To ditch or not to ditch, that is the question.

[Nigella Bryant]

Hi all, just wanted to bounce of peps here. I've been thinking about this for a while.  I really love solar imaging and observing. I've a lunt 60mm double stack and Solarquest mount on an eq6 tripod. Brilliant piece of kit and so easy to use and set up quickly. I've also got a 12inch f4 Newtonian by orion optics that I've modified for imaging.  Whilst I use the solar scope probably every month, the 12inch gets little use, mainly because it's observing late at night and at 61 I find myself quite tired by the evening's.  I'm not really passionate about spending hours taking images of deep sky objects that quite frankly are imaged probably better than I can do. My other passion is imaging the planets in the past, but that to isn't easy.

So I'm thinking of selling off all my night time gear and going exclusively for solar imaging and observations.  With this in mind I could also include CaK observations too with the money pouched by selling my night time kit.

Problem is, will I regret this in þhe long term, but also in the long term I'll also be getting older too, lol.

I do find solar observing dynamic and fulfilling and also with the new cycle 25 beginning it can only get better.

Your thought's would be appreciated.  I know there are swings and roundabouts, for and against selling and restricting to one subject.

[vineyard]

I'll defer to others with much more experience. But maybe swap the 12inch for a smaller refractor that you could use with EEA kit (ie, set up to come on automatically, image & shut down automatically - if you trust the weather, then EKOS is pretty good for that)?  You might also use it more often just of an evening (should also be fine for lunar & planetary?)?  I'm of the school of if it's not being used, then why keep it (just something else to look after!).

Given the quality of your solar images, definitely do not give that up though!

Cheers.

[Davey-T]

You're a mere spring chicken Nigella 😂 I'm 75 and was out imaging all night two nights ago, got to bed at 5.30am after some nice bonus views of the crescent Moon and Mars and up again at 8.00am.

I'm not OCD about the quality of my images, you may have noticed that you never see any posted on here, but get lot's of satisfaction from capturing and butchering them 🤣

There aren't that many clear nights in the UK so plenty of time to catch up on lost sleep.

12" is a bit OTT maybe a smaller widefield setup.

Once the imaging rig is chuntering away I can do a bit of visual with bin's or other scopes, skies are too rubbish for a big Dob though.

I also have a Lunt LS60DS to play in the sunshine and being retired need something to keep me occupied in the day time.

I guess it depends how passionate about it you are,  no good when it stops being a hobby and becomes a chore.

Dave

[Helen]

I can empathise with having a big scope and not using it....

I've had a lot of just plain fun with my Tak 100 and the azgti.  The Tak is quite lightweight and easy to handle.  The azgti is the same as your solarquest but with different functionality, so will work as brilliantly with your tripod.  You could then use the Tak for white light and cak too.  An alternative would be a small Mak with an azgti for planets etc.  With an asi camera you can do live viewing or planetary very easily.

Helen

[Nigella Bryant]

21 minutes ago, vineyard said:

I'll defer to others with much more experience. But maybe swap the 12inch for a smaller refractor that you could use with EEA kit (ie, set up to come on automatically, image & shut down automatically - if you trust the weather, then EKOS is pretty good for that)?  You might also use it more often just of an evening (should also be fine for lunar & planetary?)?  I'm of the school of if it's not being used, then why keep it (just something else to look after!).

Given the quality of your solar images, definitely do not give that up though!

Cheers.

No, not thinking of giving up the solar, rather expanding on that exclusively. That's the dilemma, lol. Thanks peps,  interesting about getting a small refractor, I'd have to invest in one with adding cak to my solar observing anyway. The refractor with cak and Lunt would run side by side on my Neq6 that I've got for the 12inch.

Edited February 19, 2020 by Nigella Bryant

[vineyard]

If you get a binoview-compatible refractor, you can do all sorts.  I've managed to set up a way of removing my Lunt 50 etalon from its OTA and putting it into the 102mm OTA and voila...!

[Peter Drew]

Well, I'm reaching 79 this year and have been following this path for some time.  Less and less time spent with large apertures and night time observing compared to every opportunity for solar viewing.  No interest in imaging hence little interest in CaK but all the advantages of solar are very appealing.  Ever changing detail (during active cycle), no loss of sleep, mostly warmer conditions, theoretically visible every day, no need for dark sky locations, smallish, albeit expensive equipment more than adequate.  What's not to like?     😀 

[Nigella Bryant]

31 minutes ago, vineyard said:

If you get a binoview-compatible refractor, you can do all sorts.  I've managed to set up a way of removing my Lunt 50 etalon from its OTA and putting it into the 102mm OTA and voila...!

Brilliant Vin, how did you manage that?

[Nigella Bryant]

29 minutes ago, Peter Drew said:

Well, I'm reaching 79 this year and have been following this path for some time.  Less and less time spent with large apertures and night time observing compared to every opportunity for solar viewing.  No interest in imaging hence little interest in CaK but all the advantages of solar are very appealing.  Ever changing detail (during active cycle), no loss of sleep, mostly warmer conditions, theoretically visible every day, no need for dark sky locations, smallish, albeit expensive equipment more than adequate.  What's not to like?     😀 

That's my thinking at the moment. What's not to like, lol.

[mikeDnight]

Sometimes it's nice to have a complete rethink. For me its a gentlemanly pursuit that should be a pleasure and not a chore. I totally get the decision to go totally solar, and you may very well be completely happy doing that. But then on those mild spring evenings when the Moon is high in a beautiful clear sky, or you feel like a quick look at Jupiter, Saturn or Mars, then a nice 4" refractor is a light weight but powerful tool to have in your armoury. Great for solar too!

 

Edited February 20, 2020 by mikeDnight

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I use an 80mm F/6 for solar (Ca-K, H-alpha and WL), and it can also be used at night very easily. It is superb for wide-field and travels well. You can get great solar imaging results even with the fly-weight EQ3-2 I have (got me some prizes as well, as can be seen in my sig), and performs well on deep sky imaging. A rig like that would let you do all sorts of solar work, and yet allow you to have a go at night, should you feel like it. Some DSO results below

 

 

 

[vineyard]

1 hour ago, Nigella Bryant said:

Brilliant Vin, how did you manage that?

I have to write it up to share - will do v soon (esp as the weather is rubbish)...has been on my to-do list since Dec but life's been a bit mad (how is it already almost the end of Feb?).

[Rusted]

No need to go over to the Dark Side once you've seen the [sun] light.

[paulastro]

2 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

Sometimes it's nice to have a complete rethink. For me its a gentlemanly pursuit that should be a pleasure and not a chore. I totally get the decision to go totally solar, and you may very well be completely happy doing that. But then on those mild spring evenings when the Moon is high in a beautiful clear sky, or you feel like a quick look at Jupiter, Saturn or Mars, then a nice 4" refractor is a light weight but powerful tool to have in your

Mike, I get the impression that you like your Tak 100 DC?  Any old excuse, and even when there isn't one, there you go and post one or more photos of it.  If I didn't know better I'd swear that Takahashi are paying you a quid every time you post a photo of it on SGL - in which case by now you should have enough cash to 'upgrade' to a better scope.  🤣

[vineyard]

On 19/02/2020 at 14:00, Nigella Bryant said:

Brilliant Vin, how did you manage that?

Hi Nigella, I finally had time to write it up.  I hope it doesn't sound too mad.  Cheers.