jonathan

Once the scope is mounted on an AZ with the eyepiece at roughly head-height I think a straight-through 6x30 finder should be perfectly adequate for most tasks, a red dot finder in addition to a 6x30 is a luxury but I wouldn't choose the red dot over the 6x30. The finder is normally fitted offset and just forward of the eyepiece so it's easy to just tilt your head from the eyepiece to look through, with that in mind you'll have to experiment to find the best height for you, sometimes it's easier to set it for a seated position.

I would disagree a bit there, goto is handy for quickly finding targets but it's not always easy to use, there is a learning curve like that of learning how to use a satnav or a computer (correctly! Goto systems can be very unforgiving when it comes to mistakes or errors, and they tend not to tell you what the problem is when they don't work). Likewise, a manual mount requires a simpler learning curve but for me I prefer it because there is less to go wrong, like a simple bicycle compared to a motorbike - you can easily learn to ride and maintain a bicycle but a motorbike requires a lot more knowledge to be able to use and troubleshoot when things don't work properly. After much frustration and wasted evenings with star alignment failures and hardware issues I sold my goto in preference of a simple mount with tracking only. I'd say for ultimate portability and beginner ease of use, have a serious look at the StarTravel 80 and the Horizon photography tripod. If you can afford an extra eyepiece then consider something around the 14mm range, like the BST Starguider 15mm (cheap and cheerful) or the rather stunning Explore Scientific 14mm (worth the money, also consider the 11mm for higher magnification) from the 82 degree range, excellent for lunar observing (don't forget a lunar / ND filter to cut down the glare). Good luck!

Refractors are usually smaller and maybe lighter than reflectors so perhaps tax the mount a little less, and when it comes to astrophotography with guided long exposures light gathering is less important than it is for visual. There are quite a few specialist refractors aimed at imagers and a few reflectors too, I haven't delved that far into it (I bought the Altair Astro 102 APO as a starting point, have yet to start, it makes an excellent visual tool though). Serious imagers will likely use a small refractor (60 - 80mm) as a guide scope. Certainly I think the HEQ5 Pro is the minimum serious starting point for imaging, it will easily manage a refractor for imaging purposes and shouldn't be affected by small gusts of wind. When it comes to size, a good refractor should come with a case and fitted foam, it won't have the bulk of an equivalent reflector so should be easier and safer to store when not in use. My Altair Astro 102 takes up about the same amount of space in it's case as my 150P reflector without a case. If I was inclined to and experienced enough, I could probably get some decent images out of my 70mm refractor travel scope; like the Hubble deep field, there's a lot to be seen with long exposure (and stacking, post processing, etc) vs visual alone.

I have one of these rather nice Altair Astro 10x60 illuminated RACI finder scopes on my refractor, best finder scope I've ever used (one could have fun just using this instead of the main scope!) Standard fit bracket.

I think one thing you could try is mounting it on a decent camera tripod if you have one (preferably one with a smooth tilt and pan head) and sitting comfortably with the tripod quite low (legs not fully extended) so you only need to lean in a bit to view without having to touch the scope, although holding onto the tripod should be fine (to brace yourself and also to keep the tripod from moving), it might be a bit more comfortable that sitting at a table with it on the tiny tripod. As for what to look at, there are plenty of interesting things you can look at through a small telescope, I would steer away from DSO (deep sky objects) and concentrate on asterisms, large targets such as the Orion Nebula (you may need to wait until December for this now), the larger planets and the moon; you should be able to observe the moons around Jupiter and perhaps even see a couple of the cloud bands (Jupiter and Saturn will be small bright discs in the scope, but they should be fairly sharp). Jupiter and Saturn will be evening objects from about July onwards. Look up binocular targets, treat the scope as a powerful 'half-binocular' when it comes to targets and you shouldn't go far wrong; with it being a Mak it will have a narrow field of view which should be ideal for planets, but you'll need to use the lowest magnification for asterisms and open clusters. Might even be able to spot the occasional bright comet from a dark site. Just don't put too much faith in the zoom eyepiece, it will probably have an optimim magnification zone where it works best so try to stick to that. Should definitely be able to find the Andromeda galaxy with it (it's also a naked eye object) but again, the narrow field of view may hamper your view as the Andromeda galaxy is quite a wide cigar shape (it may be that you can only discern the bright galactic centre anyway). I had a C50 Mak at one point, just a tad too small for astronomy in my opinion and as I already had larger scopes and binoculars it was quite superfluous to my needs so I sold it on.

Whatever you do, make sure there's an appropriate inline fuse somewhere along the cable. Pre-made astro cables with a cigar plug usually contain one inside the plug which should be fine for a 12v supply.

The lack of responses could be because you've asked very specific questions and maybe nobody has the answers or experience you've asked for. I can say from my own experience that my regular Skywatcher 150P (fatter, not as long as the 150PL) sits nicely on my Celestron Omni CG-4 mount and tripod, but that is a slightly different beast to the EQ3-2, and I have no experience with the EQ3 (which I presume is the base model, not as good as the EQ3-2?) You already said that the 150PL on EQ3 is considered large and too expensive for your liking, so perhaps consider the Skymax 127 on mount of your choice - I'd say tracking is important but not goto so you could save a few quid there, if you can stretch to an EQ3-2 with RA motor drive and a polar scope then that should be all you need to achieve good tracking for planetary or wide field long exposure photography (rough polar alignment isn't that difficult with an EQ3-2). From what I've read, you're likely to want to use video to record planets and use software to extract the best frames for stacking, as often planets are fairly low in the sky and suffer from atmospheric turbulance. Video from a smart phone or webcam can product very good results so consider allowing for the extra weight and mounting of a phone cradle / smart phone. Reasonable tracking and alignment will be necessary, but goto is not really needed unless you're not confident that you can find things like Neptune or Uranus (they'll just be tiny dots anyway, tiny discs at best even in a large telescope).

