What scope would you bring?

[Kirscovitch]

It's after 3am here now so later tonight will be the opposition of Mars. I have to work but will be done at 11:30pm. All my coworkers know what an astro nut I am and I told them that if the forecast is clear I will bring a scope to work and set up in the parking lot. I did this last fall in November when I first got my 130SLT and it seemed popular.

The forecast is looking really good but I'm not quite sure which scope to bring. I've narrowed it down to 2. The 10" Dob or the C6N.

Transporting is not an issue. Both the dob and C6 with VX will travel just fine. I'm just wondering which would be easier for a "group" viewing. The dob will probably give the best view but with manually tracking I think it will be pain in the butt to constantly realign Mars every few seconds for everyone to get a good view. On the other hand I could setup and align the C6 and not have to worry about tracking while everyone has a look, but I'm afraid that people will not get as good as view with the smaller scope.

Just wondering what some of you might do or bring. Thanks for any advice!

[Moonshane]

both?

[Rustysplit]

If you can only take one, then I would go for the dob. More aperture, more resolution. Your buddies will soon pick up the tracking knack. You will be looking too don't forget. Would you be happy with 6" when you know you could have used 10"?

If space in the car is a non issue, then yeah, both surely.

[Pondus]

If transport is no issue, bring both or all three. It increases the possibility of getting some of your co-workers hooked...

Rune 

[rowan46]

the c6n  just find a target  and they get to see something no faffing trying to keep something in view. If it was for myself I would take the dob but generally goto is easier at outreach events where you are showing many people

[estwing]

Alan has the answer here....

[Kirscovitch]

Somehow I knew I would the answer "both" 

Even though I would love to bring both, that's not going to be possible with the tiny toy car that I use to commute. And good points from all on both scopes. 

More aperture and resolution would be nice as one target will certainly be Mars. Also setting up the dob would take just a minute.

The tracking of the VX would be nice to have with a group of people though. Setup would be more of a hassle but I could skip the ASPA and just get a good 2 star alignment with a couple calibration stars. Shouldn't take too long either.

Either way I go I will probably kick myself later and wish I would have brought the other scope lol.

[Moonshane]

if it's just one then tracking would be good for people not used to a scope.

[cotterless45]

If it's just Mars, get it polar aligned, then just whizz her round to Mars and track. There's nothing worse than showing folk stuff to find that it's buzzed out of the fov,

Nick.

[Kirscovitch]

Mars was one that a lot of people were talking about. As well as the moon and Saturn. I think I will take the C6 so no one gets frustrated by trying to track with the dob. With the brighter moon out I doubt there will be many visible fuzzies to show off but I'm sure I can find some nice clusters to share.

[Kirscovitch]

So I get the C6 packed in the car and I start thinking.... Could I get both scopes in the car???

After some rearranging I was able to barely fit both scopes and mounts. The dob OTA filled the entire backseat with just enough room to close the door.

When we were done with work the temps had dropped down to about 20F. I opted for the quick route and just set up the dob. 

First I showed everyone the moon, then on to Jupiter, then Mars. People thought Mars and Jupiter were cool but the biggest "wows" came from the moon. I think people were expecting more from the planets. At the end I swung over to Saturn and they thought the rings were neat. After about an hour everyone started to get cold so for the finale I swung back to the moon and put my 3mm Ep in for 416x. Everyone was simply blown away at how massive the craters looked and how fast the moon actually moves across the sky.

All in all it went well and we agreed that after it warms up a bit more I should bring my scopes down more often. Next time I will set up the C6 so I don't have to keep tracking by hand. I don't mind it when its just me viewing but nobody else could figure out how to track even with me trying to coach them.

[Rustysplit]

A successful night out Matt. The major planets and the moon can't be bad. Sounds like your mates are starting to get hooked, and now every time they look up at the moon, they will remember the detail they have seen and appreciate it that little bit more.

[Kirscovitch]

A successful night out Matt. The major planets and the moon can't be bad. Sounds like your mates are starting to get hooked, and now every time they look up at the moon, they will remember the detail they have seen and appreciate it that little bit more.

It is nice being the group expert on astronomy. And use the term expert very, very loosely lol. 

On our breaks we venture outside and more and more I get the question "what's that star there?" or "what is that up there?"

I don't think anyone will be going out and buying their own equipment soon but I am more than glad to share. 

[AndyWB]

People thought Mars and Jupiter were cool but the biggest "wows" came from the moon. I think people were expecting more from the planets. 

That's what I've found with a few friends. You show them Jupiter, and all they can see at first is a couple of bands, so it's kind of 'Is that it?', but you show them the Moon and their socks roll up and down. And I've gotta confess, I'm having to take my time to get much from Mars...