Caravan Dark Nights

[MeSeany]

Hi - I'm new to this site, but thought I would join since most of my research takes me to the Star Gazers lounge

I am planning on eventually taking deep space photos but I wanted to take it 1 step at a time - this will help with budget and experience - nothing worse than jumping in wishing I'd bought something else.

I have recently bought a caravan (I know I know - pipe and slippers) - but this should be good for some dark skys - so I interested to know what you guys and girls thought would make a decent "portable"  telescope.

LIke Ive said Id like to stick on a used cannon camera in the future - dont think Id need a massively sturdy tripod since Ill be taking exposures and staking them.

My budget I would say was around £500 abs max for a scope.

No preference re reflector or refractor - but it must be portable - so maybe something short?

Thanks a lot - and glad to be here !!

[Davey-T]

Probably best try for good s/hand on your budget, HEQ5 on astro buy and sell at the moment for £320.00, £180.00 left over should get usable refractor.

Dave

PS nothing wrong with camping not long since I bought a camper van to go look for dark skies.

[tekkydave]

Hi - I'm new to this site, but thought I would join since most of my research takes me to the Star Gazers lounge

I am planning on eventually taking deep space photos but I wanted to take it 1 step at a time - this will help with budget and experience - nothing worse than jumping in wishing I'd bought something else.

I have recently bought a caravan (I know I know - pipe and slippers) - but this should be good for some dark skys - so I interested to know what you guys and girls thought would make a decent "portable"  telescope.

LIke Ive said Id like to stick on a used cannon camera in the future - dont think Id need a massively sturdy tripod since Ill be taking exposures and staking them.

My budget I would say was around £500 abs max for a scope.

No preference re reflector or refractor - but it must be portable - so maybe something short?

Thanks a lot - and glad to be here !!

Welcome to sgl. You could be the first person to build a 'caravobservatory'

[steppenwolf]

You'd be amazed how many people combine caravanning and astronomy - me included!

For imaging, the most important component is the mount which must be equatorial, substantial and motorised (but not necessarily GoTo although that would help as the motordrives in GoTo systems normally have greater precision). An HEQ5 would be a very good start point and you could even consider just using a camera lens to get the ball rolling.

Your budget is not really enough for a suitable mount and telescope for imaging so perhaps you should do this in two stages? Buy a Dobsonian Reflector in the sure knowledge that it will be no good for imaging but great for observing and then save up for a really good and solid equatorial mount and a small refractor for imaging later.

Welcome to SGL.

[Paul M]

Congratulations on the Caravan.

I guess it's one of those two  wheel road blocks a tourer?

it's certainly a great way to go in search of dark skies!

We have a luxury 5* mansion static near Penrith and the sky there is so much better than here at home.

I've recently re-homed my 30 odd year old 6.25" Newtonian up there and had a fun session out on the decking on Friday night.

There is limited space so the big heavy old MkIII mount will be living out on the deck under a tarp. The scope is in a polythene bag on a shelf in the second bedroom.

Not exactly "portable" but not ridiculously impractical either

Some of the modern offerings will be just great for your purposes. 

[lensman57]

You'd be amazed how many people combine caravanning and astronomy - me included!

For imaging, the most important component is the mount which must be equatorial, substantial and motorised (but not necessarily GoTo although that would help as the motordrives in GoTo systems normally have greater precision). An HEQ5 would be a very good start point and you could even consider just using a camera lens to get the ball rolling.

Your budget is not really enough for a suitable mount and telescope for imaging so perhaps you should do this in two stages? Buy a Dobsonian Reflector in the sure knowledge that it will be no good for imaging but great for observing and then save up for a really good and solid equatorial mount and a small refractor for imaging later.

Welcome to SGL.

Great advice Steve, very sensible.

Regards,

A.G

[daiwelly]

I am a warden of a caravan and camping park in the Brecon Beacons which will remain nameless and I have a 200 skyliner dobson absolutely love it. Welcome to the site and make the most of the countryside its a great hobby.

[L8-Nite]

We've been there. Its a nice facility for camping, and there is a large field to the west with perimeter trees that block out light from the camp ground, very nice indeed.  

[MeSeany]

Wow - what a great response.

Right heres where I am - been looking at celestrons sct but put off by long focal ratios which aren't any good for deep space Astro photos.

So I've been drawn to the Celestron C8-N Newtonian VX GOTO

- think its eq mount

- f/5 which I hope is fast enough for deep space photos

- hope it could take planet pics too

- observations should be good with 8"

- good mount? Its a goto so accurate enough for long expo?

Its a lot cheaper than sct at £889

Oh almost forgot - is it portable?

