Basementboy

OK great. Thanks. Looks like I need to pay for advanced Stellarium. Will try that in the first instance and take a look at Sky Safari later.

I wonder if there's a good, easy to use website that lists (for eg) the brightest objects in descending order for a particular place+time?

Thanks both. I elected to bring an AZ5 rather than a Go-To mount and have to deal with battery packs etc.

Seems Sky Safari 7 costs £47?

I can't find the magnitude or sky condition settings in Stellarium. Is that a paid feature?

Cheers for your help,

C.

Hi – I'm travelling for two weeks to Arizona and Utah. What's the best way to identify good observing objects in a new location like this?

"Turn Left at Orion" separates the sky into northern and southern hemispheres, but AZ+UT are quite a bit closer to the equator than the UK, so the book is less useful there.

I have Stellarium which will show me the skies, but just lists everything – it isn't very good at identifying objects I'm actually likely to see (I'll have a 6" reflector and a pair of binoculars). Is the paid version more useful at identifying "good/easy" objects?

Apologies if there's already a thread on this but I couldn't find one by searching.

Thanks!

Chris

Oh, lots of love for the binocular suggestions too! They would certainly be what I'd take if I only had a carry-on.

But I just can't miss the chance to point some decent aperture at actual desert air for once in my life. And if the plan is a bust on arrival ... well I'm sure I can buy a pair of bins at an Arizona gun shop

Wish me luck!

Right, so my original question was this:

Having seen many SGLers' carry-on travel setups (ie, everything carefully tucked into one cabin bag), what about a travel setup that also uses a larger suitcase, checked into the cargo hold of the plane?

The advice has been not to check any optics, but to carry the OTA in a cabin bag and check the tripod+mount. Seems wise.

The best OTA options seem to be a C5, a small frac or a small flextube Newtonian like the Heritage 150p (removed from its Dob base).

Given the long focal length of the C5, and the fact that I'm also a bit wary of how it will compare visually to the triplet refractor I'm used to; and given I don't want to invest in a sub-4" refractor (and can't afford a 4" Tak that could be dissambled into a cabin bag); I'm going to try the 150p. It's the biggest aperture (I'm desperate to finally go proper DSO hunting after years of staring at nothing in London), and it seems to collapse to somewhere between 41cm and 45cm depending what's measured (with a diametre of just under 20cm), which fits airline cabin bag dimensions.

The AZ5 is in discussion because I own one, yes.

I also own a carbon fibre tripod, a Manfrotto Carbon One 440. It's old so there isn't much info about it online, although I did see one site suggest it had a weight carrying capacity of 5kg (though that might refer to the photo mount, which I intend to remove in order to fit the AZ5). Weightwise, the 150p OTA and AZ5 plus diagonal+eyepiece combined probably come out to about 6-7kg so we'll see. But it's light, fits in a suitcase and has the benefit of existing at my house.

The 150p is in stock at FLO so as long as I can get my AZ5 <--> tripod connection sorted out, I should be able to get everything in my hands by midweek to test before my flight.

Thanks for everyone's advice! I'll report back. 

9 minutes ago, LDW1 said:

That AZ5 is a pretty solid mount if it can't handle your scope it would be hard to believe !

Oh yeah it's sturdy but I worry about its added weight on the tripod and resulting potential for vibration... 

You mean that the main value of your wife is her cooking?

This thread is obviously well-meaning, and largely self-deprecating about telescope addiction - I have the same disease too - but I can imagine a few budding women astronomers feeling a bit uncomfortable at that particular remark. I don't know you sir and it's easy to misinterpret a comment online, so apologies if I'm getting it wrong. But maybe worth us all remembering this is a public forum and there are women here too.

Besides, I'm starting to feel embarrassed at owning more shoes than both my sisters combined 😆

On 22/04/2023 at 23:02, Stu said:

I had a 150p until recently and NEVER used the base!

What are you mounting the 150p on in this photo, Stu? Is that a Giro WR? And how sturdy is the tripod you're using? 

I've got an AZ5 and a smallish CF tripod but worried they won't be up to the task. (The AZ5 feels awfully heavy on its own.)

47 minutes ago, Mike Q said:

2 hours ago, maw lod qan said:

This could fit in with the old joke amongst the country men over here.

The wife said if I don't stop buying fishing equipment and guns she's going to leave me.

I sure will miss her cooking.

This is so very true 

Is it? The 1950s called, it wants its joke back

Sorry, was I not clear in the original post that I'm after a portable toothbrush?

On 22/04/2023 at 23:02, Stu said:

If you want to take a 150p, don’t bother with the base, take a tripod and alt az mount.

