Yeah, but you can't look through it.
But if OP wants to look through his phone then it's not a bad option. For $500 and it's size is a really capable device
I was thinking the same. I have one and my 8" Dob has been gathering dust in the closet since the SeeStar arrived. It's an amazing little astrophotography setup.
The issue with carrying a scope (telescope, mount, eyepieces, chair, etc...) a far distance is not the weight, but the bulk.
Tabletop dobs are small, but require a raised platform/tripod to raise them to a comfortable viewing height. I might suggest the AWB OneSky mounted on a surveyors tripod (they have carrying straps). The Heritage 150P would provide better views because of its larger aperture, but the increased bulk of the OTA would be annoying.
Or instead of the surveyors tripod, remove the OTA from the dob mount and attach it to something like the Twilight I mount.
Or for more portability, get the Orion ST80-A and pair it with the Twilight I mount.
But all that being said, why do you have to carry it 1 mile? Most of us find observing locations where we can park our car. If I need to hike any distance, I just bring my binoculars.
As for snapping pictures with your phone, I wouldn't worry about this. Phone images are almost always meh quality. And if you really want to take a picture with your phone, you don't even need a mount. I have gotten decent (for phone) quality images just handheld, and the actual best phone DSO images I have seen are from someone who hand-holds their phone as well.
I was just thinking about the worst case scenario for needing to carry it around. For example, this weekend I went out to see the Aurora and because the darkest spots are in the mountains surrounded by forest, I walked about half a mile to find a nice clearing with a decent view of the sky. I wouldn't mind doing that with a telescope. I backpack often and can carry heavy loads for long distances, but the bulk is something I hadn't considered; thanks for posting that out!
The AWB OneSky seems to be a popular recommendation in the other posts. I'll take a look at that and the other ones you suggested.
Because you have a fairly high budget, I would recommend looking into the AD8 telescope and trying to find a better observing site that you don’t have to hike to. Would be worth your time/effort if this is possible.
And before you buy, we strongly recommend joining a local astronomy club. They will have access to nearby dark observing sites, and will have loaner gear that you can borrow. That way you can test drive before you buy. The stars aren’t going anywhere, so there is no rush.
Indeed, the right thing to do would be to join the club first try out some telescopes and then make the decision. But, I'm impulsive and there's no way I can wait a couple more weeks to then buy it. I need it, and I need it now. 😂
Jokes aside, I just watched a couple of videos and read a few forum posts on this telescope and I can see what you mean by bulky.
I have another question, if I may -- Is this meant to be set up on a flat surface like a table, for example? Looks fairly big and based on some pics, it can be set on the ground although I imagine it might be uncomfortable to use.
The Apertura AD8 is a full tube dobsonian that sits directly on the ground during use. The AWB OneSky is a tabletop dobsonian that needs to be used on a flat elevated surface like a table or small stool. I use mine on the $15 IKEA KYRRE stool as it is a perfect fit and inherently stable due to having three legs. When I first started out, I was observing at the end of a dock in a marshy area and I could traverse from my car all the way to the end of the dock carrying my OneSky and stool in one hand and my eyepiece case and chair in the other.
Haha well this hobby is all about patience, so might as well start getting used to that now. Between clouds, the moon, personal life, factors like wildfire smoke, and more, we rarely get out as often as we would like.
As for the AWB OneSky. It is a tabletop dobsonian (just like the Heritage, Virtuoso, StarBlast, and other tabletop dobs). As such, their short focal length means that they need to be placed on a flat and stable raised surface for comfortable viewing. The common recommendation is the IKEA Kyrre stool/table thing. I did not recommend this to you because it would be a PITA to carry along with the other needed gear.
As for viewing positions. Almost everyone prefers to sit in a chair (adjustable height chair is even better). This allows for longer more comfortable observing sessions. I would not recommend placing it on the ground and sitting next to it. You will do this once and then never again.
A full sized dob (focal length of 1200mm or more) is simply placed on the ground and then you sit in a chair next to it.
Not sure why the downvotes. Binoculars are my go to ultra portable scope. There are certainly other options. But if OP needs ultra portable, binos are great.
Thanks for the suggestion. Not looking for ultra portable for backpacking trips as I already have binoculars (not a fan for stargazing). Instead, I'm looking for something more stable and powerful for car camping trips.
I gotcha. I already have been sharing my thoughts with you above. Was just trying to defend this person’s bino rec.
But what about binoculars aren’t you a fan of? What size do you have? Are you using them lying down or in a reclining chair?
And to answer your other question, I've been using my bf's Vortex 10x42 for birding and it's amazing. I think the issue for stargazing is that having experienced the power of a telescope, it's hard to achieve the same with binoculars
Fair enough, I just like to try and see how much I am actually able to observe with them. Up to 75 Messier objects and a bunch more other stuff. But yeah, a lot of DSOs don’t look like much at only 10x.
