Celestron 6 SE

[StaR BlaZeR]

can you guys let me know if this would be a good telescope to view planets with as well as galaxies and what not. what kind of view will it have on those really far objects? nice and wide, or more narrow, also the telescope supposively gives you the option of refractor and reflector, is this true too? thanks for the help guys. im thinking of just spending some more money than 500 on my first scope so that i can be happy the first time around. or at least close to it. thank you

[pvaz]

I think you are a bit confused:

Refractor: A scope made with glass lenses.

Reflector: A scope made with mirrors.

Catadioptric: A scope made with mirrors plus lenses. There are sub types such as Schmidt-Cassgrain.

(This is a very rough explanation. If you want a good one take a look at this primer.)

Of this types, Reflectors are the cheapest to make and give you the best views for your money. On a downside they tend to be a bit bulky.

The 6SE is a great scope. It's a catadioptric (Schmidt-Cassgrain), the design provides a compact portable scope with a decent aperture. I had a chance to use an 8SE recently and loved it.

Beware that most deep sky objects, specially nebulas and galaxys, look just like faint, gray/yellow smudges when observed even in big scopes. The joy comes more from understanding what you are observing then from the visual quality and definition you get.

[brianb]

The 6SE is a really nice scope, some people claim the 8SE is better for very little extra money but the mount suits the smaller scope best. 6" is about the smallest aperture I'd reccomend and the 6SE has this in a nice compact package.

Be aware that you really do need the "optional" dew shield, and an external power tank is a Good Idea too, the SE scopes do allow you to run off internal batteries but it doesn't like rechargeables (the volatge is lower) and the battery consumption is heavy.

If you're a real "newbie" I suggest you find someone local with a similar scope to show you how to do the alignment properly - it's not hard but a practical demonstration by someone who knows how to do the job is a much better way to learn than reading the manual. Joining your local astro club/society is a Good Move anyway and will put you in touch with someone who can "buddy" you through your first steps in practical observation.

[arad85]

Hmm... My first 'scope was a 6SE - I upgraded in about 8 weeks and lost loads of money My personal opinion is at that price point get a 12" dob - assuming you can lift it. FAR better VFM - as long as you can do without the goto (which you can - trust me )

[brianb]

My personal opinion is at that price point get a 12" dob

If you're an experienced observer whose primary interest is in DSOs, yes. For a beginner ... a 12" Dob is about the size of a sentry box and not especially easy to transport. I don't think it would get used much, and would therefore not be good value for money.

[ashworthacca]

If you're an experienced observer whose primary interest is in DSOs, yes. For a beginner ... a 12" Dob is about the size of a sentry box and not especially easy to transport. I don't think it would get used much, and would therefore not be good value for money.

I went through this thought process when I got my Nexstar 5SE. 10"/12" Dobs are huge and just weren't practical for me. However, if size and portability wasn't an issue I'd have gone that route with no hesitation.

[Demonperformer]

I have a 6SE, having previously owned a 10" Dob and being totally unable to get on with it [many people however seem to have no problem with them] The main prob I had was in thinking it was transportable when I bought it. My home situation is not really suitable for a big telescope and it was too big for my car [you may have an estate in which case it would not be so much of a problem.]

I have a great time with my 6SE.

* I can set it up an align it within ten minutes of seeing that it is clear outside.

* The GOTO feature works great IF i put in the effort in the initial set up [levelling tripod, making sure each object is right in the centre of the eyepiece, setting time to the second].

* Highly transportable.

* Dewshield - yes you will need one, but rather than splash out the extra cash, I bought a piece of black card from my local craft shop and made my own - works great.

Overall, I love it and use it mostly for imaging with my modified webcam.

[Bigwings]

I have the SE8,

Cracking bit of kit.

Good all-rounder. Accurate easy to set up goto. Even the 8" can be picked up and carried easily.

Love mine. Dewshield and hairdryer are essential for corrector plate anti dew duties.

Good luck

[russ]

I had the 6SE briefly in 2006. It was a very nice little scope. For me at that time it was the wrong scope for the job. I needed a lightweight OTA to image with that would give me greater image scale with the DSLR and sit happily on a Vixen GPDX with a guide scope. But didn't realise it was only a 1.25" opening on the rear. But from a visual point of view it was a great scope performing well on all types of object. The deepsky was surprisingly good and the planets were as good as you would expect.

