Quote:
Originally Posted by casstony
If tracking is mandatory and with a bad neck/comfortable observing to consider, a GoTo schmidt cassegrain (eg. Meade LX90 or Celestron Nexstar SE) might suit best. You can do all seated observing and turn the diagonal such that the eyepiece is horizontal, allowing the observer to keep their back and neck vertical. This is part of the reason for my preference for SCT's (schmidt cassegrain telescopes) since I have a crook upper back and can't lean forward for long.
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I second this comment.
My LX-90 tracks beautifully in Alt-Az mode. Setup takes <10mins. Plonk tripod down - take time to ensure the it is LEVEL. Screw down OTA/Forks onto tripod. Point scope North and make sure OTA is level. Turn on Autostar. It will slew to two alignment stars and Bob's your Uncle!
The observing position with an SCT in Alt-Az mode is quite kind to your back. They are definitely not "back friendly" when equatorially mounted on a wedge! I have seen a few people doing video astronomy through an Alt-Az mounted SCT with spectacular results - something to consider if want to dabble into Astrophotography.
DT
Cheers
DT