Imaginary

On 03/11/2023 at 12:33, Bugdozer said:

If you are more into planetary/lunar/other high magnification observing, and want the convenience of a good goto instrument, then the Celestron Nexstars are good. I have the 5SE and absolutely love it, partly because it's VERY portable which is important for me. You could get one of the larger aperture models on that budget.

They are Schmidt Cassegrains so have a long focal length, hence relatively high magnification, and the mount is not that great if you want to progress to photography, but for visual observing they make it very easy and are quick to set up, don't require constant fiddly collimation and enable you to find things in the sky with ease. I seem to get scoffed at a lot for this but the biggest barrier to me with my first two telescopes was literally being unable to find the objects I wanted to look at. Using a goto scope has eliminated that problem entirely and I spend twice as much time actually observing as opposed to hunting about.

However, if you want to observe fainter extended objects like galaxies and nebulae, they aren't the optimal choice and a Dobsonian would probably suit you better.

Thanks for you reply  

I saw a comment that Mak`s and the Schmidt Cassegrains can have some issues with dew. During mid winter I have temperatues pushing -35 celsius and very dry air. 

Do you have any experience in similar climate with your 5SE?

On 03/11/2023 at 11:48, vlaiv said:

I think we will need more information of what you consider light weight.

If I'm considering light weight setup - I'm with Olly - I'd get something in 4" class.

Maybe something shorter - like this scope:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/stellamira-telescopes/stellamira-110mm-ed-f6-refractor-telescope.html

It will give you some residual chromatic aberration - but it will be good all around scope - showing you low and high magnification views well.

Then, I would suggest mounting it on a good mount with slow motion controls - my choice would be this:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/alt-azimuth-astronomy-mounts/skywatcher-skytee-2-alt-azimuth-mount.html

Together with tripod, this combination weighs total of about 16Kg if I'm not mistaken. You also need about a meter and 20 in length of space to store it in your car.

6" Dob telescope weighs about the same at 16-17Kg, requires about the same length of space being 1200mm of focal length (So tube is approximately that long as well, only difference is that you need some more space for base / rocker box since it is more cumbersome then folded tripod.

I've transported my 8" F/6 dob in different size cars without problem, so dob telescopes fit in cars.

If you need something lighter weight than above - then you are looking at perhaps 80mm of aperture, but again, you won't save much on weight as mounts tend to be heavy for stability.

80mm F/7 ED doublet has only like 3Kg and mount that can handle it - say this one:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/alt-azimuth-astronomy-mounts/sightron-japan-alt-azimuth-mount.html

Has only about 1.5Kg - so that is 4.5 total.

Now, depending on the tripod you decide to use - you can either end up with 5Kg steel tripod - which will bring total weight to ~10Kg, or you can perhaps get very good / stable carbon fiber tripod. That option can help save storage / transport room as such tripods tend to collapse to smaller size.

For example - this is only 2.5Kg:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/tripods/stellalyra-carbon-fibre-tripod-with-38-thread.html

That brings total to 7Kg - ok, now that is really light weight setup.

I`ve read Olly`s comment and I`m looking at the Evostar 100ED now  

The weight it self is not much of an issue (within reason of course), I am thinking more about the voulme of the kit when it is packed for travel. When im traveling my hometown during winter I usually have a a lot of skiing and mountaineering equipment with me, so i dont have all the space in the world in my car.  Thats on of the reasons I have looked at other options than a dobsonian  

Thanks alot for you reply! I really appreciate all the response I`ve gotten  

On 03/11/2023 at 11:08, ollypenrice said:

Aperture is important in visual astronomy but inevitably comes at a cost in terms of portability. Bigger is - well - bigger!  Robustness is another aspect of real portability.

For many, the 4 inch refractor hits their target. This one is an old established favourite. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/ed-pro/skywatcher-evostar-100ed-ds-pro-outfit.html It has a longish focal length for its aperture so isn't going to give as wide a field as a faster 4 inch, but it is very well colour corrected as a result. Being a refractor it is robust and won't require collimation.

For visual observing, alt-az is nice and intuitive, does away with polar aligning and needs no counterweights. This would be one option. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/alt-azimuth-astronomy-mounts/astro-essentials-alt-azimuth-fork-mount.html

On a suitable tripod it would make a kind of budget replica of the Televue 4 inch used by Steve O'Meara to write his classic observing guide to the Messier objects. You'd be on budget for a couple of reasonable eyepieces, too.

( Eyepieces stimulate a kind of mania among astronomers, many of whom have twenty or so. I use two, almost exclusively. Better two good ones than four poorer ones, in my view.)

This is a setup you would pull out of the car, place on the ground and get started. A red dot finder would also be good and you'll need star charts but you could print selected regions from a digital planetarium.

Olly

Thanks alot for you reply (and everyone else who have replied to my question)!  

Yeah, I also saw a comment that refractors are good in areas where dew can be a problem( I live in Norway), so im leaning towards a refractor now!  

Do you got a reccomendation for a couple of decent eyepieces that would work well with the Evostar 100ed? I see that it comes with a 28mm occular. I`m mostly interested in watching the planets, the Moon and galaxies  

Again. Thanks!

On 03/11/2023 at 10:04, Elp said:

What you like to observe has a large bearing as to what will be best.

Of course! I forgot  

I`m most interested in planetary observations and the Moon. And would also like to see some of the brighter galaxies.!  

Hello everyone!  

I have had a life long fascination of the night sky and space and I have been watching the night sky with my binoculars for the last couple of years and now I think it is time for me to upgrade to a proper telescope  

I have looked up information online, watched videos about various telescopes(and eyepieces) and attended a "introduction to telescopes" course but I still find it hard to choose the correct one for me.

I`m looking for a portable telescope for visual astronomy. I have read on forums that a dobsonian is a good choice for beginners, but I`m looking for something a bit more portable.

I live in a bortle class 7 area but I regularly travel to my home town wich is a bortle class 2 area, so im looking for something I can easily take with me and fit in my car.

What set-up would you choose for a budget of around 2000$ ?

Thanks in advance