Telescope quandary

[Ags]

My get rich quick scheme is approaching completion, so by early winter I should have loads of money. So I will have some money to finally buy some new gear!

Alternately, my get rich quick scheme will fail, in which case I will need to treat myself to some new gear to cheer myself up...

So I am trying to find something that is:

- not much heavier than a NexStar 4SE

- has more aperture than a 4SE

- is about as portable as a 4SE

- suitable for camping trips

- gives great planetary views

Assuming money is no object, what wild ideas would you suggest?

Assuming money is very much an object, what would you suggest?

[Moonshane]

what about a Nexstar 6SE? (this is only partly tongue in cheek BTW).

[Ags]

Well then I might as well go for the 8SE :-)

I forgot to mention the scope should surpass the 4SE optically (not easy).

[Moonshane]

what about a Sumerian Optics travel dob if you can splash the cash?

[Ags]

Not a bad idea, but I like planetary viewing so a driven scope makes more sense for me. The 8SE would work out better. But then again, perhaps a nice APO... 100mm, carbon fibre tube - it would give a little more on planets and big wide field views when off camping.

[ollypenrice]

A Maksutov on a driven alt az mount?

Olly

[Ags]

I love maks, but they get heavy as the aperture goes up. I think I have sold myself on the idea of a fancy refractor...

[Ags]

Maybe a 200mm sumerian travel dob for camping. At home the only things worth looking at are planets and globulars, so perhaps I could get an driven platform for the dob to allow hassle-free high-power views.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

The 8SE will show more detail on planets (at slightly lower contrast) than a 4" apo. I take my C8 on holidays with me (camping with the missus and kids), along with the 80m APM triplet APO. The latter is a great little scope, but it saw no use at all during the last vacation (brilliant for wide field though, but bins are easier to set up). At 4.7 kg for the OTA, the C8 just about the lightest 8" scope around, which will trounce any 4" on DSOs. A Sumerian travel dob would be very interesting too (I am thinking of building a 12" travel scope along similar lines).

[Capricorn]

Keep the money and stick with the 4SE.

[Ags]

Keep the money and stick with the 4SE.

Wise words!

[Ags]

I promised myself I would have something bigger and better for the Mars opposition, and I didn't keep that promise. But the 4SE delivered fine views... I seemed to be seeing as much or more than people with larger scopes reported seeing. Lots of people said they couldn't see nuthin.