Heres the link

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/advanced-vx-goto/celestron-c8-n-newtonian-vx-goto.html

[Paul M]

It's quite a lot of scope and will take up a surprising amount of space on the back seat of the car!

I don't know how suitable that mount is for a scope of that size for imaging. Sure it's fine for visual though.

With some keen dedication you could maybe describe it as portable but I suspect the imagers on SGL would recommend something much more compact

[Pete Presland]

the perfect combo, camping and astronomy!

[Kirscovitch]

The C8 on the VX is sort of portable. I have the C6 on the VX and I do transport it a lot. It will take up some room though. 

I love the VX and the C6. (Wish I would have gotten the 8!)

Mount is very capable of long exposures and the big aperture grabs a lot of photons. On my best night of polar alignment I was able to get 190 second subs unguided. 

Able to get some decent planet pics if you add a barlow to the mix.

My C6 is pretty good for visual work as well and I imagine the 8 inch would be better.

[MeSeany]

Kirscovitch - great to hear that you have the C6 with the VX.

Do you think the VX will allow long exposures with the C8? Also - if I'm going to be stacking images then do I still need long exposures - or are several stacked long exposures better than several stacked short exposures?

Think I'd transport the scope in the caravan so that would not be an issue.

[MeSeany]

Does anyone know if a short refractor would be better re imaging and portability?

[MeSeany]

The C8 on the VX is sort of portable. I have the C6 on the VX and I do transport it a lot. It will take up some room though. 

I love the VX and the C6. (Wish I would have gotten the 8!)

Mount is very capable of long exposures and the big aperture grabs a lot of photons. On my best night of polar alignment I was able to get 190 second subs unguided. 

Able to get some decent planet pics if you add a barlow to the mix.

My C6 is pretty good for visual work as well and I imagine the 8 inch would be better.

Do you find that the eye piece can be in the wrong place once it is aligned - so you need to rotate the tube?

Is the goto any good - Ive been told this will ensure that the gears are of decent quality too

[peroni]

I surprised no-one has recommended The Book...

Making Every Photon Count is a must read/buy book.

A short refractor is perfect for imaging and portability and not so perfect for visual due to the relatively low magnifications. As always there is no 'one-size fits all'.

Have a think about this package...

HEQ5 mount and ED80 scope

It's not cheap but is a great start in astrophotography. A lot depends on your budget and how far you want to take the AP hobby.

The book is the best start you can make and it will help you avoid unnecessary (wasted) expense by buying the wrong kit or kit in the wrong order that can't be upgraded easily.

[Davey-T]

I surprised no-one has recommended The Book...

Making Every Photon Count is a must read/buy book.

And you'll have something to read when it's chucking it down. 

Dave

[MeSeany]

I surprised no-one has recommended The Book...

Making Every Photon Count is a must read/buy book.

A short refractor is perfect for imaging and portability and not so perfect for visual due to the relatively low magnifications. As always there is no 'one-size fits all'.

Have a think about this package...

HEQ5 mount and ED80 scope

It's not cheap but is a great start in astrophotography. A lot depends on your budget and how far you want to take the AP hobby.

The book is the best start you can make and it will help you avoid unnecessary (wasted) expense by buying the wrong kit or kit in the wrong order that can't be upgraded easily.

Hi See you have the cannon 1000D - was thinking of buying the cannon 1100D later.

Is the Celestron C8-N Newtonian VX GOTO not to your liking - I thought it maybe the best all rounder re affordable - good visually as well as for photos deep and planets plus got a decent tracking device and goto?

If you can tell me why I should not buy the Celestron C8-N Newtonian VX GOTO - that maybe useful to know its draw backs.

[MeSeany]

Would I be better off with the 

Bresser Telescope Messier AR - 152/1200 EXOS- 2 Goto?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bresser-Teleskop-Messier-AR-152L-EXOS-2/dp/B004YF80AE/ref=sr_1_27?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1406726105&sr=1-27&keywords=goto+telescopes

6" refactor - not sure if mount is stable enough for long exposures?

Also - is it portable - think its smaller

[MeSeany]

Its looking like the Skywatcher Evostar ED80 with a decent mount maybe the way to go.

I like the look of the AVX since it has goto - but buying them separately looks expensive - does anyone know of any bundles re ED80s and a decent mount?

[peroni]

Hi See you have the cannon 1000D - was thinking of buying the cannon 1100D later.

Is the Celestron C8-N Newtonian VX GOTO not to your liking - I thought it maybe the best all rounder re affordable - good visually as well as for photos deep and planets plus got a decent tracking device and goto?

If you can tell me why I should not buy the Celestron C8-N Newtonian VX GOTO - that maybe useful to know its draw backs.

