Hey there! Please help me xD

[VeeVee93]

Hey,

I've been having a bit of trouble and after trawling google trying to find reviews/comparison lists etc etc I came across this website of people who can probably help me the most at this point.

Basically i'm trying to buy my partner a telescope as a surprise birthday present, He's never had one but always wanted one and after dragging me out of the house into the garden to see Venus and Jupiter last night as bright white/red dots in the sky and the look of awe on his face, I imagined what he'd be like if he saw it all up close and now I just can't not get him one; I think it's something he'll cherish and really get into.

Thing is....I really really really don't have a clue, refractor,reflector,hybrid?? Not a clue! I'm hoping it's something we can both get into but I am so clueless when it comes to these kind of things, what things am I looking out for, what kind of telescope will he need for looking at planets/moons/stars and any other thing happening up there. What companies are reliable and make the sturdiest equipment, we live in quite a built up area and will probably venture so need it to be fairly sturdy and not break in the car. I want him to see as much as possible in as much detail as possible as my budget allows.

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/cameras/accessories/binoculars/celestron-lcm-76-computerised-newtonian-reflector-telescope-13828414-pdt.html     But I think it's more the fact that I saw computerised and thought "Ooh fancy!"

I looked at this one for a while but have no idea what i'm looking at,whether it's any good etc Could really do with some help, I'd really appreciate it and hopefully will get to use this website properly when both me and the partner are a bit more savvy.

I'm trying to keep to a budget of £200 or less which is about $315 or less I think, can I even get what i'm looking for in that price range? Any help would be great but you might have to talk in very very very simple terms.

Thank you sooo much for any help you can provide.

[damnut]

Hi There,

There is not a lot of telescope for your cash with that model. A good deal of the value is i the mount.  You would see so much more with a 150p dob and that is still within budget ;-- http://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-skyliner-150p-dobsonian.html

You loose the goto but the view at the eyepiece would be so much better.

Also download a planetarium program, plenty out there but try stellarium, its great and free to be found here :--- http://www.stellarium.org/  , This will help guide you round the sky. A couple of books 'turn left at orion' and 'sky&telescope pocket star atlas' also will help you learn where objects are.

[Charic]

Hi and welcome.

Choosing is a huge issue, with so many variables.

I stand ( sit actually ) by my system, an 8" skywatcher, Skyliner telescope, slightly bigger than the 150 above? Easy to use, easy to set up, and easy to maintain after studying collimation, but dont forget Binoculars. You will see about 10000 more Stars over eyes alone. You may not see any detailing on the Planets, but having something to better look at the stars and Moon may further his/your imagination. Dont go over 10x50, as these will be comfortable enough to hand hold.

[Floater]

+1 for the 150 Dobsonian.

I understand you're struggling with all the possibilities but tell us more about where you'll use it - are you in a flat and will have to carry it up and down lots of stairs; do you plan to stick it in the car and drive to darker skies?

Another consideration is the used market but you'd need to be sure of what you want. How soon is your partner's birthday?

[Alien 13]

Hi and welcome to this forum I cant offer any specific advice but would suggest you look at the FLO website rather than Currys etc because in most cases they are often cheaper and customer service is 2nd to none, http://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes.html the 150 skyliner dobsonian on that page will be most peoples recommendation for value.

Alan

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Very good advice so far. In general, go for a specialised astronomy dealer, and go for a Dobson type (and binoculars) for the best value for money.

[ronin]

Someone asked almost identical yesterday - so the same answer from me.

The 150PL dobsonian from FLO will do a good job and cover just about everything, £198.

The other I suggested was the Evostar 90 on the EQ3-2 mount, a little over at £229.

The dobsonian is the bigger but the Evostar has the equitorial mount and you can add motors then a camera and perform some basic imaging with it.

Many people start out then want to attach a camera, so it tends to be more relevant then first assumed.

A dobsonian is not suited to imaging - anything with it will be impossible or very difficult.

You may see the Evostar 90 on the EQ2 mount but I suggest you ignore that option, the EQ2 is too lightweight, the EQ3-2 is better, and has more expansion possibilities.

[Saganite]

Hi There,

I simply would endorse the above advice, i.e choose an Astronomy dedicated source such as First Light Optics.

As far as a telescope choice, again a 6" Dobsonian will be an excellent start, in budget, very portable, and will I think give you views that will amaze you,

but probably leave you " hungry " for more, a malady that blights us all I 'm afraid, but you have a lifelong learning curve and a sky simply full of delights to look forward to.

