Just wondering

Knowing i am in a wheelchair but am fairly mobile (to a degree) without it.........

If i wanted a scope with a fairly good apeture (maybe 6-8") that was lightweight.....and easy for me to lug around.......with a EP at the lower end.............

What should i be looking out for?

Basically i am talking about a scope with max power and min weight.

It also has to be fairly good with DSO's.

I'm happy with what i have right now. I'm thinking of the best upgrade for me in a year or so.

The main aspect of it has to be transportability.

I welcome your suggestions.

Yo, you will want a schmitt cassegrain telescope with a short optical tube
SCT's have the eyepiece at the lower end of the scope and are more compact than Newtonian reflectors, but less expensive than refractors when you look at the larger apertures.
Or else a Maksutov, same sort of deal.

PJ,

My initial guess would be that it would need to have the eyepiece at a reasonably constant height. Ideally, this would place it at the rear of the scope where it would be easier to look in the eyepiece. This limits it to a refractor or an SCT.

However, a refractor of this size would be a beast of a yoke, especially if you don't have any assistance with setting up and taking in the scope after a night's onserving.

My suggestion would be a 6" SCT. Nice and compact, not too heavy. Realaively constant eyepiece height. Up to yourself then really if you want an alt-az or equatorial mount. Alt-az might be easier to setup. I'd get GOTO too, if it were me.

Hope this helps,

So far so good. 2 out of 2 suggest a SCT.

Best out of 10 will tell me what i need. So far the SCT is 100%.

I'll just go goole that.

SCT=schmitt cassegrain telescope

I just noticed that.

Yes this has been recommended to me before by a few others.

Would a 6-8" SCT be something i could move myself?

Scrap that..............yes a 6" SCT looks like not too much trouble.

However, a refractor of this size would be a beast of a yoke, especially if you don't have any assistance with setting up and taking in the scope after a night's onserving.

I have been wondering if there is a weight difference between say a 6" refractor and reflector.

Obviously i plan to move the scope and mount ot as seperate parts(makes life easier).

What would be the combined weight?

Just googled for prices and $600 came up. Thats about the same as i paid in euro for my 90mm.................so its NOT beyond my means. But that doesnt include a mount.

Would a 6" SCT be compatible with my 1.25 EP's?. I know i can buy a 2" adapter for a few euro...............so it aint a problem.

DAMN this thing called appeture fever.

I've been looking at SCT's and i reckon i found the one for me:

NexStar 6 (XLT) SE

Prices are good. Size (scope length) is good. Weight is good.

It promises portability with performance. Just what i'm after.

What says yee?

Paul --

If you're going for DSOs, I'd try and stay at the 8" mark. I think the best way for you to minimize weight is to get one of the Cassegrains without a big piece of glass in the front (the corrector).

Two designs come to mind: a sub-aperture Mak and a Dall Kirkham. Takahashi is the only name I know making DKs this size, and they're going to be expensive. Still, you might want to look around on AstroMart for a Mewlon 180 (7"). (Takahashis also tend to be built like tanks, so even without the corrector they may weigh just as much as an SCT.)

Both Vixen and Orion Optics make sub-aperture Maks. They are also better quality than a Celestron or Meade -- though not up to the standards of Takahashi -- so they're going to be priced somewhere in between. Yikes! I just looked it up and Orion's 8" OMC200 is 2,000 Sterling! That's a bit rich.

House of Optics in Germany is selling the 8" Vixen VMC200 for 1425 Euro, which certainly seems to be the better deal. www.hoo-germany.de/produkt.php?prd=239

Note that with either of these designs you'd still need a mount. If you're just doing visual then I'd recommend an alt-az mount -- Vixen's Portamount would work well with either instrument. www.orionoptics.co.uk/MOUNTS/portamountpage.html (Takahashi's Teegul would also be a great choice, but then you're talking more money again.)

Hmm... I just noticed that Orion Optics even sells Vixen's VMC200 for less (785 Sterling) than their own OMC200. Odd..., but a great price on the Vixen.

Either way, though, better start saving your pennies.

-- Jeff.