As it turns out i quit imaging just a few weeks after selling the 6SE, so should have stuck with 6SE and just quit the imaging.

Would i swap the 8" dob i use now for a 6SE or even the 8SE..........not a chance! The dob is such a pleasure to use. Just plonk it down and go. No dew problems, no cables trailing everywhere getting tangled, nice widefield and can do anything the SCT can do plus some.

[arad85]

If you're an experienced observer whose primary interest is in DSOs, yes. For a beginner ... a 12" Dob is about the size of a sentry box and not especially easy to transport. I don't think it would get used much, and would therefore not be good value for money.

Why don't you think it would get used much If I had a 6SE here alongside my 12" dob, the 6SE would never get used (hence why I sold it...). As to experienced observer... lol... why do many people on here suggest getting a dob as a firstscope Because it's easy to use and navigating the sky really isn't that difficult with a decent star map (about £10). Are you saying that a 6, 8 or 10" dob are a beginners scope but a 12" isn't . The only issue to me is whether you can move it around...

I went through this thought process when I got my Nexstar 5SE. 10"/12" Dobs are huge and just weren't practical for me. However, if size and portability wasn't an issue I'd have gone that route with no hesitation.

I have a 6SE, having previously owned a 10" Dob and being totally unable to get on with it The main prob I had was in thinking it was transportable when I bought it.

Yup to both of the above - I'm a fairly large guy at 6' 8" and 19 stone, so don't have much of a problem moving a 22kg tube and 15-20kg base. Also, setup time with a dob is far quicker than anything relying on a goto setup...

Would i swap the 8" dob i use now for a 6SE or even the 8SE..........not a chance! The dob is such a pleasure to use. Just plonk it down and go. No dew problems, no cables trailing everywhere getting tangled, nice widefield and can do anything the SCT can do plus some.

Yup, that's why I suggested the dob

[brianb]

Why don't you think it would get used much If I had a 6SE here alongside my 12" dob, the 6SE would never get used

Personally - I agree. But many beginners would get fed up with the effort of moving a 12" Dob, it would get done a couple of times, then inertia tends to overcome enthusiasm.

The advantage of a 6" SCT is the lightness & compactness for the (IMO) minimum aperture required to show decent detail on planets. (3" or 4" scopes are fine for casual viewing of the Moon & bright star clusters). The fact that it has "goto" is a complication which increases the price, if price is a primary concern then you're better off with an equatorially mounted Newtonian, or a Dob ... in a reasonable size, 6" is fine for a beginner, 8" is somewhere around the point where bulk & weight become a hindrance as much as the extra light gathering & resolution is a help ... for a beginner.

When you have a couple of years behind you, you know how much enthusiasm you are retaining, and a bigger scope makes more sense.

[simon e]

I 'm an 8se owner, have no problem with it at all. Still have my first scope 6" reflector and found that I have looked at more through the SCT with Goto than amanual reflector on an EQ mount.

It is so much easier to find stuff. Setup and align, is 5mins. Align on Polaris and Vega put your location date time in and your off. Finds everything first time. mint.

It is hard work as a beginner looking at star maps in the dark trying to work out if what u are looking at is actually what you are supposed to be looking at. There are a lot of stars up there.

But after setup (5mins) do a tour and select ring nebula...... 10 seconds later and guess what! You are looking at "The Ring Nebula" ,sorted.

If you are a beginner how long is going to take one to look at a star map and then look at the sky and find the rough location of something you can only see through as scope anyway. Very dishearterning.

Give me goto anytime....

Plus the smaller Nexstar Se's get the wedge included in the field tripod, so potential for taking some photos and tracking the stars.

si

[simon e]

Why don't you think it would get used much If I had a 6SE here alongside my 12" dob, the 6SE would never get used (hence why I sold it...).

Trouble with this are you a beginner?

With this equipment list

'Scopes: Revelation 12" dob, C9.25S, C80ED

Mounts: EQ6-Pro

EPs: TS Planetary 6mm, 13mm Ethos, Revelation 20mm WA, Celestron X-cel 25mm, 31mm Nagler.