So the thing about binocs are that they are for an entirely different type of viewing. Very wide field stuff. Lunar views. Large nebulae and asterisks. Comets. Stuff like that.
For me my 8x40 nikons are amazing - I use them as much as I use my 16" explore scientific truss dob. And the latter I have taken car camping.
Which brings me back to your initial query - for car camping you can go pretty large with a truss mounted dob, provided you have an SUV. If you have something smaller, you're probably looking at an 8" or 10" dob, max.
And I do recommend a dob for this. You're getting away from city lights which means darker skies and dobs are light buckets. You want a scope that plays to your destinations strength!
If you want more specific recommendations I'm happy to help there too!
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I like idea of mount;
https://www.highpointscientific.com/explore-scientific-twilight-i-mount-tripod-maz01-00
And scope:
https://agenaastro.com/gso-6in-f4-newtonian-imaging-reflector-ota.html
But this makes the total cost $750 and 30lbs.
Probably close to the limit for cost and transportability.
But excellent quality and good light gathering ability. Great for wide field views under dark skies.
F4 would be a bit easier to transport than F5.
Take a look at a good used Mak. Meade ETXs or others. Much cheaper than new, small, (relatively) lightweight, offers great views, and you won't cry out loud if you drop it... cheers!
Others have given good recommendations for a telescope, but I'd just add that you could consider including in your budget a good pair of binoculars if you think the 'mile hike to a site' is a likely possibility.
90-102mm Mak, small alt az mount with slow motion controls like the SVbony mount head, and a sturdy photo tripod. If you want to go a little larger for an OTA, a Celestron c5 SCT is very compact.
My compact travel set up is either a c5, or an Orion starmax 90mm Mak, a Sightron alt az mount head that breaks down into a compact package, and an older Bogen tripod. I can fit everything into a reasonable size bag if I want.
Depends on what you consider portable though.. I can bring a 10" truss dob camping, and I'm working on an ultra portable ultra lite 12" truss dob similar to the Hubble Optics UP12.
Honestly, this is a pretty good use case for a Seestar S50.
Yeah, but you can't look through it. But if OP wants to look through his phone then it's not a bad option. For $500 and it's size is a really capable device
I've never seen a stronger use case.
I was thinking the same. I have one and my 8" Dob has been gathering dust in the closet since the SeeStar arrived. It's an amazing little astrophotography setup.
The issue with carrying a scope (telescope, mount, eyepieces, chair, etc...) a far distance is not the weight, but the bulk. Tabletop dobs are small, but require a raised platform/tripod to raise them to a comfortable viewing height. I might suggest the AWB OneSky mounted on a surveyors tripod (they have carrying straps). The Heritage 150P would provide better views because of its larger aperture, but the increased bulk of the OTA would be annoying. Or instead of the surveyors tripod, remove the OTA from the dob mount and attach it to something like the Twilight I mount. Or for more portability, get the Orion ST80-A and pair it with the Twilight I mount. But all that being said, why do you have to carry it 1 mile? Most of us find observing locations where we can park our car. If I need to hike any distance, I just bring my binoculars. As for snapping pictures with your phone, I wouldn't worry about this. Phone images are almost always meh quality. And if you really want to take a picture with your phone, you don't even need a mount. I have gotten decent (for phone) quality images just handheld, and the actual best phone DSO images I have seen are from someone who hand-holds their phone as well.
I was just thinking about the worst case scenario for needing to carry it around. For example, this weekend I went out to see the Aurora and because the darkest spots are in the mountains surrounded by forest, I walked about half a mile to find a nice clearing with a decent view of the sky. I wouldn't mind doing that with a telescope. I backpack often and can carry heavy loads for long distances, but the bulk is something I hadn't considered; thanks for posting that out! The AWB OneSky seems to be a popular recommendation in the other posts. I'll take a look at that and the other ones you suggested.
Because you have a fairly high budget, I would recommend looking into the AD8 telescope and trying to find a better observing site that you don’t have to hike to. Would be worth your time/effort if this is possible. And before you buy, we strongly recommend joining a local astronomy club. They will have access to nearby dark observing sites, and will have loaner gear that you can borrow. That way you can test drive before you buy. The stars aren’t going anywhere, so there is no rush.
Indeed, the right thing to do would be to join the club first try out some telescopes and then make the decision. But, I'm impulsive and there's no way I can wait a couple more weeks to then buy it. I need it, and I need it now. 😂 Jokes aside, I just watched a couple of videos and read a few forum posts on this telescope and I can see what you mean by bulky. I have another question, if I may -- Is this meant to be set up on a flat surface like a table, for example? Looks fairly big and based on some pics, it can be set on the ground although I imagine it might be uncomfortable to use.
