Posts Made By: Reynaldo Cordero

My understading is that you can actually "see" a difference when comparing versions of each type of coating side by side. In general, the smaller the aperture, the more important it is to maximize light transmission. In other words, a 10" SCT without UHTC would still be a great scope, whereas a ETX 105 can use any help it can get.

Rey Cordero
Berkeley, CA

All right, all right. I will withdraw my recommendation for a 5" SCT and move to the camp in favor of an 8" SCT. Aperture is king in this hobby. Assuming that the optics are of high quality, the more aperture for the money the better. It will be difficult for a beginner to outgrow an 8" scope anytime soon.

Nonetheless, I want to share one aspect of my experience. The frequency of use of a telescope is often inversely related to its aperture - that is, a 3" refractor is likely to get more use than a 8" SCT. It is a function of ease of set up, cooling times and portability, not to mention that good collimation is a must.

It is one reason why I always have a small scope nearby that I can take outside without much planning.

Rey Cordero

Thanks for making this information available. The 3D graphics alone are worth the time to look.

Rey

Hi Paul:

You have already been given a lot of wonderful advice. I will add that a nice pair of binoculars is a must for the beginner. It gives you the opportunity to explore wide field views of the sky with minimal preparation. It also helps you get oriented by the time you look thru the Telrad (or equivalent) and the finderscope. My advice is a pair of 9x63 or 10x50 binoculars. The Celestron and Orion brands are a good place to start. Avoid the temptation of getting hign magnification binoculars right away (12x or higher). Those require to be mounted on a tripod to optimize their utility.

Rey Cordero
Berkeley, CA

Looking through the light polluted skies of Berkeley, California, i could not even locate the comet in my Celestron C8. This was clearly an event that needed better seeing conditions.

Rey

Hi Ron:

Here is my take on the binocular question. With regards to planetary observing, I'd like to reiterate that binoculars are not the thing to use. As for the Messier objects, it is more of an art than anything else with this instrumentation.

I own a two binoculars: Celestron Ultima 10x50's and Orion Little Giant 15x70's. I am in the process logging all of the Messier objects through the light polluted skies of Berkeley, CA with these. I am now able to consistently find the Ring Nebula even in the 10x50's. What you see however is a star-like object which on careful inspection shows a hint of a rounded apperance. In the 15x70's I believe I can tell it is doughnut shape object. The thrill of it is to be able to locate it with binoculars and to imprint in my memory the star hopping sequences to find the Messier objects. This is important because someday I would like to participate in a Messier marathon. Others objects are definitely more impressive, M44 (the Beehive Cluster) and M42 (the Orion Nebula) immediately come to mind. Beyond that, the Milky Way is absolutely wonderful through binoculars. The point is that you have to know the limits of this equipment, otherwise you could be dissapointed.

Back to your question of what to buy. I know that the Canon IS series is well regarded. Keep in mind however, that 50mm binoculars are still 50mm binoculars whether they have image stabilization or not. The amount of light that it they gather are at the lower end of what is considered useful for astronomy. The only benefit is that you won't need a tripod. However, I cannot see myself exchanging the advantage that 70mm lenses give you for sake of giving up the use of a tripod. I have compared my 10x50's and 15x70's side by side numerous times, and I am always impressed at how much more you can see through the larger binoculars even though the optics in the Celestron are better than the Orion's.

My recommendation is to buy non-IS 10x50's or if you don't mind working out your biceps, a pair of 9x63's. The latter can definitely be used in a handheld fashion and their light gathering capacity make them very appealing for looking at the sky. Have a tripod handy (they are not that expensive) so you can get a sense of their utility.

Finally, if you choose handheld bino's, you would do yourself a great favor by buying a folding recliner chair such as one from La Fuma brand. It eliminates neck strain and helps you stabilize the image. At this point I don't even want to use the bino's without it.

Most of all, have fun. That's the best part of the experience.

Clear Skies.

Rey

Hello:

I had the good fortune of meeting the owner of an 18 in Pegasus dob at the 2005 Shingletown Star Party who let me take a look at M51 (Thanks Howard). There was little doubt what I was looking at with direct vision. The supernova sits in the middle of one of the spiral arms on the side opposite from the sister galaxy.

Once I knew what I was looking for I was able to locate it in my Celestron 9.25. Of course, it was dimmer and could not be seen as well with direct vision but it was definitely there.

Rey Cordero

Ron:

Congratulations on acquiring your new Light Bowl! It's going to take a bit of getting used to for the rest of us; we are so accustomed to seeing you and your 4 in. together. I hope it was not a nasty divorce.
Even if it was, boy, that trophy wife sure is good looking.

Look forward to your postings and pictures. And get some sleep one of these days, will ya.

Clearest of skies during first light,

Rey Cordero

Ron:

Congratulations on acquiring your new Light Bowl! It's going to take a bit of getting used to for the rest of us; we are so accustomed to seeing you and your 4 in. together. I hope it was not a nasty divorce.
Even if it was, boy, that trophy wife sure is good looking.

Look forward to your postings and pictures. And get some sleep one of these days, will ya.

Clearest of skies during first light,

Rey

Hi Dave:

As an owner of a Super C8 Plus who at times thinks about selling it, I was wondering the same thing you are. In response to your question, I did a quick review of the Astromart ads and found that, over the last few months, most of the fork mounted C8's of old were for sale between $600 and 900. Similar OTA's were in the market for $400 to 500. However, more than half of them do not have a SOLD posting, which may or may not tell the whole story.

So, in answer to your question, some of them are selling for this price. With regards to the particular ad you referred to, I also have a soft spot for a piece of history. In this case, an orange tube Celestron Pacific in excellent condition would look great in my study. My brother-in-law recently paid $900 for an oversized Tibetan singing bowl (yes - a bowl!), so why not for an orange tube.

Beyond the historical appeal, the real question is whether this is good value for the money. For some, it appears to be yes, although I do think this is a debatable point. Frankly, I am someone let down whenever I use the GOTO mount of my Celestron 9.25. I have never thought of myself as old-fashioned, but in the end prefer to star hop my way to the target. So if you are someone who prefers sweating the details, a fork-mounted or polaris-mounted 8 in SCT may be appealing. Let's not forget that an 8 in SCT is still very portable, has first rate optics and when properly collimated, will give you great views.

That's just my opinion though. I would like to hear what the rest of the Celestron crowd has to say about this.

Clear Skies,

Rey Cordero