Should I Downsize?

[Damien420]

Hi everyone,

New to the site so hello first of all. 🖐️

Hopeing someone could tell me if I am being stupid or not?  So here goes....

I have a skywatcher dob 10 inch which I bought years ago but never seem to use it for a couple of reasons, first its LARGE although I always wanted a big scope as i always belived get the largest you can but its a pain lifting the mount out of the house as its so bulky vs a tripod.

Second I am not that clued up on where everything is in the night sky other than the basic objects so really would like a goto scope so my time outside is more fun and actually get to see things.

I would like a Meade lx90 or lx200 8 inch goto scope but am I stupid for downsizing?  

Would love your opinions

Cheers

[randomic]

12 minutes ago, Damien420 said:

am I stupid for downsizing?  

Definitely not. At the end of the day, if the scope is so big that you dread taking it out on a clear night then it doesn't matter how big its aperture is!

12 minutes ago, Damien420 said:

Second I am not that clued up on where everything is in the night sky other than the basic objects

I can recommend the book "Turn Left at Orion"; learning your way around the night sky is extremely rewarding.

That said, absolutely nothing wrong with wanting a GoTo mount. What sort of astronomy do you do/want to do?

Edited July 23, 2021 by randomic

[Damien420]

I do like looking at planets but more deep sky objects. 

[Sunshine]

The book mentioned above is gold for someone learning their way around the sky. As for the scope itself and if you should downsize? A RESOUNDING YES! If there is one and only one rule in this hobby that will serve you best it’s the most repeated “your best scope is the one you use most” not your biggest, most expensive, most exotic etc. 

It just so happens that the one we all use most is the one which is easiest to move amd set up, period. There were occasions where I forgot this rule and purchased scopes which were grand to look at but a pain to look through, they lasted months.  There is no question in the matter, no “opinion” if one puts off taking their scope out because of its size then it defeats the whole point.

Edited July 23, 2021 by Sunshine

[Lee_P]

The best advice I ever heard was "the best telescope is the one you'll use the most".

[Pixies]

Hi. I would double-check the size and weight of the Meade SCTs. I'm not sure 'downsizing' is the best term regarding the lx200!

[Alan White]

Firstly hello Damien, welcome to SGL.

Your question is far from silly, in fact its a regular question many ask themselves.
The line the best scope you have is the one you use comes to mind and is so true.

I have a 10" OOUK Dobson, its a bit lighter than the SW one, but not by much and a 103mm Refractor.
The Refractor gets far more use, due to ease of use for the very reasons you ask about and to be honest,
it doe not have to move far on my dedicated observing area.
See picture.

The other issue you mention is finding things, well I struggled with that as well in the past.
The books advised are good and you even with many GOTO have to know some stars etc to align the mount.
I suggest you wind back to basics for short while, book, binoculars and learn some of te sky, then it will be easier.

However if you have bad light polution, then you may still need help, I did.
I have a push to system on the dobson from Astro devices, so like goto, but you are the motive power.

Hope this somehow.
 

Edited July 23, 2021 by Alan White

[Shimrod]

6 minutes ago, Pixies said:

Hi. I would double-check the size and weight of the Meade SCTs. I'm not sure 'downsizing' is the best term regarding the lx200!

I would second this concern - I have an 8" LX90 and 8" EdgeHD on a EQ mount. The LX90 requires two trips to get to the garden and set up, the Edge takes 3 (with counterweights). Neither is particularly light, and you might be trading one trip for 2 or 3 making you even less likely to use the telescope.

A smaller dob with goto/push to might be a better choice or a refractor on a alt-az mount.

If you can do outside storage like Alan White and have relatively flat ground, there are various trolley options that would make moving the telescope a bit easier.

[carastro]

Quote

I'm not sure 'downsizing' is the best term regarding the lx200!

Amen to that.

I'd get yourself a smaller Newtonian on a GOTO mount, or one of the SCT style GOTO scopes, but again don;t get it too big so you end up not using it.

Carole 

[paul mc c]

No, not silly at all,up until a couple of weeks ago I had a 12"dob,a 9.25 sct and others and I found my self taking the 127 mak out the most, this prompted me to sell the 12" Orion Optics with Research Grade mirrors.... and to be honest I haven't regretted it. The 8"sct will be as heavy a d cumbersome as the 10" dob. 

[Starwatcher2001]

Welcome aboard SGL Damien. Good to have you with us.

