celestron nexstar 130 vs 10" Dob

Destrious (Dean) · #1 10-09-2010, 12:42 PM

Hi everyone,

I'm wanting to buy a decent telescope for my wife for Christmas but I'm having trouble deciding what to get. The 2 stand out telescopes for me are the Celestron Nexstar 130 SLT and a 10 inch dobsonian. My questions are:

Is there a big difference in what you can see between these 2?

Is it more exciting to explore the sky manually or is it better with a go-to? (would my wife get bored with one or the other?)

Would either of these work OK from a tiny balcony in suburban Brisbane?

What would be better for astrophotography if my wife gets interested in this later on?

Finally, is there an alternative telescope that would suit better (my budget is $500 - $1000)

Thanks in advanced for your help.

Dean

renormalised (Carl) · #2 10-09-2010, 12:58 PM

No contest....the 10" dob walks all over the 130mm scope. Not only is there a substantial difference in capabilities (resolution and light gathering capacity for a start), but the 10" will be more useful when it comes to doing astropiccies later on (with some mods done to the scope). The only thing the 130 has over it is portability and the goto capability. But there's something in learning how to navigate the sky by the seat of the pants and learning about the stars in this fashion. It's more gratifying...but it can also be frustrating too. If you have a tiny balcony to view from, the 130 would be the better scope, if that's the only place you intend to view from. If you're willing to drive out into darker skies, the 10" is your best bet.

You could also try for a Skywatcher SW500S, 6" Reflector from Bintel, for $549

If you could stretch you budget by $400 or so, you could pick up a Skywatcher BD200, 8" reflector and an EQ5 mount (with goto) for $1400. Or even the above 6" on the same mount for $1300...it'll be lighter on the mount and give you some extra room (weight wise) to add guidscopes and such later on, for piccie taking.

mental4astro (Alexander) · #3 10-09-2010, 01:12 PM

Hi Dean,

to IIS.

These two beasties, though both reflectors, they offer very different things.

The Celestron is a computer controlled scope, requireing at least two stars to align every time you set up. Though convenient to some who don't know their way around the sky, it does, to me, take away a part of the astro feeling of not really familiarising yourself with the sky.

The 10" dob is a bigger "light bucket", where you will be able to not only see fainter objects, but accessory wise has much more available to it, like the ability to use 2" eyepieces, which can be much more comfortable to use.

Niether scope is suited to long exposure photography as you really need an equatorial mount to track along one axis (the Nexstar works in two axis and the image will rotate in the photo frame). However, you can do plenty of Lunar & planetary photography, and with quite inexpensive gear too. There are several articles in the Projects & Aritcles heading in the top right margin on this, including one on making your own astro-cam from a webcam.

I wouldn't think either would be suited to a small balcony. The tripod of the Nexstar would get in the way, the 10" dob has a big 'turning circle', and their respective focusers will inevitably find itself in an awkward, if not inaccessible position.

They are also very different animals to carry and it is something to consider if your wife, or you, might struggle with handleing.

I'd suggest two things before puchasing either one, and the surprise is still there if that is the original intension:

1- Take her to a star party to see what these and other scopes look like, perform, handle as ease of use and set-up/take-down.

2- take her to a good astro retailer and have her take her time in ultimately deciding.

There are many astro clubs that hold regular get togethers and the Star Parties forum lists many other get togethers too, and there are several REAL astro retailers that can help, not department stores.

It is not just size that matters, but a good scope is also one that gets used, not stored because it winds up being too awkard/complicated to handle.

Mental.

renormalised (Carl) · #4 10-09-2010, 01:17 PM

BTW....in so far as tiny goes, how big is the balcony you intend to view from??

Destrious (Dean) · #5 10-09-2010, 01:28 PM

Thanks for your replies! So quick!

I don't have the measurements of the balcony handy but a rough estimate would be between 1.5 and 2 meters wide and about 3 meters long. We're moving into the unit in just over a month so I'm not really familiar with it but it had room for a couple of deck chairs.

mental4astro (Alexander) · #6 10-09-2010, 01:43 PM

Maybe consider a refractor. Skywatcher has some 4", 5" & 6 " short tube refractors suitable for a simple alt/az mount, and within your budget. Though not the best for real high power stuff, they are still very capable instruments, allow plenty of light collection, and as an added bonus, can be easily made into terrestrial viewing scopes, something that a newtonian can't. This type of scope might be better suited if you are to set-up on a balcony regularly.

