TONY@NCSUVM.BITNET (09/11/85)
I too am looking to buy either a Celestron Super C8+, a Celestron Super
Polaris C8, or a Meade 2080/LX3. I would appreciate ANY information about
these scopes ( or any other SC scopes in the 8-10" range ) -- durability,
reliability, ease of maintenance, available accessories, etc. How smooth are
their drives/drive correctors? What sort of auxilliary power supplies do they
accept? How stable are the mounts? How does the SPC8's GE mount compare to
the Fork mounts on the C8+ & 2080 in ease of set-up and stability? Any and
all comments, suggestions, etc. will be appreciated.
I am primarily interested in deep sky observations and astrophotography.
Due to the weather here in the southeast US ( humidity+ ) I prefer a closed
system, but a good sized refractor is out of my budget. As I live in an
apartment, portability is important.
Thanks in advance for any & all help,
Anthony Lawrence
<TONY@NCSUVM.BITNET>
US Mail: 718 Chamberlain St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
P.S. This is not a 'Halley Whim'. I have been in the market for a quality
scope for some time now, so please : NO suggestions that I buy a pair
of binoculars because they'll take up less closet space come next March!freeman@spar.UUCP (Jay Freeman) (09/18/85)
[] In article <57@NCSUVM> TONY@NCSUVM.BITNET writes: > >I too am looking to buy either a Celestron Super C8+, a Celestron Super >Polaris C8, or a Meade 2080/LX3. I would appreciate ANY information about >these scopes ( or any other SC scopes in the 8-10" range ) -- durability, >reliability, ease of maintenance, available accessories, etc. How smooth are >their drives/drive correctors? What sort of auxilliary power supplies do they >accept? How stable are the mounts? How does the SPC8's GE mount compare to >the Fork mounts on the C8+ & 2080 in ease of set-up and stability? Any and >all comments, suggestions, etc. will be appreciated. The systems are much more alike than the advertising would have you believe. There are plenty of accessories for each. The equatorial head of the Super Polaris mount is nice, but the tripod that comes with it is flimsier than one might wish. >I am primarily interested in deep sky observations and astrophotography. >Due to the weather here in the southeast US ( humidity+ ) I prefer a closed >system, but a good sized refractor is out of my budget. As I live in an >apartment, portability is important. If humidity is a major consideration, be advised that the corrector plates of Schmidt-Cassegrains are usually the first optical surfaces to dew at local star parties. You will need a long, _light-weight_ (so as not to unbalance the system) dewcap. -- Jay Reynolds Freeman (Schlumberger Palo Alto Research)(canonical disclaimer)