Totally agree with everyone else, that it's a very sensible question to consider.  I've got a 925 scope which takes around 15-20 minutes to get outside and set up.  If the sky wasn't especially brilliant (most of the time), or I didn't have the time for a long session (school nights), I wouldn't get it out. I went out and bought a little 80mm frac on an alt-az mount as a "grab and go" telescope and it's seeing much more use, particularly lunar stuff during the summer.

If storage and costs aren't a problem, maybe keep the dob for the times you might want to go deeper?

The other good point about a smaller scope is that they are more transportable - dark sites, nature watching, looking out to sea, on holiday...

Definitely get yourself a sky atlas of some kind and get yourself outside when you can and just learn your way around. It's fun in itself, but will pay big dividends when you're hunting for cool objects to observe.

 

 

[Damien420]

First off, thankyou all for the advice and so quick! Think I will be getting my hands on the book! 

Would i notice much difference between the 10 and 8 inch in the image? 

 

[M40]

1 hour ago, Damien420 said:

Second I am not that clued up on where everything is in the night sky other than the basic objects so really would like a goto scope so my time outside is more fun and actually get to see things.

I am going to plug a planisphere and a phone app like stellarium for locating things. If you get a goto mount, then it will ask for a couple of stars to align to, using either the planisphere or the phone app you will soon know that that bright star is vega.

And you get a +1 for downsizing from me, I had a 200p dob but knew I would drop it sooner or later so changed tack and got a skymax, not so much difference in the weight but so much more manageable. 

[Damien420]

Also,  In reply to Shimrod, I have to make 2 trips out side, its not really the weight. The tube although big is not to bad, I hug it and walk out side its more the base as its so bulky and have to carry it through the whole house. Banging it into every thing along the way!  So just thought a tripod would be easier as it folds up👍 plus as a few of you have mentioned I have a big car but seats dont fold down so transport is a huge issue with it. Tried once! 🙄 

[Alan White]

23 minutes ago, Damien420 said:

Also,  In reply to Shimrod, I have to make 2 trips out side, its not really the weight. The tube although big is not to bad, I hug it and walk out side its more the base as its so bulky and have to carry it through the whole house. Banging it into every thing along the way!  So just thought a tripod would be easier as it folds up👍 plus as a few of you have mentioned I have a big car but seats dont fold down so transport is a huge issue with it. Tried once! 🙄 

I have to say even a tripod can get banged into plenty on the way out of the house, from experience.

 

[Cosmic Geoff]

Look critically at your proposed purchase from the point of view of ease of use.  The best scope to own is one you are going to use.  GoTo is great to have so long as you are not baffled by the alignment procedure and especially if you are not a fan of 'learning the sky', like taxi drivers used to do 'the knowledge' Nowadays I expect they all come from Syria and use a satnav. 🙂

GoTo (and other) mounts vary greatly in ease of use.  An equatorial GoTo is relatively complicated to set up and more bother than you need if your interests are purely visual.  An alt-azimuth GoTo is quicker and easier to set up, and the Celestron Nexstar system is IMHO easier to learn and use than the Skywatcher Synscan. 

The Celestron C8 SE outfit (same aperture as a 8" Meade SCT) is light enough to be picked up as one lump and carried through a standard doorway.  I have mine as a quick-deploy outfit with the addition of a Starsense kit.

Isn't the LX200 a relatively old system?  Meades have a good reputation for optics but their mounts do not have a good reputation. For instance I know of a LX200 observtory installation that had mechanical trouble.  Last I heard about Meade was that they had filed for bankruptcy and been taken over by Orion.

Edited July 23, 2021 by Cosmic Geoff

[tomato]

I have a slightly different take on “the best scope is the one you use the most”, at the end of the day I think it is a balance between what you want to see, convenience and budget. 
The ultimate grab and go instrument is the mk 1 eyeball, and that works fine for some folks but most of us into the night sky want to see more and buy a scope or binoculars. What really matters to me for visual is glimpsing faint objects and maximising detail, I have a reasonably dark location and I am prepared for some set up and take down ‘hassle’ to get the best views at the eyepiece. I don’t like the idea of always wishing I could see more so I went for the biggest aperture I could afford, knowing that this would be big and heavy and require time and effort to set up. However I do understand that this philosophy won’t work for a lot of people, its just my take on it.

[Carbon Brush]

You can avoid spending much. Bet that gets you listening!

I used to have a 10" goto dob. Skywatcher flextube. Sold earlier this year, but not because it was too big.

The way I got around the bulk/weight was to put it on wheels.
A cheap round coffee table - throw away the legs.
Screw some castors underneath.
Unless you are negotiating steps it is so much easier.

If this is of interest, I can point you to the sale phots.
They are in the 'completed' section here on SGL.

