My shopping list

[Pigster]

Having got advice here and talking to a few people, I am preparing a proposal for my school to get me:

Lunt LS60 THa/B1200 on an EQ3 go-to

Explore Scientific Triplet ED APO 127 on a HEQ5 go-to

Explore Scientific 16" dob with an equatorial platform

Celestron Skyris 274C

Sony A6000

A few pairs of binoculars

In case you didn't see my other post the other day, I need to be able to do the following with my GCSE students for their coursework:

• Observing lunar features + eclipses
• Counting / tracking Sun spots + filtered observations of the Sun
• Rare events, e.g. a transit, occultation, comet etc.
• Long exposure photography of meteor showers
• Long exposure photography of star trails to measure the length of the Sidereal Day
• Constellation photography esp. to show the effects of light pollution and/or stellar density
• Messier objects observations
• Measuring the light curve of a variable star

Your thoughts on my proposed kit is desired. Thanks in advance.

[Charic]

...........wish I was back at School with kit like that ?

[CodnorPaul]

No - wish I was a teacher to look after kit like that. Imagine the fun you could have when the kids have gone home!

[Pigster]

It's a boarding school, so they don't go home. The proposed site for viewings will be more-or-less at the end of my garden.

[CodnorPaul]

Oh - send them to bad early then instead

[John]

One of our members, Linton Guise, runs an observatory as part of a school in Bedford. Here is their webpage in case it's of any interest:

http://www.bedfordschool.org.uk/default.asp?page=1564

[glowjet]

That is rather a nice set up, however, you may like to consider buying the new Daystar Quark in place of the Lunt 60 and EQ3 Goto mount. they are newly developed eyepieces that fit into most refractor scopes within the range f5 to f9 so the ES 127 APO will be ideal and give the students exceptional views of the Sun, there are two units, one designed for the general observation of the Chromosphere and the other Prominences. availability will be a bit tight at the moment because of demand. Look at their website for more details. Perhaps you should  also give some thought to acquiring a number of monopods / tripods for use with the binoculars, holding these steady for long observational periods may not come easy in young hands