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Visual scope In Observatory 15000 budget


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I have a client who is interested in setting up an observatory for visual use.

He is quite wealthy(one of the founders of ICQ)

He asked me how much and I just threw the figure of 15 grand at him and he did not bat an eyelid.

I thought a Pulser dome, mount on a pier and an Orion optics 16 " newt.

Any suggestions?

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A 16" newtonian on a pier will be too high for visual observing.

Also is it just the dome from Pulsar or the side section as well.

He may be expecting a dome on a brick base unit rather then the complete Pulsar item the brick unit being therefore somewhat larger the the Pulsar item.

I would find out exactly what they expect, but still think a 16" Newtonian will be far to high. Think a 9.25" or 11" CPC set up on an Equitorial pillar would be better. If they are OK with a goto.

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Isn't the 16" a bit too long for that? The specs on the site have the wall height (excl the dome) as 1.3m tall and the scope (don't have exact height is 400mm x f/l 4.4) is 1.76m tall. The focusor will be in the dome around and you will still need to be able to stand on something. Don't know the space you will have if the scope is around half alt.

All this is just based on the 2 heights. Don't have either of them :p

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Hi, do you know where his observing site is and what the local light pollution levels are like, it would likely make a difference to the kit he could make best use of. Rather than one scope it might be worth looking at two or three on one good mount giving a spread of ability's from wide field to planetary viewing and solar ? It would also look impressive when taking guests out to look at  :smiley:

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My 2 bucks worth, it has to be a large sct, ease of observational  height, and proven goto. If the goto is complicated on the original scope, drive it through a computer, click on the object the scope moves!.

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+1 for Damian's suggestion.  Suggest you split the budget in to three equal parts, 5k for the dome, 5k for the mount and 5k for the scope and accessories.  What you save in one section can be used for the other.

The dome might be a bit more than 5k.  As for the mount, why not the same as you, at least you will be able to offer plenty of advice both how to set it up and drive it from say CDC?

The scope, if you don't like the long focal length of an SCT, how about an open frame truss tube RC?  These are only F/8....

http://www.iankingimaging.com/show_products.php?category=12

I know they are for imaging really, but what a great scope for visual as well.  Or a C11/C14 with an FR.

Perhaps add a 4" APO, the mount will certainly take the weight.  A WO GT102 is a nice scope for the money.

Robin

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If the client is serious about the project then the first consideration for any observatory is where it is to be located. If it is to be for visual use then it is absolutely essential that it is in an area with low light pollution: the site should be inspected at night and Sky Quality Meter readings should be taken. It is also essential that the telescope will have a clear view to the south - other directions are of far less importance.

If the client already has observing experience then he will be comfortable using a large aperture scope, but if he does not then the observatory could end up as a folly that never gets used. My guess is that a pier mounted SCT might be the best bet. I think a pier mounted 16" Newtonian would be a very bad idea for anyone. If the client just wants something that looks nice then a dome in his garden with a 6" refractor inside would probably suffice, and would be sure to give good views of Moon and planets even if situated in a light-polluted area.

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This is to go in the garden of a vacation home where their is very little if no light pollution.

He has no experience with telescopes but is pretty useful in IT.

He also mentioned wanting to have live video feed from the telescope to the house.

I tried to discorage this and told him that he could just look at hubble images on line instead.

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It would have to be the 2.7m  observatory and assuming that the area doesn't suffer from heavy rainfall there shouldn't be any problems with it.  Although they say suitable for up to a 16inch scope I would knock a couple of inches off that.  A 14inch SCT  might be more suitable, maybe even a 11 or 12 inch to start with.   If he is that wealthy he can always upgrade. And better spend the money on automating the observatory and making it easier to use. He may be IT savvy but astronomy does involve a big learning curve.  And I would suggest something like video camera so that he can see it on his computer screen to start with, before connecting up to the house. A step at a time I think.

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Go for a big SCT.....visually, there's nothing wrong with a long focal length, you just need the right eyepieces.....a brace of televue ethos would do the trick.

An RC for visual is a waste of time due to the lack of contrast caused by the big central obstruction ( visually, mine is thoroughly underwhelming), and they are pigs to collimate.

