Go To Scopes

[DippyHippy]

Greetings, fun things :)

Just as soon as get to the US and get me some clear dark skies, I want to invest in a decent Go To scope... I'm looking for something portable, say 10" tops, and under $1,500. I'd like to try my hand at astrophotography at some point in the future and I particularly like observing Jupiter, Saturn, star clusters and nebulae. (This is beginning to sound like a personal ad LOL) Other than that, anything goes :D

Any suggestions for scopes and filters?

[blueshift]

DippyHippy,

!0 niches? You need to describe that with a little more detail. Do you mean 10 inches of aperture or a scope that is just 10 inches high?

$1500? Astrophotography might strap you there, especially if you want to take in nebulae and star clusters..

You can pick up a Dob and get the most aperture for the buck, but they are not that useful for astrophotography. No clock drives.

You'll likely get an SCT and you will need at least 8 or more inches of aperture
if you want to take in any globular clusters and nebulae..

And just what do you refer to when you say "portable"? Table top? Or, are you giving a hint that you don't have a pick up or a van?

I have a suggestion. Join an astronomy club and go to a few star parties. Many clubs, like the one I belong to, rents scopes out for as low as $6 per month..

At star parties you will get a better idea of what you want by looking through a large number of scopes..Take your time. Rushing right after the first scope you
see might bring some regret..

Good luck! It's a neat hobby and very addictive!

blueshift

[DippyHippy]

LOL I meant 10" in aperture... as for being portable, I mean in terms of being able to pack it up into the trunk of a car...

I didn't know some societies rented their scopes out... interesting...

[Dave Mitsky]

A price limit of $1500 and astrophotography don't mesh well. You might be able to find a new Meade LX90 Schmidt-Cassegrain for a bit more than $1500 but it will be an 8", not a 10". The standard mount should be adequate, but not much more than that, for prime focus photography.

http://www.meade.com/catalog/lx/lx90.html

You might be able to get away with using the cheaper LXD55-Series 8" Model SC-8 SCT or one of the Meade LXD55 - Series Schmidt-Newtonians for shorter exposures but I have no idea just how well these would work for serious astrophotography. A SN is not an ideal scope for planetary observing.

http://www.meade.com/catalog/lxd55/lxd55_sc8.html

Dave Mitsky

[DippyHippy]

Well I'm clueless with regards to astrophotography but it's something I'd like to get into at some point in the future. To be honest, I wouldn't say it's a top priority right now.

The Meade looks good but it's a bit over my price range... you reckon I won't have much luck with a budget of $1,500?

[seeker372011]

It depends on whether you want to go for the full blown CCD route or you choose to go the much more inexpensive modified webcam or low lux security cam route-the QCUIAG promoted approach:

http://www.qcuiag.co.uk/


As someone said like politics astrophotography is about compromises. Sure go for a Takahashi or R-C on a Losmondy mount with an SBIG -or even more expensive gear- if you can afford it.

If not then you can still achieve some decent results with much less expensive equipment.

Your photos may not get published in Sky and Telescope but isn't the point of the whole deal just to have fun?


BTW note Meade has a new range LXD75-which hopefully addresses some of the problems reported with the LXD55. Don't know if they have shipped any yet they were due in July in the US. Probably next year before these get to our part of the world.

[DippyHippy]

Thanks seeker :)

Well I've got exactly zip experience with astrophotography so I'd be starting from the ground up - for that reason, I obviously wouldn't be spending $X on the top stuff when I didn't have the experience to use it. So in terms of astrophotography, I'd be looking to start with something easy :)