planetary set up ?

[astroeddie]

Guys,

  I've been sat here for the last two weeks, scouring the net for a choice in equipment for Planetary Observing. My aim is to get back into astro-sketching.

  I've been favouring the SW 120 F7.5 ED Pro with HEQ5.GoTo. I know that it will be very sharp views, but, small object size.

 I have also been looking at the Newtonian set up. Looking at the SW 250mm F4,7 PDS on the NEQ6, or , Orion Optics, 203mm F6 on the HEQ5 Pro.

 Another is the Celestron Advance VX mount with the 200MM F10 SCT.

  I will have around £2,000 to spend the next time I'm home in 2014.

  Would welcome thoughts on these set ups, or, anything I've not taken into consideration. 

  Thanks for reading ...... Eddie

[mitchelln]

I would have thought that this is as much to do with decent eyepieces as the scope itself. Make sure you save some budget for some decent ones.

As if you didn't have enough to worry about

[scarp15]

Not so sure how far £2000 will stretch, but you could also consider a celestron 8" or 9.25" SCT.

[astroeddie]

In my stupid days of needing money, I sold my beloved C11 CPC GPS. Oww, to turn the clock back 3 years !!!!

  As for eyepieces. I plan on the SWA 32 mm, then a selection of Hyperions and decent x2 barlow. Aswell as a host of planetary coloured filters.

Maddening as it is, I had all of these aswell.  

I know .... don't rub it in PLEASE 

[scarp15]

Completely understand, after all these things can be turned into assets, if that is what's required.

Well with £2K I would look at a CPC 9.25.

[John]

I'd be thinking of a longish, slowish newtonian with a smallish secondary and excellent optics if I could get one. Something like an 8" F/8 from Orion Optics or even the 8" F/6 with 1/10 wave PV optics that is on UK Astro Buy & Sell at the moment (not my scope !). Put that on an HEQ5 mount and it should be a really good planetary scope - better than an 8" SCT I reckon.

Another scope design I've been really impressed by for planetary viewing is the maksutov-newtonian. I had an Intes 6" F/5.9 which was a match for a 5" apochromat refractor so a 7" would be close to a 6" apo I'd have thought. Something like this (again, not my scope !):

http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=73113

Cool down time is longer than newts or fracs but no worse than SCT's.

[Moonshane]

although I do agree with the comments above (and consider I have never used an SCT) I feel that you could do worse than http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-300p-flextube-goto.html

this would provide excellent planetary views and maintain the image constantly for long periods needed for sketching.

you'd also have aperture and goto for those periods when you want to try other things.

I have a 6" f11 dob on an equatorial platform and it works well for visual with crisp contrasty views but the view when my 16" or 12" dobs ping into sharpness is much brighter and more detailed. the clarity is fleeting of course with larger apertures.

[Plantins]

A 10" - 12" secondhand fork mounted SCT.

They are a good "allrounder" scope which will give you the best seating position that's required for long periods of sketching.

[astroeddie]

http://www.iankingimaging.com/show_product.php?id=1072

  Anyone used one of these ?

John,

There's a 6" Intes on eBay now for £150.  TRUST !!!!!

Cheers for the feedback ..... Eddie

[A McEwan]

The Skywatcher 180mm f15 Mak would be a good choice too. On tracking mount of course! Good image scale and ability to turn cheap eyepieces into great performers! Reasonably priced second hand OR new too.

Ant

[Steve Ward]

+1 for the Mak180 . . .

[astroeddie]

I live on the NE coast, and temps fluctuate quite a bit on winter nights. I think a Mak would suffer bad thermals in such conditions.

Also, no shed or garage for cold storage, or, am I wrong in these assumptions.?

[m.tweedy]

the c11 for sale on here + neq6

[nightfisher]

The 180 mak is a real planet killer, but a decent newt makes a good tool, its the focal length you are after, with good optics

[astroeddie]

Yep,

  Scoured the net for long FL Newts. Only came arcoss Orion Optics UK. 8" F6 and 10" F6.3. But they are quite expensive, then the EQ mount to suit.

[Laurie61]

 You could get the OO 10" f6.3 and their dob mount and put it on an equatorial tracking platform for about £1500

[earth titan]

C9.25" SCT.

What he said. Scope plus mount and some change.

[astroeddie]

Thanks for all the feedback guys.

  Down to the final bout....

