MarkusET

One last thing.....any advice on extra eyepieces....which one (s). No hurry...just so I can google.

Many Thanks guys for the quick and good advice....Now I'm excited... So the Sky-Watcher Skymax 127 SynScan AZ GoTo ticks all the boxes.....could'nt resist...just bought a new one for £439. I see the handset is not included so I will give it a go with the app first and see. Handset is just in case app fails. Next I'll get a battery bank. Out of interest - will it work with the app SkySafari 7 Pro? So now I will have to google how to use SynScan. Only issue I think is my wife will not allow me to use it until xmas. Maybe I can try it out to be sure it works ok. Rear garden faces West.....any advice on what to look at? Books or mags to buy.....or web site to read. Thanks again....I hope I've made the right choice. Kind Regards.

Hi - I'm a new to this but a recent fitting of patio doors has me gazing at the sky on a clear night so I'm thinking of buying a telescope. I live in the country. So after a week of googling and being overwhelmed and confused at times by the options and kit available I think I have "narrowed" it down to this wish list as follows. Looking at Galaxies then planets. Reflecting Telescope. Motorised mount Handset as well as Wifi/app control of mount using Android table or Android phone. (not an apple lover!) Ability to use external battery bank as I read batteries do not last long. A few eyepieces...which one's? It would be nice to have the option to take pictures at a later stage. Budget....£500 max I think for the right gear to get me started...I can add battery bank and eyepieces as soon as required. So here is my list of telescopes so far and my questions. List is in no particular order and I realise I have listed 2 versions of the 130 and 127 as I read bad reviews on the in-built wifi issues linking to phone/tablet app (though I only recall reading this about the Celestron kit - does that mean the 127 wifi is ok?) so am thinking I should buy the model with the hand held programmer in case the wifi problem raises its head. Celestron Nexstar 4SE Celestron NexStar 130 SLT 130mm f/5 Reflector (is the eyepiece at the top of the tube a better location for usage) Celestron AstroFi 130 Wireless Reflecting Telescope Sky-Watcher SkyMax 127 AZ-Go2 Wi-Fi Maksutov Telescope Sky-Watcher Skymax 127 SynScan AZ GoTo My other questions: I like the idea of the 4SE sealed optical tube to keep dust out off the tube and off the mirrors. Is this an issue with the open construction of the other telescopes I am considering? Is it a problem cleaning dust off mirrors/optics of the 127 and 130 models...photo's I see suggest these are not sealed tubes? Eyepiece at lower end of tube....is this an issue for bending over...I am 5ft 10" or should I consider a telescope with the eyepiece at the upper end of the tube? If I have a computerised mount does that mean I cannot move the telescope by hand? I have read these mounts are a drain on batteries so I should buy a battery pack...can these be used on all the telescopes I am looking at or on any telescopes recommended in any replies. For the Celestron models - I read of issues with inbuilt wifi and phone app.....so does skyportal wifi module fix these issues? - Why would I buy the skyportal wifi module? I get the impression the wifi connection issues are down to local wifi interference? I read about people adopting bluetooth modifications to their kit solves this? Comments? Software: I'm interested in this....what software is best suited for linking to the telescope...ideally using an android tablet or phone. A laptop is good too though not so easy without a table I think. I'm sure there are other things I should consider but as I mentioned I am new to this and this is my starting point for any advice and comments. Many Thanks for your help.