Your recommended planetary scope?

[Flame Nebula]

14 minutes ago, Mr Spock said:

I had a C9.25 for close to ten years. It never really performed unless the seeing conditions were perfect. Most of the time it was, put it out to cool, go back hours later, see how mushy the view was, bring it back inside.

The 10" Newtonian I had prior to that was superior in every way. It was just too bulky to lift on to my EQ6. I had my best ever views of Mars with that scope. It was just an ordinary blue tube Skywatcher, but it performed well.

These days I use my 4" apo most of the time. When the seeing is good I get the StellaLyra 12" Dob out. That spanks everything else I've ever looked through.

Hi Mr Spock. Yes, the 12" dobsonian option is very tempting. I just worry about the weight. It would also need to track. Essential for me personally, for any high mag viewing. 

Really, what I need is, in the following order: a) lottery win new bigger house and garden, double garage. Then I'd get an observatory built for a 16 " Newtonian. Plus other assorted scopes, Tak 5" triplet, C14 sct etc🤣🤣

But, alas... 

[Mr Spock]

Here are my 'twinsies'. The 4" on an EQ5 and the 12" on an EQ platform. I must have tracking!

The 12" is heavy and bulky. I move from my shed (off picture to the right) on to the patio only. I have a bad back as well and it's still manageable that short distance. I've since created a better patch to the top patio but haven't been brave enough to lug the 12" up there yet.

[Cosmic Geoff]

1 hour ago, Flame Nebula said:

If it was a cheap scope, I'd gamble on it, but it certainly isn't cheap.

Certainly not cheap if you buy new.  But a used SCT would be half the price of a new one, and if you don't like it you can move it on without much loss.  I have bought two used SCTs and (after collimation) I have no complaints about their optical performance.

[Flame Nebula]

6 minutes ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

Certainly not cheap if you buy new.  But a used SCT would be half the price of a new one, and if you don't like it you can move it on without much loss.  I have bought two used SCTs and (after collimation) I have no complaints about their optical performance.

I bought both my ed80 (£330) and 227mm mak(£120) off Ebay. No complaints too. But for a C9.25, I'm more cautious, because even second hand your talking around a £1000 or more, I suspect. Any serious issue would make it unsellable and not sure on recourse with getting your money back. 

[Flame Nebula]

Just now, Flame Nebula said:

I bought both my ed80 (£330) and 127mm mak(£120) off Ebay. No complaints too. But for a C9.25, I'm more cautious, because even second hand your talking around a £1000 or more, I suspect. Any serious issue would make it unsellable and not sure on recourse with getting your money back. 

 

[Cosmic Geoff]

I would also be nervous about buying a £1000 scope on ebay.  The Stargazers Lounge or Astrobuysell would be safer. Or an established dealer in used astro gear.

Edited March 6 by Cosmic Geoff
x

[Gonariu]

In 2021 I bought back the SCT 8" (the Nexstar 8 SE) but I'm using it little, on the Moon & planets I prefer the Konusuper 120 diaphragmed at 90 mm or the Vixen 102-M which on the Moon I sent to good X300s on the nights a which the air was calm. In winter the correcting plate of the Nexstar fogs up, I have to make a lens hood covered inside with black cloth, I haven't done it yet..... Good on the Moon the Maksutov Skywatcher 90/1250 , a few days after the first quarter of this month I received a beautiful photograph of the moon with my smartphone.
On short focus achromats: it is certainly true that they are not telescopes designed for the planetarium but for the deep sky, however I happened to use them on the Moon and Mars with some profit (I have a Konus Vista-80 and a Ziel Gem 60 ), on Jupiter I did very little with them but for me Jupiter is not an easy subject even with other lenses.

[Cosmic Geoff]

2 minutes ago, Gonariu said:

In winter the correcting plate of the Nexstar fogs up,

Of course it does.  A dewshield should be standard equipment on a SCT.  Refractors have dewshields.

[Cosmic Geoff]

Celestron C9.25 XLT Reviewed: Highly Recommended! (telescopicwatch.com)

[John]

8 hours ago, Flame Nebula said:

Thanks John. 

I do hear stories of 4" apos being capable of 200+ magnification without image becoming 'fuzzy'. Any new scope must be capable of seeing sirius B and the e and F stars in trapezium. I've failed to ever do this with my current scopes (80ed,127mm mak), but I've heard 4" apo stories that often bag these. My 127mm mak maxed out at around 140x mag before bloating kicked in. I think with 200x and sharp stars, a 4" may out perform my mak. 

I have a 4 inch apo that goes to 300x, shows E & F Trap and Sirius B, conditions allowing. It's made by a company beginning with "T" 🙂

20 years or so ago I probably could not have achieved that much with the scope though - I guess my skills and experience have improved a little over time !

[Flame Nebula]

6 minutes ago, John said:

I have a 4 inch apo that goes to 300x, shows E & F Trap and Sirius B, conditions allowing. It's made by a company beginning with "T" 🙂

20 years or so ago I probably could not have achieved that much with the scope though - I guess my skills and experience have improved a little over time !

Hi John, 

Is it a doublet or triplet scope beginning with T. 🙂

[John]

22 minutes ago, Flame Nebula said:

Hi John, 

Is it a doublet or triplet scope beginning with T. 🙂

A doublet.

 

[bosun21]

The 180 Maksutov is a good choice for planetary. Having used both SCT's and Maks for planetary I much prefer the Mak. I found them sharper to the point that to better them you would need an apo refractor. I used to frequently view at 200x with a 127 and 300x with the 150 both on Saturn. They are also good for planetary imaging. For general AP they are just too slow along with a small FOV.