Good luck

[Dave Lloyd]

Hi and welcome. Better advice above than I can give. Whatever you choose it sounds like he's going to enjoy it.

[brantuk]

Hi Vee and welcome to SGL

As mentioned above £200 isn't a big budget which would barely buy a basic electronic tracking upgrade for a good mount. So you are really limited to manual mounts at the moment - not necessarily a bad thing because it does help one to learn the sky properly.

You will benefit from the largest aperture you can afford and the sturdiest base in that price range. At brand new prices the 150P dobsonian takes a lot of beating. The 150mm (6") mirror size will show you many of the brighter objects - enough to keep him going for a couple of years. The Parabolic (P) mirror is preferable for focusing (rather than a spherical one), and the dobsonian base (which is a rocker box on a turntable) will be infinitely more stable than a tripod in your price range. It's a very easy scope to set up and use in 5 mins.

It can be carried in two bits (scope tube, and base) very easily, will fit into most any car with no trouble, and it's all solid enough to not fall apart whilst traveling. I'd also recommend a good book like "Turn Left at Orion" which takes you gently through your first 100 objects in a very readable format with "finding" instructions and diagrams. And it would be good to download Stellarium (free) as first planetarium software (shows the sky movements at your location 24hrs a day).

Alternatively - for the same £200 you could get a 200P Dob (8" mirror) on the used market. It's not hard to find one in very good condition (but I appreciate you want to buy new). Avoid high st shops, ebay, and non specialist outlets - I've used FLO (link at top) many times and they can't be beaten for pre and post sales service and price.

Hope that helps and good luck.

[VeeVee93]

Oh wow, thank you so much for all this advice, really asked on here on a whim, didn't expect such a helpful reply! I will take the advice to look on a specialist site rather than pcworld etc in regards to brand new or second hand. as long as it's in really good condition that wouldn't be an issue if I got a bit more value for money - I could stretch to £250 but that would be my absolute limit, I only work part time at the moment and that's almost a whole months wages for me! XD

In regards to what it would be used for It would be driving out to darker skies, we have a couple places fairly nearby 20-30 minute drive away that would be great, it would probably be taken on weekend breaks to Wales/Scotland and the Lakes too as we do go camping quite a bit.

"The 150PL dobsonian from FLO will do a good job and cover just about everything, £198.

The other I suggested was the Evostar 90 on the EQ3-2 mount, a little over at £229.

 

The dobsonian is the bigger but the Evostar has the equitorial mount and you can add motors then a camera and perform some basic imaging with it.

Many people start out then want to attach a camera, so it tends to be more relevant then first assumed.

A dobsonian is not suited to imaging - anything with it will be impossible or very difficult." - Sub Giant

 

Would people recommend i get the Evostar if i can stretch to that or stick with the dobsonian?

 

"I understand you're struggling with all the possibilities but tell us more about where you'll use it - are you in a flat and will have to carry it up and down lots of stairs; do you plan to stick it in the car and drive to darker skies?

Another consideration is the used market but you'd need to be sure of what you want. How soon is your partner's birthday?" - Floater 

 

We currently live in a 2 bed house but are moving shortly to a 3 bed with lots more space (there's only the two of us and our springer spaniel) but the area is fairly built up so we would be driving out a lot (30min journey or so) and taking it on camping trips etc. Alan (my partner's) birthday is on 24th August.

 

I do want something as a starter telescope for him and hopefully get him something better in the future when i'm more stable financially but then again I want it to be good enough to capture his interest and keep him occupied for a good few years while I save for a better one.

 

Thankyou so much everyone, any more advice/recommendations would be greatly appreciated and thank you so much for such a warm welcome! 

[laudropb]

Hello and a warm welcome to the SGL. The Dob is simpler to use. An equatorial mount takes practice and a little time to get used to.

[VeeVee93]

Also my partner is quite good with knowing where stuff is in the sky so the computerised feature isn't a must to be honest, just sounded swanky. Me on the other hand, i'll just buy a good book and learn as suggested....so far....I can point out the moon lol

[damnut]

The planetarium program will go a long way in helping you find objects in the sky.

[xtreemchaos]

another +1 for a dob,more bang for your buck.clear skys..charl..

[Charon]

Welcome aboard.

[happy-kat]

Camping is cool but don't expect all your gear and a telescope that big 150p to fit in the car as well. Could be a tight fit.

