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jarin
newbie
Reged: 10/03/09
Posts: 4
Loc: Northern VA
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Hi all! Not sure exactly where to post this, I'll try here, as it's somewhat mount related, and I do plan on upgrading the current stock 8SE mount. :-)
As I mentioned, I've got a stock Celestron NexStar 8SE. Thinking of adding:
CG-5 or CGEM mount (depends on budget!)
Orion 80mm shorttube and guidescope pkg.
Orion DSII color cam for prime focus.
f/6.3 and maybe the Meade f/3.3 later.
My question revolves around the best way to mount the Orion...? I've seen so many options from my time here..., what's a simple, solid way to get it onto the 8SE OTA...?
Thanks for any help!
Jeff
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averen
super member
Reged: 01/20/09
Posts: 117
Loc: Austin TX
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You can either go side by side or piggybacked.
I've done both and I prefer side-by-side. Side by side is a little more difficult to balance but you have your center of mass closer to the point of rotation which means less leverage, which is good.
Piggybacked works well too...and for imaging it's probably the easiest. However the scope on top does add to the amount of counterweights you'll need.
If you go with a CG-5 you'll pretty much have to do side by side. If you go with a CGEM you can go either way.
I used the 8SE OTA on my CG-5 with an Onyx 80 on it. Started piggybacked and it would BARELY balance. With the extra weight on top it REALLY pushed the mount to it's limit. With the side-by-side it was workable but just barely. If you really want to go with that setup and think you'll be doing imaging for a long time I would highly recommend getting a CGEM since the CG-5 will just barely be able to handle the load and any little bit of wind will cause problems. Having a beefier mount is definitely a good thing.
If you're just starting out with imaging I would start with the 80mm and work your way up to the SCT. Imaging at lower focal lengths is much more forgiving.
Overall I would recommend side-by-side. Get an ADM Side-By-Side plate and call it done. Balancing isn't that big of a deal...after a couple of times you'll be able to balance it in minutes.
Jared
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Some Glass...
Some Mirrors...
Some Photon Collectors...
Way too much aluminum.
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RandallK
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/10/06
Posts: 1003
Loc: Nanaimo, B. C. Canada
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I really wanted the ADM side-by-side but just couldn't lay out $200.00 US for it. The orignal owner of my Meade 8" SCT installed two brackets (1 at each end, used for piggy backing a 35mm Camera, from Astronomics). He had a flat bar across the top (to act as a carrying handle), and I removed it and replaced it with a slotted bar and rings from Scope-Stuff. It supports my ST-80 guidescope, on my HEQ5-Pro mount with no flexure issues. The total weight is around 23 lbs and the HEQ5-Pro is conservatively rated for a 30 pound payload, so I'm just pushing the envelope. PS: When I take down for the night, I remove the Orion ST-80 from it's rings and then use the slotted bar as a carrying handle for the 8" Meade, so the bar serves two purposes.
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Scopes: Meade SC-8AT w UHTC
Orion ST-80 Refractor (Autoguiding)
SkyWatcher 5" F/5 Reflector
SkyWatcher 127mm MAK
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Cameras: Orion Starshoot DS Colour Imager V.1
Imaging Source Webcam DMK21AU04.AS
Canon XSi 450D Unmodded
Palm TX PDA w Astromist and Bluetooth wireles control.
Edited by RandallK (10/04/09 02:48 AM)
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