Love at (my) First Light

[badgerchap]

Got a second hand C8 today.

I've bought a few scopes in the past and have always been left wanting more. This though is different. I've had about two hours looking at the Moon in a still-blue sky and...

Wow. I have never had a lunar experience even close to this. I have a 12" Newt at 1500 FL but it doesn't even come close. Amazing contrast, brilliant under high magnification.

I bought this as a planetary imaging scope, but if it does nothing other than show me sights like this, I'll be delighted. Not sure I'm going to want to waste time imaging when I could be drinking in views like this.

I was actually struggling to get away from Copernicus, it was that nice.

Obviously I know there are bigger, better scopes out there, but for £450 with a dew shield and dew heater I am happier than I've ever been with a new scope. Doesn't need a 4x4 to move it around either!

 

OK, Celestron-based sycophancy over.

Can't wait for Jupiter, Saturn and Mars later!

[Oldfort]

I agree.  For me the C8 hits a sweet spot. 

It's light weight, so it doesn't break my aging back to put it on the mount, and it doesn't require an equally back breaking mount to get good stability. Also being quite short, its moment of inertia is low, giving a lower damping time. 

It has enough aperture to see some quite faint stuff, even from bortle 8 skies, and doesn't cost the earth.  I got mine for £650, new, about 3 years ago.  Finally, the optics are pretty good, and in my experience collimation is quite robust.

[badgerchap]

8 minutes ago, Oldfort said:

It's light weight, so it doesn't break my aging back to put it on the mount, and it doesn't require an equally back breaking mount to get good stability.

This is exactly why I bought it, but I didn't expect to be quite so pleased with the optics!

[Alkaid]

Welcome to the club!  

[John]

A good 8 inch SCT can be very satisfying.

Slightly surprised that your 12 inch newtonian was not also delivering excellent views though but the SCT format is much more compact of course.

 

[badgerchap]

3 hours ago, John said:

A good 8 inch SCT can be very satisfying.

Slightly surprised that your 12 inch newtonian was not also delivering excellent views though but the SCT format is much more compact of course.

 

The problem with the 12" has always been stability rather than optics. The NEQ6 just isn't up to the job of controlling that beast. A sparrow farting within 50' seems to be enough to set it wobbling!

[John]

27 minutes ago, badgerchap said:

The problem with the 12" has always been stability rather than optics. The NEQ6 just isn't up to the job of controlling that beast. A sparrow farting within 50' seems to be enough to set it wobbling!

Ah, yes I understand now. On a dobsonian mount the 12 inch F/5's are very good for visual observing. Not for imaging though !

 

[badgerchap]

2 hours ago, John said:

Ah, yes I understand now. On a dobsonian mount the 12 inch F/5's are very good for visual observing. Not for imaging though !

 

Indeed. One of my current projects is to convert it to a truss tube Dob. I might actually use it if it's more convenient!