Celestron c8

[Andrew186]

Hi, I am getting a Celestron C8 with various attachments,  due pieces & tripod however no mount.

Can anybody suggest a good mount for alt azimuth usage. Also if images can be put to a laptop, or smartphone.

I've downloaded the celestron sky portal. I am a total beginner but hope to join an Astronomy course in the near future .

[Elp]

If you're looking to image note it's not easy or cheap. If you plan on imaging deep sky you'll need an equatorial mount and one with tracking, alt az won't cut it. If you plan on doing solar system imaging only you can get away with an alt az but if you're buying it from the start best to go equatorial from the start.

You can image through an eyepiece hovering a mobile phone over the eyepiece, it's not easy because you need to hold the phone at the plane of focus and still which is extremely difficult, a phone holder for mounting around eyepieces will help greatly.

If you plan on imaging deep sky, well you need a lot more equipment.

[Cosmic Geoff]

5 hours ago, Andrew186 said:

Can anybody suggest a good mount for alt azimuth usage. Also if images can be put to a laptop, or smartphone.

Is this for visual only, or for visual + planetary imaging?

For visual only, the SE 6/8 mount works well.

For planetary imaging + visual, you want something more substantial, like the CPC800 assembly.  Or maybe an Ioptron Pro. 

An Evolution mount, if you can find one, is also an option.  There are very few alt-az GoTo mounts available off the shelf that suit a C8.

An equatorial mount covers everything, but if you have no plans for deepspace long exposure imaging, you will find that the alt-azimuth GoTo mounts are much quicker and easier to set up.  With the C8 SE this can reduce to carrying the whole thing outside, setting it down, and starting the alignment procedure (which you can further automate with a Starsense Autoalign).

If you have deep pockets, look at the new ZWO AM3 and AM5 mounts.

I do not recommend a manual mount for this long focal length telescope.

You can put images onto whatever you like, certainly a laptop, but I suggest you do some serious research into imaging before spending a £1.

[Louis D]

For visual-only, a Rowan AZ100 should suffice.

[Andrew186]

Many thanks, I'm new to the technology & don't mind paying out for computerised 'Go to' mounts. I want to send images to a laptop or phone & First light Optics are willing to assist once they have a good idea what I want. Also I have only half the sky visible due to where I live. East to South West. So any images will have to be from this sector unless I go to a friends house.

[Elp]

What type of images though?

Single exposure solar system, good quality solar system whereby you're tracking the motion of the target, deep sky?

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I have always used an equatorial mount with my C8 (a Vixen Great Polaris, mainly). Makes life much easier for imaging, even when imaging planets and the moon, which is the greatest strength of a C8. For DSOs I tend to use either my 80 mm F/6 triplet with 0.8x focal reducer, or my 6" F/5 Schmidt-Newton (or even just the Samyang 135 F/2 telephoto). Polar alignment without direct line of sight to Polaris is possible now, and for planetary photography polar alignment need not be super accurate anyway. 

Just my tuppence

[TiffsAndAstro]

1 hour ago, Andrew186 said:

Many thanks, I'm new to the technology & don't mind paying out for computerised 'Go to' mounts. I want to send images to a laptop or phone & First light Optics are willing to assist once they have a good idea what I want. Also I have only half the sky visible due to where I live. East to South West. So any images will have to be from this sector unless I go to a friends house.

As a fellow noob I'd highly recommend watching as much YouTube videos from a wide range of content creators to give you at least something to base your expectations on.

Astrophotography doesn't seem as difficult (at least for a beginner) as I was lead to believe, but it is definitely complicated. 

Having said that, without the incredible help and advice I've received from generous people on this forum and good yt videos I'd still be trying to polar align for the last 4 months.

[TiffsAndAstro]

1 hour ago, Andrew186 said:

Many thanks, I'm new to the technology & don't mind paying out for computerised 'Go to' mounts. I want to send images to a laptop or phone & First light Optics are willing to assist once they have a good idea what I want. Also I have only half the sky visible due to where I live. East to South West. So any images will have to be from this sector unless I go to a friends house.

Also, if you can see an unobstructed 60 degree portion of the sky Nina, or an asiair (I assume, never used one) can do accurate polar alignment. No need to actually see north/Polaris

* Polar alignment will still work with less than 60 degree view but might be less accurate btw

Edited July 15 by TiffsAndAstro

[Bivanus]

Hello @Andrew186 and welcome. Astronomy is a wide domain even at amateur level , so for your sake do try to keep it simple and progress step by step.

1. Visual astronomy: Pointy & looky either by hand or assisted by other more or less expert systems. Personal advice: an Alt-Az is simple and intuitive to use and , after you get used to it , can take on a wedge for equatorial placement , electronic encoders and push-to-position controllers etc. Is good you have half the sky visible but how dark is that sky ? Do you have any street lights over there ? 

