Viewing planets in urban area.

xnomad · #1 09-02-2009, 01:15 PM

Hi,

First of all let me introduce myself. I'm 32 years old, I live on Sydney's Northern Beaches and I'm keen to get into astronomy. I did a lot of star gazing as a child with binoculars and now I want to get my first telescope. Ideally I want to get started observing the planets and the moon.

We are moving shortly from a flat into a house with a garden so I want to start there and then move on to dark sky areas when I go on my camping trips up and down the coast.

I'm looking for a scope that is better suited for an urban area and is best for viewing planets with. I'm not frightened of tinkering, I'm a Linux Systems Administrator by profession :-) So I'm not put off the idea of having to polar align a GEM.

These are the scopes I've been looking at and are within my budget:

Skywatcher 102mm x 1000mm achromatic refractor on EQ mount
Skywatcher 127mmm x 1540mm Maksutov-Cassegrain on EQ mount

If I'm to get the 102mm refractor then I'm going to try and see if I can get the EQ5 with the steel tripod as I've heard the EQ3 isn't very stable at high mags.

What would you recommend, or do you have any experience with the above scopes?

Thanks,

Blue Skies (Jacquie) · #2 09-02-2009, 05:01 PM

Given the choice of the two, I would take the 127mm Mak. It has both the larger aperture and the longer focal length which will make achieving high magnification that little bit easier. Large aperture is still good for planets, you get better resolution with them. I think you might be a little disappointed with the refractor, which is one that I have used a bit. Both scopes can be transferred to better mounts down the track.

Robert9 (Robert) · #3 09-02-2009, 05:33 PM

I have a celestron nexstar SCT 150mm. Its a superb scope, very portable, ideal for camping trips and works well in the backyard. Great views of nebulae, clusters, even the moon

Robert

Starkler (Geoff) · #4 09-02-2009, 05:58 PM

I have viewed the moon and planets through a lot of scopes, from small refractors up to large truss dobs. The lesson I have learned is that aperture rules and IMO its not worth sacrificing significant aperture just for a tracking mount.
FWIW, I would not use an eq3 for anything, nor an eq5 for anything bigger than an 80mm refractor or a 127 mak. Anything bigger deserves a heq5 if you dont want frustrating wobbling every time you touch the scope.

astroron (Ron) · #5 09-02-2009, 06:08 PM

After Observing Saturn last night with a 16" and magnification of x 610 I was seeing what the guys where getting with their imaging gear

I would go for a Dobsonion Mount an a 6"-8" scope.
I don't think you will get a lot of satisfaction in a small scope with the Planets.
As Starkler says Aperture rules.

Vartigy (Aaron) · #6 10-02-2009, 12:39 AM

Sorry to Highjack the thread.
Hey Ron,
Where's Saturn situated atm anyway?

Robert9 (Robert) · #7 11-02-2009, 11:49 AM

The thread seems to have lost track of the original question. A suitable scope for camping trips? Go for the SCT I say. A 6" will better than the 5" ; beyond that you lose the portability unless you have a very roomy caravan. In the end it all depends on your wallet.

toryglen-boy (Duncan) · #8 11-02-2009, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xnomad

Hi,

First of all let me introduce myself. I'm 32 years old, I live on Sydney's Northern Beaches and I'm keen to get into astronomy. I did a lot of star gazing as a child with binoculars and now I want to get my first telescope. Ideally I want to get started observing the planets and the moon.

We are moving shortly from a flat into a house with a garden so I want to start there and then move on to dark sky areas when I go on my camping trips up and down the coast.

I'm looking for a scope that is better suited for an urban area and is best for viewing planets with. I'm not frightened of tinkering, I'm a Linux Systems Administrator by profession :-) So I'm not put off the idea of having to polar align a GEM.

These are the scopes I've been looking at and are within my budget:

Skywatcher 102mm x 1000mm achromatic refractor on EQ mount
Skywatcher 127mmm x 1540mm Maksutov-Cassegrain on EQ mount

If I'm to get the 102mm refractor then I'm going to try and see if I can get the EQ5 with the steel tripod as I've heard the EQ3 isn't very stable at high mags.

What would you recommend, or do you have any experience with the above scopes?

Thanks,

given the two choices, for planetary viewing, i would have the refractor, the MAK is maybe the better all rounder, but for planetary viewing refractors tend to give better, more contrasty images, purely down to the fact that there is no central obstruction. i use and 200mm reflector, and a 90mm refractor, and although the image in the reflector is brighter, it tends to be more "grainy" for planets, and the refractor is spot on.

i wouldnt get a short focus refractor either, while CA is less obtrusive on dimmer objects, on planets, 'specially the brighter ones, it can produce undesireable results.

hope this helps

xnomad · #9 15-02-2009, 09:48 AM

Hi Guys,
Thanks for all the advice. I'm just letting you know I went with the 127mm Mak. I did a lot of research and many forums and reviews were raving about this scope being the best little portable Mak about and that it was putting some refractors to shame.

I couldn't really justify getting anything more expensive, my fiancée is already miffed with this purchase :-) Even though I got a nice deal through Andrews.

The only problem is the weather and it doesn't look like it's going to clear anytime soon. So I've only been able to play with it terrestrially during the day. Just as well my other hobby is surfing; when it's overcast there are usually waves, and when the sky is clear the ocean is usually flat. A great trade off!

ngcles · #10 15-02-2009, 12:25 PM

Hi Xnomad & All,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Starkler

I have viewed the moon and planets through a lot of scopes, from small refractors up to large truss dobs. The lesson I have learned is that aperture rules and IMO its not worth sacrificing significant aperture just for a tracking mount.

Amen and Amen to that!

If you are primarily interested in viewing planets in a medium-sized 'scope (ie about 5-10") in addition to the above advice, high-quality well figured optics are important and if you are going to get an "obstructed" telescope like a S/C, Mak or Newtonian, make sure you get significant focal length (ie f/6-10) and a secondary mirror that is as small as possible -- less than 20%. A central obstruction <20% will produce a view second only (and hardly distinguishable from) a fine refractor (and a lot cheaper too!).

Best of luck with the choice and make sure you join a society if there is one nearby to try-out other people's 'scopes before you buy!

Best,

Les D

Kal (Andrew) · #11 15-02-2009, 07:16 PM

Now to nudge you down the path of planetary photography

Being a system Admin you might already have the most expensive part required - a laptop. Add to that a usb webcam (like an old phillips toucam) and with a couple of small modifications to make it fit in the eyepiece holder you can start imaging!