Thinking about what to take

[RobertI]

Not sure best place to post this, but here goes. I’m off to Kelling for four nights in October and taking a friend with me who is a compete beginner. Trying to work out the best kit to take. Now I think my site is partially obscured by trees so I may need to move around to get a full view of everything. But my thinking was to take the following (purely visual):

1. My C8 on a CG5 EQ mount  - this can be controlled by SakySafari on a tablet and I was thinking my novice friend might have fun using this, I could create a list of interesting objects for for him to explore under my supervision.
2. My Skytee 2 altaz manual mount with a 102ED F7 frac on one side and ZS66 on the other - this would be used mainly by me for tracking down more challenging stuff and bino-viewing Jupiter and Saturn.
3. 10x50 binoculars!

I also have a Heritage 130P which sits nicely on a SkyProdigy or manual altaz mount like my AZ4, but not sure this adds anything to the kit I am taking. And I also have a 150 F8 Newtonian which has produced great results but is a bit bulky to transport.

The best objects I think are going to be the open clusters in and around Cassiopeia, emission nebulae in and around Cygnus, scattered globulars and of course Jupiter and Saturn.

What do people think? Have I missed something obvious in the setup or some other considerations?

Edited September 1, 2023 by RobertI

[Paz]

I think the C8/102mm refractor/10x50 bins would be a lgood line up to take. I'd even consider leaving the 66 behind in order to have less gear to deal with as there's only a few things I'd choose to look at with 66mm if I've got 102mm available.

If its going to be long nights and dewing up is a risk then dew heaters are preferable but taking a backup scope to bring out if a first choice scope dews up is also an option.

[RobertI]

47 minutes ago, Paz said:

I think the C8/102mm refractor/10x50 bins would be a lgood line up to take. I'd even consider leaving the 66 behind in order to have less gear to deal with as there's only a few things I'd choose to look at with 66mm if I've got 102mm available.

If its going to be long nights and dewing up is a risk then dew heaters are preferable but taking a backup scope to bring out if a first choice scope dews up is also an option.

Thanks Paz, some good ideas there. Yes I had considered dew and have dew bands, etc (even a little hairdryer!) but a ‘spare’ scope is an interesting one. If it was just me I wouldn't bother with the CG5 and electronics, but thinking that my friend might be more interested if there was some fun tech to use…

[Anne S]

Dew can be a real problem if there's no wind. One year a lot of people had electrical problems as well as dewing ones. Everything was dripping! Kelling also tends to be windy as it's on the top of a hill. A large scope can be badly affected with it so bringing a smaller scope can be a good idea.

Anne

[RobertI]

1 hour ago, Anne S said:

Dew can be a real problem if there's no wind. One year a lot of people had electrical problems as well as dewing ones. Everything was dripping! Kelling also tends to be windy as it's on the top of a hill. A large scope can be badly affected with it so bringing a smaller scope can be a good idea.

Anne

Were the electrical problems caused by the supply at Kelling or by the amount of dew?

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

The C8 on the CG5 plus binoculars. There's only so much kit you can use at once and the less you need to manage the better...

I've taken two scopes on a couple of occasions but always end up sticking with one. It's no great burden to share the eyepiece with a friend and can be fun.

Last year I was v. happy at Cwmdu with just the 102 f7 on the AVX on the one great clear night and on the second very patchy night, the 10x50s did the business from outside the tent.

Also four other people got to look through my telescope and I managed a good peep through three others.

This year it's the Stellamira 125ED and AVX plus binoculars.

 

Edited September 1, 2023 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[wookie1965]

12 minutes ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

The C8 on the CG5 plus binoculars. There's only so much kit you can use at once and the less you need to manage the better...

I've taken two scopes on a couple of occasions but always end up sticking with one. It's no great burden to share the eyepiece with a friend and can be fun.

Last year I was v. happy at Cwmdu with just the 102 f7 on the AVX on the one great clear night and on the second very patchy night, the 10x50s did the business from outside the tent.

Also four other people got to look through my telescope and I managed a good peep through three others.

This year it's the Stellamira 125ED and AVX plus binoculars.

 

How far is to Keiling from yours Peter it will give me an idea how far it is for me.

]

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

1 minute ago, wookie1965 said:

How far is to Keiling from yours Peter it will give me an idea how far it is for me.

]

228 miles Paul. I'm not going to Kelling though. Cwmdu in September and Kielder in October. Both an hour less driving than Kelling.

[RobertI]

38 minutes ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

The C8 on the CG5 plus binoculars. There's only so much kit you can use at once and the less you need to manage the better...

I've taken two scopes on a couple of occasions but always end up sticking with one. It's no great burden to share the eyepiece with a friend and can be fun.

Last year I was v. happy at Cwmdu with just the 102 f7 on the AVX on the one great clear night and on the second very patchy night, the 10x50s did the business from outside the tent.

Also four other people got to look through my telescope and I managed a good peep through three others.

This year it's the Stellamira 125ED and AVX plus binoculars.

 

That’s really helpful, good to hear about your personal experiences. The general message seems to be consider taking less rather than more. That’s also a good point about looking through other scopes, I do want to try and get some views through other scopes, especially some of this big dobs. I’m conscious of the fact that there’s a high probability I won’t get ANY clear skies, so I guess I shouldn’t go mad with equipment. 🙂

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

48 minutes ago, RobertI said:

That’s really helpful, good to hear about your personal experiences. The general message seems to be consider taking less rather than more. That’s also a good point about looking through other scopes, I do want to try and get some views through other scopes, especially some of this big dobs. I’m conscious of the fact that there’s a high probability I won’t get ANY clear skies, so I guess I shouldn’t go mad with equipment. 🙂

Ultimately do what's right for you but camping for several days can be enough faff without taking and looking after all kinds of astro gear.

I suggested the C8 purely because it's the largest aperture you have, but if you prefer using the 4" then I doubt you will be disappointed under dark skies. The CG5 was chosen for its tracking. Sharing an eyepiece is much easier when you don't need to nudge or turn a slomo but a manual alt az is ultra reliable unless you're very unfortunate...

[badhex]

1 hour ago, RobertI said:

That’s really helpful, good to hear about your personal experiences. The general message seems to be consider taking less rather than more. That’s also a good point about looking through other scopes, I do want to try and get some views through other scopes, especially some of this big dobs. I’m conscious of the fact that there’s a high probability I won’t get ANY clear skies, so I guess I shouldn’t go mad with equipment. 🙂

Not exactly the same thing but last year I did a an outreach thing and intended to take two scopes plus finder set up on the Skytee, but ropey weather on the day meant I downsized significantly to just the ZS73 on scopetech mount zero.

Ultimately even though the weather wasn't great and it was only a small scope, there still must have been several hundred people having a look and asking questions, and being completely amazed by stuff we more regular astronomers sometimes almost take for granted, like the double double etc. (one of my faves to be fair). Point is, if there's a scope and some good targets, I don't think it matters too much if the kit is not your dream setup 🙂

[Anne S]

21 hours ago, RobertI said:

Were the electrical problems caused by the supply at Kelling or by the amount of dew?

Dew. It was coating anything not under cover.

[RobertI]

50 minutes ago, Anne S said:

Dew. It was coating anything not under cover.

Understood, thanks. 👍

[mike chadwick]

Not to mention sea mist I was at the 

top of the red field one year at Kelling when a sea 

mist rolled in you could not see past

half way down the red field and the mist left everything soaking wet