A pair of binoculars won't show any planet detail but on Jupiter you will make out the four main moons. Even though I have a telescope I use my 8*42 binoculars a lot.

[happy-kat]

This is a great stater telescope and is portable. Can be used on an upturned bucket or table.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html

[happy-kat]

Just seen this in the clearance section.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/clearance/clearance_skywatcher-heritage-100p-tabletop-dobsonian_15009.html

Often telescope can be put on a tripod with the right attachments if a future need identities a tripod over a dobsonsian base would be better.

[barkis]

Most of your money should go into the Mirror. The larger the better.

The 130, 152, scopes are all very good, But if you can find a 200 mm  (8")  Dobsonian for sale somewhere,

give it some serious thought. It will usually come with a couple of eyepieces, they come as standard with New scopes, so anyone selling a 

8" f5/5 Dobsonian should include them in the price.

You might get change out of £200 if you're lucky.

  Sorry, I've had another  look through this  thread, and Brantuk has more or less suggested the same.

Great minds think alike, as the saying Goes  .

Best Wishes, and Luck anyway.

Ron.

[andyb505]

+1 for the Skywatcher Heritage 130P. I have one and it is perfect for the beginner. It is very quick and simple to set up. Easy to use (as long as you know where to look in the sky!, try the Stellarium free computer programme or a good book for that), and transportable.

It will also take better eyepieces than those supplied if you get the bug

Will also give you chance from your £200 budget.

Andrew.

[glowjet]

Hi VeeVee and welcome to SGL. A lot of excellent advice already, hinging around the Dobsonian, although you have a tight budget the 150p, with a good aperture, is the one I would also go for.

Easily transportable to a nice dark site where I am sure you will both enjoy using it. After a short passage of time, if he wishes to expand further, it is a simple matter to mount the scope body on top of such as an EQ5, which is a strong stable equatorial mount, motorised on both axis. A search of such as Astro/BuySell could produce a good second-hand unit at a reasonable price, to carry out such an upgrade.

The same forward thinking would also apply if you could expand to the 200p, both mentioned by Ron and Kim ( Brantuk ) in their threads, in this you would finish with a scope that has been the final choice of many of our newcomers, who are still happily using them to-day.

You have the money and the choice is yours, best wishes with your adventure, I am sure your partner is going to overjoyed, whatever the outcome 

[gnomus]

On this budget, the Skyliner 150 dobsonian would be what I would go for. I would also get either, "Turn Left At Orion", or "Nightwatch".

Avoid toy shop scopes that promise a lot but deliver little. My first scope was one of these - I tried to use it once: it was another 10 years before I got back into Astronomy.

... The only thing I would say that, I know you said £250 was an absolute maximum. But, for only £28 more you can get the 200P Skyliner. That gives 8" of aperture - that is starting to get quite serious!!!

I know ... I am a bad man....

[VeeVee93]

Have you got a link for this slightly more expensive beyond my maximum budget one you horrible person XD my bank account hates you

On this budget, the Skyliner 150 dobsonian would be what I would go for. I would also get either, "Turn Left At Orion", or "Nightwatch".

Avoid toy shop scopes that promise a lot but deliver little. My first scope was one of these - I tried to use it once: it was another 10 years before I got back into Astronomy.

... The only thing I would say that, I know you said £250 was an absolute maximum. But, for only £28 more you can get the 200P Skyliner. That gives 8" of aperture - that is starting to get quite serious!!!

I know ... I am a bad man....

 I have been looking at  http://www.firstlightoptics.com/evostar/skywatcher-evostar-90-eq3-2.html mainly because I don't know, it looks more like what you imagined a telescope to be like as a kid, but, if I can get him something that he can just keep upgrading then i'd rather go for that....Value groceries for me this month lol

I'm guessing the 200p skyliner is better than the 150 dobsonian??? Say yes i'll feel smarter lol

Thanks again guys!

[VeeVee93]

OO oo oo oooooh I think I found it!  http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-sky-watcher-skyliner-200-8-inch-20cm-dobsonian-telescope/p10565?cm_mmc=googlebase-extension-_-telescopes-_-dobsonian-telescopes-_-sky-watcher-skyliner-200p-classic-parabolic-dobsonian-telescope_10565&utm_source=googlebase-extension&mkwid=sofmnkpe4_dc&pcrid=73914101699&kword=&match=&plid=#details

It has direct SLR camera connection That's the bit i'd be very very interested in, i'm quite into my photography and this would add a whole new level.....wait.....am I getting this for him or for me? XD