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That guy at the stargazing meetup told me to ditch my Celestron for a Dobsonian
I was out near Lake George last month at a group viewing session, struggling to get my Celestron 130SLT to lock onto anything. This older guy walks over and says flat out junk the computerized mount and grab an 8-inch Dobsonian for half the price. I thought he was just being a snob but after three more nights of frustration I traded it in. Clear skies last Tuesday and the Dob found Andromeda in under 10 seconds no setup hassle. Has anyone else made that switch and regretted it or was it the right call?
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sage_park628d ago
Lake George is terrible for light pollution anyway.
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Swapped my NexStar for a 10 inch Dob last spring and never looked back. @sage_park6 is right about Lake George being a light dome but the Dob still pulls in way more than the computerized one ever did. The first night out I found three galaxies in under an hour just by nudging it around. No more fighting with alignment or dead batteries in the cold. It felt like I was actually looking at the sky instead of fighting a screen. I think you made the right trade honestly.
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