The Official Astronomy Thread

[Crusader]

It seems bender2008 was some kind of spambot replying in any threads that mentioned Technopro. Competitor with an axe to grind maybe?

 

[marine1]

Perhaps

 

[unskinnybob]

Anyone with a decent telescope around Centurion want to invite me over for coffee?

 

[RiaX]

I went for an astrophysics lecture tonight, its completely different when you see the mathematics in play as opposed to the dumb down versions they publish in the news sources

 

[DawieZA]

Let me try and revive this thread. So I am busy selling my Celestron 6" reflector on EQ mount and is looking for a new telescope. Budget is set at R15000 and this time around I am looking for a GOTO telescope that is preferably bigger than 6 inches. Any ideas?

 

[ponder]

If you can hang on a bit longer I heard Hubble is being decommissioned in 2014 but you would have to extend your budget by some margin.

 

[marine1]

If you can hang on a bit longer I heard Hubble is being decommissioned in 2014 but you would have to extend your budget by some margin.

 

[Crusader]

Let me try and revive this thread. So I am busy selling my Celestron 6" reflector on EQ mount and is looking for a new telescope. Budget is set at R15000 and this time around I am looking for a GOTO telescope that is preferably bigger than 6 inches. Any ideas?

Within that budget you won't really be able to go for more than 6" if you go for both a mount and scope. The Celestron Nexstar 6SE should fit your budget. Or you could look at keeping your current reflector and just getting a GOTO mount for it.

 

[DawieZA]

If you can hang on a bit longer I heard Hubble is being decommissioned in 2014 but you would have to extend your budget by some margin.

LOL

Within that budget you won't really be able to go for more than 6" if you go for both a mount and scope. The Celestron Nexstar 6SE should fit your budget. Or you could look at keeping your current reflector and just getting a GOTO mount for it.

Thanks for the reply Crusader. I have a friend buying my current reflector so will have get a whole new setup. What do you think of the Orion SkyQuest XT10g? It will fit my budget perfectly but no stock available at the moment.

 

[Crusader]

Thanks for the reply Crusader. I have a friend buying my current reflector so will have get a whole new setup. What do you think of the Orion SkyQuest XT10g? It will fit my budget perfectly but no stock available at the moment.

That would have been my other suggestion. I haven't seen one of these myself, but the specs look good and if the Dob performs as well as my plain old XT10 it should be great. Beware that it is a much more bulky setup and not really suitable for astrophotography etc.

 

[DawieZA]

I had a hands on look at the Orion SkyQuest XT10i (IntelliScope) today and yes it is much larger than my current setup. The footprint will however be smaller than my current setup which will be great for my small apartment. Also I am not really interested in astrophotography so a Dob would be fine.

Looked at a few scopes just outside of my price range and the Celestron Nexstar 8SE looks good as well.

 

[Crusader]

Looked at a few scopes just outside of my price range and the Celestron Nexstar 8SE looks good as well.

Yes, I've got one of them and it's a treat.

 

[DawieZA]

Yes, I've got one of them and it's a treat.

You lucky bugger. I trying to convince myself to up my budget to R20000 and shop around for a Celestron Nexstar 8SE but damn that is a lot of money for a hobby. The Orion SkyQuest XT10g stays a winner but I am worried about portability. Guess some more research is in order.

 

[Crusader]

You lucky bugger. I trying to convince myself to up my budget to R20000 and shop around for a Celestron Nexstar 8SE but damn that is a lot of money for a hobby. The Orion SkyQuest XT10g stays a winner but I am worried about portability. Guess some more research is in order.

It only took me 10 years of saving to get one! ;P

 

[DawieZA]

Ok I have decided to take the plunge and invest in a Celestron Nexstar 8SE. If I want to regularly take my telescope out the three flights of stairs to my department will kill me with a XT10g. Now the hunt is on to find the cheapest shop selling the 8SE.

 

[Crusader]

Ok I have decided to take the plunge and invest in a Celestron Nexstar 8SE. If I want to regularly take my telescope out the three flights of stairs to my department will kill me with a XT10g. Now the hunt is on to find the cheapest shop selling the 8SE.

Think Kalahari was the cheapest online shop I saw. You will also want to invest in some sort of power supply for the scope, an AC adapter if you can get to mains power or some sort of external power pack.

 

[DawieZA]

Think Kalahari was the cheapest online shop I saw. You will also want to invest in some sort of power supply for the scope, an AC adapter if you can get to mains power or some sort of external power pack.

Thanks I will check Kalahari as well. Looking at the Celestron PowerTank for the power supply as I highly doubt I will be near AC most of the time. Did your telescope come with the cigarette lighter type cabling or will I have to buy that separately?

 

[Crusader]

Thanks I will check Kalahari as well. Looking at the Celestron PowerTank for the power supply as I highly doubt I will be near AC most of the time. Did your telescope come with the cigarette lighter type cabling or will I have to buy that separately?

Had to get it separately. If you know someone who is handy with electronics I'd rather buy a deep cycle battery and connect to that. I have something similar to the Powertank and it doesn't hold the charge for more than a couple of hours, so the batteries in them die quickly. Especially if unused for a while. For the same amount of cash I think you can get a deep cycle battery that could power the scope for weeks.

 

[DawieZA]

Life is cruel. Just as I am getting ready to order my 8SE some unforeseen expense comes up to %#!* me around. So I have settled for the 6SE and placed the order. Should be able to collect it from the dealer on Tuesday with a Power Tank and cigarette lighter cable.

I am still very happy though. The GOTO function will save me a lot searching for more viewing time and the whole package is lot more portable than my current setup (without loosing aperture). Here is hoping for many a good night under the skies.

 

[LazyLion]

http://www.cosmonline.co.uk/blog/2012/11/04/voyager-finds-more-surprises-final-frontier