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Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
- Shorty Barlow
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Re: Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
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- notFritzArgelander
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Re: Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
Yes. Exactly. If you've got a large enough closet, an ED doublet refractor might do but I need to look a bit. MyOldGaot wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2020 4:17 pmThanks for your help...so for the Orion, you are thinking the StarSeeker IV 127mm ( and a correct image prism diagonal for terrestrial) For the Celestron, the Nexstar 5SE or 6SE?notFritzArgelander wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2020 3:53 pmOn the rare occasion when I've needed to deal with customer service Orion has been better than Celestron.
Despite both being made by Synta the user interfaces of thegoto systems differ and I find Celestron to be easier to use and less quirky.
Due to your preference for terrestrial observing Newtonians should be ruled out. Images from them don't erect well.
I'd recommend the 5" Orion Maksutov or perhaps a 6"SCT from Celestron but... I'm really fussy about image contrast and plain vanilla SCTs seem to throw up soft images. A refractor provides sharpest images period. A fast compact and easy to store refractor would have a short tube and false color. I'll get back later with concrete suggestions after morning tea.
I suppose I should roll out and greet the day. Later....
- Sky Tinker
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Re: Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
In so far as an Amici, erect-image 45° diagonal, this one has the largest
https://agenaastro.com/william-optics-1 ... gonal.html
If daytime/terrestrial use is important to you, that's the one to get; or the Baader at 24mm...
https://agenaastro.com/baader-1-25-90-a ... 56150.html
The ones provided with telescope kits are at about 18mm; for example...
https://agenaastro.com/celestron-1-25-4 ... gonal.html
You may also want to upgrade the star-diagonal included within whichever kit you choose, and a star-prism for either, rather than a star-mirror. But at first the one included with the kit should serve.
If the atmosphere is cooperative, and the telescope acclimated, you should be able to see the shadows of Jupiter's moons cast upon the planet's surface, even.
I have three binoculars, and I rarely if ever bring them out at night.
"Desserts tend to corrupt, and absolutely delicious desserts corrupt absolutely." - Chef Acton
Alan
Apochromat: Takahashi FS-102 4" f/8 - Achromats: Meade S102 102mm f/5.9, Antares 805 80mm f/6(flocked & blackened), Meade "Polaris" 70mm f/12.9, Sears(Towa) #4-6340 50mm f/12(flocked & blackened) - Newtonians: Orion 6" f/5(flocked & blackened) - Catadioptrics: Explore Scientific 127mm f/15 Maksutov-Cassegrain, Celestron "PowerSeeker" 127mm f/8 "Bird Jones" reflector(modified, flocked, blackened, and collimated!) - Mounts: Meade LX70(EQ-5), Astro-Tech Voyager I alt-azimuth
- notFritzArgelander
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Re: Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
Most economical
https://www.telescope.com/Orion/Orion-E ... p/9895.uts
But you still need eyepieces and diagonals. Sky TInker's recommendations are good on that score, to be sure.
The Star Seeker IV
https://www.telescope.com/Orion/Orion-S ... 113920.uts
Using the same mount one could go for an
https://www.vixenoptics.com/Vixen-ED80S ... p/2617.htm
It has a flip mirror so you can attach a camera to one port and view through the other. But you still need eyepieces, diagonals, a finder.....
The optical design of the Vixen and Orion is the same (it originated with Vixen). Both are made now by Synta in China. Vixen's customer service is excellent.
