17 replies to this topic

[CliveFX]

Hey, a buddy of mine (pretty senior at SpaceX at the cape) wants to buy his wife a telescope to look at the planets. Since they live in Florida, I figure they can take advantage of aperture.

 

I want to recommend  a Nexstar 9.25 or a 8, a Baader zoom with barlow and a Pentax xw10. 

 

Avoids all the complication of a GEM, polar alignment, etc. 

 

Few questions: 

1. Is the Nexstar platform.. good? good enough to recommend to a buddy? Like, at least as good as say, using an AZ mount pro? 

2. Is the 9.25 really as magic as Ed Ting says? 

3. Any of yall use this: https://github.com/nforrester/NexPlane to track satellites with their nexstar? 

 

I assume the optics are the same as a C8 or C9.25, which is to say, good enough. 

 

I haven't used any of this gear. What I hope to get is them to get the "wow" effect on Jupiter, make out the mars ice caps, and possibly see the ISS solar panels. I can do all that with my Mewlon 210, so I figure the C8 or 9.25 can do it much better in the stable air of Florida. 

 

 

 

 

[hyiger]

If it's just for planets, Moon, Sun then maybe a Dob would be better?

[elwaine]

Hey, a buddy of mine (pretty senior at SpaceX at the cape) wants to buy his wife a telescope to look at the planets. Since they live in Florida, I figure they can take advantage of aperture.

 

I want to recommend  a Nexstar 9.25 or a 8, a Baader zoom with barlow and a Pentax xw10. 

 

Avoids all the complication of a GEM, polar alignment, etc. 

 

Few questions: 

1. Is the Nexstar platform.. good? good enough to recommend to a buddy? Like, at least as good as say, using an AZ mount pro? 

2. Is the 9.25 really as magic as Ed Ting says? 

3. Any of yall use this: https://github.com/nforrester/NexPlane to track satellites with their nexstar? 

 

I assume the optics are the same as a C8 or C9.25, which is to say, good enough. 

 

I haven't used any of this gear. What I hope to get is them to get the "wow" effect on Jupiter, make out the mars ice caps, and possibly see the ISS solar panels. I can do all that with my Mewlon 210, so I figure the C8 or 9.25 can do it much better in the stable air of Florida. 

The myth of the 9.25 will never die, it seems. (There are lots of posts on that topic.) Both the C9.25 and the C8 will have the "wow" effect you are looking for. Variability in the performance of Celestron's SCTs, and their overall optical quality, has improved quite a bit with the Edge series.

 

As for mounts, I would choose the Nexstar Evolution mount over the older Nexstar mount. The Evolution mount has metal gears instead of plastic and is more robust. Pointing and tracking are quite good, and with StarSense, it's all automatic.

 

That said, I am very disappointed in my Nexstar Evolution mount because the WiFi is terrible and cuts out on its own with no rhyme or reason. Celestron uses old WiFi technology. They know about the problem. They are just turning a blind eye to it. (There are many posts on that topic.)

 

In any case, the Nexstar Evolution mount carries the C8 Edge without a problem, but I would not recommend putting the heavier, and longer, C9.25 on the mount.

 

Knowing what I know now, I would buy the C8 (or C9.25) Edge OTA and put it on one of the newer Strain Wave mounts. The Evolution mount weighs 16 lb. The smaller Strain Wave mounts weigh about 8 lb. and will carry a C8 without the need of counterweights... or a C9.25 with counter weights. The larger, 12 lb. Strain Wave mounts will carry the C9.25 without breaking a sweat and will not need counter weights. 

 

Add a carbon fiber tripod and you get an observatory package that is at least 10-15 lb. lighter than the Evo mount on a steel tripod... plus you avoid the crummy Wi-Fi inherent in the Evo mount.

 

P.S., I'm sure someone will point out that you do not need to spend the extra money on an Edge series if planets are the prime target, because you only use the center of the F.O.V. when viewing planets, and you do not need the entire field to be flat. While that is true, many folks who use their scopes to observe the planets also enjoy looking at the moon. And there is a very significant difference looking at the moon through a telescope with a curved F.O.V. vs. that with a flat field.

Edited by elwaine, 16 September 2024 - 04:21 PM.

[vtornado]

An 8 inch SCT is a good choice for planets.  9.25??? I don't know.  It is quite a bit larger.  From my friend's setup he says the nexstar is a bit shakey with the 8 inch.  This could make focusing tricky and a breeze may be trouble.

