Posts Made By: Victor Kennedy

I have Tak .965" eyepieces in 2.8, 4, 5, 7, and 18mm focal lengths. They are excellent for planets, but have a narrow field of view, and in the 2.8 and 5mm, very short eye relief. You should definitely try before you buy, or if you see any for sale on Astromart, see if you can arrange to return them if you don't like them (some amateur astronomers are very nice this way). I like mine so much I'm going to complete the set.

One more thing: the Taks are tiny; for low power I have a Pentax 28mm which is about the size and weight of a hand grenade (I think; I've never actually held a live hand grenade). If I'm not careful, my 80mm refractor can go like a see-saw when I switch eps.

OH no.... not... the COMFY CHAIR!!

I'll chime in and second what the others have said about the Stellarvue AT1010. I have two small refractors, a Chinese-made Celestron 70mm and the AT, and in comparison, the Stellarvue is much better built, shorter in length (therefore easier to transport), and takes greater magnification. It's small enought to mount nicely on top of an 8" SCT, too.

Hi David. I have a 13.8mm SWA that I use in an f.6 refractor. There is noticeable edge degradation; the outer 25 to 30% of the field does not come into focus. I haven't tried it in a longer focal length scope. I also have a 28mm Pentax that is sharp across the field. Try before you buy. (You can try my SWA if you like).

Many people say an 8" Dobsonian is the best scope for novices, but they are even less portable than your SCT.

I too have a Stellarvue AT1010, and I have found it to be a very nice scope. I used to have a 6" Schmidt-Newtonian, which I hardly ever used, but since I got the AT1010 I've used it a lot. I live in the center of town, and it's easier to move around and set up.

Pros:

It gives good views of large, bright objects like the moon, planets, and the brighter DSOs.

Very portable, even on an equatorial mount; others recommend alt-az mounts, as they're generally lighter and easier to use.

It's ruggedly built.

It will keep its resale value.

Cons:

You don't get a lot of magnification. Planets look small.

You're not going to see really dim objects. Globulars and galaxies look like white wisps.

My opinion is that an amateur astronomer needs binoculars, a small, portable, "quick-view" scope, and a larger scope for those rare occasions when you have good weather and the time to enjoy it. No one piece of equipment is going to do everything perfectly.

I'd suggest you keep your C8. You might find later on you regret selling it. Even if you use the small scope most of the time, sometimes you'll want the bigger one. I've just bought a C8 myself.

Any such sagging could be compensated for with an eyebra.

Hi Mary. Last weekend I took a C8 in a duffel bag on Air France as carry-on luggage. It just fit. If there's an airport near you, you could go and measure the rack they use for determining the size of carry-on luggage, then compare to the published size specifications of the scopes you are considering.

So the runt turned out to be the pick of the litter?

;-)

I find that hard to believe, Mr Smart.

"How do you guys in snow country do this???" Back in my motorcycling days I used to have a snowmobile suit. I could ride all winter long (in Toronto), but it would get cool after an hour or so. Now you can get electrically heated vests, gloves, etc. Do a search on Gerbing's Electra Products. Never tried one, but I did have a chemically operated hand warmer a few years ago. Where I live now (Slovenia) it seldom gets that cold.