Beginning accessories for C-9.25 SCT?

I am a novice looking at purchasing my first decent scope - based on my research and neeeds/desires, I am looking very seriously at a Celestron C9.25 SCT. I have two questions:

One - has anyone been able to find out any details of the new 'Advanced Series' version of this scope? Looking at adds, the only differences I can pick out is that the tripod for the CG-5 looks to be a improved, and the standard 26mm eyepiece is replaced with a new 25mm E-Lux. If that is all, is this worth the $100 difference (probably depends on how much of an improvement the tripod is)?

Two - what would you recommend as minimum equipment to start out with - I will obviously add more as time goes on, but to start out with a reasonably useable system, what do I 'need'? I have in mind a 2x Barlow, 1 or two extra eye-pieces (something like a 10mm and 40mm), a dew-cap (or make my own), and vibration pads for the tripod. Any other ideas? How beneficial would a polar alignment scope for the CG-5 be? I have also seen recommendations to upgrade the finder scope - how necessary is this - i.e., could I wait without getting too frustrated? I would like to try to keep the initial costs of accessories down so I can possibly afford the new Go-To version of this scope - which raises one last question - anyone know any details about the computer for the Go-To versions of these Advanced Series scopes (ideally so I could get software for my laptop that could control, or at least get input from, the drive computer?)

Thanks,
Verle

Verle,

Get a unit power finder like the Telrad or Rigel model. Then probably a good 10 x 50 or so finder if you are into starhopping.

After that, I think the field flattener.

I find the polar alignment scope useful, but not sure it is critical, since for the kind of observing you can do with a CG-5 does not rely on accurate polar alignment.

Of course, you will need eyepieces also.

And do not invest too much in that tripod. The CG-5, no matter how you upgrade it, is just not hefty enough for the 9.25. It works okay for visual.

Alex

Verle,

I just bought a 2-year old C9.25 already improved with a heavy duty wooden tripod from alsastro.com which puts the original aluminum tripod to shame. At 20 pounds+ the C9.25 does stretch the limit of of the CG-5 mount but with a wooden tripod it is an excellent set-up for "non go-to" star hopping astronomy. I also added the polar finder (a waste of money) plus dual drives and fomex dew shield.

I agree with another member who said to go with the OTA only and match it to a go-to Losmandy mount if you can afford it, providing these are bells and whistles you really need as opposed to just nice to have.

My strongest eyepiece is a Pentax XL 10.5mm, which at 224x is about the limit on this scope for most Raleigh, NC viewing. If you are in a very rural area with virtually non-existant light pollution I expect you could go much higher in power without loss of definition. I also use Meade 13.8mm & 18mm super wide angle plus Celestron 25mm plossl and a cheap 40mm plossl. With its f/10 feature this scope definitely requires some low power wide field eyepieces if you want to look at large clusters such as the "beehive", the Pleides, the Andromeda galaxy, or large nebular objects. This will require either going to a 2" diagonal mirror & 2" eyepieces --or-- going with a focal reducer --or-- both. A focal reducer from Celestron or Meade will increase your true field of view by 56%.

I was about to make the leap into 2" diagonal, 2" eyepieces, plus a focal reducer but decided for a lot less money to get Orion's 120ST 4.7" refractor to use on my CG-5 mount while waiting for my C9.25 to cool down. I may still do all that later but I think the Orion refractor will give me the wide fields I'm really wanting for the time being and it gives me something to do while the SCT cools down.

Other great advice you have already received is to take it slow at first, join a club, and get feedback from people with years of experience. I too have picked up tons of information just reading Astromart Forums. Unlike most chat rooms the people who participate on Astromart are just like the people you will meet at a club. Everybody has advice to offer and are anxious to help others.

Verle,

A beefed up tripod may not be enough for the 9.25. You will have a lot of issues with vibration, just focusing the OTA on a CG-5 with the aluminum tripod causes vibration that will take 3-5 seconds to dampen.

You may want to look at getting just the OTA and then getting a G8. If you can justify the cost.

As far as eyepieces go, an Ultima 30mm, a TV 25 and a TV 15 may be good choices. An Ultima 18mm is also a very good eyepiece. I'm not sure that 10mm is a good choice with an unsturdy mount.

Adding additional hardware like a dew cap, a larger finder will only create more issues with vibration on the CG-5. When you start adding up these accessories, maybe a G8 is affordable.

This is all great advice - I really appreciate it. One question this brings up for me though, is if I decide to get a 2" Williams diagonal, I am having a little trouble finding higher power 2" eyepieces - do you normally stick to 1.25 for the higher power stuff, or are the higher power 2" eyepieces just a little harder to find? I would like to find something in the 10-15mm range. Any ideas/recommendations?
Thanks again,
Verle