[chunkylad (David)]

Hello everyone


My name is David Wright, and I live in Townsville NQ. I work as a chef, and as such, have time to spend at night under the stars winding down after work.

My wife (bless her!!!) bought me a my first telecope last Xmas, and since then we have both enjoyed breathtaking views of the moon (of course), Jupiter and Saturn. It wasn't until I got my first real look at a DSO (Omega Centauri) that I was hooked. And hooked I am. I think you guys and girls call it 'aperture fever'?

I have spent a very enjoyable few days reading many of the posts on this forum, educating myself as I go. Of course, my head is into magazines and almost every Aussie website dedicated to Astronomy - especially those dedicated to supplying the necessities of this wonderful hobby: nice shiny new larger OTAs!!!

This is leading to the question you all must get tired of answering: What is my next step? I have budgeted around $2k for my next telescope. I would like to have the capacity to dabble in astrophotography down the track, so I figure I'll need a EQ mounted Newtonian. For the money, Kirk's in Melbourne have the following:

SAXON 250MM REFLECTOR TELESCOPE
# 254mm Aperture, 1200mm Focal length
# 2 Plossl, 31.7mm eyepieces
# Finderscope
# Superb HEQ5 Equatorial mount
For a review of the mount go to: http://www.cloudynights.com/mounts2/heq5.htm
# Dual axis Motor drive included for easy tracking
The long focal length provides large image size combined with good light gathering

They don't mention the size or type of finderscope, or the type of focusser, or the brand of the EPs. However, this package is selling for "under $1500". From what I've seen, this sounds good. There are other brands available. eg Andrews have the 'Skywatcher' on an EQ6 mount for around $2000.

Do you think I'm on the right track here? What are the pitfalls, if any, of larger EQ mounted reflectors? I am aware that a large Dob would be cheaper and easier to use. I am using an EQ mount at the moment, with the 114mm 'scope my wife gave me. It did, and still does, take some getting used to, especially for overhead objects.

What about DSCs? Are these successful with EQ mounts with dual axis drives? Would I be able to track my target using DSCs for photographic purposes?

Sorry for rambling on, but I've been thinking about the right questions to ask without sounding too dumb .

Cheers

Dave W