Thanks Stu - good thought. I wonder if my AZ5 is up to the job? Or it might be that the CF tripod proves more of an issue, vibration-wise

On 22/04/2023 at 23:02, Stu said:

Second thought, take a 4” frac. You have to choose carefully but I took my Tak FC100DC abroad a few times

Not quite there yet but I do like 4" fracs and am looking for one of the synthetic fluoride ones - next best thing?

On 22/04/2023 at 08:30, ollypenrice said:

I've flown sixty times with a bicycle in the hold

brave man! though i assume your bikes do not have any glass components

On 22/04/2023 at 12:14, Highburymark said:

100mm Apo, minus the focuser and dew shield to fit into hand luggage - pretty much a dream set up.    

this is what i'm currently looking for!

On 22/04/2023 at 12:14, Highburymark said:

85mm Apo - my current set up. This is the one I’ll stick with. There is so much to see travelling when you’re not used to dark skies that the slightly small aperture isn’t really an issue. 
If you’re determined to take a larger scope, I do like the idea of a C5 though - and you wouldn’t need to risk it in the hold - it would easily fit into hand luggage. 

I get that - it's just that I get to dark skies so rarely I really want to maximise the experience as it may not happen again for a while. Still, I take your point

As for the C5, I have never used one – really have no idea. Focal length shorter than a Mak so maybe a better all-rounder? Will the sharpness be an issue now that I'm used to refractors? I suppose the only way to find out for sure is to try it

It's a good idea. I just wanted more aperture ...

... But perhaps packing any OTA into a suitcase that will be battered around by airlines might not be a brilliant plan.

Did the base fit back together as easily as it came apart?

Just chiming in to say how much I love this thread. It's so great to see such a variety – a few Takahashis sure but dozens of others, too. Interesting to hear so many people say that they'll never forget their first... and also that some of these scopes don't provide the "best" views but are still beloved. The heart wants what it wants.

How are the vibrations on the 102 frac? Do you think it could go longer or does that seem like the mount's limit, in terms of length?

Hello everyone,

I've seen a few discussions of travel rigs with cabin bags, involving some very impressive Tetris-ing.

But I'm wondering what kind of setup I could usefully take with me in my hold luggage on a plane. I'm going on a trip to Arizona in two weeks with a checked bag, and I'd love to have something more than a 3" frac along for the ride while out in the desert – and hopefully some quite dark skies.

Without wanting to spend a fortune, my first thought was the flextube Heritage 150p! Nice 6" of aperture, fairly compact... but Tiny Clanger pointed out that the Dob base likely can't be disassembled, so would be very awkward even in checked luggage.

Perhaps the 130p is easier?

Has anyone actually tried to dissamble those tabletop Dob mounts?

Or – alternative – a decent 102" frac, with some kind of lightweight mount (a little Castor? Or I have an AZ5 ...) and a carbon-fibre photography tripod that is compact enough to fit into a normal human suitcase?

Of course I would pack the OTA in lots of clothes but clearly it will also get bumped around in the cargo hold. Not sure if that means buying a good ED frac for this purpose is a terrible idea. 

I did also consider a Mak but I'm not sure it would be a good all-rounder to use with some non-astro friends without Go-To / tracking... one of the things I'm most excited about is DSOs! (I get plenty of planetary action in London - in fact that's ALL I get.) Or perhaps I'm wrong about that too? Maybe a 4 inch Mak on an AzGTi?

Too many options ... SEND HELP PLEASE

Chris

Hello, coming to this a bit late – and I agree it looks like a terrific mount.

I also share the concerns about vibration. Has anyone tried to mount a longish (eg 102mm f/7 or 100mm f/7.4) refractor?

4 hours ago, niallk said:

The reports for Taurus and Geoptik which I've read have been positive.   I'd expect similar set up as my 15" Obsession- ie pretty convenient and no fuss.  For the ES, there are several videos on YouTube doing reviews, assembly,  collimation. 

You'd have to look at the dimensions and your car to figure out if feasible.   I stacked two couch cushions which approximated the size of my 15" mirror box, and used to check if I could get through the doors, and onto the back seat of my Avensis!

Car tetris! 

5 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

The flex tube dobs are reasonably compact but they are heavy. I don't know how you feel about price but, if only for the fun of it, I'd have a look at David Lukehusrt's website. https://www.dobsonians.co.uk/  He also makes equatorial platforms which allow a period of motorized tracking which is both relaxing and a great practical boon if sharing the view with others. His compact Dobsonians really are very portable for their aperture.

There is no one point at which a fundamental change in the view suddenly occurs in rising aperture. Not for me, anyway. However, I would be unlikely to go for anything less than 12 inches if I had the means of using one.

Olly

That's incredible, he builds them himself? What a legend.

