Travel scope advice

[4lefts]

So, I reckon this might be my first post on here in 10 years or more. I’m a lapsed visual astronomer, but I want to get back into it. I sold my scopes (ed80 and 8” dob) a few years ago, but I still have some accessories (eps, rdf, diagonals, etc). 
Later this year, we have the chance to visit my wife’s family on St Helena in the mid Atlantic. I’ve never been before, but I’ve read it has Bortle 2 skies and is 16 degrees south, so I’ll have the chance to see things like omega centauri and the lmc/smc, plus all the other things I’d never normally get to see (I know basically nothing about the southern sky, but 2 minutes in stellarium shows me Sagittarius is going to be high, and that’s enough for me). 
Anyway, what would people recommend for a scope that I can fly with? We have a toddler, so a good chunk of our luggage is going to be taken up with his stuff. I’m thinking one of the SkyWatcher or ursa major tabletop dobs? Can anyone who has one talk about how flyable they are? How big are the OTAs? Would they fit in hand luggage? If not, would you risk the OTA of a heritage 150 in checked baggage? Do the bases come apart?
Or maybe a short refractor like the skywatcher or Bresser ones is a better idea? I realise then I’ll need a small alt az mount. 
I dunno. Sorry for the rambling, incoherent question. Cheers. 
Stephen. 

[happy-kat]

Sounds a wonderful trip to come. Maybe there is an astro club there you could visit or arrange to loan something from while there was an idea. I personally would prefer to travel with a small short refractor or if really space tight binoculars I use 8x42

[GrumpiusMaximus]

I have an Altair Ascent 70ED (F6) which provides decent visual performance although it is small aperture.  It's around 300mm long and weighs practically nothing.  It's a good widefield scope if you're not looking for something with a longer focal length.  I bought it from this forum a few weeks ago and have been using it since.  Because it's a 420mm focal length, it doesn't require a large mount so I've been using an AZ-GTI and that's been more than adequate.  All you'd need is a decent tripod.  A couple of eyepieces, diagonal and barlow and you'd be up-and-running.

I also have a Sky-Watcher Heritage 100p and the OTA weighs a lot less but you'd have to disassemble the table-top mount.  If you're happy with doing that non-destructively then that could also work.  You could potentially mount it on an AZ-GTI as above, too and it would be lower weight, with a slightly larger aperture and is probably about equivalent in terms of performance.

A Celestron C5 doesn't weigh much either and is a very short tube.  For visual use, I have gotten away with using an AZ-GTI for that too but it is more marginal due to the much longer focal length.  Lightweight and reasonable for the brighter visual DSOs.  The much more expensive option of the three, though.

[RT65CB-SWL]

My ‘scope of choice would be my TeleVue Ranger or ‘re-modded’ ETX-105.

The Ranger, a few e/p’s and accessories fit in a aluminium camera/photography case, or if I take the ETX, a few e/p’s and accessories in a backpack.

The tripod and mount are packed in the suitcase and protected with my clothes packed/wrapped around them.

[Highburymark]

I don’t have any experience with table top dobs, but I’d have thought they’d be ideal for such a trip.
I’ve taken scopes in cabin baggage many times. I started with a 105mm Mak - it was great but not ideal for DSOs. Since then it’s always been refractors between 80mm and 100mm. I’ve settled now on a TV85 which is ideal, but (for example) an 80mm ED is almost as good. They really deliver - and provide the wide views that are so impressive in dark skies. The only drawback? Objects like globular clusters aren’t resolvable with just 80mm aperture. A Heritage or C5 might be a better choice for globs and galaxies.

[Tiny Clanger]

http://sainthelenaisland.info/astronomy.htm has a link to an astro soc. but it's facebook so no idea if it is active .

Borrow a 'scope from someone there if possible, if not take a small achro refractor on a photo tripod (or some binos) and leave it there as a gift to the relatives, which will make space for the inevitable gifts you will bring back.

 

[jjohnson3803]

I second the suggestion(s) for a small refractor.  I have an ST80 that travels well and was inexpensive enough that I won't be too upset if it ever gets lost / trashed.

