What will I be able to see?

[Spier24]

So I'm planing on getting a Celestron 6SE 150 Schmitt cassegrain. I live in a pretty quiet suburban area that doesn't have too much light pollution (two street lamps to the south and houses on other side). I'm just wondering what I'd be able to see DSO wise considering the scope I'm getting and my location? 

[Davey-T]

What Can I Expect to See....? - Getting Started With Observing - Stargazers Lounge

Dave

[Sunshine]

The link above sums up what objects look like through scopes very well.  Despite many objects not looking as grand through the average scope as one would imagine, seeing these objects with your own eyes is awesome.

[mikeDnight]

With experience and practice you'll see much more detail than was depicted in the sketches on the link.  Saturn and Jupiter can show incredible levels of detail, even in small apertures, and even deep sky objects can be very impressive. Choice of scope design can really make a difference. I know you're keen on a 150SCT but a 150 Maksutov will very likely give sharper images. 

[Spier24]

3 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

With experience and practice you'll see much more detail than was depicted in the sketches on the link.  Saturn and Jupiter can show incredible levels of detail, even in small apertures, and even deep sky objects can be very impressive. Choice of scope design can really make a difference. I know you're keen on a 150SCT but a 150 Maksutov will very likely give sharper images. 

 

I was actually going to go for a Meade LX65 6 inch. Basically a Mak version of the 6SE. That is until I found out that Meade has gone bust.

Edited January 11, 2021 by Spier24

[John]

12 minutes ago, Spier24 said:

 

I was actually going to go for a Meade LX65 6 inch. Basically a Mak version of the 6SE. That is until I found out that Meade has gone bust.

It would not surprise me if that Meade model was actually exactly the same as the Skywatcher 150 mak-cassegrain with some cosmetic differences under the Meade branding.

 

[johninderby]

50 minutes ago, Spier24 said:

 

I was actually going to go for a Meade LX65 6 inch. Basically a Mak version of the 6SE. That is until I found out that Meade has gone bust.

Meade is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection  which allows them to keep trading for now. What happens to the Meade brand depends on who buys the brand and what they want to do with the brand. 🤔

Edited January 11, 2021 by johninderby

[Spier24]

What worries me about Meade is not being able to get support from them with the telescope depending on what way the company goes. Otherwise I would probably go with the LX65 instead of the celestron.

[Dave Matison]

I’m a retired attorney, with some experience in this field. The majority of US chapter 11 reorganizations are successful. If not, the assets are liquidated and executory contracts, like warranties, are discharged. I strongly suspect Meade will shed burdensome contracts and come out of Chapter 11 as a lean but solvent company. 

[Sunshine]

49 minutes ago, Dave Matison said:

I’m a retired attorney, with some experience in this field. The majority of US chapter 11 reorganizations are successful. If not, the assets are liquidated and executory contracts, like warranties, are discharged. I strongly suspect Meade will shed burdensome contracts and come out of Chapter 11 as a lean but solvent company. 

What does the discharging of warranties involve? does this affect customers seeking to exercise warranties on scopes they bought? pardon my ignorance.

Edited January 11, 2021 by Sunshine

[Spier24]

Maybe I will go for the Meade after all if they turn out okay 

[johninderby]

Latest updates from the California Bankruptcy Court.

 

[Spier24]

By the time I get my scope there may have been more progress on that.

 

[johninderby]

Still too soon to know exactly what will happen but hopefully something will happen soon. 🤔

[Spier24]

53 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Still too soon to know exactly what will happen but hopefully something will happen soon. 🤔

 

I'm mixed about Meade in general. I've heard awful things about their customer support. 

[John]

I've owned a few Meade scopes and other things over the years going back to the 1980's. I've never been blown away by anything of theirs that I've owned to be honest with you. They do the job but some have been a little lack lustre

I currently own just one Meade item - a 1.25 inch UHC type filter. Which is actually quite good for it's low cost.

 

[Dave Matison]

9 hours ago, Sunshine said:

What does the discharging of warranties involve? does this affect customers seeking to exercise warranties on scopes they bought? pardon my ignorance.

