7 replies to this topic

[TreeTrunkRick]

TL;DR — is the CPC Deluxe 1100 HD good for EAA as well as visual?

 

I currently own an ADVANCED VX 6" NEWTONIAN TELESCOPE and enjoy touring the night sky for the Moon, big planets, double stars and a lot of Messier objects but can’t visually make out many details on nebulae or galaxies without long exposures and post-processing images taken with a DSLR.

 

I don’t mind some post-processing but I’m not a serious astrophotographer in any way although I appreciate the long hours that many in this hobby put into creating magazine-quality photos.

 

Basically, I’d like clear visuals of nebulae and galaxies at the eyepiece and for a little enhancement, some EAA occasionally, either with my DSLR or a dedicated camera (ZWO or equivalent).

 

WIll upgrading from the 6” Newtonian on an EQ mount to the 11” SCT on an Alt-Az mount meet that goal?

 

Thanks to anyone who has read this and is willing to offer advice, pointers, etc.!

[mclewis1]

Rick,

 

Welcome to CN.

 

Yes the CPC1100 will make a great EAA platform. There are plenty of folks who hang out over in the EAA forum who are very active using Alt Az scopes and the CPC is one of the best. It's very capable of 15 to 30s exposures with good tracking. 

 

A few general guidelines ... use a focal reducer whenever possible. This speeds things up f ratio wise (allowing shorter exposures) and shortens the focal length which helps with tracking (actually it just masks tracking errors a bit but the effect is beneficial for most folks). Choose a sensitive camera and don't just follow what the serious imaging folks are doing (those who will go to great lengths for long exposures often choose different cameras than those who concentrate on shorter exposure EAA work).

 

Concentrate on getting good consistent initial alignments, this will give you the best tracking of your targets. 

 

Practice and have fun with it all ... it's not supposed to be work. Oh and try not to fall too far down the rabbit hole of technology. Experience is often a much more valuable asset than the latest shiny tool ... and cheaper too.

[TreeTrunkRick]

Thanks for the sage advice. Our local electronics store has started an astronomy section and i want to support them since they hold astronomy classes hosted by local astronomy experts. They carry the CPC 1100 in stock.

[wizzlebippi]

An excellent choice for visual and EAA.

 

For visual, with the Edge HD focal reducer it will fully illuminate any 2" eyepiece.  This means that unlike a normal C11 you can enjoy an about 60x 1.3° FOV with a 31mm 82° eyepiece.  The ample 11" aperture allows for solid nebula viewing using narrower filters like OIII or Hb.  The long focal length also means comfortable planetary viewing at high magnifications.  Even with the reducer in place, a 10mm eyepiece allows for about 200x at 1.4mm exit pupil.  For that really still night, a 7mm eyepiece yields 280x at 1mm exit pupil.  You also have ample aperture for binoviewing if you choose to jump down that rabbit hole.  Without the reducer, using a pair of 15mm eyepieces and a Celestron binoviewer, I I've seen Jupiter in a way that I've only seen in NASA images from my backyard.  

 

For EAA and imaging, matching a camera to the scope's massive focal length is a challenge.  The Edge HD focal reducer gets you down to 1960mm and paired with an ASI294MC you're at 0.5"/px.  Good for galaxies, but a limited FOV.  I originally messed with Hyperstar, but found that it made fine details too muddy.  I've been thinking about adding a cheap 2" 0.5x focal reducer behind the Edge HD reducer to bring the overall focal length to about 980mm.  There's also the hope that the Starizona NightOwl HD reducer is anything more than vaporware, but I wouldn't count on it.  I'm really curious about the Pegasus Astro SmartEye, though the IMX533 sensor will need hefty reduction as well for any useful FOV.  

 

The two downsides are weight and difficulty placing on the tripod.  Weight can be mitigated by getting a wagon to drag the OTA and Mount around (about 70 lbs).  For placing on the tripod, I strongly recommend the Starizona Landing Pad.  It helps you center the mount on the tripod.  Without it, it's somewhat precarious until you get the pin in the receiver on the bottom of the mount.  I also strongly recommend the Celestron dew shield.  It's somewhat heavy and expensive, but much better than any foldable dew shield I found.  It also neatly counterbalances the focal reducer and 2" diagonal.  

[TreeTrunkRick]

Thanks for the suggestions. The landing pad looks better than an extended warranty or insurance policy! I will be using this ‘scope as a setup on the concrete backyard patio so the tripod wagon sounds like a good solution in the near term (my “financial advisor” has approved up to $30k for a backyard observatory this year after I finish building her dream greenhouse currently under construction).

 

The focal reducer looks to be the first EAA accessory to invest in after bringing the ‘scope home. I’ve already purchased the Celestron dew heater ring, AC adapter and a flexible dew shield. Guess I’ll use the flexible one until the Celestron dew shield arrives.

 

You’ve given me plenty to research (like the pair of 15mm eyepieces and a Celestron binoviewer, filters, etc.) to decide how much money to pour into the bottomless astronomy equipment hole in the backyard — I might need a bigger wheelbarrow!

[MarMax]

Ditto the great visual/EAA possibilities!

 

Until you finish your observatory you should pick up a wheelie bar for that scope. I've had my CPC 1100 on wheels for the past three years. Worked great for visual and EAA. I've more recently dropped visual and only do EAA so I've de-forked the C11 but still use it on the wheelie bar.

[TreeTrunkRick]

After recently injuring my right shoulder (wreck on my road bicycle), I decided that the CPC 1100 would be too much of a beast. I’m picking up a Celestron Origin 6” RASA intelligent telescope this afternoon and hope it provides a good percentage of what the CPC 1100 would show.

 

Thanks again to everyone who provided valuable input about the CPC 1100. If my shoulder heals properly, I may go the CPC 1100 (or Meade equivalent) route.

[mclewis1]

The "better" or "best" scope is one that will get the most use. Heavy scopes and folks with injuries/bad backs and general age are usually not a good combination for enjoyment of this hobby.