[dweller25]

31 minutes ago, John said:

A doublet.

 

“T”asco ? 🙂

Edited March 6 by dweller25

[Flame Nebula]

1 hour ago, John said:

A doublet.

 

100DC?🤔

[Stu]

11 minutes ago, Flame Nebula said:

100DC?🤔

DL me thinks, though I have a DC and a Vixen FL102S, both fluorite doublets which likely perform to a similar level. Have yet to see Sirius B with either of them but that is likely down to observer or conditions rather than the scope capabilities.

[John]

Sorry, I should not have been so vague 😔

It's the Takahashi FC100-DL. An F/9 doublet with a fluorite element. Hope that helps 🙂

[Gonariu]

On 3/6/2024 at 9:05 PM, bosun21 said:

The 180 Maksutov is a good choice for planetary. Having used both SCT's and Maks for planetary I much prefer the Mak. I found them sharper to the point that to better them you would need an apo refractor. I used to frequently view at 200x with a 127 and 300x with the 150 both on Saturn. They are also good for planetary imaging. For general AP they are just too slow along with a small FOV.

The 180 mm Maksutov is certainly a nice optic for the Moon & planets, when I got the Nexstar 8 SE I also thought about this telescope, then in the end I preferred the SCT as it is more universal in use. I must say, however, that every now and then the temptation comes back to me also because I have seen how beautiful the smaller "brother", the Skywatcher 90/1250, is in terms of optical rendering of the Moon, Venus and panoramas.

[Paz]

I would not find it easy to say a best scope but I can say the following...

Best view of Venus... a draw between C8 and 102mm f7 refractor(!l). This was during a spring / evening season experimenting with observing in broad daylight with very strong dimming.

Best view of Mars.... not sure, I've never had any view of Mars I would call epic partly as I've never had many good opportunities to get used to observing it when it is close.

Best view of Jupiyer.... VX14, one evening still in dayligjt/twilight I guess the wobbly stack all lined up for.once, the seeing, scope cooling, planet altitude, collimation etc. Shockingly good views I have to say, the best view of any planet I've ever had and I still think about it years later. I was (selfishly) annoyed at the time by neighbours choosing that session to come over and have  a look and chat which meant less time for me at the eyepiece, I said how amazing the view was but no-one really appreciated it. I guess you have to experience the bad times in order to appreciate the good ones.

Edited March 9 by Paz

[Stu]

1 hour ago, Paz said:

I would not find it easy to say a best scope but I can say the following...

Best view of Venus... a draw between C8 and 102mm f7 refractor(!l). This was during a spring /morning season experimenting with observing in broad daylight with very strong dimming.

Best view of Mars.... not sure, I've never had any view of Mars I would call epic partly as I've never had many good opportunities to get used to observing it when it is close.

Best view of Jupiyer.... VX14, one evening still in dayligjt/twilight I guess the wobbly stack all lined up for.once, the seeing, scope cooling, planet altitude, collimation etc. Shockingly good views I have to say, the best view of any planet I've ever had and I still think about it years later. I was (selfishly) annoyed at the time by neighbours choosing that session to come over and have  a look and chat which meant less time for me at the eyepiece, I said how amazing the view was but no-one really appreciated it. I guess you have to experience the bad times in order to appreciate the good ones.

It’s very true that being a planetary observer involves fleeting glimpses of excellent views amongst hours of mediocrity! I also agree that many, even most modern scopes above 4” are capable of showing very good planetary views, the most important aspects are more likely to be seeing, and planetary altitude.

My best Martian views were definitely through my 8” f8, whilst Jupiter is probably with the 5” apo.

[IB20]

As Paz has listed, so far my best planetary views have been with a variety of scopes.

Venus - Tak 76Q

Mars - SW 200P 8” Dob

Jupiter - I have had good views with the dob but the brightness and diffraction spikes do my head in a bit. I much prefer the image through my 102ed-r and 125mm APOs.

Saturn - Find this planet looks absolutely majestic through all my scopes

Uranus - SW 200P 8” Dob 

Neptune - Probably the 4” APO due to the larger field of view made locating it easier.

Pluto - Never seen it, you’d need something big or a camera though.

A full season with the 5” APO may change some of these statements though. Exception may be Venus just for the sheer lack of glare and false colour the Tak presents.

Choosing the optimal eyepiece length for the conditions, scope’s f/ratio, exit pupil, eyepiece drift and scope’s focal length also plays an important part in “best planetary views” too. 

[stuy]

Well my take is I’ve used serious quality scopes ranging from high end 12” newtons , 11.5 mak cass , 10”mak newt 

And now a 9” apo ! All of them once cooled and collimated  blew me away under fantastic seeing ! So I would say bang for buck is a newton maybe 10”/12/“ F6 .

As I’ve got older I really love the HD effect the refractor gives and thus it’s my goto scope permanently mounted in a obsy ready to go . But honestly any good quality scope of all configurations will blow you away when the seeing allows 

just it’s just so rare in the Uk these night’s people question their scopes , but in reality they are good 

[Mr Spock]

Altitude makes a huge difference. For a while now Saturn has been mush here, no matter what scope I put on it.
My best ever view was with a 140 Mak at x313 many years ago. Saturn was overhead. I'll never forget the sharpness, and inky black background. Along with a sharply defined Cassini, an elusive Encke, and the crepe ring. Eyepiece was a Meade 4000 6.4mm.