Advice on mounts

[cnordberg86]

Hello Stargazers,

Great forum you have here, been trying to take it all in over the last week [emoji16]

After a week with clear skies where I live, I found a sudden interest in the night sky so the dog and I have been out watching the stars with binoculars for several hours. Ive come to the point where I want more (recognize it?) and decided to get the evostar 90 as soon as money allows. The local store who sells it has two mounts available, az3 and eq2. Havent tried them yet, but as far as I can understand from reading around the eq2 isnt any good?

Anyways, the main thing im wondering about is motorized mounts. If I Zoom in on, say Jupiter, how long will it take before it has moved out of the scope view If im using a manual mount at different magnifications? Can the motor be added at a later stage or will I then have to buy a new mount?

Regards,

Christer

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dweller25]

The scope you have picked is OK, but for a little bit more money you can get much more performance........

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-150p-dobsonian.html

Either way if you don't have a motorised scope you will get about 30 seconds viewing before the planet drifts out of view with the supplied eyepiece and double that if you buy wide angle eyepieces. This also depends on the magnification you are using too - higher magnification = less time.

Perhaps you could visit an Astronomy club to check out the options ??

[cnordberg86]

Thanks for the swift reply i cant seem to find any physical stores nearby who sell dobsonian scopes, and since this is my first scope I value a physical store so I can return it If Im not happy. Maybe If im happy i can return it anyways and order from abroad for half the price.

Also the dobsonian Looks a bit un-portable. Is that right? I plan on bringing it with me. The other pros about the evo90 that helped my decision are: good for viewing planets, no maintenance, light weight, price.

Will see If I can track down the local club. I think the university might have one nearby

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Gazabone]

Second the advice about going to an astronomy club to try out various options. The Dob is more portable than you might think and is certainly quicker to set up than many other options. It's generally regarded as "best bang for your buck".

As with most things, there's pros and cons with all options and if an eq mount is what you decide on then I would suggest going for the eq3-2 rather than the 2. It is a little more sturdy and, if you choose to use setting circles, are much more usable than the eq2.

I suspect quite a few people may take exception to you ordering from the UK to effectively try it out and then return it to order it from a foreign supplier. If everyone took that approach, then there wouldn't be a UK industry and (although I haven't looked) don't think there's anywhere near as much saving as you think plus you take at least some of the risks associated with importing (import duties, damage in transit meaning you'd have to ship it back to the suppliers and perhaps get into lengthy arguments etc)

[cnordberg86]

Thank you for your input ill make sure to give the eq3-2 a go.

In regards to ordering from abroad, i live in Norway, and the prices are quite a bit higher. Theres also not the same selection, for instance the dobsonian suggested above is not available from any online stores here. But maybe the local club would have something similar

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[nightfisher]

!50 skyliner dob...........portable, fast set up no false colour on planets, once collimated only needs the odd tweak to primary mirror, more magnification and a stable mount.........................but if you go for the evo 90 then EQ3 is the best option 

[gooselk]

I would also suggest the EQ3-2 for the Evo90. But keep in mind that EQ3 and EQ3-2 are different mounts. You should specifically ask for the EQ3-2. It can handle a future bigger scope (I'd say up to 5", depending on the focal length) visually so that you don't need a new mount if you decide to go bigger. Although keep in mind that you will have to buy a new mount if you want to go beyond 5".

Clear skies ... Lars