Imaging, Solar or a Dob, any thoughts?

[Anders]

So yeah, i'm looking to buy some new equipment and i'd like to know what you think about the pros and cons of these three options:

1: Imaging equipment for my 8" newt on my HEQ5 Pro, which would be an ST80, synguider and a 1000d camera. I will order these bits from Sweden because it's convenient and i wouldn't save too much if i ordered off-shore. Coma corrector would have to wait a month or two, although i've read about this photoshop plugin that helps you edit some of the coma away, has anyone tried it (called Star Rounder i think)?

I know long exposures with my setup would be at its very maximum but i've read about this for many months now and it seems like it's doable.

I've sent a PM to Blinky as i read a post he made a while ago saying that he has imaged with the same OTA and mount, but i haven't got a hold of him yet regarding how long exposures he could get and how it worked out for him.

2: Lunt ls60, the regular single stacked one with B600 blocking filter and tilt tuner.

I would order this from Optcorp (US) as it will be quite a lot cheaper than it is in sweden, even after VAT and toll fees. I would mount this on my HEQ5, kind of overkill but at least i wouldn't get any vibrations Can it be mounted on a regular dovetail if i drill holes in my spare one or do i really need their own Lunt dovetail?

3: 12" Lightbridge, it will be ordered from Sweden as they have a good discount on it as well as free shipping.

I don't know if it's a newer version or if the shop modifies it but it comes with thumbscrews for the secondary so collimation would be a lot easier, it also ships with a lightshroud.

I think it would be pretty fun to really learn how to star hop and it would also be very rewarding if i actually find the objects i'm looking for, not to mention how ridiculously awesome it looks and the big step up in aperture from the 8". I've read that some people think that it's unstable and shakes a lot when viewing, does anyone have anything to say about this?

I'm studying maths and physics in hopes of astronomy studies at the university next year and motivation is really needed, which i get from taking the 'scope with me to school to show anyone who passes by (currently only the sun with a white light filter) how a real telescope looks and feels like.

I'm thinking along these lines:

If i take a nice deep sky picture with my own equipment and show it to people, explaining what it is and all that too, they wouldn't really remember it after a while. It would only be another picture to their eyes, i think.

If i show them the sun with a real Ha 'scope, i think the views they would get will make them remember it for a longer time because it's not every day you get to see such things with your own eyes.

Also, if i get some people to come with me on a clear night and let them look through both my tracked 8" 'scope as well as a huge lightbucket, they would probably be blown away (just as with my current setup!)

I've read about all these things for at least 6 months so it's not like i'm just jumping in just to get something new.

I've read so many reviews and they all say different things (especially about the Lunt), some say you can see a lot of granulation and activity on the solar "surface" and some say the Lunt lacks contrast and so the surface features gets washed out and much harder to see.

So i'm not sure how much detail someone who has never looked through an eyepiece (the people i would be showing it to) would see, not to mention the visual Ha "learning curve", any thoughts on this?

I've shown Saturn, Jupiter, the double cluster and the brightest wow-factor objects to a few people with my 8" and they're always blown away and very facinated.

A physics teacher walked by one day at school and looked at the sun through my white light filter (on a perfectly clear day!), she was so amazed that she wanted me to lecture her class about telescopes and the sun sometime, to give them an idea of what you can do with physics outside the study books and motivate them etc.

I'm guessing it's not safe to use a white light filter on a truss tube dob, even with a thick lightshroud but then again, i'm not sure if a 12" would show much more detail than the 8" on the sun anyway..

The lunt is the most expensive item on this list, the other two are pretty much equal.

So, apart from the modifications most people say is necessary on the lightbridge, does anyone have any ideas or opinions on this? I'm leaning towards either the Lunt or the Lightbridge based on the sheer amount of motivation to study i would get when showing these things to people.

Ordering things from outside the EU is a big hassle in my opinion, all the extra costs are crazy so perhaps the Dob would be a better idea despite the fact that i haven't even used my current setup even once for over 3 months now because when i look out the balcony, i can only see a maximum of 2-3 stars in the NE to S direction, so it has put me off from taking it out.. But then again, finding anything with the Dob would be very hard too

The Lunt would give me something to do during the summer, and don't forget the Venus conjunction next June! but the Dob or imaging equipment would teach me new things about the dark side. I never thought i'd say this but i can't wait for the winter :s

I cannot for my life figure out what to do so any comments on this would be very much appreciated. Sorry for the wall of text by the way

//Anders

[A McEwan]

Well, the Lunt would be timely as we're at or close to solar maximum at the moment, so there is more activity and therefore features to observe on any given day (generally) in h-alpha, although Sunspot group numbers haven't exactly been staggering for white-light observers. The clamshell can be attached to any dovetail bar as long as the holes in the bar match the spacing on the clamshell underside. 90mm tube rings also fit the LS60 nicely.

I have seen a 12" Dob with a full aperture solar filter and shroud, but I wasn't there to see through it unfortunately. While it's obviously possible to do, I really don't know enough about the safety to recommend it and wouldn't want the inside of your nice shiny Dob melting away!

If it was me I'd go for the h-alpha option - it really does WOW people, especially if you get a good one (and yes, there is variability between units) with views that will inspire people. You could sell it on later and get a reasonable amount of money for it if you wanted to change to something else.

Ant

[astroeddie]

I owned a Lunt LS 60 B600. This comes with a clam shell for ease of fitting to a tripod. You'll need guide rings if you're planning on mounting onto an HEQ5.

These scope are pretty short, so the rail would only be small.

Granulation is noted easily but you need to tune them in and in doing so, loose the crispness of the Prominences. My Lunt was #49 off the line. Since then they've been much improved.

Check out reviews on Cloudynights for more up to date info.

It was unfortunate that the sun was very quiet when I owned one (wish I'd kept it now).

These cane be mounted onto to photographic tripod with ease. Mine went onto an Astrotrac.

As for exposure with your imaging set up. It all comes down to camera used for internal noise, alignment precision and local conditions. Imaging is VERY addictive. You'll need to mod your canon to get Ha regions.

As for a 12" Light bucket. Just got myself one. The views obtained are great, most definately the best WOW factor of any scope I've owned.

Best of luck in your choice. Keep us informed of your decision and future images.

Eddie

[Anders]

I really don't know enough about the safety to recommend it and wouldn't want the inside of your nice shiny Dob melting away!

Good point there

(and yes, there is variability between units) with views that will inspire people.

I've read a lot about the variable performance but i've understood that there is less variability within the Lunt brand than there is with the PST's for example.

That is what i'm after, to inspire people as i'm giving them both a new experience to think about and it gives me motivation because i really enjoy talking and explaining what you're looking at and how my equipment works.

Thank you for your opinion

//Anders