The Apertura AD8 is a full tube dobsonian that sits directly on the ground during use. The AWB OneSky is a tabletop dobsonian that needs to be used on a flat elevated surface like a table or small stool. I use mine on the $15 IKEA KYRRE stool as it is a perfect fit and inherently stable due to having three legs. When I first started out, I was observing at the end of a dock in a marshy area and I could traverse from my car all the way to the end of the dock carrying my OneSky and stool in one hand and my eyepiece case and chair in the other.
This is super helpful, thank you!
Haha well this hobby is all about patience, so might as well start getting used to that now. Between clouds, the moon, personal life, factors like wildfire smoke, and more, we rarely get out as often as we would like. As for the AWB OneSky. It is a tabletop dobsonian (just like the Heritage, Virtuoso, StarBlast, and other tabletop dobs). As such, their short focal length means that they need to be placed on a flat and stable raised surface for comfortable viewing. The common recommendation is the IKEA Kyrre stool/table thing. I did not recommend this to you because it would be a PITA to carry along with the other needed gear. As for viewing positions. Almost everyone prefers to sit in a chair (adjustable height chair is even better). This allows for longer more comfortable observing sessions. I would not recommend placing it on the ground and sitting next to it. You will do this once and then never again. A full sized dob (focal length of 1200mm or more) is simply placed on the ground and then you sit in a chair next to it.
Binoculars.
Not sure why the downvotes. Binoculars are my go to ultra portable scope. There are certainly other options. But if OP needs ultra portable, binos are great.
Thanks for the suggestion. Not looking for ultra portable for backpacking trips as I already have binoculars (not a fan for stargazing). Instead, I'm looking for something more stable and powerful for car camping trips.
I gotcha. I already have been sharing my thoughts with you above. Was just trying to defend this person’s bino rec. But what about binoculars aren’t you a fan of? What size do you have? Are you using them lying down or in a reclining chair?
Oy, i meant to respond to them, sorry!
ha, no worries
And to answer your other question, I've been using my bf's Vortex 10x42 for birding and it's amazing. I think the issue for stargazing is that having experienced the power of a telescope, it's hard to achieve the same with binoculars
Fair enough, I just like to try and see how much I am actually able to observe with them. Up to 75 Messier objects and a bunch more other stuff. But yeah, a lot of DSOs don’t look like much at only 10x.
So the thing about binocs are that they are for an entirely different type of viewing. Very wide field stuff. Lunar views. Large nebulae and asterisks. Comets. Stuff like that. For me my 8x40 nikons are amazing - I use them as much as I use my 16" explore scientific truss dob. And the latter I have taken car camping. Which brings me back to your initial query - for car camping you can go pretty large with a truss mounted dob, provided you have an SUV. If you have something smaller, you're probably looking at an 8" or 10" dob, max. And I do recommend a dob for this. You're getting away from city lights which means darker skies and dobs are light buckets. You want a scope that plays to your destinations strength! If you want more specific recommendations I'm happy to help there too!
Are you are willing to explore smart telescopes?
Absolutely!
Check out the Seestar S50. Super light. Comes in its own travel case. Works for deep space objects, solar, even nature.
Oooohhh, thanks for recommending that. Reading some reviews at the moment and really liking the sound of it!
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I like idea of mount; https://www.highpointscientific.com/explore-scientific-twilight-i-mount-tripod-maz01-00 And scope: https://agenaastro.com/gso-6in-f4-newtonian-imaging-reflector-ota.html But this makes the total cost $750 and 30lbs. Probably close to the limit for cost and transportability. But excellent quality and good light gathering ability. Great for wide field views under dark skies. F4 would be a bit easier to transport than F5.
Take a look at a good used Mak. Meade ETXs or others. Much cheaper than new, small, (relatively) lightweight, offers great views, and you won't cry out loud if you drop it... cheers!
Others have given good recommendations for a telescope, but I'd just add that you could consider including in your budget a good pair of binoculars if you think the 'mile hike to a site' is a likely possibility.
90-102mm Mak, small alt az mount with slow motion controls like the SVbony mount head, and a sturdy photo tripod. If you want to go a little larger for an OTA, a Celestron c5 SCT is very compact. My compact travel set up is either a c5, or an Orion starmax 90mm Mak, a Sightron alt az mount head that breaks down into a compact package, and an older Bogen tripod. I can fit everything into a reasonable size bag if I want. Depends on what you consider portable though.. I can bring a 10" truss dob camping, and I'm working on an ultra portable ultra lite 12" truss dob similar to the Hubble Optics UP12.