2.Astronomical Photography: As @Elp pointed out , this is a sub-domain including several other sub-sub-domains in it. Or as other people kindly explained to me  "this is a black hole of oblivion where countless wads of cash has been lost not always with great successes" Personal advice: Start small with single exposure using a DSLR you can get second hand , try to find an old Canon 550D (also known as Rebel T2i) Also on the SH market try and grab a cheap entry level astro-cam ( I started with ZWO ASI 120 MMC and I still use it today as guider cam).Play with them, learn , experiment and - enjoy ! which leads me to...

3.Enjoyment:  WHY are you getting a Celestron C8 with various attachments and so on and so forth ? This is not a question to be answered , this is a matter to be pondered by you for yourself.

I've seen people doing it because they always liked the stars & space (me) , because they liked the equipment (definitely me), because they like the challenges (not me because I'm lazy) , because they like to sit quietly in the dark and decomp after work (yeah man !) , because their significant others are into it ( not my case but I did corrupt the missus to stay up late mwahahaha 😈 )  but I've also seen people getting in as a fad and leaving when the hardness hit ( especially on astrophotography so be forewarned 😁 ) or because they found another thing in which to compete (and some may be even good but man are they annoying - don't be like that please)

[Cosmic Geoff]

If you are determined to try imaging, I suggest starting with planetary imaging (some planets now accessible before dawn), for which you need in addition to the C8, the mount of your choice, a planetary astro camera, and a laptop.  Plus a crash course in how exactly to go about it.  You just need access to the southern sky, and an alt-az GoTo will suffice.

If you want to try deep space imaging, be aware that a C8 is not the ideal instrument for a beginner's introduction to this.  If you don't want to plunge into the world of subs, auto-guiding, NINA, ASIAR, filter wheels, off-axis guiders, plate-solving, polar alignment and suchlike, I suggest you buy a Seestar S50, which does pretty much everything for you, and see how you get on with that. 

If you don't like the Seestar or its images, you can re-sell it at small loss.  If you do, well, you will know what can be done.  Be aware that putting together a rig that beats a Seestar at all points could cost you a lot of money.   

[Elp]

An SCT is not what I'd consider a good starting point for imaging, just getting the thing to point to what you want is a game in itself without something like a starsense or plate solving at hand. Solar system objects are slightly easier to find, but not the outer gas giants.

[W0nderste]

@Andrew186

i personally think C8's are great scopes.  Amazing views of the solar system, and some smaller DSO's (with the right mount) but still manageable for setting up and even putting in the car.

the evolution mount is great with the C8.  Built in lithium battery and wifi.  Easy to set up, and ok for planetary imaging.  Planetary cameras are relatively cheap, starting at around £80 which connect to any laptop via usb.  You take short videos, and then use a bunch of free software to break the video down into individual frames that are stacked and edited.  It's pretty easy to get the hang of.

imaging deep space stuff like galaxies and nebulae is a lot more difficult, and the C8 with it's long focal length and narrow field of view is not well suited.

then you are better suited to a refractor or reflector and an equatorial mount.

---------

Az mount = easy set up = easier to use for basic visual = ok for solar system.

EQ mount = no field rotation, so longer exposures = better for DSO imaging = more complicated and time consuming to set up and align.

----------

C8 (catadioptric) = long focal length = high magnification = narrow field of view = great for solar system

70mm refractor (for example) = wide field of view = less magnification = more forgiving for long exposures = great for widefield DSOs like nebulae 

 

In summary, some people prefer solar system imaging (C8 is great), some people prefer DSO imaging (refractors and reflectors are better) for those of us that like both, probably end up with at least two scopes.   If you want to stick to one mount, then you need an equatorial mount.  HEQ5 regarded as a good starting point, Eq6 better.  But I for one also love my AltAz mount for ease of use, quick set up, great for star parties and outreach.

so I've ended up with both mounts and two scopes.  But IMO the C8 is a great scope for starting out 

 

Edited July 15 by W0nderste

[Andrew186]

Many thanks for the info. The Celestron C8 is a present so I'll be starting with that & maybe a Star watcher EQ35 mount as advised by First light optics. 

I'm a total beginner so looking forward to getting started.

Andrew186

[LondonNeil]

Having got an old old c8 ota last week I am thinking about mounts too.  Celestron quote a weight of 5.67kg for the c8 but as usual they don't say what that includes. So I got the kitchen scales out and after removing the finder and bracket I weighed the ota alone, just that (with the 1.25" visual back and dovetail). I was surprised to find it's just 4.755 kg.  So with a 1.25" diagonal (180g), a flexible dew (not due) shield (I'll guess at ~200g), a 40g red dot,  a finder shoe (I'll guess at another 40g) we have a total of 5.22kg plus an eye piece,  so 5.6kg with singing something like a Baader Hyperion. 