I have had some nice results with the 1000D, when I bought it the 1100D had just come out and was still a bit pricey. I think the bonus with the 1100D is you can also record movies for some planetary / lunar stacking.

I don't know much about the Celestron range. They are supposed to be good and have the benefit of being compatible with the Hyperstar range of focal reducers for super fast astro imaging. I'd say you could ignore this for now and think about it much later in your AP journey.

There is a strong C8 user base here who can comment better than I.

Would I be better off with the 

Bresser Telescope Messier AR - 152/1200 EXOS- 2 Goto?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bresser-Teleskop-Messier-AR-152L-EXOS-2/dp/B004YF80AE/ref=sr_1_27?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1406726105&sr=1-27&keywords=goto+telescopes

6" refactor - not sure if mount is stable enough for long exposures?

Also - is it portable - think its smaller

I agree. Mount looks a bit weak. The key to AP is a stable mount. There are many threads on here but the entry level for serious AP is the HEQ5 or equivalent. People do image on smaller, less sturdy mounts but their pain is greater and more images are thrown away as they experience wobbles and trailing.

Its looking like the Skywatcher Evostar ED80 with a decent mount maybe the way to go.

I like the look of the AVX since it has goto - but buying them separately looks expensive - does anyone know of any bundles re ED80s and a decent mount?

When I started my journey, people on this forum recommended the ED80 and HEQ5. I bought this bundle

It's turned out to be sound advice and I've been able to build on a good kit base without wasting money.

Bear in mind my goal was astro imaging. The bundle is less suited to visual imaging but still good.

I looked at trying to save some pennies and buy a cheaper mount first off then upgrade later but this option always ends up costing more in the long run.

You could save a bit and get the syntrek (non-goto) version of the HEQ5. This has the same accuracy of stepping motors (tracking) that you will need for AP. You could then hook your mount up to a laptop and use EQMOD software and planetarium software for goto features.

If you need your mount to be portable then the goto feature is a nice to have and will speed up your finding of targets out in the field. Especially if you don't have any experience of star hopping your way around the sky.

[JimFR]

500 quid? Thats what I paid (roughly) for my rig... SW 130PDS, dual-drive EQ5 which is a decent mount. I've found it accurate enough but I don't spend long enough polar aligning!

I plan on hacking my Raspberry Pi to the handset as a drive computer...eventually!

[MeSeany]

I have had some nice results with the 1000D, when I bought it the 1100D had just come out and was still a bit pricey. I think the bonus with the 1100D is you can also record movies for some planetary / lunar stacking.

I don't know much about the Celestron range. They are supposed to be good and have the benefit of being compatible with the Hyperstar range of focal reducers for super fast astro imaging. I'd say you could ignore this for now and think about it much later in your AP journey.

There is a strong C8 user base here who can comment better than I.

I agree. Mount looks a bit weak. The key to AP is a stable mount. There are many threads on here but the entry level for serious AP is the HEQ5 or equivalent. People do image on smaller, less sturdy mounts but their pain is greater and more images are thrown away as they experience wobbles and trailing.

When I started my journey, people on this forum recommended the ED80 and HEQ5. I bought this bundle

It's turned out to be sound advice and I've been able to build on a good kit base without wasting money.

Bear in mind my goal was astro imaging. The bundle is less suited to visual imaging but still good.

I looked at trying to save some pennies and buy a cheaper mount first off then upgrade later but this option always ends up costing more in the long run.

You could save a bit and get the syntrek (non-goto) version of the HEQ5. This has the same accuracy of stepping motors (tracking) that you will need for AP. You could then hook your mount up to a laptop and use EQMOD software and planetarium software for goto features.

If you need your mount to be portable then the goto feature is a nice to have and will speed up your finding of targets out in the field. Especially if you don't have any experience of star hopping your way around the sky.

I think my start will be Cannon camera with HEQ5 - Ill be aiming for the ED80 DS pro + guide scope + camera - can the HEQ5 take all this and guide? or is the EQ6 going to be a better bet?

Also - I know the Cannon 1100D has the mirror lock issue backing the picture jump - are there alternatives that do not do this? Also want a viewing screen on the camera

[peroni]

I think my start will be Cannon camera with HEQ5 - Ill be aiming for the ED80 DS pro + guide scope + camera - can the HEQ5 take all this and guide? or is the EQ6 going to be a better bet?

Also - I know the Cannon 1100D has the mirror lock issue backing the picture jump - are there alternatives that do not do this? Also want a viewing screen on the camera

HEQ5 will be able to take a guide scope as well as the ED80. I went down the finder guider route to minimise the weight as much as possible.

I don't know about the mirror lock issue but you definitely want to make sure you get a camera with liveview. Really helps with focusing.