OK, so hauling a 'scope and cute companion observer out to a dark-sky site is one of those Z-ish 'where can I drive now' kind of questions we all ask ourselves from time to time, right? What's the biggest (astronomical) instrument we're likely to be able to haul in the back of a Z? Smaller SCTs and refractors are no problem, but I'm thinking at least 8" aperture, and partial to Celestron for the Fastar CCD capability. A big truss-mounted Dob. would be good, too.

Having made a few quick measurements of the under-hatch area(s), I _think_ one of the new Celestron CGE-800s could be made to fit, with a little creative packing/padding. I'm less sure that a Nexstar 8 GPS would. Has anyone tried?

 

U had to throw in the "cute" observer bit huh you stud you! Wheres her pic...!

 

That would be my wife. Really.

 

i would be amazed if you could fit a telescope in there.


Nissan lied about the dual golf bags. my single bag wont even fit (with the clubs inside)..


has anyone tried mounting a .50 cal?

 

wow nice to see another astronomer with a z .

i tried it today and yes i can get my 8" SCT inside
not the carriyng case if you have it.
but i put my tripod in back of the strut.
and folded the telescope into the fork mount.

i havent gone on any trips with it yet .
but id for sure wrap in lots of blankets for shock absorbers.

theres a shot i could fit the case on the front pasenger seat havvent tried it might rip the seat. and it would be tight.

 

Tom-in-NY,

Good news, thanks!

That's about what I figured. There's only 11" clearance under the strut, 24" wide at the bottom, and about 36" longitudinal inches. This wouldn't be so bad, except the hatch clearance falls off to ~8" at the rear. If the JMI case cover were made removable, the bottom might fit, but I expect a simple padded cradle would probably be more practical. That space between the seats and strut brace is about 39" x 7", so even a big tripod like the CGE ought to fit in there.

It occurs to me that if you lose the spare tire for the night, you could possibly even fit an 11" SCT in there.... That case probably would fit on the passenger side, but then where would that cute companion observer sit?

 

Okay, this may not be especially helpful, and it may tag me as an astronomical lightweight, but your question got me curious, since I hadn't tried it: my Celestron NexStar 5, in its case, fits behind the brace very nicely, thank you, and the tripod (36" ) slips into the slot in front of the brace.

This is a step up from my Miata, in which it was either the telescope or the companion. Not that I had to make that choice very often. (I'm a lightweight in a lot of other respects, too, except, unfortunately, weight.)

Z33: are you coming up for our meet in Columbia on the 25th? We could talk astronomy/telescopes when (if) we got tired of talking about Zs. See: https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....threadid=15077

I hope you can make it.

 

Thought some fellow budding astronomers would like to see a pic of my light-bucket. No way it will fit into my Z - it stands over 6' tall and weighs over 200 lbs.

 

I managed to fit a guitar in a hard case, a full sized gym bag with pedal board and cables, and a marshall 1000 combo amp in the trunk. Tight fit, like it was meant for exactly that!

 

commasense,

That 5" probably makes more sense than what I have in mind, but having the Z to get to some (reasonably) dark sky makes getting a new and as-big-as-will-fit instrument a really attractive proposition, especially as I haven't owned a scope in years (although I've often been able to borrow one). I figure an 8" SCT, P4 laptop, SBIG camera and a few boxes of Penguin mints will just about put me in geek heaven. I hope to be good for visual by August (Mars, Uranus _and_ Neptune at opposition!).

Work permitting, I'll be there on the 25th.

wxtornado,

Nice! My office-mate has the same problem with his 8" Dob. The last 'scope I borrowed was a small MCT, and it fit my old Fiero-GT just fine....

Zaphod,

My Strats fit in better in gig bags, but I can get in one hardcased LP OK, along with a 3-space racked VHT. The cab (G-K 2x12) and effects rack have to ride up front. Not that I play out much (and my Guilds never leave the house: http://members.***.net/straticus/ ),
but it's good to know what works.

 

Wow - now I have read everything. I am done...good bye cruel world.