kenratboy Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 If so, I have been fishing around to see what there is. I have a POS 5" reflector that isn't worth it's weight in $hit. I have been looking at various scopes and maybe in a year, I will pick one up. I want to spend ~$1000. I am going to put home audio on hold, as my room is less than idea for a HT and I will just go for the gold when I get my own place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluless Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 Off Response. .I think that we have one or two space cadets here on the forum.....BBB where are you????????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkrop Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 Yeah,mostly into naked eye stuff... Persied (SP?) meteor shower peaked last night; Mars is the closest and brightest in possibly 60,000 years; Can't see anything through clouds though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 Sky and Telescope had an article on scopes for under $1000. I have it at the office and can send you a copy. I never acted on it. Window shopping was nice. Someday I'll have the time, maybe in 10 years. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruinsrme Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 Ken, Since my first time moonless night on the bridge of a submarine surfaced on the open ocean I have become fascinated with the stars. I learned how to obtain ships position thru celestial navigation, Later this month Mars will be the closest it has been in eons. There should be some great opportunities to get some nice look ats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenratboy Posted August 13, 2003 Author Share Posted August 13, 2003 ---------------- On 8/13/2003 7:39:31 PM bruinsrme wrote: Ken, Since my first time moonless night on the bridge of a submarine surfaced on the open ocean I have become fascinated with the stars. I learned how to obtain ships position thru celestial navigation, Later this month Mars will be the closest it has been in eons. There should be some great opportunities to get some nice look ats. ---------------- You can't turn that parascope skyward, can you ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davmar Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 Guilty as charged! (look close at my avatar) If I could lug my klipshe out with my big ten inch, I would really be set. The below link is an excellent page where you can buy and sell astronomy stuff. If you have any questions, I will be glad to answer http://www.astromart.com/ By the way how do you make a hyper link work on this place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted August 14, 2003 Share Posted August 14, 2003 ---------------- On 8/13/2003 8:55:45 PM davmar wrote: If I could lug my klipshes out with my big ten inch, I would really be set. ---------------- You'd be pretty popular with the ladies, too! As far as hyperlinkage goes, you've gotta use HTML. fini Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davmar Posted August 14, 2003 Share Posted August 14, 2003 Fini, I am already popular with the ladies, dont you know, I am a Manley Man! Here is a shot of my LX200 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktate Posted August 14, 2003 Share Posted August 14, 2003 im not sure where your from but in kansas just south of me there is 30"newtonian open to the public.....well kinda you got to join but on some weekends its open to all,,,,,its nice..powell Observatory...check it out...rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenratboy Posted August 14, 2003 Author Share Posted August 14, 2003 My dream is to have a 16" light bucket, a 8" refractor ($250,000 ), and then just a LX200 for casual lookin' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted August 14, 2003 Share Posted August 14, 2003 One of the 'specifications' you'll want to look at and compare is 'resolving power'. It's much more important than the magnification power. Lower power optics that have higher resolving power will outperform higher power optics with mediocre resolving power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted August 15, 2003 Share Posted August 15, 2003 At the $1000 price point it looks like the major contenders are the Meade LX10 and the Celestron G-8. Both are f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain designs with 203 mm aperture and 2032mm (2000 for the LX10) focal length. I wonder if they will work for deep sky of Messiers Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssh Posted August 15, 2003 Share Posted August 15, 2003 I have a Celestron C8 Deluxe.I saw a used standard C8 in a newspaper classified ad for $800 a few months ago.One of my favorite sights is the moon,using a Nagler 31mm eyepiece. SSH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrPyro Posted August 15, 2003 Share Posted August 15, 2003 Ken!! Two subjects near and dear to my heart, audio and astronomy. Talk about two of the most expensive hobbies on the planet. (next to cars and horses, oh ****...i'm in to those too....i'm sooooo screwed) Spending the late nights in kansas staring at the stars with the scope was very memorable, now stuck in the astronomy hell hole of Philadelphia . Anyways, I have a Clestron C8 (8" schimidt & Casigrain). As Gil mentioned Sky & Telescope has a review of some type of astronomy hardware, its usually located about 2/3 from the front. Most of the time they review reasonable priced items, (not like Stereophile, etc), and usually around the 6" to 8" area (if it is a scope). I have had my scope quite some time, so no digital settings circles, no data bases, and no "GoTo" design. For a serious newbie, digital setting circles would be GREAT, no star hopping needed to find the desired heavenly object. I like the clestron, but if I had to do it all over again, I would probably get a Meade. i have taken a few astrophotographs, Orion Nebula, moon, planets, etc with my Olympus OM-2s. I'm now hunting for a digital SLR that I could use for both home and astronomy uses. On todays telescope, I would look into the following features.... 