Travel scope frac or mak?

[Trikeflyer]

I'm looking to get a travel scope, mainly for a trip to Lanzarote in Aug to view Mars, among other things. I'm sure it will go on most holidays with me in the future as well. I've narrowed the choice down to either skywatcher 72ed frac (when they are in stock!) or skymax 102 Mak. There are pros and cons of both but sizes and weights are similar and they are in a similar price bracket.  I don't plan on using a goto mount. Maybe there are other options you'd recommend bearing in mind I have to get it into cabin baggage so I'm curious,  what do others use as their travel scopes when needing to fit them in cabin baggage and what your thoughts are if you had the choice.

Steve 

[Roy Challen]

If it were my money, Mak for Mars, frac for everything else. So, I think I would get the Skywatcher ED.

[Stu]

Hmm, tricky one.

If JUST looking at Mars, then a 102mm or even 127mm Mak would probably be the best option as you need high power for the best views. The 127 should still be airline portable.

My problem would be that I would also want some widefield views of the Milky Way around Sagittarius so a shorter focal length refractor fits that bill better. Trouble is, you need a much chunckier budget for a good fastish apo frac which will fit onboard a plane.

So, out of those two I think you would get better views of Mars with a 102mm, but I would try to sneak a 127mm with you ?. My 140mm is airline portable which is very tempting! Could get a cheap flight south and rough it somewhere for  few days. Hmmmm... now you’ve got me thinking  

[Trikeflyer]

4 minutes ago, Stu said:

Hmm, tricky one.

If JUST looking at Mars, then a 102mm or even 127mm Mak would probably be the best option as you need high power for the best views. The 127 should still be airline portable.

My problem would be that I would also want some widerfield views of the Milky Way around Sagittarius is a shorter focal length refractor fits that bill better. Trouble is, you need a much chunckier budget for a good fastish apo frac which will fit onboard a plane.

So, out of those two I think you would get better views of Mars with a 102mm, but I would try to sneak a 127mm with you ?. My 140mm is airline portable which is very tempting! Could get a cheap flight south and rough it somewhere for  few days. Hmmmm... now you’ve got me thinking  

Thanks Stu, do you think the 72ed frac fits your definition of a good fastish apo frac? Or were you thinking of something much more expensive? 

[Stu]

3 minutes ago, Trikeflyer said:

Thanks Stu, do you think the 72ed frac fits your definition of a good fastish apo frac? Or were you thinking of something much more expensive? 

It is certainly a good, fastish apo frac, but possibly a bit limited in aperture to get great views of Mars. Not that it would be bad, I’ve seen detail with 60 and 66mm scopes but if you are going there specifically to view it, then probably a 100mm would be better, and would get you to the x200 ish that you might need.

I’m sure the 72mm would do a creditable job, but it does come down to resolution and mag on Mars. Obviouslybseeing and cooling are another two issues to be aware of.... 

Others will chip in I’m sure  

[Trikeflyer]

48 minutes ago, Stu said:

It is certainly a good, fastish apo frac, but possibly a bit limited in aperture to get great views of Mars. Not that it would be bad, I’ve seen detail with 60 and 66mm scopes but if you are going there specifically to view it, then probably a 100mm would be better, and would get you to the x200 ish that you might need.

I’m sure the 72mm would do a creditable job, but it does come down to resolution and mag on Mars. Obviouslybseeing and cooling are another two issues to be aware of.... 

Others will chip in I’m sure  

Thanks Stu. Good point. I'm now considering taking my Meade etx 125 based on your previous comments about your Mak. I didn't think it'd be airline cabin friendly but having taken off all the bits and bobs like diagonal, finder etc it might just be ok as it fits into a rucksack and I know for sure it will do the job and give me flexibility too. I happen to be there on hols so not making a special trip just for Mars but didn't want to miss it as it will be better placed than in the UK.  Now to find a suitable portable lightweight mount! 

[Stu]

Doesn’t one of the Geofs have a neat travel kit based around a 127mm Mak?

One of these fine gentlemen?

@Geoff Lister

@Cosmic Geoff

@geoflewis

[happy-kat]

Is there an Observatory near where you are going and might that be available for viewing Mars. If there was would the 72ed give a better all round everything else views.

[Cosmic Geoff]

2 hours ago, Stu said:

Doesn’t one of the Geofs have a neat travel kit based around a 127mm Mak?

One of these fine gentlemen?

@Geoff Lister

@Cosmic Geoff

I think it was Geoff Lister.

[Stu]

4 minutes ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

I think it was Geoff Lister.

Thanks Geoff. Apologies for spamming you!

[JamesF]

I've taken my 127 Mak abroad, though not in an aeroplane so I also had space for a reasonable mount.  I always thought that it was a bit borderline even on the EQ3-2, so finding a suitable airline-friendly mount might be tricky.

As I've posted elsewhere, for this summer's holiday (which does involve flying) I'm planning to take a Star Adventurer mount on a Neewer carbon fibre tripod with a TS 72mm Photoline OTA.  I did consider the Skywatcher 72ED but there's no guarantee of getting one in time and when the TS scope has arrived I was very impressed with the build quality.

James

[Mr niall]

As the worlds biggest Mak fan and obsessive I’d probably go frac - mainly for the convenience of having wider fields of view when on strange soil, but also for the quicker cool down. I use a Skymax 90 and it still really needs half an hour to be at its best...

