is worth it (IMHO)
The physical size jump of OTA and mount, is not huge. And if the move is from solid tube to collapsible, then the OTA is actually easier to handle.
What might be an issue is the
weight of the mount. Synscan mount has the gears and motors incorporated of course. This could nearly double the weight of the mount.