If 8 inches is too big?....no sniggering please

[the lemming]

I've been thinking about getting a Skywatcher 200P dob but the image that somebody posted of the size of the thing has me a little scared. Not only for my back when lifting it in and out of the house but also for my own safety when Little Miss Lemming gets sick of seeing it around the house all year, gathering dust and stuff.

Are there any alternatives to this telescope?

I'm after alternatives with the same focal power/apature/magnitude sort of stuff but, and here's the crux, smaller.

lets put cost aside for the moment. Is such a thing possible?

[Sparrow]

A schmidt Cassegrain scope might help the problem. Obviously an 8" diameter is 8", but the schmidts are shorter in length so the overall size is smaller. Depends what you want the scope for really - if you intend to get in to astro photography you have to consider that Schmidts have longer focal lenghts and are therefore "slower" - longer exposures are needed to get an equivalent amount of light.

Not sure how schmidts compare weight wise - you'd have to have a look at a few to make the comparison.

Regards

John

[matsey]

I'd agree with John... sounds like a schmidt cassegrain (SCT) might be the way to go.

I've got an Nexstar 6SE which is an SCT scope, and I can carry the whole thing, tripod including, to the garden by myself, and I'm a (relatively!) petite female, so they really aren't that heavy. Mine is a 6-inch, but the 8-inch version comes on the same tripod, so I guess it wouldn't be a huge deal heavier. Not sure about other models/makes, but my understanding is that the SCTs are definitely a lot lighter/more portable.

Have fun choosing

Matsey

(and I only sniggered a *little* bit )

[Austin]

the skywatcher 200p flex tube is a good scope, and the optical tube assenbly is retractable so it doesn't take up so much space when not in use. There are a few nice truss dobsonians on the market. Meade do an eight inch truss model for less than £400 too ( lightbridge).

[Essex Stargazer]

If 8 inches is too big !

I'm not folding mine in half for anyone

[Stephen]

jahmanson posted this image up, the 200P REALLY isn't a big scary thing at all

[Charon]

Brantuk used to own a 8" Celestron SCT why not PM him to get the rundown on it.

[Schorhr]

These would be my choices;

- Flextube. Smaller, great for cars, But similar weight... A little more expensive

- Compromise; Portable and cheap, but smaller: 102 (€149) or 127mm (€250) Maksutov... 1.8 / 3 kg. We have the 102mm, it's great, but not a deepsky-device. The 150 or 180mm models get too expensive compared to other travel telescopes, plus require a heavier mount.

- More expensive, the new €995 10" SumerianOptics.com, only 9.5kg, Sumerian - a set on Flickr ...ordered mine :-)

[JamesF]

For roughly the same aperture an SCT or Mak would be my best guess, too. If you want something with a short focal length though, I think you might just have to live with smaller aperture.

James

[gary1968]

What about one of the flex tube dobs, get the 8" and fold it down when not in use. Mrs Lemming is less likely to be hacked off.... lol

Gary

[ChrisEdu]

That Sumerian looks like a lovely bit of kit.

[Schorhr]

Yeah,

plus you can order it in any color...

In Lemming's case, perhaps one Miss Lemming likes as well, if it ever sits around, waiting for better weather :-)

[Moonshane]

an 8" scope is not really that big and you can reduce the size (footprint) even more by making a different (square) base for it. I'd say it's an ideal compromise and a dob is a great beginner's design (although some of the most experienced observers also prefer them).

[Willarnold]

I used to have an 8" SCT. It wasn't heavy or too long, very easy to handle.

[Schorhr]

The advantage of the Flextube's collapsed size is, that you can put a doily over it, and then place some flowers on top.

"Look honey, I got you a new end table."

"oh, I can even store things inside the tube"

"Nooo!"

[MjrTom]

I am in a similar position.

I dont really have the space for an eight inch dob and would have to store it outside in the garden shed which is not ideal with the changes in humidity and temperature.

I have decided that an eight inch SCT is far more suitable for my needs.

Also it takes up a fraction of the space of a solid tube dob/newtonian which is important for me as it will allow me to still take it away with me on weekend breaks to dark skies with the wife & family.

[Schorhr]

8" SCT is still pretty heavy though, especially with the mount... But I'm not going by car, so that's just my opinion :-)

[MjrTom]

8" SCT is still pretty heavy though, especially with the mount... But I'm not going by car, so that's just my opinion :-)

Yeah your looking at about 6kg or so before you factor in any mount or other stuff like finder scopes, diagonals and eyepieces.

[Schorhr]

Yeah, the 10" sumerian truss dobsonian weighs 9,5kg, so plus eyepieces, maps, lights, ... that's already a bit too much. But at least with the bike, that's okey.

Else I'dd like a SCT or a flextube.

Perhaps Lemming has to specify a little more what his back is capable of :-)

[MjrTom]

The Sumerian dobs are amazing looking telescopes but they do come at quite a price

[Austin]

Nooooo Mark! what you need is massive dob!! apeture wins every time! then again... I have no argument really, you've seen me wrestling my O.T.A into the car! Plus When I go to yourkshire every spring for my hols, I have to do two journeys Not always ideal!

[MjrTom]

Stop it Austin

It has taken me months to come to this decision so stop tempting me with your 12 inch Dob. Oh and yeah I have seen you man handle that dob out the car. I dont suppose it would leave a lot of space for the wife and child in my case unless they can go in the boot as well

[Austin]

A trailer would sort that out.........yes, for the scope not the wife!

[a10ken]

padded bag from geoptix and an inflateble roof rack from handirack that can be fitted or removed in minuits

[Ags]

My feeling is that a mak/sct on a goto alt az mount is the lightest and simplest setup.

Dobs come in next as they also have simple alt az setup but they typically have to be transported in two pieces. Dobs have the smallest storage footprint, much less than a tripod.

Any scope on an eq mount is more demanding, they have to be broken down into several pieces for transport, they require polar alignment and the mount is bulky and heavy.