Expensive mount first?

[Teslar]

I'm new to all this and my only experience is with an old £70 telescope I've had in the loft for years and only recently dusted off. Now that I live in a rural location I was suprised what I could see with it. However I now intent buying some real equipment.

Having looked around and almost went for a Celeston NexStar 6SE as portability is my utmost priority, however DSO is also an interest and possibly astrophotgraphy so after using google as my friend I relalise that the SE mount isnt up to the job.

So Do I splash my cash for a Celestron CG-5 Goto and add a cheap OTA to try and keep the budget in the below £1K for now with a hope of upgrading later to a better OTA later as funds allow. I'm thinking hard about this approach but I'm concerned at the portability of this setup as the CG-5 looks a bit cumbersome, as I said portability is the key for me as I live a two center life...

Or do I just give up and go back to the NexStar 6SE option and upgrade once I've exhausted those pleasures ??

Any comments or advice welcome

[Capricorn]

I would always suggest something cheap and reasonable then see if you are still dragging it outside and looking in a years time.

If you are then get what you want.

I started with something for about £200, used it initially, didn't use it for about 5 years then started again. Glad I didn't get the 8SE for it to sit round doing nothing.

Actually use the small £200 scope the most still, and have scopes costing 5 times as much and enormously better.

[Parus major]

A light bucket dobsonian could be in the running, then. You want something to use now with upgrade options, a dob is that. Buy it, enjoy it and put a big suitable mount under it later on or keep it for DSO and get your 8SE later on instead.

[Teslar]

Thanks but a Dob is hardly portable. Which is my number one need as I mentioned above

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[Parus major]

There's going to have to be a compromise somewhere. You mention three things, portability, DSO and astrophotography but you can't have them all. With an 6SE you get portability but not you other wants, if you reduce portability then you open other options. AP, yes you can with a small telescope but you need a big mount, HEQ5 minimum and you lose portability. DSO visually then you want a bit aperture, a dob does this in style, has upgrade options to a equatorial mount so can hit two of your wants.

[twotter]

Two centre lifestyle = two telescopes

How about a 200P dob in one place and a 200P dob in the other

[Teslar]

Maybe should add that I also plan to take the scope away in my motorhome so I can view the sky from good locations so easy set up alignment and transport is important. I'm thinking of pulling back to the 6SE again for those reasons. The celestron CG5 pro mount with goto. Looks a bit much to carry around a lot. I guess this might be the way for now then maybe a second scope for home when I retire

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[Parus major]

A 200P dob requires no polar alignment, just plonk it down and wait for it to go cold. A 6SE won't be much cop at DSO, relatively speaking. if you're looking at a CG5, a 200mm telescope is what level you're on with one of them.

Just a thought, perhaps a 150PDS?

[Teslar]

Thanks but I think that goto mount isn't as good as the CG5 and is just as cumbersome also the goto system is inferior to the celestron unit I'm told

I did consider that scope to keep cost down on the CG5. However the 6SE it probably more suited to my needs just now. AP and DSO's will have to wait until I retire I guess

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[Grunthos]

A 6SE could be a reasonable scope for your needs (only you can decide what compromises are required atm).

You can use the 6SE for basic DSLR/webcam work (practise on the Moon!) and it is quite good for DSO's.

I like it's portablity (which is why I kept mine when I bought the dobo). I take the 6SE camping up the Lake District now and again...

YMMV;)

(EDIT: Get yourself a decent binocular while you're at it. Well worth it)

[Teslar]

Thanks I guess it's the 6SE for now and as you suggest I'll look at webcam options and practice with that set up for a while. With 40,000 objects should keep me busy

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[brantuk]

The CG5 (manual or goto) is a smashing little mount - has been for years - and it's highly portable cos it breaks down in 3 bits (tripod, mount, ota). You can pop the weights on the floor in the back of the car. And the software/database has more functionality than the equiv SW offering.

The 6SE is a very nice tube with great optics and good electronics - but it is alt/az and only single fork arm. I prefer dual forks for the added stability. Hope that helps

[182570]

suggest a TAL 100RS and either an eq5 mount or a cg5 mount

[Chris]

The 6SE will be good as a portable scope for general viewing, and imaging wise it will be fine for planetary webcam imaging as it has a longish f/ratio of 10 which is good for planets but bad for DSO imaging as you need much much longer exposures with high f/ratios. DSO imaging is doubly not good with the 6SE mount because you can only take very short exposures of 15 seconds or so with it before the field rotation, periodic error, and the poor stability make things tricky as the 6SE's single arm alt/az mount isn't designed for this purpose. Also would it be ok with the weight of a DSLR? and you might have to be careful that the camera isn't going to hit things as the mount slews?

I'm just wondering if you would be better off with an EQ3 pro mount for for the portability and imaging side of things 388 pounds, then get 2 OTA's a small Apo refractor for quality imaging, and a 150p for DSO viewing? I think all this would come in at hhmm let me do the math 388 for the mount, 315 pounds for an equinox 66 Apo, and 180 pounds for a 150p Newt, so a total of 883 pounds! wow all that for 883 sounds like a bargain to me, there must be a catch??

[Teslar]

Thanks for the advice everyone

Well after a tough day torn between the practicality of a 6SE and a C6-SGT I've gone for the 6SE. I'm sure I'll have months if not years of enjoyment before my life slows down enough to allow me time to spend on a more professional set up. Happy nights ahead I hope so long as my OH doesn't complain too much. Though she does have a passing interest herself

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[Grunthos]

.... she does have a passing interest herself

I suggest a binoviewer pointed at the likes of the Moon, Pleiades, or Orion Nebula to spark her interest.

[Teslar]

Well if you think that's all it takes I'll give it a try

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