This gives me hope it will work well for visual with my alt az gtix (6kg capacity for a single side) and I can now believe the claims I've read on CN that the standard gti copes with a c8 (so long as the tripod is up to it)

If I saw one come up used at a fair price, and I had the money, I'd be after an ioptron az mount pro with a 2" legged tripod.   Failing that though as I said I reckon the gtix will cope but I've yet to test it..... and I'm looking carefully and the gti on the classifieds currently at a give away price and thinking perhaps it's worth a try... at the price asked what have I to lose?

As for the celestron mounts, my research seems to indicate the hd tripod and evolution mount are pretty decent.  There's one listed on ebay , mount and tripod,  £550 and only a few miles from me.   It's also listed on astrobuysell.  An advantage of a celestron mount is the ability to add star sense later,  which seems very well thought of although I've not looked into that very far so comments from anyone that has it could change my view!

Is a hd tripod and evolution mount better than a gtix and decent tripod though?  I don't know.

[bosun21]

If you want to image with a C8 I wouldn't buy an EQ35. I would want something like an AVX or HEQ5. For visual only the EQ35 would get you by. I wasted money in the past by under mounting my scopes only to find out the hard way (expensive) that it's a false economy. Good luck and welcome to SGL.

[Cosmic Geoff]

2 hours ago, LondonNeil said:

Is a hd tripod and evolution mount better than a gtix and decent tripod though?  I don't know.

Definitely. The HD tripod is rock steady, but not lightweight.  With the Evolution I assume this is for visual, and planetary imaging?

[LondonNeil]

Yes,  although I have the wedge from the original c8 fork mount so could probably,  with a little adjustment,  use it equatorially. 

With the evolution, how close to zenith can you get? Is this much of a limitation?

[Andrew186]

2 hours ago, bosun21 said:

If you want to image with a C8 I wouldn't buy an EQ35. I would want something like an AVX or HEQ5. For visual only the EQ35 would get you by. I wasted money in the past by under mounting my scopes only to find out the hard way (expensive) that it's a false economy. Good luck and welcome to SGL.

Hi I'm Andrew186 I too have a C8 & been advised to get a EQ35 from a friend also F.L.O I'm new to all this as I'm a total beginner.  It looks like I'll be paying out about £700 soon to get up & running.

[bosun21]

5 minutes ago, Andrew186 said:

Hi I'm Andrew186 I too have a C8 & been advised to get a EQ35 from a friend also F.L.O I'm new to all this as I'm a total beginner.  It looks like I'll be paying out about £700 soon to get up & running.

Do you intend to use the C8 for imaging deep sky or for visual observing and maybe the planets and moon?

[woldsman]

A C8 would be great for lunar and planetary. I would start with the former - it’s a lot easier. Cellistontheroof (Ivana Peranic) has excellent YouTube videos explains what you need to get started. While the mount is critical for deep sky imaging, for lunar and planetary there is a much greater range of options. Ivana is also a planetary group export on the Facebook Cloud Magnets group and very approachable. 

[W0nderste]

Not sure about the GTIX, but I wouldn't but a C8 on a standard GTi mount.  I have both and defo wouldn't trust it.  

[Elp]

I've used a C6 on an azgti, and wouldn't use it long term, you can hear the gearing struggle when it slews. Maybe if your eyepiece train is light you'll get away with it, imaging, not recommended.

Not sure how much better a gtix is.

[W0nderste]

I personally wouldn't bother with an EQ35 either for a C8.  If you are just doing visual and planetary imaging then an AltAz mount like the Evolution would be better.  If you want to do deep space stuff, an EQ mount would be better, but an EQ35 is not up to the job.

i'd spend my money on an Evolution mount for easy set up, or a second hand HEQ5/AVX for aspirational DSO imaging 

Edited Sunday at 21:54 by W0nderste

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi @Andrew186 and a belated welcome to SGL. 

Are you planning on purchasing a manual or powered alt-az mount?

I at time of writing/posting use manual alt-az mounts… ie AOK-AYO or Tele-Optic Giro. I do not do imaging, but it is doable, and ‘yes’ I have asked. Lunar is ok, but planets and DSO’s maybe or will be a challange, even with a FF/FR attached.

Anyway, below are a couple of images of what I use… 

There are also other brands of ‘T’ style alt-az mounts available. Some can also include the option of adding decoders for tracking.

I would also recommend that you have a look at YouTube channel ‘CellistOnTheRoof’ for inspirational ideas.