Desert island telescope...

[tompato]

If you could only have one telescope costing around £1000 with you on a desert island...what would it be?

My conundrum is the future Mrs tompato wants to get me a telescope as a sort of wedding gift that I will keep for a long time and enjoy. The budget is around a grand - I'm sure I could maybe convince her to take some cash from me to put towards it as well if it meant something slightly more expensive that would never need replacing.

I like visual and astrophotography. Currently for visual I have an old Orion Optics UK 6 inch reflector f/5 and I use an Evoguide 50ED setup for astrophotography. I think maybe a modest sized refractor for visual might be good, or something to improve my astrophotography. My ideas so far are a Redcat 51 for the astrophotography route or maybe one of the Scopetech refractors for visual use (although storing those might be an issue). Another idea was the baby Tak FS60CB but the sheer amount of accessories and adapters for that thing scare me from a astrophotography sense, although I guess it is less scary from a visual sense - but its not cheap when you start adding the accessories and stuff on.

Anyway, I thought it might be fun to get people's thoughts on what they would choose if they could only use that one scope, kinda like a desert island telescope.

[NGC 1502]

For myself for visual observing I’d choose a 12” Dob from FLO.  At £849 that leaves £151 for accessories, so premium eyepieces not within the £1000 budget, so I’d make do with whatever I could get.

The above wouldn’t suit yourself for imaging, but for visual…………a 12” Dob + dark skies = Bliss!

[tompato]

Yeah that's a good shout, especially if you were marooned - the ease of a Dob mount, lots of light gathering and dark skies would be amazing.

[Louis D]

I'd probably go with a refractor on a desert island because sea salt mist would eventually corrode mirror coatings even with a protective oxide overcoat.  A weatherproofed SCT or Mak spotter might also be an option.  Probably a ruggedized and sealed 100mm spotting scope would be a good choice since repairs would be all but impossible.  I suppose if the desert island were large enough with a decent elevation change, you could get away with a non-sealed reflector used in the island's interior.

[Guest]

I think I saw a GSO 16 inch truss somewhere along the lines.  I would head inland and up.  I think it would be fine.  Might have to bump the budget up a bit.

[RT65CB-SWL]

There was a similar post started a few years ago. For me it would be my TeleVue Ranger, TV e/p’s, Lunt solar/Herschel wedge, etc., as per image below.

 

[ollypenrice]

The 'imaging and visual' scope is a snare and a delusion. It doesn't exist. Don't search for it! (For imaging, you don't need aperture. For visual you do. For imaging you do need a driven EQ mount. For visual you don't. Even if you did find this mythic beast, once you had persuaded it to work for imaging the last thing in the world you would want to do is disturb it by converting between imaging and visual. The golden rule of imaging is to get it to work and then leave it alone!!!! 🤣 )

What does exist is the large Dob for visual. It will remain as good as it always was whereas imaging gear comes and goes and you may want to vary it in order to have a change of target, etc.

Olly

[Cosmic Geoff]

I have three setups, each with a replacement value of over £1000, and would have trouble deciding which to take to that desert island. Largely a choice between imaging and visual.  And does the island have power for recharging power tanks and laptops?🙂

If it's a 'luxury' purchase, why not go for a nice sexy ED or APO refractor?

Edited April 13, 2022 by Cosmic Geoff

[cajen2]

Should be plenty of solar power....

[Louis D]

2 hours ago, cajen2 said:

Should be plenty of solar power....

But did you remember to bring long lasting photovoltaic cells?  Are wiring and plumbing bits available to create a steam generator for electricity?  I suppose you could bring a mechanical clock drive mechanism:

[cajen2]

2 hours ago, Louis D said:

But did you remember to bring long lasting photovoltaic cells?  Are wiring and plumbing bits available to create a steam generator for electricity?  I suppose you could bring a mechanical clock drive mechanism:

Or just stay totally manual with a dob! 😉

[Alien 13]

I would go for a pair of binoculars, scanning the horizon with a reflector for ships would drive me nuts as would a frac with a mirror diagonal. 😀

Alan

 

[Louis D]

1 hour ago, Alien 13 said:

I would go for a pair of binoculars, scanning the horizon with a reflector for ships would drive me nuts as would a frac with a mirror diagonal. 😀

Alan

So make sure to bring a correct image 45° or 90° prism diagonal as well for the frac for daytime usage.  You could even bring a binoviewer to reduce eye strain.

[westmarch]

On a desert island, with no light pollution, who needs a telescope?

John

 

[niallk]

A 12" dob would provide some shade in the daytime too 😉 

[Ratlet]

I can imagine all you lot found on a desert island after many decades with you 12" dobs, dehydrated, starving but relatively happy.

The rescuer, confused at the circumstances that could have led to so many being stranded for so long and with such a specific piece of astronomical equipment...

"But why didn't you lash them all together and build a raft?" He asks.

"Oh no, we couldn't do that.  It would play hob with the optics and the seeing has been really good!"

 

Astronomers are weird.

[Zermelo]

1)  I feel obliged to remind everyone that Roy Plomley's rules state that objects can't have any practical value. I think his successors have since allowed "dual use" items, but I'm sure that raft building, etc. are going against the spirit

2)  Of course, if the castaway were Tom Hanks, he would keep one unopened parcel throughout his stay, which would be cheerfully labelled
"FLO - may contain sharks"

3) I'd spend 75% on a dob and the rest on a RACI finder, two EPs and a barlow