Perfect City Scope?

Hello everyone! Lets discuss what scope would be the best of all possible worlds for my situation.

I live smack dab in the middle of the city. I have a 12.5 f/5 dob but don't want to lug it downstairs to view (I live on the 3rd floor).

What I really want is to do some viewing from my small balcony. My balcony faces towards the North, so I can get a glimpse of some deep stuff, but since I am in the city, most of it will be washed out. Besides most of the neat stuff is behind me in the South, and my main interest is the Moon and the planets (after all, thats about all I will be able to see - I might throw in some bright open clusters as well).

Any ideas on what the perfect scope would be for such a situation?

Chuck

Hi Chuck,

I recommend an AP Traveler on a 400 GTO mount. Having owned a 12.5" RC, 4.7" AP and a Questar 3.5", all in an urban location, I've had the best views of the planets and the moon with the Traveler. The aperature is small enough to work well in marginal seeing and the optics are simply unsurpassed. On an average night, a 3mm Radian gives tack sharp views of the planets at 200+ power. The 400 mount dampens vibrations in less than one second, is user friendly, and is very portable. If this set up is in your budget, you can't go wrong.

Tim

Balcony? Planets? Moon? Open Clusters? That would be a Tele Vue NP101 on Gibralter Mount with Sky Tour. Sweet!

How about a small mak? Tim seemed to enjoy his refractor over his mak, but in my case it's the other way around, granted my refractor isn't anywhere near as nice as his! Don't forget, as well, that a 4.7" refractor isn't very small even if it is a "Traveler"

I'm thinking an ETX or Orion StarMax or something would provide nice, APO like views but be small enough to lift with one hand. Of course a mak won't be as adept a rich field telescope.

Well, Chuck, it's sounds like you want a scope that can moved around easily, extremely quick to cooldown for a "quick draw". Unfortunately, the planets and the moon rises from the east so your balcony may not be the ideal place to view them.

A "perfect" scope might be an APO like the TV-85, very small and light especially on AZ mount (and recently covetuously priced ;-) on Astromart). This setup can be picked up with one hand (so I was told by one owner). If price is still too steep, perhaps an 80mm Vixen ED 80S.

Good luck on your perfect quest!
Ron B[ee]

Hi Chuck,

I have the 5in Mak from orion on a manual eq mount. I love the planetary views, although I would get a sturdy mount and at least one drive if you plan on using high powers. My Apex 127 handles magnification well and came well collimated out of the box.
I bought it when I lived in the city and only had a balcony for viewing. When I moved to a more rural area, I couldn't bear to part with it

Good luck,
Steve

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Chuck:
This is Bill in SA. Contact me.
Bill

Hi:

Keep in mind that aperture is critically important if you live where light pollution is really nasty. In "sodium pink" sky conditions, I do not recommend anything smaller than about 8 inches. In addition to making deepsky objects look much better in the skyglow, a 8 will deliver more detail and brightness than a 4 inch refractor or small MCT on the Moon and planets. And be considerably cheaper to boot. Depending on the size of your balcony, you might find an 8 inch dob does the trick. The Orion XTs can be moved in one piece, so when you're ready to take the scope downstairs you'll find it fairly easy. While I'm not a huge dob fan, I think this is the best choice for your situation.

Peace,
Rod

How 'bout a Celestron C5 SCT in one of its permutations such as a Nexstar, or the C5 on a small German equatorial mount, or for the ultimate in portability, perhaps the C5 on a Bogen Mini Geared head on a camera tripod. You get good optics, reasonable light grasp, a well constructed and highly respected optical tube, and an item which is highly transportable.

Chuck
I also live in a very light poluted area (next to Houston, Texas). I found the Nexstar 5" to be a good city scope, especially when portability is important. It is very portable, it has a decent sized aperature, and when aligned the Go-To will find objects that can be seen in the scope even in the light poluted city but would otherwise be difficult or impossible to find.
Just my opinion.
Steven Jindra