Celestron C10-N GT (GOTO)

[Cloengaa]

Would this be a good setup for astrophoto ?

Celestron C10-N GT (GOTO)

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/advanced-series-goto/celestron-c10-n-gt-goto.html

[Austin]

The only thing with the 10 inch NGT is that it has the eq5 mount. I had the C8 NGT, and the mount struggled a bit. The 10 inch quite a bit heavier, plus adding a camera will only add to the burden. The O.T.A is up for it, but I would suggest an upgraded mount - eq6.

[Cloengaa]

Damn I dont want it to get more expensive...will look for something else then.

[Austin]

Sorry if I put you off!! What sort of skies do you have? you can get awesome views through a six inch scope if you have dark skies... There are so many factors to take int consideration, like, what is your preferred field? Visual observing, astrophotography etc? You could go for the C6, or If you want an all rounder, skywatcher make a six inch explorer 150PDS eq5 which is great. That way, you have £300 ish left to spend on other kit??

[Cloengaa]

Well I have a car and will have the opportunity to go where there is absolutely no light other than maybe a small boat coming by, so will be very dark.

I was thinking of the Nexstar 6SE and have a wedge to turn it somewhat to an EQ mount for DSO astrophoto. But I am not sure if its good for both planets and deepsky. Plus I have an SW Explorer 130m right now so will an 6SE be an sizewise for what I can see with it disappointment or not.

Also I wanna be able to photo planets and DSO and the Celestron C10-N GT (GOTO)

seems to be able to do both.

[Cloengaa]

Also I could go for the Celestron NexStar 8SE from FLO and get a wedge for it.

[Uranium235]

Thats no good for AP, for the same price as that you could get an HEQ5 and good APO or the new Quattro - which would more or less blow the pants off what you have mentioned so far. Plus trying to take subs at extended focal lengths would be a nightmare

[Cloengaa]

So what do you suggest I get for DSO and planet imaging ? and Visual viewing.

[JohnnyD333]

The C10 is a monster, even on an EQ5. I dont know if you have seen this scope in person but its not something you want to stuff in your car (maybe you have a truck). I think one big misconception in imaging is having huge focal length to image. You dont need a huge reflector or SCT to image, if you look around on this site many people use high quality refractors with short focal lengths. I use a C6, but I love the quality even at 750mm of focal length.

If you are simply going for visual use, get the C10, it is a light bucket. But if you want to image, you need a mount that will accurately track. The C10 will struggle. I would suggest a smaller scope with an EQ5, you will need a guidescope along with your camera which will add weight. FLO has some nice Triplet Refractors and Imaging Newtonians depending on your budget. Good Luck!

[Uranium235]

Indeed, a fair amount of the DSOs on offer are quite large, so any telescope in the 500mm - 1000mm range will do - barring SCTs & Maks (becuase of the complications they introduce). Though having said that the other designs also have their pros/cons.

1) ED or APO refractors (80-110mm):

Pros: Lightweight, easy to guide, very high contrast, no collimation, sealed unit (no dust gets in), much reduced cooldown time, smaller profile (catches the wind less), barlows very well (if doing visual).

Cons: Expensive, needs a flattener/reducer

2) Newtonian reflectors: (min 6" - 8" apeture)

Pros: Cheap, fast, very fast (in the case of the Quattro), longer focal length, diffraction spikes (if you like them!), catches more light (if doing visual).

Cons: Needs collimation, longer cooldown (30-40min), heavy, slightly reduced contrast when compared to APO images, open design (dust gets in), larger profile (might as well hang a sail out!), needs a coma corrector.

Plus you will want a fast(ish) focal ratio, f6 and below is acceptable and is certainly do-able on the budget you gave stated.

It might sound like a stock answer, but you cant really go wrong with the SW ED80 fitted with its matching focal reducer. Take your time in choosing a telescope for AP, have a look around and see what other people are using in the deepsky section.

This is all before you have to research into what camera youre going to be using, and whether you're going down the autoguide route (which is unaviodable at some point).

[JohnnyD333]

Also, I would avoid getting a wedge for the time being. I see a lot of people who struggle to use a wedge for EQ tracking and I wouldnt recommend starting off with it. Stick with an EQ mount.

[Cloengaa]

So maybe a

Skywatcher Evostar 80ED DS-Pro Outfit

with

Skywatcher HEQ5 PRO Synscan

or a

Skywatcher EQ5 PRO Synscan GOTO

???

Btw can anyone explain what the difference is in them....as they are allmost 300 £ difference.

Or maybe a

Celestron CG-5 GT GOTO

[Cloengaa]

I mean I will still have my SW Explorer 120m that I can use for visual...maybe even astroimaging.

[shaunster]

HEQ5 all day..

[Uranium235]

Yes, the ED80 + HEQ5 is a good combo. Though im not sure whether you need the full DS Pro outfit. FLO do just the OTA for a lower price, and you still get the finder and tube rings with it. The 9x50 finder will come in very useful when you want to guide (use it as a "free" guide scope).

But as far as getting the HEQ5 with or without GOTO, Im not really in a position to say anything becuase ive never used EDMOD (software designed to replace/bypass the handset & control the mount directly from a laptop), or have an HEQ5 - but its the mount I should have gotten in the first place.

Personally, I would prefer GOTO being on the handset rather than via a laptop. But take a look at EQMOD and decide whether its something you want to get into, its very highly rated. What I can tell you though, is that this mount is very solid and that users always seem to get reliable and repeatable results with it.

Either way it will still work out cheaper than your original choice, so you would have something left to put towards a guide camera (QHY5 is popular) and Canon dSLR for imaging. Then you will be set to rock & roll