"Small" Telescopes?????

[pilot87178d]

OK, so as much fun as the out-sized binos are, when it comes to non-planetary observations, they just do not fill the bill.  This is especially true when attempting the various "M"s.  Am reading that a "small" tleescope is the answer.....what the heck is considered "small"?  6 inch?  Specific type from amongst our 5 main choices (i.e., refractor, reflector, etc.  thoughts?

Was in the Mojave Desert last week observing with the binocs and the clarity of the atmosphere was screamingly good!!!  Full Moon did dampen down the observing, but Saturn was in its prime in terms of blade angle.  

Hope all are enjoying their Summer (for those in our hemisphere..... :-) 

Regards,

Marc

[happy-kat]

I thought this was a nice read seeing what Mr Messier used himself though he would not have had light pollution, how bad is yours?.

http://messier.seds.org/xtra/history/m-scopes.html

[pilot87178d]

I thought this was a nice read seeing what Mr Messier used himself though he would not have had light pollution, how bad is yours?.

http://messier.seds.org/xtra/history/m-scopes.html

Thx for the speedy response and the article!  Based on what I read, am thinking "4 inch" or similar might make sense.  

Light pollution?  Hmmm...well, when home (Eastern Seaboard area of the US), it is similar to your Cambridge area north of London...esp. near Duxford.  I do travel extensively both domestic and international, hence the binos.  Can honestly say that I am fortunate when home as the environment can be a challenge, but we are maybe an LM5 - 6 on an average clear night.  Of course, planets are a comparatively easy target, even from New York City.

Thoughts on the modern 4 inch????

Thx!

Marc

[Chris]

Skywatcher/Celestron/Orion ED100 or ED120 springs to mind. Or if you like modern mixed with a bit of retro and rock solid build maybe the Tal 100rs?

[Chris]

Depends on budget really, the ED's are more expensive but they don't have much or any chromatic aberration (CA). The Tal is supposed to have pretty low CA and are about 1/4th the price. 

I'm not sure if you guys can buy Tal's in the states though??

[RikM]

What size binocs are you using? You want a good step up in objective diameter from those to make a worthwhile difference.

[LukeSkywatcher]

"OK, so as much fun as the out-sized binos are, when it comes to non-planetary observations, they just do not fill the bill".

Maybe it is just me, but i find BIG bins (i have a set of 20x90) lacking when observing planets. I have had much better views of galaxies and nebulae etc with the bins then i have with planets.

[Lowjiber]

I live in the Mojave Desert.

In my backyard, 2 miles from the Las Vegas "strip", my major tool is a 6" refractor.  In the dark desert, nothing beats a big Dob.

In heavy light-pollution, a 4" just won't do the job on galaxies.  It's okay for clusters, but simply doesn't gather enought light to reward one on dimmer targets.

[philhas]

Currently I use a 90mm Achro on a photo tripod, I have had and got fed up carrying heavy stuff in an out so now just do grab and go with it along with 15x70 bins. I will probably add a 4" Mak for planets and that's me done. Skies up here in the North East are okay and I am only a couple of miles from some dark skies and 40 miles from http://www.visitkielder.com/play/discover/dark-skies:-)

[pilot87178d]

What size binocs are you using? You want a good step up in objective diameter from those to make a worthwhile difference.

Agree.  Will need to go 4" minimumm however, portability is a real factor....I travel a lot and need the opportunity to bring along in the overhead bin......a limiting factor!  (hence, the binos!)  

Thx!

Marc 

[pilot87178d]

Depends on budget really, the ED's are more expensive but they don't have much or any chromatic aberration (CA). The Tal is supposed to have pretty low CA and are about 1/4th the price. 

I'm not sure if you guys can buy Tal's in the states though??

Your last point is a good one......am seeing ads for them on your side of the Atlantic but nothing here except several used ones.  Do need something highly portable, so considering a short-barrel......want Saturn's rings like the Star-Forming "philhas"!!!!

[pilot87178d]

Currently I use a 90mm Achro on a photo tripod, I have had and got fed up carrying heavy stuff in an out so now just do grab and go with it along with 15x70 bins. I will probably add a 4" Mak for planets and that's me done. Skies up here in the North East are okay and I am only a couple of miles from some dark skies and 40 miles from http://www.visitkielder.com/play/discover/dark-skies:-)

So, I am trying to get to where you are with the Saturn shot on your Stargazer acct.......what did you use for that impressive shot??

We do have some Dark-Sky parks here in the Eastern US......closest is Cherry Springs in North Central Pennsylvania:

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/cherrysprings/serious-stargazing/

Returned this week from South Central Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park, where there is zero light pollution (all raw desert, approx 80 miles from the closest light source).

Basically, am in need of something that can go in the overhead bin (I travel a lot) and not, Heaven forbid, as checked baggage in the hol dof the aircraft.  Am considering a short-tube.....going to look at one today at the local scope shop!

Thx,

Marc

[pilot87178d]

I live in the Mojave Desert.

In my backyard, 2 miles from the Las Vegas "strip", my major tool is a 6" refractor.  In the dark desert, nothing beats a big Dob.

In heavy light-pollution, a 4" just won't do the job on galaxies.  It's okay for clusters, but simply doesn't gather enought light to reward one on dimmer targets.

SDC11282.JPG

Was in your area last week at Valley of Fire......brought a pair of Celestron binos to the While Domes area.....only limitation was the full Moon.......aside from that, was a terrific experience!  AM in Vegas several times a year, so like to renta convertible and drive a couple of mountains away from the city lights, drop the top, and watch the satellites and stars shoot by!  