TBH, even though they are designed to be imaging scopes, the Celestron Edge HDs are wonderful visual scopes, and the 11 inch has a short enough focal length to deal with most targets if focal reduced, or detailed close ups of the moon and planets with a shorter focal length eyepiece. For larger objects, just piggyback and 80/100mm refractor on the back.

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The idea of a remote video visual scope is IMO excellent. An automated dome linked to a nice big SCT with good quality video camera is a winner.

Im not sure if you can link an alt az mount to a dome, but im sure ascom can sort that (i have not personally looked into it.)

This would be a great setup for galaxys, small nebula luna and planetary (with barlows).

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Personally I hate observing from domes. I built myself a domed observatory many years ago, and had a great deal of fun doing so, but when it came to using it. I felt it was like looking out of a letter box at the night sky, I disliked it intensely.

If I had the budget of your friend I would want to put my money into the optics not building materials. I would opt for a Dob deck that I could wheel out a very large Dob onto. 

A nice little shed with a large door would house the scope when not in use.

Something like this

http://www.webstertelescopes.com/c28-Kevin-Beebe.jpg

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For that money I would like a nice multi scope setup. Eq8 on a nice vibration isolated concrete pier with a good Borg or Tak apo refractor for wide field, and a large coma corrected newt for detail. Set of televue eyepieces, motorised filter wheels on each with a nice selection of baader filters, plus a really good quality finder scope with illuminated reticule or a DMK cam for live view finding and a laptop control for everything.

Would a nice solar scope also be a nice touch? That setup would certainly look very impressive for the client.

Does the budget include electrics? Also heating for the dome and low level red lighting on a dimmer switch. Oh and a coffee maker ☺

Sound like an interesting project.

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You could use an Edge with the matching focal reducer for visual, it would work just fine. However, it would be a bit of a waste. The Celestron Edge series were developed for imaging and visually you wouldn't see the benefits. Much better to get the standard C11, a good focal reducer, if you want one and then use the money saved to buy a nice 4" APO.

The Edge series are about twice the price of a standard C11 and the FR is around three times more expensive than a good FR for a standard scope.

Robin

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I disagree regarding the edge being wasted for visual. I have had 4 SCTs, 10 and 14 inch meads, and a C11 XLT and also an 11 inch edge. While all the others were very good visually, with a wide field eyepiece the edge was better....crisp and flat right to the edge of the FOV. I generally wouldn't consider that worth the large amount star you pay, but if money isn't an object then I would go for the edge. And if the poor chap makes the mistake of putting a camera on it, and the imaging bug bites, he'll have a good long FL imaging scope too.

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I have never viewed a SCT but it does make sense for an easy no hassle setup for observing.

He basically wants an Observatory with a telescope to look at the sky with his mates with a bit of cool factor.

Do you think a good Equatorial mount is the way to go for a setup like this?

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While the long FL of the SCT clearly doesn't bug everyone, as this thread shows, it really does frustrate me. I have a ten inch and rarely use it for this reason. Optically it's good but not excellent. The Edge Celestrons are really nice though. I just feel 'boxed in,' a phrase used by Ed Ting to describe his own reaction to them. Excellent on the planets and small targets but you're looking through a straw, as it always feels to me.

I wouldn't use a dome visually. Roll off every time, out under a nice dark sky. Why miss the ambience? The shooting stars? The Milky way? A quick spin in the bins? And sitting waiting for a go is no fun in a doma amongst friends and family.

My suggestions; a big SCT and a TEC140 (or slightly shorter FL premium apo) on an Argo Navis Mesu.

Or a powered Obsession Dob with drives and GoTo. Whatever size you fancy. Not less than 16 inches though.

And a nice pair of bins. Hand held, 8x42 ish.

Olly

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Aaahh the delights of spending someone else's hard earned cash. So from Yorkshire I would say controversially ignore the SCT (and I own the 9.25). I have informal post cycling star parties with Fish and Chips from the village caravan, yes we know how to live. If I put out my 102 EDT and my SCT the queue forms at the 'frac. The only time it didn't was when Mars was at opposition and Gannymede strolled past Jupiter with its mates. And now I have acquired a third hand 12" Dob and an OIII filter I imagine the queue to drive that under a September sky may be substantial. Just my opinion.

Also, there will be more space for the wine cellar under a decent roll off.

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