8" - 12" apeture digial setting circles Manual & electronic right assention and delcanation motors Ability to accept a autoglider (used to keep an image centered on a CCD chip, SBIG makes one of the best on the market) GOOD & STURDY mount Some type of hard case (not required, but VERY VERY VERY handy) There are probably other things, but that is what I can remember off the top of my head (need more Mountain Dew to get the brain moving). I have the past two issues of Sky & Telescope yet to be opened and read, I can take a look this weekend to see if I would add anything else Keep looking up! -Dave davmar- yeah, Klipsch & astronomy, you have to keep yourself awake one way or another during those long cold nights! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted August 15, 2003 Share Posted August 15, 2003 I have a very inexpensive ($300) 5" scope that I haven't a clue how to use (gift from wife). When I get it lined up on a distant planet (e.g., Saturn), the movement of the earth takes it out of view. I'll let my son get started on it in a few years. I'm so behind on all the bells and whistles, but I take it, looking at Davmar's "big 10 incher", that there is automated control ability to find and track objects in the sky. That would be a major help. I'll check out some of the leads above. Astronomy's tough where I live due to voracious mosquitos that come out at night during the summer, and -15F temperatures during the winter. I wish them made a little tent with a bug screen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenratboy Posted August 15, 2003 Author Share Posted August 15, 2003 Not only is my yard dark, but I can be in places that have no artificial light to speak of for 50 miles in <1 hour. I am thinking something 8, 10, or 12" would be good. Do most good scopes in that range have collimation 'dots' or whatever already on the mirror, I have heard a mirror above 8" needs to be collimated quite often. Reguardless, I will keep looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenratboy Posted August 15, 2003 Author Share Posted August 15, 2003 Hmmmm, after looking around, the $650 Orion XT10 looks like my best bet. With the price, I can go buy some eyepieces and the star computer. I will give it at least 3 months (save more money) and might go for it. I mean, it's a large scope, it can be sold (even if it is for a 50% loss), and it won't become outdated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrPyro Posted August 15, 2003 Share Posted August 15, 2003 Ken- That Dob you posted a pic of is a new scope, I'll bet Sky & Telescope will do a review of it soon (if they haven't already). Orion Telescope & S&T have, what I would call, a close working relationship. Dobs are good scopes, easy to use, often easy to move, allow for large primary mirrors (I have used a 22" Dob), and are the favorite style of DIY rigs. The problems/disadvantage with Dobs is that they aren't really setup for computer control (autotracking, etc) since the declination movement is hard to instrument. Most Dobs, including this one, simply mount the tube in a semicircle base mount and place Teflon or some high molecular weight plastic to alow the declination to be easily adjusted by hand. I can't find much info on how they implement the "IntelliScope Computer Controller", but it appears simply to be digital setting circles. Keep in mind with this design you won't be able to do any astrophotography and tracking objects will be difficult at high magnification/small viewing areas. I think it would be a great into scope, easy setup and easy to "point & shoot", for a good price. If I remember correctly, I got my Celestron and most of my accessories for $1600, but that was well over 10 years ago. Just remember not to stare at the neighbors with it -Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milton10 Posted August 15, 2003 Share Posted August 15, 2003 Ok, I guess I will jump in. I am new to this forum, and yes, I am into astronomy - bigtime! I own two telescopes: a small refractor called a TeleVue Pronto (exellent small scope), and a 12.5" Zambuto StarStructure newtonian. Of course the Zambuto blows the TeleVue out of the water. I usually do my observing on the New Moon about 1x a month. To see the TeleVue Pronto go to www.televue.com I highly recommend their products. To see the StarStructure, go to www.starstructuretelescopes.com The best reflectors that I have seen yet. Keep in mind that the Orion XT10 is a BIG telescope that you will have to lug around. The best telescope is the one that you will use the most. 10 inch telescopes are excellent overall performers, but the Orion XT8 will be MUCH easier to move around. Also, get yourself some quality eyepieces - TeleVue makes some of the best around - and they hold their value. Look on www.astromart.com and buy them used - most astronomers are overly protective of their equipment so the used items will most likely be in excellent conditon, plus the astronomy community seems to have bred a very honest group of folks - so the condition that is posted on their classifieds is usually correct. Milton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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