Travel scope for Mars opposition 2018

[Ags]

My partner and I are talking about heading down to Gran Canaria for the Mars opposition on 27 July 2018. Mars will be at -25deg declination, so it would be about 40 degrees above the horizon at Gran Canaria - a lot better than the 10 degrees on offer in Amsterdam. Plus we will be viewing out over sea so there should be stable air. It's worth the bother because (1) Mars is my Favorite planet and (2) it won't get this big again until 2033.

But neither my ST80 nor my 150PDs are suitable - the first is a travel scope but rubbish on planets and the other is pretty big - too big for carry-on and too fragile to go in the hold.  I think a small Mak would be ideal - and I'm looking at the SkyWatcher 90mm and 102mm Maks. Both are under 2kgs and are carry-on luggage friendly. I know 102mm maks quite well and I know they are more than adequate based on the lovely views I had with a NexStar 4SE of a relatively small Mars in 2012. The 90mm mak is only a little smaller and slower at F14 so probably optically better?

Another idea would be to spend a lot more on an ED80 - it would replace my ST80 as a DSO travelscope and probably do well-ish on planets with its refractor contrastiness. But I've never looked through one, and it's a lot of money for 80mm aperture... For about the same money I could get an OMC140 (3.5kgs).

EDIT: I just spotted this one which shaves a few hundred euros off the refractor price: https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p7169_TS-Optics-ED-80mm-f-7-refractor-telescope-with-2--Crayford-focuser.html. Has anyone tried one?

As far as a mount goes, I guess my ES Twilight could go as hold luggage.

 

[Highburymark]

Here's my Equinox 80ED in Tenerife a couple of years ago - a great air cabin-friendly scope with its adjustable dew shield. Although it's far from a perfect planetary scope, it delivered superb views of Mars in the Canaries at 170x - ice caps and surface details I wasn't expecting, and would obviously serve you well for DSOs. Having said that, if Mars is your priority, a 4" Mak would do the job very nicely. Wonderful travel scope for lunar, planets, and globulars.

[MarkRadice]

I took a Skywatcher 150 Mak to Cyprus in 2015 for a Mars run. It’s small enough to go in cabin bag with a 60mm solar scope, eyepieces and ASI camera while the mount went in the hold. 

Enjoy your trip. As as you say Northern Europe loses out for the next few years :-(

[Highburymark]

2 hours ago, MarkRadice said:

I took a Skywatcher 150 Mak to Cyprus in 2015 for a Mars run. It’s small enough to go in cabin bag with a 60mm solar scope, eyepieces and ASI camera while the mount went in the hold. 

Enjoy your trip. As as you say Northern Europe loses out for the next few years :-(

that's an impressive arsenal for overseas travel - always wanted one of those Skywatcher Maks

[MarkRadice]

They seem to punch above their weight don’t they? Great little scope that, with its f15, means you can use easy long fl eyepieces for a beautiful field of view. 

 

I used mine when I was weekend commuting as it was so easy to fling in the back of the car - and resolve the faint outline of Olympus Mons. 

[newbie alert]

21 hours ago, Ags said:

 

 

If you are staying in Gran canaria and are visual  only then check out Astro tours GC...Guiltier and his guide Carmelo are great hosts..they take you up one of the mountains and is one of the darkest areas on the island and guide you through targets of interest looking through their 16inch dob..if you said you was interested in viewing mars them in sure they could arrange something..wind direction and strength are the main dictation on if the tour goes ahead as that time of year it's normally pretty clear...ive found looking out over the sea is a little disappointing.. high cloud and light pollution have been the major hindrance...up in the mountain I've never seen such clear transparent skies..back in the summer we did the tour again and with the moon a little over half full you could still see the milky way with the naked eye..

[Ags]

Hi Newb, we are going in Jan and are actually booked on an Astro GC tour  

Depending on our experience in January, we would book another trip in July. But taking our own telescope means we don't have to share the eyepiece with a load of other people... Gives me time at the eyepiece to do some sketching.

[newbie alert]

They have more than 1.. I've done the tour twice now and the first time there was a big group and they had 3 dobs setup but we only used 2..speak to Guiltier in Jan and I'm sure he can do something for you..enjoy..!  

[MarkRadice]

Maybe you could rent a telescope from them?

