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From: freeman@spar.UUCP (Jay Freeman)
Newsgroups: net.wanted,net.astro
Subject: Re: SC scope info sought
Message-ID: <522@spar.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 17-Sep-85 18:57:15 EDT
Article-I.D.: spar.522
Posted: Tue Sep 17 18:57:15 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Sep-85 03:48:53 EDT
References: <57@NCSUVM>
Reply-To: freeman@max.UUCP (Jay Freeman)
Organization: Schlumberger Palo Alto Research, CA
Lines: 27
Xref: watmath net.wanted:7210 net.astro:994
Summary: 

[]
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)