09-22-2009, 01:32 PM
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#3 (permalink)
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Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2007
Posts: 302
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cubdriver
I used to have Celestron 8 and 11 GPS Telescopes, a Televue Pronto, a lot of eyepieces and other gear and was really into the hobby. It is a wonderful hobby as a casual activity, but I would say not as great for people on a budget unless they have access to observatory. The TeleVue was a lot of fun and I think it only cost about a thousand. It could be set up in seconds and taken down very fast. The other scopes were slow to set up and not really as much fun. Here's a picture I took through one of them. If I did it again I think I would make my own Dobsonian telescope , maybe even grind my own glass. There's nothing like a big Dob for looking at things at night in your own back yard.
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Awesome! You know, you can get a 6 inch Dobsonian from Orion for like 400 - with tracking. It's manual push to, but all you need to do is make the numbers go to 0, 0 to find your target. I would have gone for the bigger aperture and cheaper Dob, but I was looking for something I can pack in my car or maybe even carry on for my annual Vegas trip. (Take a drive out of the city to the desert, and you will see what I mean!) Carrying a heavy 4.5 foot tube around probably wouldn't be too easy. The best telescope is one that you will use most often.
If you are lucky enough to live in a dark area with good stars, then Dob in the backyard would be amazing. Unfortunately, I need to drive 45 mins to get anywhere decent. Small Mak-Cas (15 inchs, 21 lbs total with tripod) and under 10 minute setup time was the best option for me...
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