[nightfisher]

I would say if your into deep sky then maybe look for a used ED80, if like me you are not so keen and prefer Solar system then go for a 102 Maksutov

[newbie alert]

2 hours ago, nightfisher said:

I would say if your into deep sky then maybe look for a used ED80, if like me you are not so keen and prefer Solar system then go for a 102 Maksutov

The OP is talking about the mars opposition..so I'd assume he's talking about the planet mars..

[nightfisher]

5 minutes ago, newbie alert said:

The OP is talking about the mars opposition..so I'd assume he's talking about the planet mars..

I know the OP is talking about the planet mars when it is at opposition, my point was related to the wider scheme of things unless of course the OP is happy to buy a scope just for one purpose to use for a few weeks then leave it to gather dust

[Ags]

An SGL member has offered me a killer deal on a Skymax 102 plus extras so that's sorted then! For deep sky I have the ST80, which has performed very well under dark skies. 

Also, I preferred the view of doubles in my old mak to what I see in the 150PDS, so the scope will see more use than just for Mars.

Just spotted this in Stellarium: Mars is within 2° of the full Moon in the morning hours of July 28, so even though it will be a short trip we need a few nights away from the exact opposition.

[Ags]

My minimak has arrived and it looks very nice. It feels a bit nicer than the Celestron 102mm mak I used to own - firmer focus knob, nicer front cover and significantly smaller. The seller added in freebies including a dew strip and the indispensable dew shield, plus a dovetail and tube rings. You meet the nicest people on SGL. Can't wait for first light.

[Ags]

We've booked the trip! It's on! Stellarium tells me it is a planet-tastic time to go, with Mars, Jupiter and Saturn all visible in the southern sky. We are going before the opposition, so will have to wait up for Mars to rise higher. Venus, never visible from my garden, is also on show.

I have been informed that I need to investigate a lighter more packable tripod than the ES Twilight 1 we already have. Any suggestions? Personally all I need to do is lug the ES to the hotel room and set it up on our south facing balcony so I am not intimidated by the weight, but of course always happy to shop.

Also, will need a nice diagonal, then I'm all set.

[iPeace]

How light / packable does it have to be?

[iPeace]

Something like this?

Or this?

Of course, the more substantial the mount, the sturdier it will be at high magnification. If taking a larger tripod / mount is no problem for you or the airline, well, why not?

[Ags]

Those don't look a lot lighter than the ES Twilight 1... The Mak 102 got it's first light on Almach and the Moon and I am really happy with the sharpness, the tight little stars, and the rock solid stability. 

[nightfisher]

The little 102 is a very good scope, glad you got a nice deal

[Ags]

Yes, I have gone back to dreaming about getting a Skymax 150... probably a better match for my mount. I just have to get a lot better at finding stuff as my max FOV goes from 2.2 degrees to only 1.5 degrees (assuming I buy a really wide 2" EP).

[tooth_dr]

1 hour ago, Ags said:

Yes, I have gone back to dreaming about getting a Skymax 150... probably a better match for my mount. I just have to get a lot better at finding stuff as my max FOV goes from 2.2 degrees to only 1.5 degrees (assuming I buy a really wide 2" EP).

£380 with discount

https://www.green-witch.com/skywatcher-skymax-150-pro-maksutov-cassegrain-telescope.html

[tooth_dr]

Did you buy it? I see it’s sold off the site now!

[Ags]

I only wish... I will spend a bit more time with my Newt before moving on. Need to get better at navigating...

[Ags]

On 11/1/2017 at 21:40, iPeace said:

How light / packable does it have to be?

I was thinking of combining these two:

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p9334_TS-Optics-Tilting-Head-and-Altazimuth-Mount-for-photo-tripods.html

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p1450_Triton-photo-tripod---3-8--thread---50cm-to-152cm---max--7kg.html

[iPeace]

7 hours ago, Ags said:

I was thinking of combining these two:

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p9334_TS-Optics-Tilting-Head-and-Altazimuth-Mount-for-photo-tripods.html

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p1450_Triton-photo-tripod---3-8--thread---50cm-to-152cm---max--7kg.html

That looks travel-friendly to me. 

You would have to do without slow motion control and may (or may not) need a smallish counterweight for smooth operation. I'm not sure how good this combination performs at high magnification - I am not doubting it, but it's not easy to be certain beforehand.

Have you worked with this type of mount before?