Stargazing Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope Image Quality - Karl's Questions

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A Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope priced at 1,999 euros, likely around 203 mm in aperture, is expected to provide good image quality for planetary viewing and some detail on deep-sky objects. With a minimum aperture of 4.5 inches, users can see features like Jupiter's Great Red Spot and Saturn's rings, while a 6" or 8" scope enhances visibility of galaxies and other celestial details. However, the telescope's high focal ratio limits its field of view, making it less effective for wide-field observations of large objects like Andromeda. For serious astronomy, users are advised to consider additional equipment, such as binoculars or smaller refractors, to complement the Schmidt-Cassegrain scope. Overall, this type of telescope can be a valuable tool for both casual observation and academic study in astrophysics.
  • #31
Artman said:
One last option that has not been mentioned is the possibility of building your own. Very rewarding, you can get a lot of aperture for the money, and decent mirrors and other components are available commercially for a reasonable price. This option doesn't sound quite right for you, but I just thought I should bring it up. :smile: Actually, a Newtonian scope on an equatorial mount might work for your needs and is easily built by amateur scope makers. Just something else to think about.

Have any good resources (book names or URLs) for building a telescope?
 
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  • #32
The general name for it is "amateur telescope making," sometimes abbreviated ATM. There are many yahoo groups and websites dedicated to it -- just do a little googling. You can also find lots of great ideas in back-issues of Sky & Telescope magazine, www.skypub.com[/url]. A company called Willmann-Bell, [url]www.willbell.com[/URL], sells a lot of books for amateur telescope making.

- Warren
 
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  • #33
Artman said:
One last option that has not been mentioned is the possibility of building your own. Very rewarding, you can get a lot of aperture for the money, and decent mirrors and other components are available commercially for a reasonable price. This option doesn't sound quite right for you, but I just thought I should bring it up. :smile: Actually, a Newtonian scope on an equatorial mount might work for your needs and is easily built by amateur scope makers. Just something else to think about.



Yea that would be a good idea to build one just to see how it works and find out how good it is, but id still be buying one.
 
  • #34
singleton said:
Have any good resources (book names or URLs) for building a telescope?

Chroot's response was right on the money.

I have a couple of sites to add

Telescope planner

http://members.aol.com/sfsidewalk/cdobplans.htm

Orion Mirrors

Good place for ready made mirrors.

It's a fun hobby, I've built 5 telescopes so far.
 
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