Sky-Watcher Evostar 72 ED

[PatrickO]

I'm looking for a reasonably priced OTA that I can put on my Celestron Nexstar 8se mount.

This would be purely for visual observation, mainly of larger targets. The 8" SCT has a too narrow FOV for this.

My research suggests the Sky-Watcher Evostar 72 ED would be a good choice, and I've been offered one with some useful extras for a good price. I'd be very grateful for your thoughts.

Edited February 26 by PatrickO

[mikeDnight]

Great little scope only limited by its aperture. But it will give nice views of the moon & planets when barlowed, and will give gorgeous rich field, low power views of star fields and nebulae, especially from a dark site.

Edited February 26 by mikeDnight

[Mumia]

Absolutely a good choice. Additionally, by purchasing some light mount, you will have a travel scope, grab&go. You can easily fit this set into your backpack.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Just be aware that with an SE mount, you may be slightly hampered at higher altitudes due to the OTA potentially interefering with the mount, especially if you're trying to keep it in balance.  This is more of an issue with the smaller SE mount (for the 4SE and the 5SE), so just take a few measurements of the mount and keep the length of the OTA in mind.

If it is an issue I'd recommend something like an AZ-GTI.  I've got an Altair 70mm F5 scope on one and it's an excellent lightweight setup.

Edited February 26 by GrumpiusMaximus

[Louis D]

If you strictly use it with a 1.25" diagonal and lightweight eyepieces, you should be fine.  However, 2" diagonals will leave the focuser with very little infocus travel left.  Heavy eyepieces with a 2" diagonal may cause the draw tube to slip at high angles as well.

Edited February 27 by Louis D

[PatrickO]

13 hours ago, GrumpiusMaximus said:

Just be aware that with an SE mount, you may be slightly hampered at higher altitudes due to the OTA potentially interefering with the mount, especially if you're trying to keep it in balance.  This is more of an issue with the smaller SE mount (for the 4SE and the 5SE), so just take a few measurements of the mount and keep the length of the OTA in mind.

If it is an issue I'd recommend something like an AZ-GTI.  I've got an Altair 70mm F5 scope on one and it's an excellent lightweight setup.

Thanks for that. Good point. I've just checked and the 72ED OTA is slightly shorter than the 8se OTA