Biggest aperture to fit in car boot

[KushTROID]

Thanks Clifford and Gary for the reply.

As for now, I'm deciding on getting the biggest aperture that could fit in the (suv) boot itself without using any passenger space or at least minimal usage of it. Due to budget and commitment, serious astrophotography would be possible in 2 to 3 years time. I'm interested in dso such as nebulae, star clusters etc. Would a mct or sct be more practical in my situation? Or should I go for dobsonian(truss tube?) instead since I'm going fully visual for the coming years? Any recommendation?

I am mainly a visual person. With that bias, for your case (serious AP in 2 to 3 years and visual preference for DSO), I would say go fully visual with a dob/newt/MCT/SCT for at least 1 year while learning more about AP - e.g. push the limits of your visual system to do whatever AP it is capable of, attend stargazing sessions to learn more about AP while enjoying visual. Without a non-serious AP setup budget, you may have enough leftover funds to get a budget binocular to enhance your visual astronomy experience.

No doubt you want to make use of your car space. But do that note if the telescope is too big/heavy, even the thought bringing it to your car from your house may discourage from observing on most clear enough nights. That's why I am adding MCT/SCT to the list instead of just the biggest dob that can fit into your car. Having said that, if you have the motivation, passion, commitment and energy, then by all means enjoy the wow factor a big aperture dob.

When the time comes to purchase serious AP gear, you will most probably enjoy your visual system so much that you will keep that system too without the need to sell it off. The advantage of going visual first before diving straight into AP is that you can find time to discover what you like to observe and then get the best value for money out of your future AP systems that is most capable of photographing those objects within your budget.

If you can state a rough budget, it will be easier for forum members to give you more specific recommendations.

That is what i was thinking of when u mentioned about having a visual system i liked so much, i would probably keep it and get another system dedicated for astrophotography. In that sense, i would have the best of both worlds in regards to visual observation and AP.

As for the rough estimation of my budget, probably in between 4k to 5k.

[KushTROID]

Telescopes tend to look small in pictures and websites, do try to join in public observing sessions to have a look around first and have a gauge of the size n weight.

Hope this helps.

So far i have been to singapore science centre observation session during my off days(not much equipments to look at), not yet been to sidewalks yet. Any public sidewalks or singastro observation sessions i should take note of? I would like to meet the members of this forum and check out your equipments!

[KushTROID]

Hi and welcome!

If you go purely visual, 11"-15" truss dob can go into the back seat or boot of a standard car, and be handled by one person. The 18" UC is not easily handled by one person, two person is best. And the 18" UC's poles are long, may have difficulty to fit some cars. For 24" dob...you may have to consider wheels, ramps and a ladder, and you may not be able to wheel through standard doorways.

If you intend to go AP later, you need not be looking for the biggest aperture scope. Instead you should first be considering the capacity, quality & cost of your German Equatorial Mount (GEM), then consider the scope - Apo, SCT/RC or Newtonians etc.

If you want the best of both visual (big aperture) and AP use, then maybe you could consider a C11 SCT on a GEM. The C14 on a bigger GEM is really tough to handle, but some people did manage. My 15" dob is easier to handle and setup than the C14 on a GEM.

Hi rlow, i noticed that your location is in Jurong. Are you doing any observation anytime soon? I would like to check out your 15" dob. Btw i'm staying at jurong west extension.

[KushTROID]

This greatly depends on the model of the car
I can fit my 14" into my rear seat of a standard 1.6L Sedan car and leave the boot space for an AP setup, plus have a front seat passenger.
However, an Obsession 18" would be just too big to fit into the doorway.
An MPV, however, would be able to accommodate a 24" with space to spare.

My ride is the 2005 hyundai tucson. I would like to keep the equipment within the boot itself. If i am not bringing more than one passenger, i would have less problems deciding which OTA systems as the passenger back seat could be folded down and extend the boot space. Have you tried stowing your 14" primary mirror in the boot including the truss rods(is that the correct word to describe it? )? I would probably need to witness how you guys unpack and stow your equipments so i get the rough idea as well as the dos and don'ts when stowing.

[Gary]

As for the rough estimation of my budget, probably in between 4k to 5k.

With that budget, you should be looking at 10" or 12" dob at least with tracking. Don't forget to take into account the cost of shipping and accessories like eyepieces, finderscopes, shroud, power tank (if tracking), collimation tools, dry cabinet/box storage, ..etc.

Narrow your research to a few candidates and feel free to post them here for opinions. We have a few experienced dob owners in this forum who can help you out.