Clear skies, multiple scopes... how do you choose which one gets a ‘night out’?

[Rob_UK_SE]

This thread is particularly for those that have multiple scopes - whether different sized refractors, dobs, newts, Maks, SCTs, RCTs etc. or any wonderful combination. All opinions / thoughts welcome.

Given the volume of cloud cover so many of us endure, when you have finally have some clear skies to enjoy, how do you choose which scope gets to see those stars?  

For me, both my current scopes take a little time to put together (neither would ever be described ‘grab and go’) so it’s usually based on the moon phase. The dob gets all the new moon action, when the skies are nice and dark, while the frac gets those in-betweens! If it’s a full moon, I usually pass. The scopes I’m currently missing are the ‘quickly get it outside as there might just be a small break in the clouds’ and the ‘pick it up, park it down, let it cool and flick through SGL’.

Do you have more than one scope? If so...

....which one/s more frequently get to see those stars?

... how do you choose which one to take out?

😀

Edited August 30, 2020 by Rob_UK_SE

[John]

If there is no moon, good transparency and DSO's are going to be the main targets, then my 12 inch dob is usually the one used.

Otherwise I have a choice of a number of refractors between 100mm and 130mm. I tend to rotate those but the Takahashi 100mm and the Skywatcher ED120 seem to get the most use overall.

Saturn and Jupiter have been so low that getting the dob onto them is awkward so it's a frac if those are the main targets.

All my scopes can be setup within a few minutes, including the 12 inch dob.