 

You don't need goto to find the planets, but it helps with tracking.

 

SCTs will have dew problems in florida.  Be prepared to at least buy a dew shield.  You may have to buy a dew heater.

 

Baader zoom will be fine.

[Mike Q]

If it were me and i wanted to just look at the planets i think I would opt for a 8 inch Classical Cassegrain.  It gives you lots of focal length and eliminates some of the issues that come along with SCTs.  No corrector plate to dew over, its an open tube design so it will cool off quicker and no mirror flop or image shift to deal with.  I would probably mount it on a iOptron AZ Pro mount.  

 

The reality is you can not really pick a scope for someone else.  You need to get them to outreach program and let them get some hands on scope time.

Edited by Mike Q, 17 September 2024 - 03:51 AM.

[12BH7]

The myth of the 9.25 will never die, it seems. (There are lots of posts on that topic.) Both the C9.25 and the C8 will have the "wow" effect you are looking for. Variability in the performance of Celestron's SCTs, and their overall optical quality, has improved quite a bit with the Edge series.

 

As for mounts, I would choose the Nexstar Evolution mount over the older Nexstar mount. The Evolution mount has metal gears instead of plastic and is more robust. Pointing and tracking are quite good, and with StarSense, it's all automatic.

 

That said, I am very disappointd in my Nexstar Evolution mount because the WiFi is terrible and cuts out on its own with no rhyme or reason. Celestron uses old WiFi technology. They know about the problem. They are just turning a blind eye to it. (There are many posts on that topic.)

 

In any case, the Nexstar Evolution mount carries the C8 Edge without a problem, but I would not recommend putting the heavier, and longer, C9.25 on the mount.

 

Knowing what I know now, I would buy the C8 (or C9.25) Edge OTA and put it on one of the newer Strain Wave mounts. The Evolution mount weighs 16 lb. The smaller Strain Wave mounts weigh about 8 lb. and will carry a C8 without the need of counterweights... or a C9.25 with counter weights. The larger, 12 lb. Strain Wave mounts will carry the C9.25 without breaking a sweat and will not need counter weights. 

 

Add a carbon fiber tripod and you get an observatory package that is at least 10-15 lb. lighter than the Evo mount on a steel tripod... plus you avoid the crummy Wi-Fi inherent in the Evo mount.

 

P.S., I'm sure someone will point out that you do not need to spend the extra money on an Edge series if planets are the prime target, because you only use the center of the F.O.V. when viewing planets, and you do not need the entire field to be flat. While that is true, many folks who use their scopes to observe the planets also enjoy looking at the moon. And there is a very significant difference looking at the moon through a telescope with a curved F.O.V. vs. that with a flat field.

I finally got my hands on a 9.25 on an Evo mount. It' was pretty shaky just sitting in the showroom. I couldn't image it under medium magnification.

 

I often put it up against my 12" SCT, which is a bit better, but the 8" does a surprisingly good job of keeping up. 

 

I would put the 8" SCT on an iOptron mount with a 60mm refractor on the other end. 

[sevenofnine]

If you're sure she can handle a large SCT and mount then I'd consider this one. Right now it comes with a free StarSense 

 

https://www.celestro...sense-autoalign.

[Echolight]

It's impossible to choose a scope for someone.

 

Let her choose it herself. Then there's only herself to blame if it's too big or too much trouble to use.

 

Now if I had to, and if you got the coin (senior at SpaceX), probably a Tak FC100DC  with a 2" diagonal, a 30 UFF, and the Baader zoom with a 2" barlow, on a Manfrotto 028 with a SV225 head,... maybe?

Edited by Echolight, 17 September 2024 - 12:16 AM.

[ABQJeff]

For a Lady, a C9.25 Edge on a HAZ31 mount and Berlebach Uni 24 tripod with tray…beautiful like the Lady.

[RichA]

I finally got my hands on a 9.25 on an Evo mount. It' was pretty shaky just sitting in the showroom. I couldn't image it under medium magnification.

 

I often put it up against my 12" SCT, which is a bit better, but the 8" does a surprisingly good job of keeping up. 

 

I would put the 8" SCT on an iOptron mount with a 60mm refractor on the other end. 

They were better, more convenient on forks than sub-par GEMs.  Especially vertical in a goto. configuration.  

[ABQJeff]

And whichever you choose, binoviewers are great for planets, Moon and Sun! Two eyes greatly help see detail.