But I still think that the 127mm Mak is the best least fussy way to go. Sometimes folks say that Maks aren't good on
https://agenaastro.com/gso-1-25-0-5x-focal-reducer.html
- Shorty Barlow
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Re: Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
https://www.firstlightoptics.com/maksut ... eluxe.html
These WO Amicis are good as they have a fine focusing helical, something I prefer on Mak's.
https://agenaastro.com/william-optics-1 ... 125ii.html
- GCoyote
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Re: Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
Very similar experience. I have a 90mm Maksutov that I left set up over the holidays just to watch the wildlife at our feeders. It's short enough not to be in the way and I just tossed a towel over it when not in use.helicon wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2020 3:46 pm Maybe a 102mm refracting scope. I had a 90mm spotting scope for a few years. I had it set up in the living room and used to look at the Golden Gate bridge and the container ships and sail boats going in and out of the Bay plus the City and the Marin headlands. Also worked well on objects like the moon, Jupiter, Saturn, and bright nebulae such as M42 in Orion...
Gary C
Celestron Astro Master 130mm f5 Newtonian GEM
Meade 114-EQ-DH f7.9 Newtonian w/ manual GEM
Bushnell 90mm f13.9 Catadioptric
Gskyer 80mm f5 Alt/Az refractor
Jason 10x50 Binoculars
Celestron 7x50 Binoculars
Svbony 2.1x42 Binoculars
(And a bunch of stuff I'm still trying to fix or find parts for.)
- Shorty Barlow
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Re: Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
https://www.firstlightoptics.com/pro-se ... o-ota.html
I have one of these which is usually mounted on a Vixen Porta II/
I had 210x on the Moon once with this. I'm pretty sure it would be good for ducks.
- smp
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Re: Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
smp
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Telescopes: Questar 3.5 Standard SN 18-11421; Stellina (EAA); Vespera II (EAA)
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Re: Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
Transport, for the most part, will be taking it out of the closet out to the den or out onto the deck, maybe 20'. My thought is to keep everything pretty much assembled... just fold up the tripod and put it in the closet when not being used.Shorty Barlow wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2020 3:17 pm I'm not sure why you'd want a scope of around 130mm ~ 150mm for predominantly terrestrial viewing. Whatever you get it's going to have to have a mount and tripod that can carry it. This won't make it particularly portable. Unless you get a Dobson mounted Newtonian. Which in my opinion are awkward enough for astronomical viewing, let alone terrestrial viewing. Might be OK for viewing distant molehills or short ground based ducks. I'd have thought a spotting scope would be the most practical.
https://www.firstlightoptics.com/acuter ... scope.html
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Re: Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
No doubt a great option, based on the little research I've done; however, given my rather fuzzy criteria and use, I'm not up to spend that kind of $.smp wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2020 6:14 pm If money is no object, there is always the Questar. The Duplex model will work fantastically for terrestrial viewing and the fork mount is used for astronomical viewing. The Q3.5 is amazingly portable, advertised as an observatory in a box. And, it arguably has the finest optics that can be had in a 3.5 inch aperture.
smp
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Re: Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
I am kind of set on something withhelicon wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2020 3:46 pm Maybe a 102mm refracting scope. I had a 90mm spotting scope for a few years. I had it set up in the living room and used to look at the Golden Gate bridge and the container ships and sail boats going in and out of the Bay plus the City and the Marin headlands. Also worked well on objects like the moon, Jupiter, Saturn, and bright nebulae such as M42 in Orion...
- Shorty Barlow
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Re: Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
Which is why I thought a spotting scope of around 10cmOldGaot wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2020 6:35 pmTransport, for the most part, will be taking it out of the closet out to the den or out onto the deck, maybe 20'. My thought is to keep everything pretty much assembled... just fold up the tripod and put it in the closet when not being used.Shorty Barlow wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2020 3:17 pm I'm not sure why you'd want a scope of around 130mm ~ 150mm for predominantly terrestrial viewing. Whatever you get it's going to have to have a mount and tripod that can carry it. This won't make it particularly portable. Unless you get a Dobson mounted Newtonian. Which in my opinion are awkward enough for astronomical viewing, let alone terrestrial viewing. Might be OK for viewing distant molehills or short ground based ducks. I'd have thought a spotting scope would be the most practical.
