Re: orion sky view pro 8
- From: "Jan Owen" <janowen1@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 15:43:41 -0700
"Steve Paul" <smarshallpaul@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:46e18cfa$0$10194$88260bb3@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"brucegooglegroups" <brucegooglegroups@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Any feedback on the Orion Skyview Pro 8 Newtonian? I am considering
the new GoTo mount or Intelliscope.
I'd question the stability of the OTA during focusing. A 40" focal length
Newtonian isn't exactly a "short" scope, and the shorter the better for a
CG-5 class GEM.
Not that I think the SkyView Pro isn't capable of handling the 8" F5
overall, but personally I'd prefer to try focusing at high power before I
buy. An electric focus motor might be something you'll need/want to
consider.
I'd take Intelliscope with a clock driver over GoTo. This has been argued
ad-nauseum, but we do each have an opinion, and this is mine: Digital
Setting Circles (Intelliscope) allows _you_ to aim the scope by grabbing
the OTA and swinging it where you will, while zeroing out the counters on
the DSCs to acquire a specific target. While this can be sometimes
difficult (more difficult than having GoTo do the work for you) because
you have to lock and unlock the RA and Dec axis, it does have the
advantage that the DSCs optical encoders keep track of where the mount is
aimed, even if you aren't looking at the DSC (Intelliscope) readout. For
example, you know where M8 is without aid, and you want to just swing the
scope over there... with DSCs you can, without the DSCs losing track of
the mount's RA and Dec position.
GoTo on the other hand uses its motors to provide the feedback to the
computer, and the RA and Dec axis must remained locked. That of course
means that you can never release the OTA to slew freely, and you become
totally dependent on the GoTo motors to aim the scope. Should you release
the RA and Dec axis to grab a quick look at Jupiter before it goes below
tree-line, you will undo the GoTo computer alignment, and have to
re-align.
The choice comes down to whether you want the freedom to slew the scope on
your own, or if you forever want the mount to do _all_ of your aiming.
Also, how often would I have to collimate the scope?
Frankly, Bruce, this isn't something that you should consider as a make or
brake on buying any scope. While it is nice to rarely have to collimate a
refractor (if ever), collimation is a maintenance process that everyone
who's interested in owning a scope needs to master, no matter what scope
design they choose. Hopefully the Orion scopes come with reasonable
mechanical components to hold collimation well (which is a reasonable
thing to consider/question), but, moving the scope around, expansion and
contraction due to heat and cold, all will have an impact on collimation,
and it will need to be adjusted sooner or later. Best to learn how and not
have to think about it as a scope buying criteria ever again.
Always expect to be frustrated a bit with the learning curve, and you'll
never be disappointed... (in theory). ;-)
Thanks.
Bruce
Best wishes,
Steve
Hi, Steve!
I agree where the SVP mount is concerned... It will often manage more
weight than you might think (for visual applications), and the Intelliscope
option should be a good one...
I have the Atlas G for some of my larger OTA's, and at this point, I only
have my Brandon 94 APO (Rolando objective) on the SVP.
Recently, Orion put the Intelliscope upgrade kit for the SVP mount on sale
for $99.00... I jumped at THAT, to be sure. Still haven't installed it,
but SAA will be the first to know when I do, and then have a good first
light... I started to put the ORION link here, but they're back to the
regular $249 price... Even at THAT price, it's a good deal. But at $99, it
was highway robbery, so I COULDN'T pass it up!!!
I've always prided myself for being able to find almost ANYTHING quickly,
and have wowed folks at star parties, or just neighbors, visiting in my back
yard, by my ability to just spin the scope around and pull stuff out of the
heavens (Sketcher's PAL system at work, here), but my WIFE has been my
harshest critic... She will come out several times during my all night
vigils, and ask to see what I'm viewing, only to find I'm still looking at
the Trapezium's six readily available stars (the same thing I was looking at
when she came out two hours earlier), or the whole Orion complex, or I'm
STILL looking at the Double Cluster... Ahhh, well!!!
GOTO has solved that...
No matter WHAT I may be looking at when my wife puts in an appearance, with
GOTO, OR PUSH-TO (Intelliscope), I can show her a BUNCH of stuff in a short
time, meet ALL her needs (and more), and let me get back to my original
(deadly slow, but heavily detailed) observation in a HEARTBEAT...
The old days were cool, if you had the RIGHT STUFF, but today, the RIGHT
STUFF is available for modest extra cost, and is generally WELL worth it...
Of course, the time-worn statement "your mileage may vary" applies, but I
think, in most cases, this WILL hold true...
--
Jan Owen
To reach me directly, remove the Z, if one appears in my e-mail address...
Latitude: 33.6
Longitude: -112.3
http://community.webshots.com/user/janowen21
.
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- Re: orion sky view pro 8
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