Mount for 10" Newtonian and Future Astrophotography

[TangoCharlie]

Greetings!  Did look through about a dozen pages of posts but did not see one like this.  If I am going to purchase  a one time telescope with retirement approaching, I wanted to purchase at least a 10 inch Newtonian.  But my question is what mount to purchase that will allow for decent astrophotography but not break the bank.  What I have gleaned so far is that a German equatorial mount is what is needed.  I see many mounts advertised like the Celestron CG5.  What are some decent mounts that would handle a 10 inch newtonian and at some point also use for astrophotography? I am exploring my options and I know a good tripod mount is important.  Thanks for any suggestions.   Thanks!

TC

[Stu]

Hi TC,

First question is why you have chosen the 10" Newt for AstroPhotography? It is not necessarily the best option, many people chose to start with a small refractor on a good mount and the results can be superb.

Trying to combine a setup for visual and AP is prone to failure as the requirements are so different.

The standard recommendation is to read 'Making Every Photon Count' by Steve Richards before doing anything else.

Cheers,

Stu

[TangoCharlie]

Stu,

Thanks for the reply.  Great suggestion as a resource.  Have to find a place that sells this book in the US.  I live in Florida.

TC

[MattJenko]

I bought a 10" Newtonian on a Dobsonaina mount (the Skywatcher 250px) and have subsequently tried out putting tube rings on it and mounting on an EQ mount for imaging purposes. I have found that an NEQ6 at minimum is required and I have an AzEQ6 now which can take it. It is not the most steady in the wind though, as the tube is enormous compared to my refractor and everything is much, much harder to get an end result.

 

Cheers

Matt

[Stu]

25 minutes ago, TangoCharlie said:

Stu,

Thanks for the reply.  Great suggestion as a resource.  Have to find a place that sells this book in the US.  I live in Florida.

TC

TC, perhaps we can help in the interim. Can you explain your choice of the 10", is it because you believe it will be a good scope for AP or because you want to use it initially for visual?

[kendg]

If you are in the US, you may also be able to get "The Backyard Astronomer's Guide" by Dickinson and Dyer. 

Not as good as the above book, but it's still a great resource for visual and AP.

 

[TangoCharlie]

Thanks MattJenko,  Appreciate your reply to my post.

TC

[TangoCharlie]

keng,

THanks!  I saw this book in our library but one next to it I liked even more.  

Deep-Sky Wonders: A Tour of the Universe with Sky and Telescope's Sue French

Published by SKy and Telescope.  I liked the charts for each month of DSOs to view with info about each one.

 

TC

[TangoCharlie]

Stu,  Thanks for thinking this through with me.  My first priority was for viewing and so I wanted to get the most light gathering ability as I could which I equated to a Newtonian.  I at first centered on a Dobsonian such as Orion SkyQuest XX12i IntelliScope f/4.9 Truss Dobsonian Telescope.  Economics comes into play with retirement looming ahead.  So my purchase will probably be a one time telescope purchase.  But then I started to think if I go the Dobsonian route I can never attempt any AP beyond lunar or planetary,  So then I looked at the following scope :

Atlas™ 10 EQ Equatorial Reflector f/4.9 Telescope by Orion. I know this is a tall order, and perhaps I might have to resolve to just do viewing with a large Dobsonian.  I know of the setup and size issues but I can handle those items.   What are your thoughts or suggestions?  Appreciate your time and thoughts!  I know with AP the mount is very important. TC