I'm actually looking at the various bits I have gathering dust and giving serious thought to hanging an OTA onto a dob base.
A basic 'find it for yourself' rather than a goto.

Hope this is useful, David.

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

Cosmic Geoff probably hit the nail on the head. Not much of a downsize, easier to move around and no polar aligning. Alt az goto alignment is quick once you know a few bright stars or have a planetarium app handy (guilty secret!)

Tbh I don't miss my 8" dob. Living in a light polluted urban area I couldn't really observe DSOs anyway. 

A 4" ed refractor with the option of quickly mounting it on a manual alt-az mount or a ten minute set up goto mount with good tracking for extended sessions is incredibly convenient and easy to use. All but the brightest DSOs are out of reach from home but widefield, double stars, lunar, planets and occasionally solar keeps me busy.

Don't be afraid to downsize if your skies are poor or you're not using that big scope, just adjust your observing habits and get out more. 😀

Edited July 23, 2021 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[Franklin]

Sunlounger, planisphere, binoculars, great way to get to know the sky.

Once you're familiar with the sky, finding all the good stuff with a telescope becomes so much easier.

 

[dave34]

Welcome to the lounge.

[Victor Boesen]

I did exactly just this just about 8 months ago. Storage and time was the limiting factor for me so I switched out my 10" dobsonian out for a 4" Apo refractor. The apo is very versatile, and I use it much more often than I did with the dobsonian, and I don't have any regrets with my decision.

I really liked my dobsonian though, and it was a difficult decision to let it go. I feared I had chosen a wrong decision, but once I got comfortable with the 4" I was happy I switched to something smaller. The 4" has also allowed me to do H-alpha and white light solar observing with a Daystar Quark and a Lacerta Herschel wedge.

The constant feeling of not using a scope enough might be a sign to switch to something smaller/different. Good luck with your choice!! And take your time to make the right decision.

[Nyctimene]

If you are mainly interested in observing DSO's, I'd postpone the decision of downsizing, until you have exhausted all possible improvements of your existing gear/situation. If the bulky base keeps you away from setting up - is it possible to store it outdoors near your observing spot (garage; garden shed; water resistant cover etc.), so that you have only to deal with the OTA transport? The trolley (or wheelbarrow handles) proposition has already been made above.

Finding objects - with a 10" dob I'd rely on the combination of a Red Dot Finder (or Rigel/Telrad) with a RACI (= Right Angle - Correct Image) finder; either 6x30 (wider field of about 6 - 7 °) or 8x50 (goes deeper). Together with good tablet or smartphone software (I prefer SkySafari Plus or Pro - sometimes on sale), star hopping, which you will have to learn and improve continually anyway, is really easy. You can display the TFoV (True Field of View) with it for any given scope+eyepiece combination, and even set the  star brightness according to your local conditions. Start with an eyepiece of around 30 mmf from a bright star, that is reliably to identify, and work your way to a nearby DSO by matching eyepiece view and display appearance. 

Another possibility would be a Push To solution, e.g. this one:

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p11836_Geoptik-Digitale-Teilkreise-und-Objektpositionierung-fuer-Ihr-Dobson-Teleskop---GoTo-Ersatz.html

With a Dob and for DSO's, IMO, a push-to system is enough and tracking can easily be done with a good Dob mount.

If you, after improvements, still are not content with the situation, get a smaller scope of around 6" (transportability etc.)

Some food for thought, I hope.

BTW., welcome to the forum, and enjoy!

Stephan

Edited July 24, 2021 by Nyctimene
typo

[RobertI]

Some great advice above and your head is probably spinning by now! My personal opinion is that by replacing your large dob with a smaller goto scope, you could be replacing one problem with another - Goto takes time to setup and is another dis-incentive to go out and observe, so you may not use a goto scope much either and it’s an expensive way to find out. An alternative thought - I have found that the smaller Newtonians are incredibly capable for both DSO and planetary and so easy to use. The Skywatcher Hertitage 130 and 150 are cheap as chips and you could probably buy one to experiment with without having to sell the big dob. That would allow you to experiment a bit and see whether a smaller manual scope would get used more. Something else to ponder! 🙂

Edited July 24, 2021 by RobertI

[Whistlin Bob]

12 hours ago, Nyctimene said:

If you are mainly interested in observing DSO's...

I must say, this aligns to my thoughts exactly. Once you get used to navigating the night sky a 10" dob is a terrific observing instrument, and unless you have really terrible light pollution using the RDF, RACI finder and SkySafari combination is pretty straightforward.