https://www.firstlightoptics.com/acuter ... scope.html
- Shorty Barlow
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Re: Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
You could go this route:OldGaot wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2020 6:53 pmI am kind of set on something withhelicon wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2020 3:46 pm Maybe a 102mm refracting scope. I had a 90mm spotting scope for a few years. I had it set up in the living room and used to look at the Golden Gate bridge and the container ships and sail boats going in and out of the Bay plus the City and the Marin headlands. Also worked well on objects like the moon, Jupiter, Saturn, and bright nebulae such as M42 in Orion...GOTo capability.
https://www.firstlightoptics.com/startr ... -goto.html
or
https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-wa ... scope.html
nFA dislikes the ST102 but I find the
http://scopeviews.co.uk/SW102.htm
https://roslistonastronomy.uk/tag/skywatcher-st102
I don't know how good it is on ducks though. My modified ST102 gets out a lot for rich field observing. If you want a fairly light 10 centimetre refractor it isn't bad. I'm pretty sure the
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Re: Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
Orion StarSeeker iv 127mm with
Orion ED80 with the Orion Starseeker go to mount for $850 or
Vixen ED80SV @ $750 + $400 for the star seeker mount for a total of $1150
Celestron nexstar 6SE $700
What's the favorite?
(Also, can anyone tell me how wide the tripod is when fully extended...looks like I may be able to claim a small corner of the den as a semi-permanent location)
Thanks to all for your input!
- Shorty Barlow
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Re: Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
I make my AZ5 58 centimetres between two of its legs at its retracted length and 86 centimetres at maximum extension. I don't know if this is typical.
- Lady Fraktor
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Re: Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
Much better optically and comes the closest to giving a quality refactor like view.
The field of view is slightly smaller in the Mak than a
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
EQ: TAL MT-1, Vixen SXP, SXP2, AXJ, AXD
Az/Alt: AYO Digi II, Stellarvue M2C, Argo Navis encoders on both
Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102
Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Tak prism, TAL, Vixen
Eyepieces: Antares to Zeiss (1000101)
The only culture I have is from yogurt
- Shorty Barlow
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Re: Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
- Shorty Barlow
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- notFritzArgelander
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Re: Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
The SS IV 127mm Mak.OldGaot wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2020 7:50 pm I feel myself slowly descending into the depths of analysis paralysis. So let's start slashing away. Looks like these are the main recommendations
Orion StarSeeker iv 127mm with goto at $700
Orion ED80 with the Orion Starseeker go to mount for $850 or
Vixen ED80SV @ $750 + $400 for the star seeker mount for a total of $1150
Celestron nexstar 6SE $700
What's the favorite?
(Also, can anyone tell me how wide the tripod is when fully extended...looks like I may be able to claim a small corner of the den as a semi-permanent location)
Thanks to all for your input!
On my SSIII retracted 25" between two legs, extended 40". I keep mine retracted to negotiate doorways.
- Lady Fraktor
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Re: Recommendations, for impossible to meet criteria
I assume you mean the Vixen 80Sf? https://www.vixenoptics.com/Vixen-ED80S ... p/2617.htmOldGaot wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2020 7:50 pm I feel myself slowly descending into the depths of analysis paralysis. So let's start slashing away. Looks like these are the main recommendations
Orion StarSeeker iv 127mm with goto at $700
Orion ED80 with the Orion Starseeker go to mount for $850 or
Vixen ED80SV @ $750 + $400 for the star seeker mount for a total of $1150
Celestron nexstar 6SE $700
What's the favorite?
(Also, can anyone tell me how wide the tripod is when fully extended...looks like I may be able to claim a small corner of the den as a semi-permanent location)
Thanks to all for your input!
I am a Vixen fan so of course I would recommend it , the
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
EQ: TAL MT-1, Vixen SXP, SXP2, AXJ, AXD
Az/Alt: AYO Digi II, Stellarvue M2C, Argo Navis encoders on both
Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102
Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Tak prism, TAL, Vixen
Eyepieces: Antares to Zeiss (1000101)
The only culture I have is from yogurt
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