[Cpk133]

And whichever you choose, binoviewers are great for planets, Moon and Sun! Two eyes greatly help see detail.

I’ll second this.  and as others have said, very difficult to recommend a scope for a 3rd party like this.  Maybe the best choice is a 4 inch bino friendly refractor or maybe they cant use binoculars and they hate the binoviewer.  How much patience will they have for acclimating a bigger aperture or do they have any knowledge of seeing effects.  

[Eddgie]

The C8 is going to be more comfortable on smaller, lighter, easier to handle mounts and tripods, and of high power viewing, it is important that the mount and tripod be fairly stiff.

 

On most nights in a lot of places, the C9.25 isn't going to do any better on planets than the C8 because seeing will hold both of them back, though some areas of Florida have better seeing than others. 

 

While the strain wave mounts would be an excellent choice, they are expensive. A good alternative is the Az Mount Pro. This is a great mount for the C8, but the C9.25 would be (in my opinion) too much for it. The other advantage to a strain wave or Az Mount Pro is that in the event that they ever want to add a nice wide field refractor, the Az mount Pro or Strain wave mount will work with even pretty long refractors. 

 

 

 

A C8 with one of the new Svbony 235mm 8mm ot 20mm zooms would probably be a great combo, giving a very good magnification range for planets and the moon. 

[Freezout]

The reality is you can not really pick a scope for someone else.  You need to get them to outreach program and let them get some hands on scope time.

 

 

It's impossible to choose a scope for someone.

 

 

With all due respect, I will object: many people make very bad choices when buying what they believe is good for them. In fact it seems to be a Roulette game anyway for most beginners. Often people buy too big telescopes, or too small, goto while they don't like to deal with the electronics, etc. 
 

The best would be to ask her what are her criteria, and then select something by gathering knowledge.

 

Personally I would never buy bigger than a C8 for a first telescope especially for a lady.

[Mike Q]

With all due respect, I will object: many people make very bad choices when buying what they believe is good for them. In fact it seems to be a Roulette game anyway for most beginners. Often people buy too big telescopes, or too small, goto while they don't like to deal with the electronics, etc. 
 

The best would be to ask her what are her criteria, and then select something by gathering knowledge.

 

Personally I would never buy bigger than a C8 for a first telescope especially for a lady.

Feel free to disagree, but the simple fact is you would be making a suggestion based on your likes and tastes, even if she does give you a list of objects.  There is no replacement for getting some scope time at an astro club and looking at various targets through various scope, then she will know what objects she likes to see and what scope does best for her overall.  My first scope was a 10 inch dob and i should have gone bigger.

[Shed9]

I want to recommend  a Nexstar 9.25 or a 8, a Baader zoom with barlow and a Pentax xw10. 

I have both (8 & 9.25) nexstar's, albeit the newer Evolution variants.

 

As already noted up there ^, I too would recommend the Evolution version over the plain old vanilla Nexstar, it is just better designed in my opinion and has the battery already built in to the mount - a huge convenience.  Also the integrated handle is a very welcome addition.  Be aware the 9.25 version comes with a much beefier tripod, extra weight but for home use only that can be a win.  I would actually second the suggestion already made on this and go for the edge HD 800 Evolution with starsense (and possibly add a wedge to the bundle).  That said, despite the naysayers of using a 9.25 on an Evolution mount, can't say it's been an issue for me.

 

The Evolution mount and C8/9.25 combo works quite well, it's easy to setup and minimises the risk of it being left in a cupboard.

[alnitak22]

If you're sure she can handle a large SCT and mount then I'd consider this one. Right now it comes with a free StarSense 

 

https://www.celestro...sense-autoalign.

This! Though I would pick a C9.25 Edge for myself, for someone else the margin it might beat the  C8 on the planets may not offset the size and weight difference. 

[RichA]

And whichever you choose, binoviewers are great for planets, Moon and Sun! Two eyes greatly help see detail.

Yes, it's interesting, for a long time, they were novelties, attributed with no extra value by people who tried them.  Most of them came off microscopes, but what surprises me is that if you have two eyes with problems (near-sightedness, astigmatism) using two eyes allows you to see more detail than with just one, so whatever the physiological effect, it does work.  Now, if they didn't have to split the light (as in a binoscope) even better.  If you want to get the same relative illumination level as using one eye, you need to go from about an 8 inch scope to a 12 inch with the binoviewer.