Past the planets !

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

A 6" will show very many objects, but an 8" will show them better, and it will show more. Having said that, a 6" SCT will show tons of objects very nicely indeed. I saw the dust band in M104 with my old 6" for example. A lot of people like the Nextar SE series scopes. I have heard of problems with these scopes, but not nearly as much as with Meade electronics. In fact, I hear far more stories of satisfied owners. Of course, all additional electronics adds complexity, and new ways in which things can go wrong.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

BTW, I agree with John that a Dob ticks all the boxes. Why not get in touch with a Dob owner and see one in action? You could also try to visit a star party to have a look at (and through) various scope. Practice is better than theory in this case.

[CGolder]

Plenty of false information on this thread about focal ratio's, well done to Ronin and Micheal on providing correct information.

the nexstar range are pretty good and the 6SE is the gem of the range, the 8se will show more detail but the Tube and the fork arm need to be stored seperatly or fully setup and the 8" SCT is pushing the limit on the SE mount.

i use SCT's for public observing aswell as with my 8 year old and she gets on with it fine, i wouldnt however let her use it alone.

you will need some accesories and i can recommend the revelation eyepiece set, these little eyepieces are heads and tales above the modified Acromats you get with the scope and have a lovely range and are at a great price point.

you would also need accesories like a powertank (maplins) and a dew shield (can be home made)

other than that you are ready to go, it has a feature called sky align which makes it easy to setup the goto.

Dobs are all well and good and i started with one, but with the kids i find the goto mount and eyepiece position on the ALT AZ Mounted SCT aswell as the portablitly worth the price and drop in apature.

good luck with whatever you decide, i would recommend going to a local group to see some scopes and what you can expect to see in them/how easy they are to live with

[wizardaire]

does any1 know how long a 9.25" Schmidt-Cassegrain scope is in inches?

[wizardaire]

now that is great info given and helps me understand more. also most of what you just said is what i had planed to get with the scope as i spoke to harrison telescopes and he advised the revelation eyepiece set and a 12v jump start kit.

i wish i could get to see scopes in action but the nearest place to me is near 3 hr drive away and hubby works away most of the week back only on a wednesday nite and sunday so cant really get there.

but i think i will either go for C6 or LS6 due to portability and average all rounders won't see everything lol but should give them a reasonable view of both planets and some DSO's

and again thanks for that you made it much easier for me to understand what it is i really want

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Best of luck with your purchase. Let us know how you get along with it.

Clear skies!

[onesmallstep]

Enjoy the views!

[wizardaire]

ok heres another newbie question sorry but does the LS6 need a dew shield? if it does any1 know where i can get 1 please?

thanks

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Yes it will need a dew shield, but you can make one from a cheap camping mattress and some velcro easily.

[wizardaire]

thanks, how big will it need to be please? as in how long is it 2inches per inch of appature? will i need a heater strip as well?

i know the LS cant do long photography due the planets movement but could you piggyback a dlsr on it or better to use attached thru connector?

soz for all the newbie questions but hayho each little step counts..shames there just so many of them to climb

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I do not use a dew strip on my C8, just a shield (the official Celestron, a gift from my parents). I sometimes still get some dew on the optics, but only after 5-6 hours on really humid nights. It is best to first get a dew shield, and only get a dew strip if you experience problems. Twice the aperture is a good rule of thumb as a length of a dew shield, a bit longer is no problem.

Piggyback photography works best on an EQ mount, as you have to correct for rotation of the field of view otherwise. Planetary photography with web cams might be possible.