scope for light pollution

Right now light pollution in my yard isn't bad at all (about mag. 5),
but by next fall there will be a shopping plaza and parking lot built
adjacent to it, so I expect light pollution to be very bad.

I was all set to buy an 8" Dob, but when the light pollution
arrives, I might not be able to see much more than planets, so I might
have no choice but to get a planetary scope. What will give me the
sharpest planetary views: 8" f/6 Dob, 6" f/8 Dob, 80mm Orion ED
refractor, or 90-100mm Chinese non-apo refactor?

I might not be able to see much more than planets, so I might
have no choice but to get a planetary scope. What will give me the
sharpest planetary views: 8" f/6 Dob, 6" f/8 Dob, 80mm Orion ED
refractor, or 90-100mm Chinese non-apo refactor?

The 8 inch F6 DOB should give you the best views, not only of the planets but
also of the DSOs.

And if you skies are really mag 5 then it still should be a short trip to a
nearby park or other spot where you can do some serious DSO viewing.

jon

"Jon Isaacs" wrote in message
...

The 8 inch F6 DOB should give you the best views, not only of the planets
but
also of the DSOs.

And if you skies are really mag 5 then it still should be a short trip to
a
nearby park or other spot where you can do some serious DSO viewing.

Agreed. And in mag. 5 skies you can actually do quite a bit of deep-sky
viewing... for starters, all the Messier objects should still be visible in
the 8-inch. That's the kind of skies I have at my home.

You'll find star hopping pretty hard when the lights go in. It can be done,
I live in the middle of town and use a dob (8" f/6), but it's a frustrating
experience. Last year I was in the burbs and star hopping was a lot easier.

If you have even a medium size car the dob fits pretty readily across the
back seat though and setup takes less than a minute if it's kept
collimation.

Regards,
Michael Kreuzer

"Michael A. Covington" wrote
in message ...
"Jon Isaacs" wrote in message
...

The 8 inch F6 DOB should give you the best views, not only of the
planets
but
also of the DSOs.

And if you skies are really mag 5 then it still should be a short trip
to
a
nearby park or other spot where you can do some serious DSO viewing.

Agreed. And in mag. 5 skies you can actually do quite a bit of deep-sky
viewing... for starters, all the Messier objects should still be visible
in
the 8-inch. That's the kind of skies I have at my home.

Get something that packs in your car easily (like an SCT) because you'll be
doing a lot of driving in the future.

Al


"Patrick" wrote in message
om...
Right now light pollution in my yard isn't bad at all (about mag. 5),
but by next fall there will be a shopping plaza and parking lot built
adjacent to it, so I expect light pollution to be very bad.

I was all set to buy an 8" Dob, but when the light pollution
arrives, I might not be able to see much more than planets, so I might
have no choice but to get a planetary scope. What will give me the
sharpest planetary views: 8" f/6 Dob, 6" f/8 Dob, 80mm Orion ED
refractor, or 90-100mm Chinese non-apo refactor?

Get something that packs in your car easily (like an SCT) because you'll be
doing a lot of driving in the future.

Al

That 8 inch Dob will fit nicely in a car and be a quick setup to boot. Not too
long ago I timed myself getting my 10 inch DOB out of my Ford Escort. Setup
in under a minute from the time I pulled the lever on the truck release.

A 10 inch DOB has advantages but it does cost a bit more money and takes more
room.

jon

Jon,
I've got an xt10 and the tube fits perfectly across the back seat. But the
base won't fit in the trunk, so it has to go in the front seat - ergo, no
passenger. Does your trunk hold the base? Do I need to get another car or
do you know of plans for making a collapsible base?

peace,
jon


"Jon Isaacs" wrote in message
...
Get something that packs in your car easily (like an SCT) because you'll
be
doing a lot of driving in the future.

Al

That 8 inch Dob will fit nicely in a car and be a quick setup to boot.
Not too
long ago I timed myself getting my 10 inch DOB out of my Ford Escort.
Setup
in under a minute from the time I pulled the lever on the truck release.

A 10 inch DOB has advantages but it does cost a bit more money and takes
more
room.

jon

Jon,
I've got an xt10 and the tube fits perfectly across the back seat. But the
base won't fit in the trunk, so it has to go in the front seat - ergo, no
passenger. Does your trunk hold the base? Do I need to get another car or
do you know of plans for making a collapsible base?

My trunk will hold the base.

Some thoughts:

1. Put both the base and the scope in the back seat. First put the base at
one end, then put a blanket over the base and face the sides so that the scope
can rest between them. Then place the scope across the back seat with the
focuser end resting between the sides of the base on the support. Doing this,
I was able to get my 12.5 incher in one of my cars.

