Posts Made By: Steve Stainbrook

I have a second home in the Rockies and am looking for a telescope to use up there but my concern lies in the subject line. I have very limited use of my left arm and unfortunately I will have to assemble/dissamble the tripod and OTA each viewing cycle for storage. I am looking to spend $1500 to $2500 and am seeking opinions. Having a home with such clear skies is perfect, but I'm interested in viewing and photographing deep sky objects so a smaller scope such as the ETX 90 or 125 just doesn't seem to work. I was thinking about a Nexstar GPS 8" but didn't know if others had some different suggestions. I stink at polar alignment so the GOTO capabilities interest me along with brain dead alignment!

Thanks,

"Lefty" !

What is the "official" name of our sun? My wife asked me and she didn't buy "Steve" !

Steve

I was thinking about putting my scope on a pier (covering the scope when not in use to protect from the elements of course....) but was wondering at what temperature is the scope mirror and electronics (Celestron Nexstar 8 GPS) susceptible to damage? It can get to -15 below at night but only highs in the 80's (which of course, the highs I'm not worried about).

Thanks,

Steve

I just bought a 35mm Panoptic and 22mm Panoptic and can't wait to use them tonight. On the 22mm it has the 1 1/4" built in and I am wondering if I should sell it, buy a 27mm and switch to a true 2" barrel. Am I losing light collection, sharpness or FOV by using a 2" eyepiece? If not, why use a 2" anyway? My equipment - Celestron 8" GPS XLT at 10,000 feet in the Rockies!

Thank you all for the input. Dave, I was able to test attaching the scope per your technique and it worked wonderfully. The deep grip of the Celestron fork allowed a secure feel while I used the bad arm to wrap around the scope. I also heeded Floyd's advice and bought a landing pad which also assisted and makes it very easy to place and lock. As soon as the clouds are gone I will begin using my new Nexstar 8" GPS. Anything bigger would not be feasible for me so I guess the next scope needs to be a 16" on a pier covered with a dome - will let you all know when I build it! Thanks again! Steve

I kinda liked "Steve" it sounds much better than G2V!