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Do your research. Grinding your own lens? ROFL. Wait till you retire to get into that.
You will absolutely want clock driven tracking. Do you want to eye-ball it or get good pictures (and images onto your PC) ?
I strongly suggest you find the local astronomy club (all over the world, all over!) and get some hands on experience before you plop down anything over ~1000 $US. In point of fact, most of these fans are very very happy to share, and will be willing to give you their opinions. In fact, many people travel with their scopes, so that is going to be easily addressed. I am a bit confused about you thinking that you are going to be carrying this around on flights. That will be super limiting in size, don't you think?
Consider binoculars.
Also, seriously consider buying a used set-up. The fans are up-grading continually and used systems come on the market all the time. One real advantage is that what-you-see-is-what-you-get, and you won't have to (wll maybe) keep on buying peices parts that didn't come with the tube from the manufacturer.
I personally would not consider a system without a spotter scope and without really easy switching from eye to ccd capture as well as pc ( I wonder if smart phones have the chops?) control.
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My opinion, buy binocs (and a tripod) (if you're a complete newbie), and research (its all about lenses and mirrors, imho) but most importantly start visiting local clubs and seeing what they got. Remember diameter = light,so regardless of how the optics treat the light, bigger will be brighter but also much more awkward to travel with.
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I mostly agree with campbel.., but change "totally useless" into "not very satisfactory".
You will absolutely want clock driven tracking. Do you want to eye-ball it or get good pictures (and images onto your PC) ?
I strongly suggest you find the local astronomy club (all over the world, all over!) and get some hands on experience before you plop down anything over ~1000 $US. In point of fact, most of these fans are very very happy to share, and will be willing to give you their opinions. In fact, many people travel with their scopes, so that is going to be easily addressed. I am a bit confused about you thinking that you are going to be carrying this around on flights. That will be super limiting in size, don't you think?
Consider binoculars.
Also, seriously consider buying a used set-up. The fans are up-grading continually and used systems come on the market all the time. One real advantage is that what-you-see-is-what-you-get, and you won't have to (wll maybe) keep on buying peices parts that didn't come with the tube from the manufacturer.
I personally would not consider a system without a spotter scope and without really easy switching from eye to ccd capture as well as pc ( I wonder if smart phones have the chops?) control.
-=-=
My opinion, buy binocs (and a tripod) (if you're a complete newbie), and research (its all about lenses and mirrors, imho) but most importantly start visiting local clubs and seeing what they got. Remember diameter = light,so regardless of how the optics treat the light, bigger will be brighter but also much more awkward to travel with.
-=-=-=
I mostly agree with campbel.., but change "totally useless" into "not very satisfactory".
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I'd recommend the Obsession Telescopes 15" f/4.2 UC Dob for $4,995. From their web site (linked below):
The 15" f/4.2 UC is a revolutionary design. It is a large aperture telescope that collapses into a very small package. The revolutionary Virtual Mirror Box (VMB) is the foundation of the UC design. It is a welded steel framework made from NC laser cut steel. It provides four main functions. It provides the primary mirror cell, the altitude bearings, the connection points for the truss poles, and a retainer for the wheelbarrow handles. To keep it as ultra compact as possible, the side bearing portion is foldable to reduce the height of the VMB by half.
The 15" f/4.2 UC is a revolutionary design. It is a large aperture telescope that collapses into a very small package. The revolutionary Virtual Mirror Box (VMB) is the foundation of the UC design. It is a welded steel framework made from NC laser cut steel. It provides four main functions. It provides the primary mirror cell, the altitude bearings, the connection points for the truss poles, and a retainer for the wheelbarrow handles. To keep it as ultra compact as possible, the side bearing portion is foldable to reduce the height of the VMB by half.
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