2. Place the OTA in the front passengers seat , one may have to tilt the seat
back a bit. Place the base on the back seat, this leaves a place for a
passenger in the back.

3. I designed the base for my 12.5 incher to be easily disassembled. I just
used two sections of aluminum angle "iron." I bolted them to the base board
and then used removeable bolts to hold the sides to the base. It is solid, I
used 3in x 3 inch by 1/4 inch I believe. It does disassemble and reassemble
quite easily but I never find I need to it.

Jon

"Jax" wrote in message
...
Jon,
I've got an xt10 and the tube fits perfectly across the back seat. But
the
base won't fit in the trunk, so it has to go in the front seat - ergo, no
passenger. Does your trunk hold the base? Do I need to get another car
or
do you know of plans for making a collapsible base?


This is a silly question, but have you tried to put the OTA in the trunk and
the base in the backseat? That works with my '99 Chevy Malibu. Leaves room
for two passengers, without feeling like a chauffer.

Also, FWIW, I have a Celestron Ultima-8 (8" fork mounted SCT) which straps
into a seat when not in the case and the tripod can go in the trunk also
leaving room for two passengers (that's the way I do it most of the time).
When transported in the case, the scope takes up the entire trunk, and the
tripod takes up the entire backseat. So there's no advantage in one over the
other as far as transport is concerned.

However, in winter, putting the scope in the (unheated) trunk means less
cooldown time than putting it in the (heated) backseat. So, fitting a scope
to the trunk has some benefit. As it turns out, I use the Dob more in the
cold months for that reason. I can toss the OTA in the trunk, drive
somewhere, have it setup in less than 5 minutes and cooled in half an hour.

In the summer I put the SCT in the front seat (this saves considerable
hassling with the case) and the tripod in the trunk. I can be setup and
thermally equilibrated in about the same amount of time as the Dob in
winter. Of course the Dob in summer is even faster than the SCT in summer,
but the SCT has other advantages that make it worthwhile. The SCT simply
takes too long to cool if transported inside the car in winter. So it goes
in the case and into the trunk if I need it, but that adds considerable
hassle. For visual use, I (almost) always go with the Dob in the trunk,
regardless of the season.

-Stephen Paul

Just a thought on the case size for an 8" SCT:

I have both a hard case and an Orion soft case for my SCT. The hard case
really protects the scope well, but it is huge and barely fits in a
relatively large Camry trunk. The Orion soft case has sufficient protection
but is much less bulky. It is also easier to carry by hand; the hard case is
so bulky that I tend to use it only when I have a hand dolly. Although I
thought the Orion case was expensive for a large backpack with foam (ca.
$140), it is one of the more useful purchases I've made.

Chris

"Stephen Paul" wrote in message
...
"Jax" wrote in message
...
Jon,
I've got an xt10 and the tube fits perfectly across the back seat. But
the
base won't fit in the trunk, so it has to go in the front seat - ergo,
no
passenger. Does your trunk hold the base? Do I need to get another car
or
do you know of plans for making a collapsible base?


This is a silly question, but have you tried to put the OTA in the trunk
and
the base in the backseat? That works with my '99 Chevy Malibu. Leaves room
for two passengers, without feeling like a chauffer.

Also, FWIW, I have a Celestron Ultima-8 (8" fork mounted SCT) which straps
into a seat when not in the case and the tripod can go in the trunk also
leaving room for two passengers (that's the way I do it most of the time).
When transported in the case, the scope takes up the entire trunk, and the
tripod takes up the entire backseat. So there's no advantage in one over
the
other as far as transport is concerned.

However, in winter, putting the scope in the (unheated) trunk means less
cooldown time than putting it in the (heated) backseat. So, fitting a
scope
to the trunk has some benefit. As it turns out, I use the Dob more in the
cold months for that reason. I can toss the OTA in the trunk, drive
somewhere, have it setup in less than 5 minutes and cooled in half an
hour.

In the summer I put the SCT in the front seat (this saves considerable
hassling with the case) and the tripod in the trunk. I can be setup and
thermally equilibrated in about the same amount of time as the Dob in
winter. Of course the Dob in summer is even faster than the SCT in summer,
but the SCT has other advantages that make it worthwhile. The SCT simply
takes too long to cool if transported inside the car in winter. So it goes
in the case and into the trunk if I need it, but that adds considerable
hassle. For visual use, I (almost) always go with the Dob in the trunk,
regardless of the season.

-Stephen Paul