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Bag any DSO with a 127 Mak? (starter)

Dunkster

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Dunkster

Dunkster

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Hi folks,

Learning - well, at least, reading - more and more every day and hopefully getting closer to the day of the first scope.

Initially I thought a 200p Dob would be the biz, and I'm sure it would be (maybe with a bit more experience), but with getting cold feet over not seeing anything (that's another thread!), I'm looking at alternatives....

Will I be able to bag any DSOs with one of these?

First Light Optics - Celestron Nexstar 127 SLT

Or is the ap just too small to collect enough light? Dark site necessary?

Some of the images I've seen here from other guys/gals have been pretty promising from a planetary perspective.

I'm sure my mind will (be) changing again before I pull the trigger, but it looks like a nice little scope to get started and seeing things and if all goes well I'll possibly supplement/upgrade next season.

Any thoughts always appreciated :glasses2:

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Piers127

Piers127

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Then it's not a bad choice, however the Dob would gather more light and be better if you're not bothered by imaging - I considered one very carefully before ordering my new mount. For only a little more I could have had a 300p! However... Collimation and cool-down times are important with these. Collimation (if necessary) is straightforward with a Mak. Newtonians need more exacting work to precisely collimate and frankly as I still consider myself a beginner I've not gone down that route yet.

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philhas

philhas

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I agree with Piers its a good choice and more importantly you will use it. I have an SLT mount and its not bad, add a bit of weight on the centre tray and its very stable (sandbag mod) The goto is excellent (fairly quite) and very easy to use and it interfaces with PC programs such as Stellarium without any problems.

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swamp thing

swamp thing

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Hi

You can "bag" DSO's with your naked eye so any optical aid will help.

A 127mm Mak has plenty of aperture to show a wealth of DSO's. Your suggestion to go to a dark sky is a great idea and will give huge benefit (the amount of difference this makes cannot be overstated) with any scope.

These little Maks are indeed a great starter scope and will sit alongside a Dob at a later date very nicely indeed.

Regards Steve

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Dunkster

Dunkster

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Sorry to re-bug with this thread folks, but what sort of cool down time should I be looking at for this scope? I expect to be storing this in the porch, so it should only be a few degrees above outside temperature (for better or worse!)

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Dunkster

Dunkster

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A few degrees is bridged very quickly. Even my C8 (stored in a near-ambient-unless-its-freezing garage) cools down in less than 30 min, and can often be used immediately for DSOs, and after a little longer for planets.

OK cool! Sounds nice and easy :p

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michael.h.f.wilkinson

michael.h.f.wilkinson

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Almost forgot...

How long should I expect to be able to use the scope before I have to worry about dew? From what I've been reading so far, a dew shield is good to have, but what about one of the heaters?

It depends very much on the atmospheric conditions, and your location. Maks dew up slightly less quickly than SCTs, because the corrector plate of an SCT is thinner than the meniscus lens of a Mak. Just make a dew shield out of a camping mattress or even cardboard, and you should have hours of fun. My dew shield has transformed my viewing pleasure.

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A McEwan

A McEwan

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A dew shield is essential for these Maks, not just good to have. It also helps protect from glare and keeps all sorts of other things like dust, windborne contaminents, bird droppings, insects from colliding with the optics (unless they're on a direct head-on collision course of course instead of an oblique angle...)

I had a 127mm Mak before upgrading to the 8" Dob. The difference is very noticeable. Funnily enough I still have the Dob and have had a couple more of the Maks along the way. They're all good scopes. The Mak ios probably easier to get used to using though, especially for ease of use.

Dark site is always an improvement for ANY scope.

Ant :p

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Dunkster

Dunkster

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Thanks, Ant... I'm going to get my feet wet out in the back yard and see how it goes.... there's a lot to learn and once I'm feeling more confident I'll get out of town.

Almost convinced that the 127 is the right thing to do.... tempted by the larger ap dob but still learning the skies and very worried it'll sit idle if I get frustrated, without the goto ;)

I can always upgrade :p

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  • 2 weeks later...
Dunkster

Dunkster

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Just an update... I got the scope last week just in time to enjoy the good weather (thanks @FLO!)

So far I'm very happy with it... it's very portable, pretty fool proof to setup and get going. The star finder looks like it needs chucking :)

The bundled eyepieces seem OK, 25mm nice and clear (although I have no frame of reference!), and given the weather last week I did even get to use the 9mm, although it is much harder to get in focus (is this normal?)

Thanks to the goto - and of course many of the dso suggestions here in the forum - I've enjoyed a number of objects so far...

Jupiter - some really nice views of the faintly coloured belts and moons with the 25mm and 9mm one night in particular

Albireo - beautiful with both ep

Double cluster in perseus

M57 - knocked me for six to be honest, especially given the LP!

M27 - quite faint, but recognised the shape (again LP)

Owl cluster looked great too.

Goto could do with a few more friendly names for big-name stars (Deneb, Vega for exampe) instead of having to look up the SAO numbers :(

Overall, I'm very happy :) and I look forward to darker skies and bigger ap some day!

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