Posts Made By: Donnie Bigers

I prefer my eyepieces laying down in the case. Unless you label the caps, it is very hard to tell what is what when they are vertical.

It takes more room to do it that way. But think of it as a way to keep you from buying more eyepieces. ;-)

Another idea is a 4" refractor. The C4R from Celestron is a good target and can be had for around $400. The German EQ can be daunting for a youngster, but no more daunting than collimation.

Of course if this is a Father/Son tandem, then collimation is not a problem. Actually, depending on the 12 year old, collimation might be easily handled or picked up by themselves.

Of course the 6" dob will show more, but the refractor is much more rugged and should be trouble free for a lot longer.

I mention collimation only because for the uninitiated it can seem pretty hard. It also requires patience until you learn to do it properly.

Again, depending on the 12 year old, a dob could be a great first scope and the aperture advantage is hard to ignore. I started with a 60mm refractor when I was about 10.

One thing is for sure. If they have never used a scope before they will be thrilled with the moon through any telescope. If it hadnt been for the moon Im not sure my interest would have survived at that young age. Theres not much 60mm will show too well, but the moon looks great through most anything.

Good luck in your decision. Maybe post back and share what happens.

Wow!! That is one mighty impressive setup. Roland, your mounts, much like your telescopes are works of art.

Since each color will focus at a different point, the image scale for each color will also be different. Index marks could certainly facilitate the three different exposures with regard to orientation, but if the image scale of each color is different then its a software game of trying to achieve the same image scale for each exposure and combining them.

I do not know too much about imaging in general, perhaps today's software already has a feature that would take care of this? Matching image scale for the exposures.

Stick with it. Normally collimation with an SCT is quite easy. You are at a point I have been at before. The collimation is so far off that any adjustments you make seeem to have little affect on the appearance of the diffraction pattern. If you are way off. Use the intensity of the diffraction rings to let you know where the secondary is. Obviously you want to be able to see the shadow of the secondary, but if it is way off that may not be possible. So, take note of what part of the diffraction ring is the brightest. Now, as you make a small adjustment, note if the intensity changes. Ideally the intensity will begin to fill the rings equally. As it does this, the shadow of the secondary will become defined.

I hope that is not confusing. It really is easier than it sounds. Say for instance you are defocused on a star. You note that the rings are far from being concentric. Normally you woud make an adjustment and then check again. But if it is way out, then an adjustment may have no visible affect on the placement and concentricity of the rings. The intensity of the light however will be affected. As you get closer to being in collimation, the rings will have an equal amount of energy all around the central shadow. So, make an adjustment. Note if the energy distribution in the rings has changed. If so, is it moving in the right direction? If not, go the other way, again in small steps.

I have been at the point that you are at before. I know from experience it can be frustrating. I find it best to do it with a star. Just take it slow and you will be able to get it close again. Once it is close, just follow normal collimation procedure. After you have it properly collimated it is very easy to maintain.

Good luck.

As always, very nice image. You really get the most out of that scope.

Ok Mark, sold. I have been looking for a good picture of that DSH 12 to gage how big it is in relation to other scopes. Looks like a great project scope. Not that it doesnt work as is, but I plan to redo the rocker box with ApplPly. Should be more attractive as well as more sturdy. That and a few other bits of "tinkering" that dobs allow.

Thats one good thing I have noticed about dobs, there is always a cloudy night project that one can do to these. Anything to keep me busy on cloudy nights and not looking at new scopes is good in my book. Of course if you get a premium model then there is a whole lot less tinkering that is required.

As the other guys have pointed out, there are much better scopes to be had for the money. The Orion 127 Mak comes to mind. I have only viewed through one, but it had very good optics considering the price.

Also, occasionally a C8 shows up for right around that price. Of course you would need a mount.

Finally, as Jon pointed out. The 10" Asian dobs are a lot of bang for the buck. Very easy to use and setup. Much more so than the 12" I have now. Though not as compact as an SCT. When you factor in the mount needed for an SCT the 10" dob to me personally is easier to setup and use. Pack the base out, then carry the tube out. Then you are all set. In fact, the 8" versions can be packed out in one trip by a fit person without trouble. It doesnt seem that way when looking at them, but I find them to be much more "portable" than a comparable SCT. Dont get me wrong, I love SCT's for some reason. But a dob is much quicker to setup in my opinion.

Thanks for the updates Floyd. Send him well wishes from us AstroMarters.

WOW!!! I have always enjoyed the excellent images you post with your C8. The C11 shots are amazing.

Thanks for sharing.