Andymarrison

Will do! Enjoy the bread and dripping!

At the moment I'm thinking of an OOUK VX12-L with 1/10 wave mirror, and a Gemini G53F or Mesu, permanently set up in a roll-off roof obsy. I like the Avalon linear fast reverse, too, but not sure it'll handle the payload with enough "headroom" (the OTA alone is 16kg) for when I want to do some imaging. I'll probably change my mind several tens of times before pushing the button, though!

Thanks for this topic Neil - I'm having almost exactly the same conundrum - same budget and same as you in that visual will be my main activity but DSO imaging definitely going to happen in the near future - I'm not aiming to win any awards though, I hasten to add. I have an 8" SCT now and I wouldn't want to go with a longer focal length because of the limited fov, as Olly points out, but I would certainly like some more aperture...due to the f10 of the bigger Celestrons, I'd discounted these. For that reason I was thinking about a newt - the OOUK vx-12l (f5) or even vx-14 (f4.6) look good, especially with one of the upgraded mirrors. Have you thought about this type of route and come to any views?

Thanks everyone. Am I right in thinking a Mewlon's a Dall-Kirkham? I know they're pricey, but it's a once in a lifetime purchase (at least that's what I'm telling myself/my wife now!) so as long as what I see through the EP knocks the socks off what I'm already seeing through my 8" SCT, preferably in terms of both brightness and crispness, then I don't mind spending a bit of money on it.

Any views on the OOUK 10" ODK scope - would the (presumed) better optical quality result in appreciably better views (visually) than a C11/C11 Edge? I'm a bit wary of being unfamiliar with the Dall-Kirkham characteristics vs. a standard SCT - would've want to spend that money to end up with something visually not a big improvement over a C11, say. Regarding a Dob, I have been tempted in the past but if I'm honest with myself I don't have the time or inclination to set up, collimate, track etc - I'm afraid I'm probably just plain lazy!

I'm faced with a nice problem in that, as part of extending our house, I've "found" some budget for a roll-off roof obsy and a new scope/mount...the problem is I'm not sure which route to go regarding upgrading my current CPC800. I'm almost exclusively a visual observer, but might want to do some light photography in future, so I thought a pier-mounted AZ-EQ 6 mount would keep my options open whilst providing a decent payload capacity for a bigger scope (I prefer alt-az for visual observing, but can also switch to EQ if I ever decide to take any pictures). I'm not sure how best to upgrade the scope to get the best to improvement in my views. I enjoy mainly deep sky observing, with the odd gawp at Jupiter and Saturn, so on the one hand a bigger aperture SCT (C11 maybe) seems logical, but I really want to make sure I get the crispest optics I can afford, and not just a bigger mirror. Are there any alternatives I should be considering? I've looked at the OOUK ODK series, but not sure if they're suitable for mainly visual use, nor whether or not they need a lot of attention (collimation etc), which I'm not willing/able to provide. As always, advice from the old-hands out there would be very welcome! Thanks!

The path for Dragon X looks exactly like what I saw - thanks for identifying that! Wish I'd known what I was looking at at the time!

I saw something similar - I thought it was the ISS and the path of ISS in SkySafari looked plausibly like what I saw, so thought nothing more of it. Extraordinarily bright, though, and by the time I'd swung the scope around manually to see if I could spot it in the finder, it had gone, more quickly than I'd expected the ISS to disappear.

I used the wrong word there Digger1895 - it's really only a deck in the sense that it's a flat area in a very steeply sloping garden - it's actually a patio, i.e. stone slabs on a thick concrete base, so hopefully no issues (or at least fewer issues) with vibration, thank goodness.Found twenty quid in my jeans pocket yesterday, so I'm already 0.5% of the way towards being able to buy the scope! Now then, how many other pairs of jeans have I got...

No luck I'm afraid mate - still works pretty well with the CPC!

Thanks folks - it'll take a few months to get the money together, but already looking forward to my first views (probably this time next year!) through a big scope!

Ok...I've decided...it'll be a Sumerian. It'll occasionally be bundled into the back of a car with some kids (not sure which will be in the boot and which in the back seats) and taken to the odd star party, so that settles it. Plus I like the look of the design. Richard - I'd be really interested to know how you get on with yours - do let me know.

Thanks Steve - since I've no experience of using either, I'd be really grateful if anyone who has been lucky enough to own, or at least look through, a good ultra compact and a good "standard" truss Dob, could give me an idea of what the differences "at the eyepiece" might be. I wouldn't class myself as a dedicated observer - my job and family commitments mean I'll never be able to get out as often as I might otherwise like - and I just "love the views", rather than aspiring to make any serious observations. I enjoy it a lot, though, and have done since I was six, and so I'm happy to spend the money to bring the glory of M13 that little bit (or hopefully, quite a lot) closer! In other words, if the impact of the "wow" I'll get with a 14" or 16" compact is significantly less than with a more conventional truss-tube Dob, then it would certainly impact my choice. Any thoughts and experiences gratefully received - I'd like to get this one right!

I might not be around to deal with the consequences later...!

Yikes!! Looks like the missis is going to have to wait a while longer for the new kitchen...Are there any useful threads on the forum on "How to explain to one's other half that one needs a 16" Dob and associated equipment"?