Re: APO or Mak? BE PATIENT please


"Doink" <skyman102a@xxxxxxx> wrote in message

> I'm keeping the big Coulter but I can't handle dragging it out often and
> if seeing isn't great, the results aren't either. I bought the heavy
> Alt/Az Unistar so anything I can lift easily will set up easily so that's
> not an issue. I want clarity. My 8" reflector beats em all----even the
> larger reflectors here because seeing is seldom that great. I hate false
> color. The MAKs seem a bit easier because they are compact but the APOs
> are less "finicky". MAKs have more mechanics and therefore more stuff
> that can misalign or fail. They seem a bit more difficult to cool too.
> I'm considering a Tak 128 or an Intes f/10 7" Deluxe model with the
> cooling fan.

Those are two great scopes you're considering - both would be a joy to use,
so we're discussing the finer points. The Tak has a focal length of 1040mm,
the mak is 1800mm so consider how much you value wide field views. The two
scopes will perform quite similarly: the Mak maybe brighter and the Tak will
have higher contrast. The Tak is big but not heavy, around 20 pounds fully
dressed. The Mak will give you a smaller exit pupil at high powers. In
terms of resolution the FS-128 has a Dawes limit of .9 arc seconds, here it
is seeing limited >90% of the time.

I have an FS-128 right now and I wouldn't trade it for a 7" mak. Why? I
sometimes like to see the big picture - widefields. I like a "natural" view
and I dislike the loss in contrast that a 35% obstruction yields
(diffraction spikes bother me too). I live in the north where cool down IS
a real issue and do a lot of quick sessions lasting only an hour or two, the
refractor plays that game well. That said, I think a good MCT is an
excellent second or third scope. Of course, there are newts and there are
bigger scopes, but to thine own self be true.

Ed T.


.

Relevant Pages

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    ... >looking through the AP Mak, you looked through a 20" Dob? ... that they were truly "bloated" beyond the normal diffraction pattern, ... IF the seeing was very good, IF both scopes were fully cooled down ... it could mean those optics were better than the C14s. ...
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  • Re: APO or Mak? BE PATIENT please
    ... diffraction spikes but was not conscious of that until I read your words. ... > Those are two great scopes you're considering - both would be a joy to ... the mak is 1800mm so consider how much you value wide field views. ... > (diffraction spikes bother me too). ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
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  • Re: APO or Mak? BE PATIENT please
    ... Hi, As Bill has stated, cooldown issues with Compound Scopes can ... Telescopes have specifically adressed cooldown issues with thier scopes ... Once seeing an 8" Mak of Yuri's at one A-fest, this scope was compact, ...
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