Imaging: EOS 450d, Canon 18-55IS, DMK21, Astronomik type 2c LRGB, Atik-MFW

and a 1,000 posts I think you know the Sky like the back of your hand, that's why you didn't use the 6se

Me I need as much help as I can get. That's why gotos were invented. and I think The Nexstar rang are very suited, to the guy.

Just to give you an idea, this is one of my very first efforts of Jupiter, using the 8SE and a Neximage webcam. 500 frames stacked, colour all wrong, but it was my first.

Oh yeah it was taken from SOFFF LONDON

si

[russ]

The other side to the coin is most objects the GOTO will find will not be that inspiring. Winding back to when i started, the thrill i got from tracking down M81/M82 was immense. One of the first DSO's i found, aged 14 using a 60mm Tasco. If you are not tracking these objects down, where's the thrill? A lot of these objects simply are not that inpsiring to look at, M81/M82 certainly weren't in that 60mm. I've been at my local club on public open night and they finished off with a GOTO skytour. Even in a 14" SCT no one was looking at any DSO for more than 5 seconds. There was no thrill, i thought it was pointless. People weren't even asking the where abouts of the object, so they weren't even learning.

Yes finding the objects can be frustrating but most newbies won't go near anything really faint for quite some time. They will too tied up with the moon, planets and bright dsos. All the time learning how to use the scope.

I know that's a very blinkered view from someone who started the hobby in 1983 with no GOTO in sight. But even so, i thought finding this stuff was half the fun. Perhaps i'm alone on this? Probably be flamed by all for saying such a thing in 2009 in the golden age of electronics.

[beetlejuice]

can you guys let me know if this would be a good telescope to view planets with as well as galaxies and what not. what kind of view will it have on those really far objects? nice and wide, or more narrow, also the telescope supposively gives you the option of refractor and reflector, is this true too? thanks for the help guys. im thinking of just spending some more money than 500 on my first scope so that i can be happy the first time around. or at least close to it. thank you

I have a C6 OTA which I mainly use on an altaz mount. I think it's a great little scope and TBH, I use it more than my C9.25 because it's more compact, lightweight, easy to move around and the seeing and light pollution from my back garden rarely justifies the setting up of the C9.25. Generally from my experience apertures larger than 8" are rarely justifiable in urban locations. Unless you are prepared to travel to a dark sky, then I'd stick with the smaller apertures of around 8 inches. They can show a huge amount of detail and don't take up much space. Don't forget, many people on SGL are obsessed with size. It's a man thing.

[arad85]

Trouble with this are you a beginner?

Very much so... I started astronomy in March this year Let's just say I'm obsessive about any hobby I get into

TBH, you need to know the sky anyway - even with goto. Unless you have 180 degree panoramic view, a goto and no knowledge of the night sky is a real pain (well, it was for me when I had my 6SE). You can spend ages just slewing around only to find the 'scope pointed at a house, nearby tree, into the mists of some light pollution....

I'm not saying the 6SE is a bad 'scope, just that you can get a much better bang for buck with a dob...

[simon e]

I suppose you don't have to use the goto on it anyway, you can just use the buttons to pan the sky. But you also have the advantage that you could chuck a web cam on the end and take images of jupiter, without losing the image off the field of view, as you can track it via the motors on the mount. Another advantage then motors to track...

si

[arad85]

I suppose you don't have to use the goto on it anyway, you can just use the buttons to pan the sky. But you also have the advantage that you could chuck a web cam on the end and take images of jupiter, without losing the image off the field of view, as you can track it via the motors on the mount. Another advantage then motors to track...

si

I can't imagine having a goto alt/az mount and not using the goto - it would take an age to pan anywhere.

Yup, if you want to do any sensible astrophotography, a driven mount is a must....

[simon e]

Set it on 10 for the speed and it flies around, use a wedge and it uses less motors so even faster, failing that pick the tripod up and turn it round by hand:p

si

[beetlejuice]

The other side to the coin is most objects the GOTO will find will not be that inspiring. Winding back to when i started, the thrill i got from tracking down M81/M82 was immense. One of the first DSO's i found, aged 14 using a 60mm Tasco. If you are not tracking these objects down, where's the thrill? A lot of these objects simply are not that inpsiring to look at, M81/M82 certainly weren't in that 60mm. I've been at my local club on public open night and they finished off with a GOTO skytour. Even in a 14" SCT no one was looking at any DSO for more than 5 seconds. There was no thrill, i thought it was pointless. People weren't even asking the where abouts of the object, so they weren't even learning.