OOUK 10" F6.3 on HEQ5 Pro ..... purely visual 

C9.25 CPC GPS.

  I used to own the C11, so I know the sheer ease of use that comes with the CPC series. My quibble with the HEQ5, is Polar Alignment. Not done it for years, with my old HEQ5.

Plenty of tutorials on Youtube. It'll need doing for each session as the scope will be brought inside after each session. So, again, another tick for the C9.25.

  My tax rebate in April cann't come quick enough. If I mention scopes to my wife any more, she'll hit me with it .......

  Thanks for putting up with my stupid questions.

Eddie

[recceranger]

Hi Eddie,

I have been enquiring quite a bit about a similar set up.  I think I'm going to settle on the MAK 180 Pro.  Leaves me enough to upgrade and modify the scope.  In addition leaves plenty for some decent eye pieces etc.  I think were your concerned, if you cant see you can't sketch so resolution is the key and the reso and contrast on the MAK is a winner.

Ps, my budget is pretty similar to yours

Rick

[MarkMittlesteadt]

My choice for planetary scopes would be any high quality, high focal ratio scope. Low focal ratios are better for deep space, wide field views. Long focal ratio scopes are better for crisp, high mag detailed viewing.

I hade an 8" SCT f/10 and it was killer on planets. I once watched Jupiter all night long and could watch the giant red spot move across it's surface as it rotated and also very detailed pinpoint moons that showed shadow and highlights on one of it's moons moving across the face of the planet, as well as that moon's shadow on the plent itself.

Mars showed the polar caps and surface detail, Cassini's division and some secondary ring details on Saturn, etc.

I've since moved to a 4" Mak/Cas and while the magnification isn't as great the details are super crisp.

[scarp15]

If you did opt for a CPC 925, and had some spare cash, then I would recommend changing the stock focuser for a starlight feathertouch micro focuser, to achieve critcal focus for planetary detail. Besides this aspect, the fork mount ought to create a more effective ergonomic position for (seated) observing / sketching.

[earth titan]

If you did opt for a CPC 925, and had some spare cash, then I would recommend changing the stock focuser for a starlight feathertouch micro focuser, to achieve critcal focus for planetary detail. Besides this aspect, the fork mount ought to create a more effective ergonomic position for (seated) observing / sketching.

Agree on the feathertouch. Expensive but well worth it!

[kerrylewis]

I've always been keen on the planets but also wanted a scope that was a bit of an all-rounder. I've been delighted with the 9.25 SCT - it fits that brief perfectly whilst being reasonably portable for taking out into the garden. I added a Motofocus unit for fine tuning the focus without nudging the scope - essential for prolonged planetary viewing.

So I would endorse that either fork mounted or the best Skywatcher mount that you can afford. I love the AZ EQ6 GT but it would bust your budget

Kerry

[astroeddie]

I've just been intouch with OOUK.

 they can make me a 8" F8 newt for £783 plus VAT. This includes upgrade focuser and 1/8th PV.

This scope mounted on an HEQ5 Pro is exactly what I'm after.  

    Eddie H

Ammended .......  Would this scope offer more detail than the 10"F6.3 with 1/8th PV mirror. Same focal lenght, but 2" extra grasp on the 10".

The 8" would offer more contrast granted, but just wondering ??

[BillP]

I personally prefer the refractor for planetary sketching.  Reasons are it is usually ready much faster for productive high magnification observing as it reaches equillibrium much faster than Newts or SCT/MAKs.  Compared to Newts usually much easier and less expensive to get a tracking platform, which IMO is necessary for sketching.

Not that I sketch a lot, but I do some, and feel it is important to have a bino-friendly instrument.  I happened upon an interesting combination that made some of my sketching evenings quite effortless and productive.  With my TSA-102 on a tracking mount (Minitower Pro), I had a 2.4x Barlow with a WO Binoviewer (giving an effect 3.4x magnification).  And for eyepieces a pair of Edmund 28mm RKEs.  Now the Edmund 28mm RKE already has rather long eye relief.  With a 3.5x Barlow the eye relief becomes enormous.  The beauty of the super long eye relief in a bino setup for me was that I could actually hold my head far enough away that I could simply move my eyes between looking into the bino or down at my lap with the sketchpad!  So never had to reposition my head with this setup.  It made sketching the planet as natural as if I was using no instrument and simply sketching a landscape.  Was quite a lot of fun.