Have a look at the skywatcher section in the Andrews Communications website. These refractors are located about half way down the Skywatcher page:

http://andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm

mental4astro (Alexander) · #7 10-09-2010, 01:53 PM

There is a third option that I nearly forgot about- Maksutov & Schmidt cassegrain reflectors.

There are a few sizes that may be convienent around the 4" to 6" range, and also useable on either a simple mount or totally automated.

Again, Andrews web site contains the major cassegrain producers, Celestron, Meade & Skywatcher.

These can also be used as terrestrial scopes too, and are a much better optical design for high power use than the short tube refractors, though more expensive. There are still options that will fall within your budget.

I started with a Celestron C5, a 5" Schmidt Cassegrain, nearly 20 years ago. I still have this scope. I love it. It can sit on a photo tripod very comfortably too, or I can stick it onto its eq. mount to track. A very capable scope.

Esseth (Alan) · #8 10-09-2010, 06:18 PM

Hi Dean, as a fellow Brisbane / Unit person, i can tell you imo anything bigger than an 8" dob may not be friendly for balcony... pending how much of the sky you can view/direction you are facing and what level you are on.

Moving my 8" up and down from lvl 3 is annoying to say the least, but that said i would not swap the experiance.

Destrious (Dean) · #9 19-09-2010, 05:04 PM

Thanks Esseth! It's nice to know there is another person in a similar situation. Do you do much star gazing from your balcony? Or do you tend to go for a drive to get away from the light pollution?

multiweb (Marc) · #10 19-09-2010, 08:29 PM

I'm a bit biaised because I have been imaging with a Celestron Nexstar SLT 130 for a little while now but it's true you might get more enjoyment out of a 10" dob. Regardless if you want to get into AP later on you'll need a good mount before all.

mental4astro (Alexander) · #11 20-09-2010, 12:02 AM

Dean, what do you want? Do you want us to say "yeah, go for this one" or "go for that one"? If that is the case, go for the 10".

If you want someone to tell you what to get, because you think it's easier for someone to tell you what you would want to hear, rather than what need to hear, again, go for the 10".

If you want someone to tell you what 25 years experience says, then a newtonian from a balcony is not the way to go. I've got 5 scopes: a 2" refractor, a 5" Schmidt-Cassegrain, and three newt's 8", 10" & 17.5". I've also lived in units, terrace houses and freestanding homes, and taken scopes to many, many locations. Have I taken a newtonian to a place with limited access to space or sky, including balconies, and yes, and it was a poor choice. Never was it for lugging the thing up and down stairs.

You asked for the best choice for your balcony, a Nexstar 130 or a 10" dob. Of these two, the 130.

But looks like you want to really want to hear the 10". Then, hey, go the 10", all the way! Bigger is better.

sly (John) · #12 22-09-2010, 02:11 PM

Dean,

You should really consider the small maks and schmidt cassegrain as Alexander suggested: these are very compact and of good quality.
Compactness means you'll be at ease observing from your balcony and it also will be easy to carry when you want to go under a dark sky.
A 10" on a balcony?? FORGET IT! Seriously. I suggest you go to a shop and see the size of a 10" dob! It is WAY bigger than what you think. On a balcony, there is no way you are going to be comfortable using it.
My 2 cents.

sly

Stu Ward · #13 23-09-2010, 04:08 PM

I would also suggest that the rail on the balcony would be a significant hinderance to the Dob on a small balcony.
It is likely to stop you from looking any lower in the sky than the rail + the radius of tube ( it will hit it !!!)

Crusader · #14 23-09-2010, 07:01 PM

I don't know what the going price is over there, but a Celestron 6SE would be a better Go-to option. It's compact enough and should work on a balcony.

Destrious (Dean) · #15 01-10-2010, 11:40 AM

Thanks everyone for your helpful advise! I really appreciate the time you've taken to respond to my questions. Here is what I've concluded from all your responses:

1. The dobsonian provides much better viewing and the Nexstar will pale in comparison
2. Viewing only from a tiny balcony is unrealistic and a waste of time and money (with either scope, although for obvious reasons the Nexstar would be better).

Therefore I need to reconsider my plan and start seriously thinking about driving out somewhere to a more remote place to do my star gazing. Hence a dobsonian will be the telescope of choice (an 8 or 10inch depending how my budget looks in a month when I plan to buy one).

I've spoken to my wife (I know, I ruined the surprise) and we've decided that we'd prefer to find the stars/planets on our own instead of having a goto and she likes the idea of having a night out away from the city once a week.

Thanks again for your help! If you have any further comments I'd love to read them.

Dean