If I'm more willing to take care, I have a 72ED that's about 30cm long with the dew shield retracted and a little over 2kg.

Both are light enough to use with a camera tripod and lightweight mount.

 

Edited January 13 by jjohnson3803

[Elp]

60-80mm refractor? But if you want to keep it simple, the most portable, trouble free, cheap-ish and "see" far far more, you really can't beat a ZWO Seestar. Depends if you really really like doing visual, it's certainly more memorable than an EAA/AP setup.

Edited January 13 by Elp

[Second Time Around]

I've no experience of taking scopes on a plane so can't say whether a table top Dobsonian is doable or not.  You also may not have a stable enough table in St Helena.

I have however bought a 5 inch table top scope for a friend's daughter.  The model I chose was from Bresser.  I liked both the rings that enable the tube to be moved up and down for balance.  It also means that an altazimuth mount can be added (in the hold?).  I also preferred the rack and pinion focuser to the helical focuser on the Heritage that many dislike.

This scope is currently available direct from Bresser at the reduced price of £149 including carriage compared with £225 normally.  However, VAT and duty has to be added to this.  Go to https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275754580048?chn=ps&_ul=GB&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=275754580048&targetid=1403035015347&device=m&mktype=pla&googleloc=1006886&poi=&campaignid=17218284410&mkgroupid=142217514411&rlsatarget=pla-1403035015347&abcId=9300867&merchantid=113115024&gclid=Cj0KCQiAhomtBhDgARIsABcaYykIkZbzl8TSDf-0zl638nqB8CGJ_yHJOu1cWf6VQvIfl3Ka1fAQV4QaAg_nEALw_wcB

My own travel scope is a 72mm f/6 ED.  It's also good for terrestrial use, that may be useful in St Helena.

Elp's suggestion of a ZWO Seestar is certainly worth considering, but is basically a camera rather than a visual scope.  However, you may not be going again and this will give you wonderful memories.

Edited January 13 by Second Time Around
VAT and duty will be charged.

[4lefts]

Thanks ever so much for all the speedy advice everyone. Thanks for all the pointers to small fracs. I had an st80 a long time ago - I might look around for another one or similar. I really want something widefield for the milky way that I wouldn't normally be able to see. it's a "shame" (that's not the right word) that there's that one glob I really want to see, but as @Tiny Clanger pointed out, there seems like there might be an astro society of sorts. their fb page seems to have a bit of activity. dunno what equipment they have though. talking to family it sounds like stuff in generally is hard to get there (everything is flown in via South Africa). so actually, getting a scope I can afford to donate to a club or the school is an excellent idea.  

@GrumpiusMaximus - i'd never heard of the az-gti so that's good to know - that looks like an excellent travel mount

[4lefts]

@Second Time Around this looks like a good option too. I didn't realise Bresser had an ebay page. I'll have a poke around and try to figure out whether the dimensions of the OTA are too much. either way, £150 for a 5" newt and mount is a bit of a steal.

I'd never seen the zwo seestar before - this is how the hobby has changed in the time I've had my finger off the pulse. I'm not sure it's for me (I do like the almost "vertigo"-like sensation of thinking about it being the actual photons hitting my eyeball across x-many hundreds of light-years or whatever - it's hard to describe), but it looks interesting!

[Elp]

If you're concerned about the SS operation, don't. A child could set it up and use it. It'll also sell easily if you decided you didnt want it, it's probably the hottest thing on the market right now.

The azgti is an excellent little mount too, if you're doing visual though will the goto be needed? When I do visual I just use a manual alt az mount.

You'd need to add up your options for budget, transportability, inconvenience and the end result you want, only you can decide that.

[4lefts]

3 minutes ago, Elp said:

only you can decide that

Very true. I need to put together a some kind of shortlist.

Cheers.

[Second Time Around]

Please note that VAT and duty has to be paid on the Bresser scope I mentioned above.  I've added this to the post.

[4lefts]

Ah, I was going to ask about that - I had a poke around the bresser eBay page and it made me wonder with all the listings being in Germany. Thanks. 

[jjohnson3803]

Have a look at posts #7 and #8.  Might be helpful.

Travel kit