Celestron Nexstar dilemma... 6 or 8?

[Gregnat73]

Hi

Having owned a Skywatcher 130 flextube and a 90mm Mak for about a year, I've decided to go bigger and better!! I've taken a bit of a shine to the Nexstar SE series and was wondering if anyone has any advice as to the pros/cons of the 6 vs the 8 inch (ie is the extra cost of the 8 worth it?)

Most of my observing is done from indoors (through open windows) but i'd like to start visiting dark sky sites (there are 7 within an hours drive!) and apart from a bit of afocal iPhone photography I tend to stick with visual observing. I like any targets, planets, deep space etc so a good all round scope is what I'm after.

Any avice is more than welcome

Cheers

[Northern Soul man]

Hi Gregnat73, really glad your enjoying your astronomy, it gets sort of addictive after a while, I think the only difference in the 2 scopes that you mention is the price.  There's not going to be any real difference in performance, many astronomers say that the 8" scope is one of the best for all round performers - you get the best results on many more nights of the year.

I had a Meade LX90 8" SCT for about 5 years and found it to be a fantastic scope - the only reason I sold it was to part fund the 1100 - but the scope was amazing and a pleasure to use.

You say your only into visual observing - I'm the same mate and really enjoy every night out under the stars.

The SCT's are nice compact scopes and now with GOTO they are really accurate (well the ones I've owned have been!!!)

One point I would mention though is the mount - it mounts only on one arm - an 8" tube assembly is quite heavy - not sure how stable they are - all my SCT's have been dual fork arm mounted, so should be very stable, wait for some Nexstar 8SE owners to throw their 2 pennies worth into the thread.

Not sure of your budget, I've had the CPC for just over a year now and really pleased with it -  the mount is really stable and a pleasure to use  - the CPC mounts will offer you a lot more stability, but wait for a few more posts mate and let us know how you get on.  Regards   Paul.

[Gregnat73]

Thanks for he advice... Just been looking at the CPC but I think it's a bit pricey for me at the moment!! The stability of the single arm is just about the only drawback I've seen mention in reviews of the SE but like you said I'll wait and see if anyone else has any first hand experience of using it.

Cheers

[baggywrinkle]

I have the 6SE and now wished I had gone for the 8SE.

The only thing I have heard is that the mount for the 8SE is the same as the 6SE but with the extra weight it is getting towards its limits.

I am sure 8 SE owners will be chipping in.

They are good scopes and being in two pieces easy to set up. Certainly lifting the OTA with the AZ arm attached is not an issue on the 6SE.

[rowan46]

If you can afford it the 8 is the one to go for the difference between a 6" and 8" is noticable. It is however a fair bit heavier and as has been said it is getting toward its limit. Having said that the mount was originally designed for the 8 so it should be stable enough for visual. Is there a reason why you look through an open window? If you wish to go outside with it a 200p dob will give you as good a view and leave you some change. Also trying to align the se from an open window may or may not give you some problems as the auto align can be a bit fussy about the stars it chooses

[John]

Viewing through an open window is really not a great idea with any scope. Get the scope outside, let it cool, and it will perform much better. 

[rowan46]

Viewing through an open window is really not a great idea with any scope. Get the scope outside, let it cool, and it will perform much better. 

got to agree but sometimes needs must. disability springs to mind or even living in a high rise in a high crime area

[John]

got to agree but sometimes needs must. disability springs to mind or even living in a high rise in a high crime area

Fair points. Perhaps I should have added "if at all possible" to my sentence. 

[impactcrater]

love the idea of  'drive- by telescope stealing'   .....  chuckle chuckle....

[baggywrinkle]

/\ That is evil, mind you half of the tea leafs would be trying to work out which end you put the lager in .....

[Gregnat73]

Looks like it's probably going to be the 8 then!!

No danger of "drive-by telescope pillaging" here so I might even venture out with it sometime!! Seriously, I know that window astronomy isn't ideal but it's worked for me so far... I live in a fourth floor apartment so it puts me above most of the LP and the windows give me a decent view from SW to E. I can also take advantage of gaps in the cloud and view at a moments notice which with the weather here is very useful!!! I still intend to get to some dark sky sites this winter though!!!

[Northern Soul man]

Yes, Greg, the 8's a good choice I think, don't worry about your "window Astronomy" - the main word there is "ASTRONOMY".  I've had a look around a few sites, but can't seem to find any reviews on the Nexstar SE range, they seem to be selling well though.  

The enjoyment of the hobby is as much or as little as you want it to be - I think the end result is a telescope or a pair of binoculars, but that's the end result - in the beginning I think its the same for everyone, for me, its been a passion for the last 25 years or so, the practical side for me is just about looking out, skies clearing, just the time spent outdoors, as the days and months pass by, as each constellation comes into view, looking at old favourites and checking forums like this for new targets to search for - even from light polluted skies, a great deal can be achieved with our little pieces of mirror and glass.

The 8SE will be a good performer, a little more easier to move around, I think the GOTO is more or less the same throughout the whole of the Celestron range, mine has performed really well over the last year or so - even the Meade I had before was a very reliable piece of kit, good luck with the 8" and keep us informed.  Regards   Paul.

[Clockwork_Orange]

Hi Grenat

I have an Nexstar 8 SE. The mount is fine with the weight, The set up is a doddle, I just level it and use the auto 2 star align method the goto's are pretty much spot on at that, if you find them drifting of center a little after a long period of use then there is a very handy utility hidden away in the handset called precise goto which puts items bang in the middle of the eyepiece. I've never looked through a 6" SE to compare the view so an unable to say how much extra bang your getting for your money with the 8 inch, but when your counting inches its inches that count.  

Regards

John

[LukeSkywatcher]

If (like others have said) you can afford the 8",then that's the one to go for. Its a cracking scope.