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Second Telescope - Options Please


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Hi,

I'm considering an upgrade to my existing set-up but find myself struggling to understand what I should do.

I currently have a Skywatcher 130mm Newtonian on an EQ2 mount with a RA drive but I'm frustrated in both the set-up/alignment  time and the overall quality of the view.  The scope is perfectly  collimated but I only have the original Skywatcher EP's. 

I have a budget of approximately £500 and have been looking at 8" to 10" Dobsonians but am not sure if the supplied EP's are of a reasonable quality.  I may be better keeping the Skywatcher and buying better quality EP's, but that doesn't get me over the set-up and polar alignment time.

I've thought that a refractor on at altaz mount might be a better option in that if I only have 30 minutes or so then I can take it out in the back garden and not have to wait for it to cool down or worry about polar alignment.

I don't have to sell the Skywatcher so perhaps something to compliment it might be the best way to go?

In terms of observing I have no preference; I can stare at Jupiter or the Pleiades for hours on end but I guess that ultimately DSO's will be my future challenge; if only because some of them are so difficult to locate.

I live in Banchory in Scotland so dark skies are not a problem, but if anyone can give me their thoughts on what I should go for then I will be eternally grateful. 

Many thanks

  

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8" dob,  and a couple of nice eyepieces. My thinking is if you have dark skies an 8" will show you plenty and some nice eyepieces will be more pleasant  than  the stock ones you will get with the 10" I would recommend a maxvision  68 degree 24, 20 and 16 and if you can  stretch to a barlow and telrad that should be a nice setup

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Hi Steve, you don't have to polar align everytime you go out, not for visual observing.  Having the mount roughly pointing north is sufficient.  On the question of telescopes, I would say an 8" dob is a good option, easy to set up and transport, and will give stunning views of DSO's.  On the other hand, the refractor route is a good one, quick cool down time, no maintenance and on an AZ mount easy to just point and shoot.  I would suggest a 90mm or above.  This is the route I have chosen.  Better ep's later on would be helpful as well.  Good luck with your choices!

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An 8" or 10" will certainly enable better observing of DSO's.

As to eyepieces I suspect that the supplied ones with the 8" will be the same as you have, the 10" may have slightly better but equally very likely the same again.

As you have mentioned collimating the scope I presume you have a collimator.

That leaves eyepieces. Forsst is how many, you can get by on 3 but I tend to think 4 is better. However easier to assume purchasing them in stages.

As the scopes tend to be around f/5 I would say the BST 8mm, then BST 15mm and the BST 25mm, finally the BST 5mm. The first 3 gives a fair range of focal lengths and the 5mm will eventually give the higher magnification.

If you went for the X-Cels then swap the 8mm BST for the 7mm X-Cel.

BST's are £49 and X-Cels are £65(ish)

So with the BST's you are looking at eventually £150-200 on top of the scope.

Better to consider that with the scope you need to have £100 for 2 eyepieces. Then add an eyepiece every so often as finances allow.

That is the second scope, for a third plonk a refractor on the present EQ mount. :grin: :grin: :grin:

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A 90mm refractor would be a downgrade from a 130mm telescope for DSO's. As you have dark skies a 200mm Dob would be a massive upgrade and would leave you with some change for a few goodies, specially if you go the secondhand route. Cool down time for a 200mm is a non issue, as Steve says, just plonk and go. I'm another "plonker".   :smiley: 

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You didn't say what eyepieces you currently have.  However, eyepieces might come into play with the 10" Dob.  They're generally pretty "fast" at around f/4.7.

Fast (< f/5) Newts generally perform better with multi-lens, multi-stage eyepieces like the ES or Baaders... spell that more expensive.

The 8" on the other hand is just slow enough to give very good results with standard Plossls, etc.  I call an 8" Dob a Goldilocks Scope.  It's not too slow, nor too fast... It's "just right".

Clear, Dark Skies

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All,

Very many thanks for your sage advice.  I think I can stretch to a 10" Skywatcher OR Revelation plus one or two EP's from the X-Cel Range.  Does anyone have an opinion on Skywatcher v Revelation?

Can I also just say that the advice on EP's is so much better than can be found on the internet in general or in the astronomy press.  I went back through several years worth of 'Sky at Night' and 'Astronomy Now' but could only find reviews for much more high-end (and thus expensive) products.  It would be great if these publications realised that we can't all afford £5,000 Astrographs or £500 Meade EP's.  They are rapidly becoming the 'Top Gear' of the astronomy world (I'll leave you to work out the connection lol).

Thanks again.   

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All,

Very many thanks for your sage advice.  I think I can stretch to a 10" Skywatcher OR Revelation plus one or two EP's from the X-Cel Range.  Does anyone have an opinion on Skywatcher v Revelation?

