Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 11:11 am
Tom,
if youre looking for a good small portable refractor, you'd be hard to beat a celestron 80ED, its a fine scope, optically very good, and doesnt cost the earth, there are better ones out there, but the costs sky rockets.
It got a good reputation a few years back, here is a review.
http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=1272
I was going to get one a few years back, but got by on the refractor I've got.
As for deep sky books, ones, try out
"night sky observers guide", volumes 1 and 2, by kepple & sanner
They show realistic drawing of objects from many catalogues in every constellation.
For nights with a moon or light pollution where clusters are the choice, try
"starclusters" by Archial & Hynes
These are great referance books and I occasionally use them at the scope. they'd do you for life.
and the eyepieces we used were
14mm UWA (ultra wide angle meade series 4000
and the ones with the binoviewer were 26mm series 4000 meade plossels
31 t5 nagler,
the filter we used was a lumicon UHC filter.
if youre looking for a good small portable refractor, you'd be hard to beat a celestron 80ED, its a fine scope, optically very good, and doesnt cost the earth, there are better ones out there, but the costs sky rockets.
It got a good reputation a few years back, here is a review.
http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=1272
I was going to get one a few years back, but got by on the refractor I've got.
As for deep sky books, ones, try out
"night sky observers guide", volumes 1 and 2, by kepple & sanner
They show realistic drawing of objects from many catalogues in every constellation.
For nights with a moon or light pollution where clusters are the choice, try
"starclusters" by Archial & Hynes
These are great referance books and I occasionally use them at the scope. they'd do you for life.
and the eyepieces we used were
14mm UWA (ultra wide angle meade series 4000
and the ones with the binoviewer were 26mm series 4000 meade plossels
31 t5 nagler,
the filter we used was a lumicon UHC filter.