[Trikeflyer]

32 minutes ago, JamesF said:

I've taken my 127 Mak abroad, though not in an aeroplane so I also had space for a reasonable mount.  I always thought that it was a bit borderline even on the EQ3-2, so finding a suitable airline-friendly mount might be tricky.

As I've posted elsewhere, for this summer's holiday (which does involve flying) I'm planning to take a Star Adventurer mount on a Neewer carbon fibre tripod with a TS 72mm Photoline OTA.  I did consider the Skywatcher 72ED but there's no guarantee of getting one in time and when the TS scope has arrived I was very impressed with the build quality.

James

Thanks James. I have a bit of time on my side but if the skywatcher 72 ed isn't in by end June I will look at other options including the TS72 photoline or possibly an Altair 70mm. I'm just not sure about whether I can get the mag required for Mars with this aperture. If I do go with a 70mm frac, the mount is the easy but. If not, the mount will be the problem.  Let me know how you get ion with the 70mm frac, I'm curious as I might end up getting one! 

[Trikeflyer]

25 minutes ago, Mr niall said:

As the worlds biggest Mak fan and obsessive I’d probably go frac - mainly for the convenience of having wider fields of view when on strange soil, but also for the quicker cool down. I use a Skymax 90 and it still really needs half an hour to be at its best...

Thanks Mr Niall. I like the benefits of the frac, easy to transport, easy mounting etc, quick cool down etc, just worried that I won't get the mag required for Mars.... the debate in my head continues....

[Geoff Lister]

9 hours ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

I think it was Geoff Lister.

Yes indeed.

I found my UK Skymax 127 so useful at home in the UK, that I bought a second one to take to my holiday retreat in the south of France (car, plane, bus, train, tram, bus, and final 1km walk). Everything except for the tripod, will fit in a backpack, sized for budget airline cabin baggage. The tripod is just too long to fit the maximum cabin envelope, and if the eyepieces are housed in a padded case, this may not fit in the backpack; no problem in a hold bag/suitcase. The whole setup, with 2 sets of batteries, and 3 Plossl EPs + 2x Barlow, weighs under 11kg. The OTAs are built like the proverbial brick outhouse, and neither have needed any collimation adjustment.

For padding, just add the necessary socks and pullover. If not restricted by airline limits, the tripod can be strapped to one side of the backpack, and a folding camp-chair on the other.

The Synscan's "Brightest Star" alignment process works well with the Alpha stars of most constellations, at least half an hour before the sky gets really dark, so if I am using a mains to 12V power pack, I level the tripod and set time/date early, do a "Brightest Star" alignment at dusk, and wait for proper darkness before observing; plenty of cool-down time.

Geoff

 

[brrttpaul]

Im so sorry for jumping on this thread but im in a sorta similar position, difference being I want it for a small observatory ( I mean very small). At the moment there is a pier mount in there and an equinox ED80 and a ZWO 1600. Lately though I have been moon watching and occassionlly looking at jupiter etc, so it got me thinking of a bigger scope and I was looking at the MAKS would this be ok permanently set up on the mount? or would the seasons affect it at all, or any other suggestions,.

[Geoff Lister]

If you look at the Wikipedia entry for Maksutov telescope  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maksutov_telescope  it shows the robust nature of the design, so it should be fine in an observatory.

Geoff

[brrttpaul]

thanks geoff

[Stu]

On 11/05/2018 at 07:23, Geoff Lister said:

Yes indeed.

I found my UK Skymax 127 so useful at home in the UK, that I bought a second one to take to my holiday retreat in the south of France (car, plane, bus, train, tram, bus, and final 1km walk). Everything except for the tripod, will fit in a backpack, sized for budget airline cabin baggage. The tripod is just too long to fit the maximum cabin envelope, and if the eyepieces are housed in a padded case, this may not fit in the backpack; no problem in a hold bag/suitcase. The whole setup, with 2 sets of batteries, and 3 Plossl EPs + 2x Barlow, weighs under 11kg. The OTAs are built like the proverbial brick outhouse, and neither have needed any collimation adjustment.

For padding, just add the necessary socks and pullover. If not restricted by airline limits, the tripod can be strapped to one side of the backpack, and a folding camp-chair on the other.

The Synscan's "Brightest Star" alignment process works well with the Alpha stars of most constellations, at least half an hour before the sky gets really dark, so if I am using a mains to 12V power pack, I level the tripod and set time/date early, do a "Brightest Star" alignment at dusk, and wait for proper darkness before observing; plenty of cool-down time.

Geoff

 

Thanks Geoff ?

[Rocket_the_Raccoon]

How about using a 3x barlow with the wide-field refractor? Although I have a f/13 long refractor, I often use my f/5.7 refractor to do planetary observations with a Meade 3x and my Plossl 10mm.

[Trikeflyer]

2 hours ago, Rocket_the_Raccoon said:

How about using a 3x barlow with the wide-field refractor? Although I have a f/13 long refractor, I often use my f/5.7 refractor to do planetary observations with a Meade 3x and my Plossl 10mm.

What scope do you have?

 

[Rocket_the_Raccoon]

2 hours ago, Trikeflyer said:

What scope do you have?

Celestron 70mm f/5.7 (Travelscope 70)

Celestron 70mm f/12.9 (Astromaster 70)