Posts Made By: Reynaldo Cordero

I moved from a C8 to a 9.25 last year. That additional 1.25 inches in aperture is certainly noticeable at the eyepiece in terms of light gathering. It certainly brought out features in the Orion Nebula I had never seen before. In fact, it looked 3 dimentional. It also gave me a clear view of the view the supernova that was seen in M51 last summer. I first had to have someone else show me thru an 18 in Dob at a star party, but then I had no trouble finding it.

I have not had a chance yet to do side by side comparison for planetary study, but work has it that the 9.25 views remarkable views of the planets. As you probably know, the 9.25 has a longer focal length compared to the other Celestron SCT's. My understanding that the secondary is carefully matched to exploit this feature and provide better resolution.

Perhaps you will have the opportunity to do your own comparison. When do you expect to get yours?

Rey

Try as I may I have not been able to convince myself that one scope will be enough. Although large aperture is great, it is often, well, cumbersome. Besides, I am now spoiled by refractor views.

Recently, I took a trip to a dark sky site, and took my TV 85 and C 9.25. It was clear to me that one would not be substitute for the other.

If I could only figure out how many is too many.

Rey

TV 60
TV 85
ETX 125
C5
C8
C9.25

Chris:

Even a purist like me has moved over to the GOTO camp. Getting a GEM GOTO up front will also help you deal with that corrosive feeling called buyer's remorse. If you are anything like most of others in this hobby, you will constantly be wondering if you should have gotten a better telescope. If you can afford it, get a mount with GOTO software that can be upgraded via the internet. There are "bugs" in many of the programs that need to be dealt with over time.

Same goes for aperture. I think the general consensus around here is that an 8 in SCT is a good, versatile scope that will give you years of pride and pleasure. It certainly did the trick for me.

Then there is the decision to buy new or used. Having gone both ways, I can assure you that most amateur astronomers take good care of their equipment and buying used is not as risky as it may appear. 8 in SCT are so common you may be able to drive to a seller to test before buying it.

We are all eagerly awaiting your decision.

Rey

How about a Tele Vue 60? The first time I saw gas bands on the surface of Saturn was in a TV 60 at 160x. In near perfect atmospheric conditions, the clarity of the image was outstanding.

Rey

Thanks all for your input. I have decided I am going to clean the corrector plate myself when I get a chance soon. I take it that I should place some marks on the OTA to make sure that it is put back in the same orientation.

I will let you know how it goes.

Rey

Paul:

What is the focal length of your scope? That will help other in the forum give you better advice on eyepiece selection.

Zoom eyepieces used to have a bad reputation. Years ago, I bought a zoom from Orion and returned it within a month because I was so disatisfied with the optics. Nowadays, zoom eyepieces are very popular.

I own 3 zoom eyepieces, all made by Tele Vue:8-24, 3-6, and 2-4 mm. The optical acuity is not as good as a fixed mag eyepiece but the convenience is worth the compromise. I have never regretted spending the money for mine.

Rey

Chris:

My vote is for a 32mm Possl for wide field views in the refractor and narrow search views in the C8. Then a roughly 8-24 mm Zoom to give you a broad range in both. Buy used.

Congratulations and clear skies

Rey C

I have 2 Bogen 410's.

How bad is the play in yours? That is, is it interfering with your observations? Does it hold position once you center it on an object?

One of my 410's has a little play but never enough to create a problem.

Rey

Hello all:

Thank you all for your posts. It helps a novice like me gain perspective and, of course, learn more. In particular, I was fascinated by John Biretta's post showing the color specific focus shift for different refractors. If I can only really understand what how he came up with those numbers (John, how about plain English for simple folk like me?)

I was expecting to find that the hype around the ED 80 was just that hype, but it seems that if you get a well collimated sample, it will compete with more expensive refractors without breaking the bank, albeit while sacrificing the quality of materials used and tolerances in the manufacturing process. Like Jon Isaacs said, it is remarkable that a Chinese lens company can in fact offer such a good triple lens for so little money, but then again that's the positive side of globalization (please, I don't mean to start an argument on this topic).

Then, it is equally remarkable that a doublet apo can still hold its own when compared to triple lens designs, and that the differences in color correction are so small, if at all, that you have to look so hard to tell the difference. The use of the term "obsolete" to describe the TV 85 is hogwash.

This thread was indeed about color correction in popular apo's, but user experience will always be more than just about color halos around the moon.

By analogy, a Pontiac GTO LS2 will spank a Porsche Boxster S on a 0-60 mph sprint, and the Pontiac sells for 20 Grand less! But I know which one I want to see in my driveway. Besides, in every day driving, the difference in their 0-60 sprints mean very little.

So enough yacking about equipment. Get out there and take advantage of the moonless (relatively so) nights and let your retinas soak up some photons.

Clear Skies to all, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Rey

Hi Dave:

Funny that you just posted this. I was just pondering the same thing. In typical weather for me I have no more than 90 minutes of viewing time this time of year.

I have been so frustrated with my inability to keep dew off my lenses that I have found myself taking only my small refractors out since they are less vulnerable to this. My C8 and C9.25 just sit in the basement waiting for the next 'dry run' for which I usually have to drive out of the soup of the SF Bay Area to the mountains.

The dew shields just don't do it in this environment so I am pricing heaters and heat controllers to deal with this (Kendricks, DewBuster, etc.)

Apparently you can build your own heater but I am not that handy with that kind of stuff. Other people use regular hair blow dryers but I am looking for something I can take with me when in search of darker skies.

The main advantage of the blow dryer is that I already have one but getting the heater setup will cost me money. But what doesn't in this hobby?

Hope this helps.

Rey