That's perfectly true. DSO's are generally disappointing even in quite large scopes because of their low luminance. But many of the brighter ones like the Orion Nebula are wonderful. And there are many nice clusters and globulars to keep you busy. Being more of a moon and planets man myself, I must confess to not paying too much attention to DSO's but since I'm thinking of getting into astrophotography that may change! However, I do think that finding them is part of the fun as it forces you to learn the sky. That's how I learned with my first proper scope, a 6" f/8 newt back in the '70's. It was the challenge of finding them that I found to be fun. There ain't any fun in goto really, but it is very convenient when time is restricted by work, family and weather.

[Bigwings]

That's perfectly true. DSO's are generally disappointing even in quite large scopes because of their low luminance. But many of the brighter ones like the Orion Nebula are wonderful. And there are many nice clusters and globulars to keep you busy. Being more of a moon and planets man myself, I must confess to not paying too much attention to DSO's but since I'm thinking of getting into astrophotography that may change! However, I do think that finding them is part of the fun as it forces you to learn the sky. That's how I learned with my first proper scope, a 6" f/8 newt back in the '70's. It was the challenge of finding them that I found to be fun. There ain't any fun in goto really, but it is very convenient when time is restricted by work, family and weather.

The red bit should read FOR ME THEIR AINT ANY FUN IN GOTO REALLY.

I get a load of fun from mine. Different challenges perhaps than finding things but after a while and having seen loads you learn your way around. I had a newt on an equatorial for a while and saw diddley squat.. well the moon...

We should not give newbies the impression that GOTO is second best. Just different routes to enjoying the heavens.

[pvaz]

Just stop thinking about it and buy the damn thing.

If what you are looking for is:

1) Portability

2) GOTO as a tutor to teach you the sky

3) Ability to see all planets visible and most DSOs (you can see all Messier ones and many NGCs with a 6")

Then just go ahead and buy it because it's a great scope! Even if you want a bigger one later on it will always have it's place as a "grab and go", or you can sell it 2nd hand for a decent price. If you keep asking everyone will tell you what they like and not what you like.

(NOTE: This is coming from a Dob user who doesn't use GOTO. Although I bought it just in case I had trouble finding things.)

[beetlejuice]

The red bit should read FOR ME THEIR AINT ANY FUN IN GOTO REALLY.

I get a load of fun from mine. Different challenges perhaps than finding things but after a while and having seen loads you learn your way around. I had a newt on an equatorial for a while and saw diddley squat.. well the moon...

We should not give newbies the impression that GOTO is second best. Just different routes to enjoying the heavens.

Well I have two goto mounts and the makings of a third, so I must see something in it! Most of the time I just plonk my M90 and C6 on the altaz and off I go. But that's just me. Goto certainly takes the pain out of finding things for a beginner and even old hands, but it's not a substitute for learning the sky and finding the odd thing along the way you didn't expect. I'm not a Luddite, I've got loads of gadgets. I've even given up my slide rule for a calculator

[russ]

Hmm yes i've had 5 GOTO mounts....so i'd better not preach too much.

I found GOTO essential when i was imaging, an absolute god send.

Paulo is right, it's a great scope, l loved mine when i had it. You won't be disappointed. And dobs are cheap if you want to add a light bucket later.

[StaR BlaZeR]

lol, wow, alot of mixed feelings i can see. yes you guys are right im going to eventually want something different i think that im just going to buy the 6 se with some accessories like the power tank and lens kit as wel as the dew protector. i guess later on i if i am still invested in the hobby i could save up and get a good reflector like the ones listed. im sure theres nothign better then havings different scopes for different occasions. quick question on the reflectors, what type of maintenance do these telescopes require? does the mirror have to be adjusted every so often and how much will the mainteneance cost me? also is this forum based out of the uk? i live in south florida usa, im started to get the feeling that maybe im in a far far away community. thanks so much for the help guys and im deciding on getting the 6 se. later on ill back for advice on my second scope.