Can I also just say that the advice on EP's is so much better than can be found on the internet in general or in the astronomy press.  I went back through several years worth of 'Sky at Night' and 'Astronomy Now' but could only find reviews for much more high-end (and thus expensive) products.  It would be great if these publications realised that we can't all afford £5,000 Astrographs or £500 Meade EP's.  They are rapidly becoming the 'Top Gear' of the astronomy world (I'll leave you to work out the connection lol).

Thanks again.   

This thread might be worth a read:- http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/230287-sky-watcher-or-revelation/

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A good jump in aperture always beats better eyepieces.

A 10" dob would be great and useful for life.

I am not sure I agree. (Well i do in principle)  But I am not sure in this case. the op has 500 budget  including eyepieces. he only has the 2 stock eyepieces  and he is only using a 5" scope . An 8" scope is a big jump from 5 and he has money to improve his eyepiece collection or he can blow the lot for 2" more and still only have the 2 stock eyepieces of which only one is any real use. He also has fairly dark skies and as has been pointed out you can see a lot under dark skies with an 8"

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All,

Very many thanks for your sage advice.  I think I can stretch to a 10" Skywatcher OR Revelation plus one or two EP's from the X-Cel Range.  Does anyone have an opinion on Skywatcher v Revelation?

Can I also just say that the advice on EP's is so much better than can be found on the internet in general or in the astronomy press.  I went back through several years worth of 'Sky at Night' and 'Astronomy Now' but could only find reviews for much more high-end (and thus expensive) products.  It would be great if these publications realised that we can't all afford £5,000 Astrographs or £500 Meade EP's.  They are rapidly becoming the 'Top Gear' of the astronomy world (I'll leave you to work out the connection lol).

Thanks again.   

Can I say that the maxvisions I linked to at about  46-62 pounds  are the same eyepieces as the meades which are being sold for much more and are imo  better than the celestron and starguiders

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I am not sure I agree. (Well i do in principle) But I am not sure in this case. the op has 500 budget including eyepieces. he only has the 2 stock eyepieces and he is only using a 5" scope . An 8" scope is a big jump from 5 and he has money to improve his eyepiece collection or he can blow the lot for 2" more and still only have the 2 stock eyepieces of which only one is any real use. He also has fairly dark skies and as has been pointed out you can see a lot under dark skies with an 8"

we can disagree of course. Personally I would sooner have stock eyepieces and a 10" scope than better eyepieces and an 8" scope especially for dsos but also for solar system.

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we can disagree of course. Personally I would sooner have stock eyepieces and a 10" scope than better eyepieces and an 8" scope especially for dsos but also for solar system.

I guess its a matter of experience I am used  to small scopes so when I go to a starparty 8" seems more than adequate

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You may well be right. personally I feel 12 f4" is the goldilocks scope although many feel this way about the 10". 8" would also be a good step but in the op's shoes I would be thinking what if with the 8". I would always buy used to get the next step.

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Perhaps the question of storage and observing location should be considered plus if there are any physical limitations to moving heavy objects.

If there are stairs involved this might mean not bothering too often if it is difficult/heavy to get the gear outside.

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Go the dob all the way. Take the dust cap off, put EP in and your ready yo go. You already have 130mm, so have I and I'm blumming amazed what I can see, but when you stick your eye up to 10"s you'll be blown way.

I recently got my second scope too and its a 90mm frac, nothing special and the view is nice (I'll be trying to take the magnification a bit higher on the planets with this over the 130p) but it IS ONLY 90mm.

The reasons I bought it were: I could sit down most of the time. It was very cheap 'used'. It has a goto mount that I stick my 130 on also.

The biggest hurdle I faced was the wife: "you already have a scope", "is it better than the scope you've got", "is it bigger than the scope you've got" "will you be selling your current scope".

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Weather permitting and the 4 hour return trip is quite a  small journey on the grand scale of things when it comes to  traveling about Scotland, and  I'm not sure if your work or pleasure  gets you any further North, but there is an 8" Skyliner that you could try up in Elgin?

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Weather permitting and the 4 hour return trip is quite a  small journey on the grand scale of things when it comes to  traveling about Scotland, and  I'm not sure if your work or pleasure  gets you any further North, but there is an 8" Skyliner that you could try up in Elgin?

Hi Charic,

That is a very kind offer thank you.  As tempting as it is I'm not sure that my wife would agree lol.  I should really join AAS but sometimes after along day at work a 20 mile x-country trip to Newtonhill is not always a welcome challenge; particularly when it's 'dreich' and there is little chance of observing. 

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Perhaps the question of storage and observing location should be considered plus if there are any physical limitations to moving heavy objects.

If there are stairs involved this might mean not bothering too often if it is difficult/heavy to get the gear outside.

That's a fair point, but for a 8" or a 10" Skywatcher, I don't think there's a lot in it. I believe they use the same base (which is the heavy bit), and the optical tubes are the same length. The 10" is a bit more bulky, but not that much.

But the point generally is a good one - either could be a pain if stairs/disability/etc. are involved.

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