In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
- gregl
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In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
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Re: In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
Thanks Greg, I thought that was a well written article, and I couldn't agree more on every level. Light-buckets are great, but my smaller scopes get the most use for sure. I'm more into the grab and go than the lug it out...That doesn’t mean I’ve given up on anything bigger than my 114mm tabletop, but this yearning for more has to be tempered by real-world circumstances like budgets, physical limitations, and storage space.
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Re: In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
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Re: In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
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Re: In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
See Far Sticks: Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser 127/1200 BV, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS 100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
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Re: In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
It is really only the very faint fuzzies that I can't see with the refractor: but it is pretty rare that I have been unable to find something through it once I have spotted it in the 12" (or 24").
Plus I love the clean views in the refactor...
At home in suburban skies I almost never set up the 12", preferring the ease of the smaller scope.
When you think about it, the difference in brightness between naked-eye viewing (assuming a pupil size of 6mm) and a 100mm refractor is roughly a factor of 280x, while between a 100 refractor and a 300
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Re: In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
The ideal situation is to have, or have access to, a large
Dave
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Re: In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
Wrong forum. :wink:I can ask the CloudyNights forums for advice on choosing my next scope.
I think, the size of the scope depends on what you like to see.
Like, my Omegon is handy, but somewhat limited when it comes to dimmer targets.
I'd like to use my VX12, but the equipment problems keep bugging me. OTOH, I don't think the equipment problems depend on the size of the telescope. You can have technical problems with binoculars as well.
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Re: In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
turboscrew wrote: ↑Sat May 07, 2022 1:44 pm
I think, the size of the scope depends on what you like to see.
...
I think that's what it really comes to. There is lots to see with any instrument including naked eye, and it's all different. I well remember a couple of nights, one out in Death Valley when I saw stuff naked eye that just blew me away, and I had the same feeling once up at 8000 ft. in the mountains when I saw the Swan through a 20-inch
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Re: In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
I like the ease of use of my
If the binos didn't give me neck cramps, they would be my favorite, so I'll stick with the Z12 most of the time.
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Re: In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
FWIW, I have had scopes from 50mm to 254mm
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Re: In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
I am with that member. While I would not necessary call 8"
So, it is not about how big or small is your scope per se. It is about picking the scope which provide right balance between
It sounds that the old 8"
If one can have more than one scope than sure, there is utility of having a small scope in your stable. However, if you are one scope person, one need to get the LARGEST scope they can handle COMFORTABLY. For visual
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Re: In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
Mounts: SW: SkyTee2, AzGTi; iOptron: AZMP; ES: Twilight I; Bresser: EXOS2; UA: MicroStar.
Binos: APM: 100-90 APO; Canon: IS 15x50; Orion: Binoviewer, LG II 15x70, WV 10x50, Nikon: AE 16x50, 10x50, 8x40.
EPs: Pentax: XWs & XFs; TeleVue: Delites, Delos, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68, 62; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV.
Diagonals: Baader: BBHS mirror, Zeiss Spec T2 prism, Clicklock dielectric; TeleVue: Evebrite dielectric; AltairAstro: 2" prism.
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Re: In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
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Orion 10 & 23mm (set 1.25), Explore Scientific 9 & 18mm, 2x GSO Barlow, just purchased 2” Orion twist diagonal, GSO 32mm plossl and Agena 8-24 zoom.
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Re: In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
This is quite true. It should be that they are limited in minimum magnification due to their long focal length (reducers do not help as these cannot utilize the full field stop size of a 2" eyepiece). TFOV also due to the central baffle
U.S.A.F. Veteran - Visual Amateur Astronomer since 1966 - Fully Retired since 2019
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Re: In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
I keep forgetting that because I'm an
About handling, I'm not sure if a 12"
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Re: In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
One article describes my first night using the scope after a high grade mirror recoating following many years using a poor quality coating
https://joe-cali.com/astronomy/articles ... Essay.html
The other article describes a night comparing views through a 6" f7.5 Takahashi TOA150 and my 6" f7 reflector.
https://joe-cali.com/astronomy/articles ... ctors.html
Of note in the above comparison is that views of emission nebulae revealed dropouts of certain emission in the refractor which may be due to the AR coatings.
The 7.5" tube of the 6" is not "light" being a zinc annealed steel tube. I have never measured the tube weight but it is probably a bit heavier than an 8"
You will see from my signature or reports that I also have an 18" push to
Both scopes have excellent optics. I enjoy the greater light grasp of the 18" and the slightly wider field of the 6". During the recent apparition of comet Leonard, I left both setup for a few weeks and used both and as well as a pair of 9x63mm binoculars every night. Each provided their own unique views.
The widest useable fields, taking my own estimated pupil dilation and other scope limitations into account, are not that different:-
6"f7: small diagonal minimises diffraction from central obstruction but limits the scope to 1.25" eyepieces.
40mm 1.25" eyepiece 40deg
18"f5.5: 2" eyepieces are possible but at f5.5, 31mm eyepiece results in a 5.5mm exit pupil, my maximum dialation.
31mm Nagler yields just under 1 deg true field at 80x magnification
But even if I put a 25mm 45 deg Orthoscopic eyepiece into the 6" yielding about 1deg at 42X, the perception of a 1 deg
I do agree that finding a scope that you can physically handle is important. However, I think these assessments are very complex and dependent on so many personal variables, that broad generalisations about ideal scope size are of limited value.
Astronomy Club Telescope Libraries that allow members to borrow and test drive scopes of different sizes and types especially testing yourself against the physical handling and setup, are very valuable facilities and a big plus factor for astronomy club membership.
As a qualified Work Health and Safety practitioner, there are a plethora of commercial handling and rolling aids in addition to bespoke solutions such as wheelbarrow
Joe
Amateur astronomer since 1978...................Web site : http://joe-cali.com/
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Re: In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
As Joe indicated for visual it is not the range of powers but range of useful exit pupils. True, it is easier to get 6-7mm exit pupil out of F5SkyHiker wrote: ↑Sun May 08, 2022 2:27 amI keep forgetting that because I'm anAP -er. But the useful range of magnifications for the average collection of eyepieces will be different. TheDob will be useful for lower magnifications that make it still easier to find targets.
About handling, I'm not sure if a 12"SCT handles easier than a 12"Dob because you need a hefty mount for it, too, if you can even lift it on there. You don't have to lift aDob above your shoulder, and the collapsibles or trusses are quite transportable. Up to 10" anyDob is easy to throw around.
I agree though that starting from 11"
Mounts: SW: SkyTee2, AzGTi; iOptron: AZMP; ES: Twilight I; Bresser: EXOS2; UA: MicroStar.
Binos: APM: 100-90 APO; Canon: IS 15x50; Orion: Binoviewer, LG II 15x70, WV 10x50, Nikon: AE 16x50, 10x50, 8x40.
EPs: Pentax: XWs & XFs; TeleVue: Delites, Delos, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68, 62; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV.
Diagonals: Baader: BBHS mirror, Zeiss Spec T2 prism, Clicklock dielectric; TeleVue: Evebrite dielectric; AltairAstro: 2" prism.
Filters: Lumicon: DeepSky, UHC, OIII, H-beta; Baader: Moon & SkyGlow, Contrast Booster, UHC-S, 6-color set; Astronomik: UHC.
Solar: HA: Lunt 50mm single stack, W/L: Meade Herschel wedge.
Observing: DSOs: 3106 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2180, S110: 77). Doubles: 2461, Comets: 34, Asteroids: 261
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Re: In Praise of Small-Scope Astronomy
I recently purchased a C5
-Jeff
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