Our bankruptcy statutes allow the debtor (here, a debtor in possession, meaning no trustee) to sell any property deemed “unduly burdensome” to reorganization, and to discharge or disaffirm executory (not yet fully performed) contracts, and general creditors claims-so, pending or potential warranties can be disaffirmed should the debtor wish BUT I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE of whether or if Meade has or will do so-again, the greater probability is that it will successfully reorganize, should our country last that long....

Edited January 11, 2021 by Dave Matison

[mikeDnight]

Celestron made a beautiful 127 Mak that was a joy to use, and SkyWatcher Mak's are great across the range. I suppose mix and matching scopes and mounts could provide pleadings results. As for Meade, I think they've always had a reputation for poor mechanics in their mounts. Celestron were better! However, Skywatcher are excellent too, and if all that was available was Skywatcher, there'd still be top class scopes for all tastes.

[John]

5 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

Celestron made a beautiful 127 Mak that was a joy to use, and SkyWatcher Mak's are great across the range. I suppose mix and matching scopes and mounts could provide pleadings results. As for Meade, I think they've always had a reputation for poor mechanics in their mounts. Celestron were better! However, Skywatcher are excellent too, and if all that was available was Skywatcher, there'd still be top class scopes for all tastes.

Celestron were even better again when Vixen used to make a lot of stuff for them 

 

[Spier24]

2 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

Celestron made a beautiful 127 Mak that was a joy to use, and SkyWatcher Mak's are great across the range. I suppose mix and matching scopes and mounts could provide pleadings results. As for Meade, I think they've always had a reputation for poor mechanics in their mounts. Celestron were better! However, Skywatcher are excellent too, and if all that was available was Skywatcher, there'd still be top class scopes for all tastes.

 

 

9 hours ago, John said:

I've owned a few Meade scopes and other things over the years going back to the 1980's. I've never been blown away by anything of theirs that I've owned to be honest with you. They do the job but some have been a little lack lustre

I currently own just one Meade item - a 1.25 inch UHC type filter. Which is actually quite good for it's low cost.

 

 

 

Skywatcher would be my brand of choice if they offered a 150 SCT. Or a 150 Mak with a GoTo mount. 

 

I actually looked into buying their 150 Mak and then buying one of their GoTo mounts to go with it. However their GoTo mounts don't support the weight of the 150 Mak.

 

Edited January 11, 2021 by Spier24

[johninderby]

Why not a Celestron C6 SCT on the SW mount? Both are made by Synta anyway.

 

Edited January 11, 2021 by johninderby

[johninderby]

Surprised that Synta don’t offer the 150 SCT under the SW brand. The SW maks are all available under the Celestron brand.

[John]

33 minutes ago, Spier24 said:

 

 

 

 

Skywatcher would be my brand of choice if they offered a 150 SCT. Or a 150 Mak with a GoTo mount. 

 

I actually looked into buying their 150 Mak and then buying one of their GoTo mounts to go with it. However their GoTo mounts don't support the weight of the 150 Mak.

 

Synta own the Skywatcher brand and make their scopes. They also now own the Celestron brand and make many scopes under that branding. So in that way Skywatcher do offer a 150mm SCT, branded Celestron - the 6 inch SCT. I think the Celestron C6 was the first SCT design that had it's manufacture transferred to Synta after the takeover.

 

 

 

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Regarding the original question: my slightly larger C8 from a reasonably dark suburban garden has shown me many DSOs. Of course, when I take it with me on holidays to some dark spot in southern France, the images are way better, of course. I also have a 6" scope: a Meade SN6 6" F/5 Schmidt-Newton, which also gives really nice views of DSOs. It should be roughly equal in performance to the C6, except it allows a much wider field of view (up to 3.3 degrees). This has never been a very popular scope, but it is the best Meade product I have ever used (although their Series 5000 TeleXtenders are very nice as well, and the 14 mm UWA (also S5K) was very nice and sharp, but lacked a bit of eye relief). The SN6 is a great comet hunter, a great wide-field DSO scope, and has been my DSO imaging workhorse this year

[Spier24]

Whilst we're on this topic, I think it would be good if skywatcher offered the 150 mak as the flagship model of their GoTo range. It would probably sell quite well.