Finder Scope versus Telrad/Celestron finder

[pedalmasher]

I was wondering about the relative merits of using various finder scopes on the Celestron 8SE. The Telrad certainly seems easy to use, and I would assume that the finder that comes with the 8SE is certainly simple (I'll find out tomorrow if the FEDEX tracking information is correct).

I noted that one person who published a photo of his 8SE on the Cloudly Nights forum was sporting a great looking StellarVue scope. Have many of you gone with the more sophisticated type of finder scopes like the StellarVue over the zero magnification types. It would seem that the former would be dead on accurate once aligned compared to the simpler devices.

[dmbryan]

If you are going to be using the goto and tracking feature you really only need a simple red dot finder to find the stars to align the scope. If manually hunting a red dot/telrad finder in combonation with a 8x50 RACI finder works quite well.

[pedalmasher]

Thanks Derek, I was probably more dazzled by the "cool looking scope" factor than what will probably be my practical needs. I'm probably putting the cart before the horse having not even received the telescope yet!

[norskeob]

I replaced the RD finder that came with my 8SE with a GSO 8x50mm RACI. I find it easier to use for alignment and general viewing. Had I used the RD finder longer I may have gotten used to it - but I am still glad I purchased the RACI finder.

[pedalmasher]

Looks good and not expensive. I assume the bracket easily fits securely around the scope.

[Joe Lalumia]

I mounted an 80mm Celestron and a Telrad on the top of my LX90 8 inch--

Picture:
my_scopes | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I do not do astro-photography (mostly visual)-- I use the 80mm as a finder- or the Telrad-- and also as a second wide field telescope at very busy public observing events. I can have two lines at the scope.

Just use the finder for a while that came with the scope and see what you think. Later you can get a Telrad which really HELPS when doing the two alignment stars. The Telrad just STICKS on the top of the tube with 3M double faced foam tape. No holes need to be drilled.

[pedalmasher]

Thanks Joe, cool looking setup!!

One other question. Will I be able to resolve the quad stars in the Orion nebula with the stock setup that comes with the 8SE (25mm EP) or is 80x magnification insufficient to resolve the 4 stars. If that is insufficient, what would I need to see them resolved and together? That is one of the sights I am anxious to view.

[Cladinator]

I think the telrad is a good investment. Knowing that the outer ring is 4 degrees, the middle 2 degrees, and the inner 30 arcminutes is really good for reference and navigating.
Also, the telrad can dim to a reasonable setting. The RDF that is included with the Nexstars is too bright for me, although, it has gotten me around the sky fairly well.
You won't always want to align your 8SE and let it do the work for you. If you are like me you won't even bother aligning, in which case the telrad is a necessary piece of gear.
And Stellarium has a plug-in that allows you to view using the telrad bullseye which can really help navigating the skies manually. CTRL + "B" should bring it up I believe.

[Cladinator]

Thanks Joe, cool looking setup!!

One other question. Will I be able to resolve the quad stars in the Orion nebula with the stock setup that comes with the 8SE (25mm EP) or is 80x magnification insufficient to resolve the 4 stars. If that is insufficient, what would I need to see them resolved and together? That is one of the sights I am anxious to view.

I think 80x might be a little too low to view the trapezium but I can't remember exactly. I have resolved the stars in the trapezium with a lot of success using my Nexstar 4SE but if I remember correctly I had to use a magnification in the range of 147x or 177x.
I think with a barlow you should have no problem resolving those stars with the included EPs.

[Bob327]

Sandy....

At one time for about a 3-4 month period of time I had a Telrad, a 8x50 RACI finder and a Jasper Always laser mounted on my 8i all at the same time....


Ended up removing the Telrad for lack of use....and keeping the RACI finder and the Laser... BUT I just as easily could have removed the RACI finder also...as it got very very little use...

The telrad went because I had to "get down" low to the ground to see thru it just like I needed to do with the Red Dot Finder ... I kept the RACI only because it did offer me a little magnification IF I needed it ... (very rare) ... The laser gets used 100 percent of the time when I am aligning...and to be honest once aligned you really have no need for a finder period...

In my case it was just a matter of Comfort... no bending over no standing up no stretching my neck with the laser just slew the scope and line the laser on your target star while sitting straight up on your chair ....

The OEM Red dot works fine BUT you have to get you body into position to see thru the darn thing ...

Bob G