[Atmos (Colin)]

Originally Posted by croweater

Hi, Atmos. I guess you could go with the 8" dob (and leave there) and on those nights you want planetary (with tracking) take your heq5 which should be fine if balanced ok. I get excellent planetary views with my 8" Parks. Cheers Richard

As long as the 8" dob moves smoothly it is possible with a bit of practice to hand track at 200x but it is definitely easier with the HEQ5 tracking.

Originally Posted by AstroApprentice

Hi Colin,
Perhaps you should buy yourself a Travel Newt so you can keep it in one of those tiny caravan cupboards, whip it out and observe mount free!
http://www.kasai-trading.jp/zingaroe.html

Pretty awesome but given I feel like I need extra stability with 10x50 binos I think this would absolutely do my head in

Originally Posted by Sunfish

I have a C8 and a 100mm refractor. The c8 is very light, more compact and much easier to carry out using the weight bar as handle, even when assembled with OAG and camera. Particularly when you take off any useless weight and finderscope and stick with a telrad.

The crisp wide field view through the refractor, is worth the effort , although it is like holding an overgrown baby and probably needs a handle. I have not owned any other scopes but I can see the attraction of a new fast Newtonian if the weight is manageable. I would like one of those for AP but they also look quite long and heavy.

I do have a 100mm refractor and it does give exceptional views but it isn't something I'd want to leave up there. Maybe I just need to pack more into the car!

Originally Posted by LewisM

Buy an Astroscan Portaball.

No, seriously

I haven't been able to find an Astroscan one but Mag1 is still making them with Zambuto mirrors. I've heard about them being talked about as stuff of legends with the views but also had mixed reviews in regards to hand tracking at high powers due to moving on 3 axis. Being 8" they're also not quite as expensive as I'd first expected.

Originally Posted by glend

Maybe this one:
https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop...-200mm-f6.html

It would sit on the HEQ5 nicely.

I like the theory (TS have some "better" options) but I wouldn't touch Orion Optics with a barge pole
I'd probably also use an AZ-EQ6 for this so the EP doesn't go up and down on different sides of meridian hehe

Originally Posted by xelasnave

I understand.
But if you are not there everything can be under threat.
I have learnt we only own what we can control..absense surrenders ownership.
Anyways maybe place land mines around the mount base that i suggest be kept outside...When imaging with time to observe I use 80mm binos which I prefer over everything else...3d effect etc..your photos are the close up..but cruising with big binos is hard to beat when imaging.

Alex

I'm currently sitting out with 10x50 binos and enjoy checking ou the Milky Way this time of year. Cannot go 250x on Jupiter with them though

Originally Posted by Ukastronomer

Surely there is nothing more convenient, and time efficient than a refractor on an altaz mount

https://www.widescreen-centre.co.uk/...uth-mount.html

https://www.widescreen-centre.co.uk/...telescope.html

One of the most useful scopes I have is this, even used for birding and terrestrial with the Baader zoom eyepiece, and is perfect on my Gitzo tripod when camping

Smaller refractors are nice for wide field views but they do lack the aperture to well resolve globular clusters (my main visual telescope is a 4" refractor). Same as with the binos, you cannot push the magnification.

Originally Posted by Hoges

you mentioned astigmatism - I have the same, can't see a thing without my glasses. Maybe that's why I have just never enjoyed the views through any of my newts and ended up selling them. For me, I just can't beat the views through an ED refractor. On a home made alt az mount and manual setting circles, I can find anything quickly and it's fast to setup and take down. The 100mm generic ED is a pretty darn good scope for most things and I've always been surprised at what it can show when compared side by side with a larger reflector (except for resolution in clusters). For under 1K you could pick up a s/h ED80 for low power cluster and general viewing and something like a 127 Mak for the planets/double stars. Better still, a nice triplet 100mm.....but as you say, $$$ !

I'm approaching -1 in my eyes astigmatism wise so while not horrendous (I observe without glasses just fine as long as the exit pupil is below 2.5mm) I'd guess that what you were running into is the difference between the focal ratio of an ED refractor and F/4-F/5 newt. if I use a 25mm eye piece in my 10" F/10 I am working at 2.5mm exit pupil which is my limit. In a 10" F/5 it's 5mm and I know I'll get double vision on planets and the sky will be full of the not good kinds of diamonds.