Expert: Paul Wagner - 4/25/2007

Question
Paul..I am considering a 12" Dob to buy.  Generally the skies where I live in Florida are dark but there are yard lights on five foot high posts on each house..so I would have some light pollution.
I have experience locating objects in the night sky (owned a small reflector years ago.  Dobs have no way of tracking an object as it moves through the field of view, right?
Is there a particular Dob brand you can recommend?
Can the tube be keep on an enclosed porch even though it gets pretty hot there in the summer?
Thanks for your advice..


Answer
Hi Casey

You sound as if you have a good idea about all this stuff already.  With that kind of light pollution, you will want a full-tube scope, not a truss tube.  The full-tube will help protect the eyepiece from stray light.  Either that, or buy yourself a BB gun and take out a few of those lights!

Dobs do not have any way of tracking...but you can buy a Poncet platform.  They are pretty bulky, but they actually move the whole scope, mount and all, to track.  THey only work for about an hour or so before you have to reset them...

I like both the Discover and Orion scopes, as they seem to be good value for the money.  Save a little in your budget for a good finder and a couple of nice eyepieces...

And yes, heat is rarely a problem for scopes.  Cold and condensation can make a mess of things.  But as long as the scope doesn't get wet, and stays below about 120 degrees F, the heat isn't going to be a problem at all.  Make sure you get a good cover to protect the mirrors from dust, and you should be fine.

Paul Wagner