Telescope Reviews: Top 3 public demonstration telescopes

A couple of years ago my club's prez presented me with a certificate for a bunch of outreach hours. We have a monthly outreach program at a local park, an open to the public semi-dark site monthly event at a larger park away from down town, and monthly real dark site event open to the public about 20 miles from town. We also go to local schools, state parks, Scout events, and other stuff where club members bring their telescopes and put on a dog and pony show.

Some of the club members are credited with hundreds or even thousands of hours spent at these events; while some members bring their telescopes for the first time. Some events are object specific, like the Jupiter one a couple of weeks ago or the Mars thing a couple of years ago, or the ever present Spring Messier Marathon. Some of the events are close to a 120 volt outlet while others are in the middle of nowhere.

Bottom line it is the best OTA and mount is object and event specific. The first thing I ask about an event is if there is power, and if not if the club can bring the Honda generator. Next question is about the phase of the Moon, since even at a dark site the light pollution from a bright moon greatly limits which DSOs you can observe. Local light pollution is also a consideration, a downtown park close to a busy 4 lane commercial street will have lots of peeps at the telescope; but the objects you can view are limited.

I have probably left out some other major considerations, not the least of which is if it is getting dark at 6:00 PM and I need to grab a Big Mac on the way to the site after leaving work and will be rushed setting up I may use a grab and go as opposed to a Newt on a GEM. The last thing I will mention is some locations restrict things like laptops and other display devices used with electronic assisted observing.

That being said my most used rig, conditions permitting, is an 8in Newt mounted on an Atlas GOTO mount, with a Scopetronix EP threaded to a Nikon 4500 with the output displayed on a 1900X1600 LCD. I put lawn chairs around the whole thing, put the LCT on a folding table get the Moon in the FOV, grab a kid, sit him/her in a lawn chair and let the kid fly over the surface of the Moon using the hand paddle. Other club members have 12 or 14 in dobs, c11s and c14, and a big fork mounted Meade; but I always have the longest lines, and I often have to admonish the grownups that the kids get first crack at the paddle. This setup gets my first place as the biggest crowd pleaser. I can also slew to stuff like Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, and M42; but not much else will really hold the crowds interest.

If the light pollution is not ad DefCon 5 levels I will set up my MallinCam on a c11. Stuff like M57 or M27 simply blow peeps away. Even the less colorful stuff gets major interest and if you can blab about how far away stuff is peeps will stay longer. I have also used the 8in Newt on the Atlas for this, but the c11 with a Meade 3.3 focal reducer seems to provide better views. Tie between a c11/Losmandy (which my bud owns) and my 8in Newt/Atlas (which I own) only because I own the newt for the silver.

My bronze is a dark horse. I have a Meade AR5 stopped down with a Baader 90mm ERF and a SO <3A HA filter behind a top of the line Moonlite focuser. I like the Nikon 4500 output to a LCD because it is color; but a DMK B&W camera can get more detail, especially if you stack and post process the image (I know that is not really observing, but I do have pix at the table under the tent where the LCD is). I personally spend more time observing the Sun than at night, and do lots of solar outreach. I know David does some solar stuff and am wondering if any other guys here do any solar outreach?

I also use my ED80 on an iOptron MiniTower strong side with an Orion 90 Mak on the other side with dual LCD displays. I put a MallinCam on the ED80 and the Nikon on the Mak; but this is my grab and go outreach setup.

I dont really try to "teach" peeps how to use a telescope, or how to star hop; I am just trying to get them interested in observing. I do however pass out cheat sheets with bullet points of objects of interest (produced by my c11 bud) and the web site of the club and a blurb about the next club meeting.

YMMV.