[Chaos-l] Another idea.....pls advise

[Jayme Hanzak]

Michelle, 

  

As president of CHAOS I want to personally congratulate you for generating what I believe is the longest thread on this listserv. 

It has been a most informative and thought provoking journey. It was just awesome to sit back and watch the assistance and knowledge 

you received from everyone. 

  

You and your son are now officially amateur astronomers. 



Welcome to the Big Sky. 

Jayme Hanzak 
CHAOS President 

CHAOS 
P.O. Box 3001 
Chapel Hill, NC 27514-0842 
http://www.rtpnet.org/chaos/ 





----- Original Message -----




From: "Allen Davis" <starstorm151 at embarqmail.com> 
To: "michelle s" <shellytex1 at yahoo.com>, "Jim Pressley" <binovision at gmail.com> 
Cc: chaos-l at rtpnet.org 
Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 1:03:44 AM 
Subject: Re: [Chaos-l] Another idea.....pls advise 




You  just need now to get out and use it!  That is the best scope….it is almost a cliché…..but the best one is the one that is used!  allen 

  



From: chaos-l-bounces at rtpnet.org [mailto:chaos-l-bounces at rtpnet.org] On Behalf Of michelle s 
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2011 11:07 PM 
To: Jim Pressley 
Cc: chaos-l at rtpnet.org 
Subject: Re: [Chaos-l] Another idea.....pls advise 

  



Well, I finally made a decision (it's returnable within 30 days for a full refund) and went with the Celestron NexStar 130. If it's a mistake I will know it after using it. I get the whole aperture idea (and I might be making a mistake) but really would prefer a lighter weight telescope and also one that helps us find out where things are. I might be exchanging it for the xt8 later in the month, but at least I will be paying for return shipping on an 18 lb. item, as opposed to a 40+ lb. scope.  


You have all been helpful and I will be referring to these emails if and when I decide I don't like the Celestron. Free shipping, and it should be here on Thursday! So....by Sunday, hopefully we will have spotted something :) 


Michelle 


  





From: Jim Pressley <binovision at gmail.com> 
To: michelle s <shellytex1 at yahoo.com> 
Cc: chaos-l at rtpnet.org 
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2011 10:46 PM 
Subject: Re: [Chaos-l] Another idea.....pls advise 



Michelle, 


The Celestron Nexstar 130 telescope's mirror is ~5" in diameter, with a focal length of 650 mm.   The 8" Dobsonians discussed earlier are about 1200 mm in focal length.    There will be performance differences here...almost an apples and oranges situation...that might better be discussed and explained in person at a club meeting.    


  


For example, although the step between a 5" and an 8" mirror may seem relatively small, their respective surface areas are 20 square inches (6") and 50 square inches (8").   That equals an almost 2.5X increase in light grasp.   In most cases, brighter is better. 


  


It may come down to deciding which is more desirable...a 2.5X brighter image or computer control to find objects.   Certainly, computer controlled telescopes have merit...many of us use them...but you can enjoy learning the sky by star hopping with a finder and star charts.  In fact, this is a great way to learn the sky and can be a very satisfying pastime. 


  


It might be best to simply hold off purchasing anything until you and you son can attend an observing session and see first hand the differences in various types of telescopes.    It's not easy to make an informed decision without understanding the many options offered with today's modern telescopes. 


  


As several others have said, I too would go with aperture over features, but everyone has to find out what they want for themselves. 


  


Jim 


                              
                            

  

  
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