First light of Celestron 8SE

[Pig]

Hi Shaun

I usually use the 'Named Objects' also but I must try the direct entry you outlined. Thanks for info.

Alan it is certainly worth a try, I am surprised that I haven't tried it before.

There are a few lines of the individual object info in Stellarium, I used the one that contains " 2000" I think it is a date reference of some kind

Shaun

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Welcome to the Cat (Catadioptric) Club. I have had my 8" SCT for 17.5 years and it is a great instrument. Mine sits on a Vixen Great Polaris mount, which is solid as a rock, is heavier than the SE mount. My advice on planets would be not to shun higher magnifications (I go to 203 (10mm EP) often and quite frequently use my 8.5mm (239x) and 7mm (290x). The views can be awesome under good conditions. The C8 (same OTA as the 8SE) is also very good at DSO hunting. I have spotted over 300 galaxies (and more than 600 DSOs in total) with it. Globular clusters like M13 and M22 are stunning, compared to the view through a 5 or 6" scope. I keep C8 in a barely heated garage, which means I save a lot on cool-down time.

Clear skies!

[Albenn]

Michael

I have also noticed that the scope is good for DSO's. It seems to be a good 'all rounder' if there is such a thing. Funny you should mention M13. I got my first view of it last week and have to agree that it is a beautiful object and that it would have been even better if the moon hadn't been so bright. I'm just waiting now to get a good clear night - with no moon - to see it again.

I seem to be limited at the moment to my BST ED 18 & 25mm. I have tried to use my 8mm on Planets/moon but the sky has been too turbulent lately resulting in the target just boiling in the ep. I hope the arrival of the BST ED 12mm this week will give me a decent magnification I can use at the moment.

I do have a x2 TAL Barlow and know that using this with the 25mm would give me a comparable magnification, but I hate having to mess about swapping and changing.

I keep my scope in an unheated, clean, dry shed on the advice from Gary at the Kielder Observatory. He said it would be quite happy to live in the shed as long as I kept it covered with a cotton sheet tied under the mount base. He added that these instruments are designed to live in observatories (aka sheds) and will come to no harm.

As you say, when the storage temperature is very close to outside temperature it greatly reduces any cool-down time. I can be up and observing in 20 minutes.