[Mark at Beaufort]

If you want something that is portable and can be carried onto an aircraft you need a small ED Doublet Frac. I have seen a number of Messier objects in a 66mm Refractor which can also give good views of the Moon and major planets. Here is an example from Scope City - http://www.scopecity.com/detail.cfm?ProductID=8802&pn=Astronomy%20Technologies%20Astro-Tech%20AT72ED%2072mm%20f/6%20ED%20doublet%20refractor%20Telescope%20OTA,%20white%20tube+Astro-Tech+AT72WH&sc=&tc=

Ok it is not going to be as good as a 4" Frac or a 6" Newt or a very large Dob but it will give you an improvement over the Binos. Yes Binos are great for Star Clusters and you can see many of the brighter DSOs but you are limited by magnification but a good ED Doublet can go to 140-160x quite easily.

At the end of the day it depends what you want to carry around. If you are happy to carry a larger scope and a reasonable mount then a 4" or 6" Frac is great. I used a F5 6" Newtonian for many years and saw most of the Messier list through it.

[Stu]

I will post separately about my travel scope soon, but it's basically a Tak FC-76DC. The beauty of it is that it unscrews part way along so you end up with a nice compact travel scope but with 76mm aperture and 570mm focal length. I'm heading for the Greek islands this summer, with a sea horizon to the south, should be great!

[SteveNickolls]

Give those binoculars a chance! The following link is interesting- https://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/binomess/binomess.html

Cheers,

Steve

[L8-Nite]

...............................  Basically, am in need of something that can go in the overhead bin (I travel a lot) and not, Heaven forbid, as checked baggage in the hol dof the aircraft.  Am considering a short-tube.....going to look at one today at the local scope shop!

Thx,

Marc

This works for me .......

[estwing]

lovely Mike...

[L8-Nite]

Hi Calv,

The little Q fits the bill for the overhead carry on compartment, but a Telementor would definitely score on the high end of the small scope list.  

[estwing]

I hear ya telementor brother!

[philhas]

So, I am trying to get to where you are with the Saturn shot on your Stargazer acct.......what did you use for that impressive shot??

We do have some Dark-Sky parks here in the Eastern US......closest is Cherry Springs in North Central Pennsylvania:

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/cherrysprings/serious-stargazing/

Returned this week from South Central Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park, where there is zero light pollution (all raw desert, approx 80 miles from the closest light source).

Basically, am in need of something that can go in the overhead bin (I travel a lot) and not, Heaven forbid, as checked baggage in the hol dof the aircraft. Am considering a short-tube.....going to look at one today at the local scope shop!

Thx,

Marc

Hi Marc,

I took the picture of Saturn with a Celestron SLT130 with an SPC900 webcam and a 2 x barlow. I captured the video with Sharpcap and then processed it with avistack. I hope that helps

All the best

Phil

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[pilot87178d]

If you want something that is portable and can be carried onto an aircraft you need a small ED Doublet Frac. I have seen a number of Messier objects in a 66mm Refractor which can also give good views of the Moon and major planets. Here is an example from Scope City - http://www.scopecity.com/detail.cfm?ProductID=8802&pn=Astronomy%20Technologies%20Astro-Tech%20AT72ED%2072mm%20f/6%20ED%20doublet%20refractor%20Telescope%20OTA,%20white%20tube+Astro-Tech+AT72WH&sc=&tc=

Ok it is not going to be as good as a 4" Frac or a 6" Newt or a very large Dob but it will give you an improvement over the Binos. Yes Binos are great for Star Clusters and you can see many of the brighter DSOs but you are limited by magnification but a good ED Doublet can go to 140-160x quite easily.

At the end of the day it depends what you want to carry around. If you are happy to carry a larger scope and a reasonable mount then a 4" or 6" Frac is great. I used a F5 6" Newtonian for many years and saw most of the Messier list through it.

Thx for the insight.......completely agree and jumped in with the Astrotech AT 72ED on Friday night....a good price and apparently it is quite comfortable in the terrestrial mode as well as night sky.  Did verify the terrestrial in our back yard over the weekend.  Skies?  9/10ths cloud cover all weekend!  But, of course.   Tried Friday night for just a bit after dusk, but fouind the screaming need of a mount with less rebound, so picked up a Unistar Light on Saturday.  "Bounce" cured.  Now, all that is needed is a decent sky!!!

 Looking forward to the skies clearing later this week.....psyched to scout around and hit some of the targets less obtainable via the binos.   

Again, thx for the insight!!!

Marc

[pilot87178d]

Hi Marc,

I took the picture of Saturn with a Celestron SLT130 with an SPC900 webcam and a 2 x barlow. I captured the video with Sharpcap and then processed it with avistack. I hope that helps

All the best

Phil

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Great work, Man..........something for me to aspire to!

M

[pilot87178d]

"OK, so as much fun as the out-sized binos are, when it comes to non-planetary observations, they just do not fill the bill".

Maybe it is just me, but i find BIG bins (i have a set of 20x90) lacking when observing planets. I have had much better views of galaxies and nebulae etc with the bins then i have with planets.

Same experience here.......Celestron 25x100's were helpful to learn the main parts of the sky......the idea behind the binos was ease of entry and portability.  They are still a welcome partner, but time to bump up the reach a bit, hence, the AstroTech AT72ED.....a step up without a great deal of heft to tote around the world.

Thx,

Marc

[happy-kat]

That sounds a lovely grab and go versatile telescope