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Re: Computer controlled telescopes/software



To the best of my knowledge, there are two telescopes one should
consider with the following characteristics:

8-inch aperture
computer guided
portable
$2000-$3000 price range

These are the 8" Meade LX200 and the 8" Celestron Ultima 2000. The
Meade LX200 is also available in larger apertures. I only have
experience with the Meade LX200-8" so I cannot compare the two. But I
can tell you what I have learned.

When I tried to decide which one to buy, I consulted every opinion I
could find. Sky and Telescope was helpful; especially a side-by-side
comparison that they ran.

I was strongly attracted to comments about the ease of set-up of the
Celestron, and the fact that it runs from small alkaline batteries
instead of a car battery. However, I also had a desire to use a CCD
camera and also to do some regular film-based photography. This headed
me toward the Meade because reviews seemed to indicate it did a
slightly better job of hitting objects right on the mark, and it had
more advanced tracking controls for long-exposure photography, and it
is heavier and probably more stable for photography.

I can attest to the fact that the Meade is a good telescope for
photography. It is stable; it accurately finds objects when it is
properly aligned; it tracks well.

I can also attest to the fact that it is heavy to transport, and the
requirement of either AC power or a car battery is a major drawback if
you don't have a permanent place for it. Without personal experience I
cannot say how much easier the Celestron would be in this regard. But
the self-contained power is a big attraction to me right now.

The bottom line is not attractive, but it is where I am at right now...
I wish I had them both. I wish I had the Celestron when all I want to
do is go out and observe (either alone or with students). I am glad I
have the Meade when I want to attempt CCD photography of faint deep-sky
objects. (For photography of planets or the moon I assume either would
be fine.)

I also personally own a Meade ETX telescope (90-mm = 3.5-inch) mounted
on a home-made tripod. Mine is a year old and is not the newer
motorized version. It sure is a joy to use if I just want to go out
and see something in a hurry. It is not good for deep-sky stuff
(insufficient aperture and too hard to find objects). I use it for the
moon, for planets, and for sunspots (with a solar filter). It cannot
take the place of the computerized 8" scopes, but it is a nice
companion to them. Be warned that the $600 street price is not your
only cost. Be prepared to build a tripod or buy one for about $200.
The newly available computer will help find things, but it costs
another $150 and there just isn't enough aperture for many deep-sky
objects that the computer can help you find. The view-finder scope is
fairly worthless as delivered. You need to make a right-angle
conversion for about $50. Therefore, to get this scope computerized
and mounted the price is more like $900 to $1000. That puts it closer
to half the cost of the other scopes mentioned rather than the initial
assumption that it is 1/4-th the cost. You'll have to decide if you
want to put $900 into a 90-mm aperture scope.

There was a question about control software. It is not necessary to
buy any software, or even to have a computer, with the scopes mentioned
above. Under "computer control" the computer and software are built
in. The software built into the Meade LX200 is quite nice.

However, I also find it useful to have a laptop in the field with me.
This is not for controlling the telescope (although it could). This
for displaying information about what is viewable when and where. It
is particularly helpful to have students look at the screen, then look
at the sky. That is much more graphic (and therefore faster and a
better result) than having students look while I point and try to
describe what they should see. I tried several software packages, but
the one I like the best is SkyMap. I was sad to find that the less
expensive version (about $40) is no longer available and you now have
to buy the "pro" version for about $90. But it's still a very nice
program, and the display for field use is superior to many I've seen.
You can visit them at www.skymap.com and you can preview the pro
version before buying.

I would be glad to attempt answers for more specific questions.

Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D. Phone/voice-mail: 419-358-3270
Professor of Chemistry & Physics FAX: 419-358-3323
Chairman, Science Department E-Mail edmiston@bluffton.edu
Bluffton College
280 West College Avenue
Bluffton, OH 45817