Francis King

Thanks for your comments. The actual spotting scope is this one: C90 MAK. The whole thing is composed of many parts, so I can replace the diagonal with a new one. Yes, that's a good point. I have a fairly substantial RSPB tripod. But it doesn't have slow-movement controls.

Hello. I am looking at buying a compact telescope for Moon / planets. My budget is about £200, which doesn't provide much wriggle room. I could get a 90mm long-barrelled refractor or reflector on an EQ/2, an AZ3, or something like that. I have read reviews that say that this size of mount is somewhat overwhelmed by the telescope. I can buy a short-barrelled refractor or reflector, but the design isn't designed for Moon / planets. What I need is a system which can be moved and stored easily. I had a 200mm Dobsonian reflector, which was too big to move and store, and so I got rid of it. What I do have is my trusty old Catadioptric terrestrial spotting scope, 90mm aperture, 1200mm focal length, erect diagonal. With a 32mm eyepiece, so about x40 fixed magnification. It's fully functional as a spotting scope. I am considering putting the spotting scope on an astronomical tripod - it's really an astronomy telescope after all, just rebadged as a spotting scope anyway. Then I can spend the entire budget on a nicer mount. Your advice, please. Would my plan work? Would I be better off with an equatorial mount (currently my inclination) or an alt-az mount? Would I need additional components to make my spotting scope work as a telescope? Thanks, Francis.