Grab-n-Go opinions please

[Rijidij]

The Astronomy bug has bitten again, and I'm thinking of trading my 10" dob for something more convenient.

I live in an area with high light pollution and it's just too bulky to take to a dark site, and I can't be bothered dragging it out into the back garden regularly.
So I'm looking for a smaller telescope that is relatively easy to transport and quick to set up.
My wife would also be happy for me to get rid of the monstrosity (her words) taking up space in our living room.

I was pretty much set on a Celestion NexStar 5SE, but then saw a nice 2nd hand Meade ETX 125

Which of these would be the better choice? Opinions and advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

[JG777]

An 80 or 100 mm Apo refractor on a simple push to AZ mount. You will do loads of quality astronomy, quickly and without fuss. Small Apos are delicious. 

[ronin]

Most will say the Celestron but the Meade is easy to set up. It is basically Level it all, point it North, tell it to select stars for alignment and off it goes. Meade also have a smaller set of alignment stars and from experience more sensible ones.

Drawback is it is still a Mak/SCT so a narrowish field. I have the ETX 105.

I now tend to use an ES/Bresser 102S, it has CA but that comes with the package, it is on a manual Alt/Az mount.

If you go for the ETX then look around for a flexi-focuser twiddly thingy, they need them. Also check if it has the original finder.

 

[Putaendo Patrick]

Depends what most interests you.

A definite +1 to John's suggestion above, a rich field Apochromatic frac would be a good choice for DSOs.

However, a Mak or SCT might be the weapon of choice for planets, double stars etc. with the telescope's longer focal length.

Decent high power binoculars, especially with interchangeable EPs, could also be very rewarding!

[Pig]

I too would go for a refractor as they are pretty good at cutting through thin cloud and deliver great views  an 8" SE might be better for you as the drop down to the 5" maybe a disappointment. The 8" are pretty light but would need some form of goto as I wouldn't fancy trying to find anything other than the Moon unaided with one.

[Rijidij]

Thanks for that guys. I'm probably more confused than ever now.

That Bresser does look sweet.

If I were to go for a refractor, is a short tube better, or long?
And what is a good mount?

Thanks again.

[Louis D]

5 hours ago, Rijidij said:

If I were to go for a refractor, is a short tube better, or long?

Long will give better correction for a fixed amount of money for a given aperture.  Long will require a stouter mount because of the increased moment arm.  Short will allow for wider fields of view.  A well corrected short APO can easily handle high powers as well as the longer ED and certainly better than all but the longest achromats.  If you want an all around, light weight grab and go scope, go for a short 100mm APO.  They're not cheap, though.

[Louis D]

5 hours ago, Rijidij said:

And what is a good mount?

Again, it depends on your budget.  For grab and go, stick with an alt-az mount.  Level it, and you're all set to observe.  There are many decent, low cost Chinese made options that work well for lighter OTAs.  At the higher end, there are artisan made mounts from the US and Japan for heavier OTAs that have smoother motions and DSC options.  I'm sure there are some fine European made models, but I'm not familiar with them.

[Pig]

Rijidig,
What is you available budget ? There are so many options available and by knowing what you want to spend will help us to advise some realistic options for you

[Rijidij]

Hello again.

I had committed to spending up to £500.
Maybe a little more if a decent jump in quality/features is justified.

[Pig]

On ‎30‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 23:01, JG777 said:

An 80 or 100 mm Apo refractor on a simple push to AZ mount. You will do loads of quality astronomy, quickly and without fuss. Small Apos are delicious. 

£500 is very reasonable and I would probably follow the advice above, although the 100mm would give brighter views. I used this type of set up for a couple of years and was very satisfied with the results. I have since returned to using a "goto" with an built in power pack for convenience but this comes at a cost.

[Rijidij]

Thanks for all your advice.

I have just pulled the trigger on a Bresser AR-102s/600 on an EXOS 2/EQ-5 mount - nearly £100 under my budget!

OK, it's not exactly G&G, but it should be a lot more managable than a 10" dob.

I went for the shorter tube for portability, but ruined it by getting the big EQ mount.
But it was a good deal, and I can add motors later if I want.

I must be mad with all this cloud and rain about...
I'm excited to see what I can see with it.

 

[Louis D]

9 hours ago, Rijidij said:

Thanks for all your advice.

I have just pulled the trigger on a Bresser AR-102s/600 on an EXOS 2/EQ-5 mount - nearly £100 under my budget!

OK, it's not exactly G&G, but it should be a lot more managable than a 10" dob.

I went for the shorter tube for portability, but ruined it by getting the big EQ mount.
But it was a good deal, and I can add motors later if I want.

I must be mad with all this cloud and rain about...
I'm excited to see what I can see with it.

 

I almost bought an Orion 127mm Mak on an equatorial mount lighter than that one until I went to pick it up to move it to a different location to dodge obstructions.  The awkwardness and weight greatly surprised me.  For my 8" dob, I just bend at the knees and grab the side handles on the azimuth supports and lift, hugging it close to my body to move around.

[Rijidij]

Yeah, I'll probably keep looking for a 2nd hand Alt/Az as well - for those brief gaps between clouds.