Part 5
One of the things that I have learned through this process is that ultimately, the decision we make about which telescope to purchase is the best decision we can make based on personal preferences and needs at a particular point in time. In other words, why I ended up choosing the LX90 over another instrument fit my personal needs and budget at this time. Under other circumstances, I might have selected another instrument. What made sense for me may not make sense for others.
A standard piece of advice is to attend an observing session at a local club. The astronomy club in my area, the Shenandoah Valley Stargazers, held a display of their equipment at the local mall last fall. This provided me the opportunity to meet and chat with members about their scopes. I also attended one of their open sessions. Their site is located in the western part of the county, not very far as the crow flies, but about an hour’s driving time due to the winding rural roads. It was a clear evening during the Leonid meteor shower.
The first thing I noticed was the number of dobs from 10” to 20”. Many members had installed Skycommander digital setting circles. As you would expect from a clan of amateur astronomers, everyone was gratuitous about sharing their scopes for observation. I have to say that I was mightily impressed by the clear and contrasty views these scopes provide. I was even more impressed by how smoothly these behemoths moved. I don’t believe any were motorized and I certainly didn’t feel that motorization was essential.
I was very interested in observing through a SCT, as that was on my short list. One member had a Meade 8”SCT on a GEM and I was surprised by the view. Saturn appeared like it was being viewed through a piece of smoked glass. Even my mighty ETX offered crisper views. At the moment, that took the SCT out of the running. (Wait a minute, you’re thinking, didn’t you start off by saying you bought an LX90? Well, that just goes to show that first impressions aren’t necessarily lasting impressions.)
One of the things that I have learned through this process is that ultimately, the decision we make about which telescope to purchase is the best decision we can make based on personal preferences and needs at a particular point in time. In other words, why I ended up choosing the LX90 over another instrument fit my personal needs and budget at this time. Under other circumstances, I might have selected another instrument. What made sense for me may not make sense for others.
A standard piece of advice is to attend an observing session at a local club. The astronomy club in my area, the Shenandoah Valley Stargazers, held a display of their equipment at the local mall last fall. This provided me the opportunity to meet and chat with members about their scopes. I also attended one of their open sessions. Their site is located in the western part of the county, not very far as the crow flies, but about an hour’s driving time due to the winding rural roads. It was a clear evening during the Leonid meteor shower.
The first thing I noticed was the number of dobs from 10” to 20”. Many members had installed Skycommander digital setting circles. As you would expect from a clan of amateur astronomers, everyone was gratuitous about sharing their scopes for observation. I have to say that I was mightily impressed by the clear and contrasty views these scopes provide. I was even more impressed by how smoothly these behemoths moved. I don’t believe any were motorized and I certainly didn’t feel that motorization was essential.
I was very interested in observing through a SCT, as that was on my short list. One member had a Meade 8”SCT on a GEM and I was surprised by the view. Saturn appeared like it was being viewed through a piece of smoked glass. Even my mighty ETX offered crisper views. At the moment, that took the SCT out of the running. (Wait a minute, you’re thinking, didn’t you start off by saying you bought an LX90? Well, that just goes to show that first impressions aren’t necessarily lasting impressions.)