Price slightly out of my range, although this Explore Scientific 12" isn't – and still seems relatively portable:

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/explore-scientific-ultra-light-12-dobsonian-telescope.html

16 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

Running an astronomy gite for nearly 20 years, I have some experience of trying to impress the non-astronomer. On the planets, it's easy, in almost anything.  On the deep sky, it's almost impossible - even with a 20 inch.  And... I live at a very, very dark site. I recently introduced some absolute beginners to the deep sky with a 14 inch and found some objects which I think they really enjoyed, but they were seriously interested and had booked an astronomy holiday. For many, most things remain faint fuzzy blobs. M42 is a common exception, as is M31, but that's a winner in binoculars guided by a laser pointer (not in London!)

So, as already suggested, I would concentrate on yourself.

The SCT is compact but the long focal length, in many cases, defeats the object of the exercise by cramping the field of view and excluding many targets you might enjoy. (Rosette, Veil and many, many more.) Personally I'd go for a  collapsible Dob as big as possible.

Olly

Hi Olly, thanks for this - I've always appreciated your advice, on my own questions as well those of other posters.

I had the same concern about the SCT. (Also my father owns a 1980s Meade 8" that I am able to use when I visit Canada so might as well try something different.) Ditto a Mak: I can smash the planets out with the triplet at high mag, which it does well (when properly cooled and under the right conditions obv). The frac actually gets a lot of use; it's just such a beautiful object to use. What doesn't get much love any more is the Newtonian. So I think you're right that the best upgrade is Mr Dobson's.

Do you have any sense of where the sweet spot is for Dobs when balancing bulk versus aperture versus cost? These are Sky-Watcher's flex-tube goto Dobs for full price at FLO:

200P – £1k
250P - £1200
300P - £1800
350P - £2400

Sorry, I know this isn't really your job

And lastly ....... as for sharing with others ... I think I'll get a Goto mount, set about lowering expectations, encourage friends to focus on the social aspect with a side order of cosmos (rather than the other way round), bring a few pairs of binoculars for group fun... and make sure there's plenty of beer.

C.

PS. I'd love to do an astronomy holiday some time: I've never looked through a really large telescope in proper dark sky, in part because London but also because I got into astronomy during lockdown and have never been to a star party

16 hours ago, happy-kat said:

What tripod do you currently use your ED triplet on? 

Sky-Watcher steel 3/8" – https://www.firstlightoptics.com/tripods/sky-watcher-38-stainless-steel-tripod.html

On 23/07/2022 at 20:19, niallk said:

A compact truss dob could be nice... links to 12", and they have big brothers too

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p15130_Taurus-T300-S-12--f-5-Classic-Dobson-Telescope--Professional-optics.html

 

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p6879_Explore-Scientific-Ultra-Light-Dobsonian---aperture-305-mm---Generation-II.html

 

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p2236_Geoptik-Nadirus-12-Truss-Dobsonian-Telescope---12-inch-Aperture-f-5.html

Whoa. Taurus and Nadirus! Never heard of them. Love the wooden styling ... Are they well-regarded scopes?

Yeah I mean I'd love these but I'm not sure they'd fit in my Fiat 500 even when collapsed. 

Do you know if they're easy to collapse and reassamble? Or it is a pain?

On 23/07/2022 at 17:28, cajen2 said:

I have a 150 Flextube dob and it's amazing for aperture v. portability. I also have a StellaLyra 200mm and it's amazing for views v. £.

If it were me, the best compromise might be a Flextube 8"

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-flextube-goto.html

It has go-to as well. Flo doesn't quote folded sizes, so maybe check with them to see if it'll fit your car.

Looks brilliant actually. And within my budget. 

Do you know if it's easy to collapse and reassamble, or is it a faff? And does it hold collimation? (I'm assuming not)

On 23/07/2022 at 16:49, Elp said:

Your experience sounds similar to when I want to quickly view things from my light polluted garden. Other than planets it's next to impossible to find any dso targets as there's few reference stars other than the main ones, a slight fraction of a degree out and you won't see it, more so if you need to use averted vision.

My solution? Well it's easy when you've got the equipment, due to my LP I'm more of an imager and doing what you are looking to do very easy. With my asiair I simply choose a target (or input a set of coordinates from telescopius) and the mount will slew the telescope (there is now also an in built basic stellarium so you can frame targets how you choose), plate solve via the camera and make adjustments until the target is dead centre. No more waiting or faffing around. With the live view mode it will also continue to take images and stack them in real time improving the image over time of which you can also save, all this being viewable on your mobile phone. If you want to compare the camera view with a real view you can use a flip diagonal mirror to switch between the two.

This sounds cool – you're talking about EEVA here right? I must admit I didn't understand everything you've said, but I get the picture