Suggestions for 2nd scope?

[mag7417]

I just sold my 5 yr old Nexstar 6SE as I just felt it was time to upgrade to something new (w/o having thought too much about it). The opportunity to sell it was there and now it is history. I really liked that scope a lot. All I have now is a HEQ5 and a Lunt 60 for daytime observations.

Still, there is that urge to buy a new scope. But what? The 6SE was my beginner's scope. What is the next step? OK It all depends on what I want to use it for, I know.

I want to do 80-85% visual and the rest I want to use for experimental AP. On top of that I do not get out often (3 kids under 6 yrs). For a while I thought a 9 1/4" SCT might prove interesting as I enjoyed my 6". Then it hit my that a refractor might be the way to go. They are easy enough to use considering the kids. With that interest for AP growing I was eyeing the Equinox 120ED.

I guess I am really open for suggestions. Am looking at something nice, easy to take care of costing no more than €2000 / £2000. Any suggestions?

[ollypenrice]

Visual and planetary AP go together happily enough. C9.25, for example.

Visual and DS AP don't go together easily. DS AP, especially for starting out, is best (I think) with a small fast apo of short focal length. Easy to guide, not much affected by wind, no collimation issues, nice results. But such scopes won't show as much visually as what you are used to.

The 120 doublet would give a slightly more refined visual experience (again in my view) but not really very different. WIth flattener it would do DS AP well enough but a shorter focal length might be a little easier.

The elusive One Scope Fits All. It doesn't really exist...

Olly

[Naemeth]

How about a SW ED80 with Field Flattener / Focal Reducer with a 200P Dob? Dob for easy set-up and pure visual (offering more aperture than your 6SE did) and ED80 for DS imaging? I know it's 2 scopes, but if you're only getting 1, you are compromising either visual or AP, unless it's planetary AP as Olly suggests.

HTH

[mag7417]

I have to admit I had been thinking about heading down the two scope alley, but a dob? That thought hadn't even crossed my mind. They are cheap but heavy. Still... my AP ambitions are low and would be just for fun, nothing too serious. A dob? Need to think about that one.

[ollypenrice]

I have to admit I had been thinking about heading down the two scope alley, but a dob? That thought hadn't even crossed my mind. They are cheap but heavy. Still... my AP ambitions are low and would be just for fun, nothing too serious. A dob? Need to think about that one.

Dobs heavy? Not at all. A Dob is lighter than the same Newt on a GEM with counterweights etc. Also the EP can become contortionist with GEM mounted Newts. When imaging you have time on your hands and a Dob is the antidote to all the faffing around with gadgets that AP brings!!! Binoculars provide a different antidote.

Olly

[Mr Fiery Jack]

OO Dobsonians' have aluminium tubes and a small foot print, they are lighter than most. Sadly they are rather expensive new.

[Naemeth]

I have to admit I had been thinking about heading down the two scope alley, but a dob? That thought hadn't even crossed my mind. They are cheap but heavy. Still... my AP ambitions are low and would be just for fun, nothing too serious. A dob? Need to think about that one.

The NEQ-6 (only mount I can find with a weight on on FLO) weighs 23.5kg (without counterweights), roughly 33.7kg with counterweights, so it's not exactly light. The HEQ-5 is lighter, but probably not by all that much.

[Dunkster]

According to Skywatcher's website (hint: total weight figures in the text, not in the specs column on the right), HEQ5 synscan is 15kgs, EQ6 synscan 23.5kgs, both without counterweights. Small refractor on HEQ5 for AP should be good. Then you could stick your visual OTA of choice on that mount too, within reason. C9.25 should be OK, newt up to a 200p perhaps?

Skywatcher's numbers of shipping weight of a 200p Dob list the base at 20kg and the ota at 18kg... sounds very high to me though, can't imagine a 200p Dob is that heavy, the 250 maybe, so maybe they go to town on the packing materials!

[tibbz2]

The base feels twice the weight of the ota on my 200p!

[mag7417]

I'll have to think about all this. After the dob suggestion I got really excited but there is still the problem of reasonable portability. It seems like it would be possible to get a soft carrying case for a SCT (I already have soft cases for mount and tripod). My closest site is just outside my back door (10 yards from where I would store it). My 2nd site is either 1/4 or 1/2 mile away. I don't mind carrying the weight if I only make the trip, say 15 times / year, but how would you carry a dob? I guess it is possible to find something allowing you to carry the tube on your back... but what about the base? Would I be better off with a SCT after all? Or should I go down the reflector path? A 10" would be nice but w/o finder scope etc. it is at the very limit of the HEQ5 even if I would only use it for visual.

The problem is that I would (perhaps?) be just as happy with a "light" 8" dob / 200p reflector as with a 9 1/4" SCT or a larger 10" dob to use outside my house.

[Dunkster]

From memory, the Dob bases often have carry handles, but then you've got to carry the ota. A large backpack or infant carrier might suffice, but the length of the tube might be prohibitive.

C9.25... ota coild be carried in a large backpack, although the mount for that is more tricky to carry

I went the way of overkill, and bought the larger SCT to carry the 10 yards, at home (with light pollution). My C8 goes out on evening trips once in a while, it's just much easier/quicker to set and get going with. My little frac fits in a laptop bag and goes weight-sensitive places (planes!)

You need to consider whether you want the wide view or the narrower view. Something like an ST120 and mount should be pretty portable for your 1/2 mile jaunt for dark-sensitive objects and give you a wider view, and then you could use an SCT or Mak or longer f/ratio refractor for planetary at home.