I have one of these dual LED torches from Skywatcher, the 9v battery lasts a very very long time (only on my second one since about ten years ago), rattles about a bit inside but it works fine. I attached a lanyard to the loop on the end of the torch so I can have it hanging around my neck, I can easily pick it up to point at things and while walking with my hands full it points at the ground to light my feet, the dimmer goes very dim for those ultra dark nights (dims in white light mode too). I really don't like head torches, they never seem to go dim enough and when there are other people about it's a pain to be constantly blinded by them. I'm wondering about a pair of those red goggles that submariners used to wear duing WWII! Maybe I could modify some steampunk article.

I have a Cheshire collimation tool, I *think* I know how to use it but I'm one who always doubts my own knowledge! I have seen laser collimation tools, some swear by them and others can't get on with them, I suppose it's like manual or automatic on a car - horses for courses.

Speaking as someone who already has a range of telescopes and seen plenty through them, I do admire my little 70mm refractor for it's ease of use and very solid views. True, it won't show as much as a 150P reflector, but what it does show it shows brilliantly. It will happily sit on a decent camera tripod or an EQ mount, and doubles as a decent spotting scope when coupled with a 45degree erecting diagonal (which came with it for just this purpose). If you find yourself with a few quid to spare later on then consider the refractor as a secondary grab-and-go scope, they cost about £80 from Amazon (includes possibly the flimsiest tripod ever made, probably better to hand-hold the scope! But the included padded backpack is very handy).

Location can be an important factor in what you're able to see, and while the brighter planets shouldn't present too much trouble when it comes to finding and viewing them, once you start to increase the magnification you'll see more of the atmospheric disturbances such as heat rising from roof tops or roads, light pollution, that sort of thing. If you live in a built-up area, even a small village, it can affect what you can see; choose a position that doesn't have direct line of sight to any lights (even ones inside buildings). If you're able to safely transport the telescope to a spot well away from streetlights, houses, etc it should help, but try to stay away from the road as if a car comes past the headlights will ruin your night adapted eyes. I stood at the top of a hill once (admittedly on the grass verge just by the roadside, but it was a very quiet country lane) in quite a chill wind, it provided an excellent view across the valley and I was able to see a comet that was passing at the time (I believe it was the big Panstarrs one from a few years ago). I may or may not have been able to see it from my back yard due to the buildings and trees. Getting away from civilisation with a telescope can be difficult but is sometimes well worth the effort.

The ST80 is a very capable small refractor, I had one but found that the mount and provided eyepieces let it down, I sold it but later picked up a 70mm travel refractor which I find is also optically excellent and with a few good eyepieces can give some brilliant views. Consider adding a medium eyepiece, something around the 14-16mm size, e.g. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bst-starguider-eyepieces/bst-starguider-60-18mm-ed-eyepiece.html The ST80 is a relatively fast scope at f4.9 so the provided plossl eyepieces, while functional, are probably below the optimum quality that this scope has the potential to use. Spending a bit more on eyepieces should be justified and improve the views. A moon filter will certainly make observing the moon and venus much easier on the eye, something like this: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/moon-neutral-density-filters/variable-polarising-moon-filter-archived.html You might also like to try a light pollution filter, it may help to cut out some of the false colour / background glow of street lamps etc, worth a go as I've heard people have had a lot of success with them. I don't use them myself so couldn't recommend any particular one, it will depend on what kind of light pollution you have in your area.

I think for your budget you could either: Go for a small telescope (70 or 80mm refractor, or something like the Heritage 130P Go for medium or large binoculars (8x42, 10x50, or 15x70) with a sturdy metal L bracket for tripod mount (don't bother with a plastic L bracket, they're rubbish). To get the best out of any binoculars you'll ideally attach them to a monopod or a tripod to get steady views, they can also be rested on the brush end of an upturned broom. The views will be slightly different and it will depend on whether you prefer the '3D' stereo viewing of binoculars or the flatter '2D' single eye view through a telescope. Certainly you should be able to see much more of the moon and saturn, venus, and jupiter through a telescope as they're nice bright objects (use a moon filter for the moon and venus otherwise you'll be dazzled, consider wearing sunglasses if viewing the moon through binoculars). NEVER look at or view the sun through a telescope or binoculars unless you have specialist solar filters firmly in place, best to avoid the sun completely as a beginner. Binoculars and a star chart / planisphere are great for getting out quickly into your back yard or a dark site and learning the night sky, there are many interesting targets that you wouldn't need or want a telescope for (their field of view is often too narrow for such targets). It's only when you start looking for the smaller, fainter objects that you need a telescope, and that can be a frustrating or disappointing experience if expectations are too high. I started with a pair of 8x42 Bushnell Legend binoculars in my back garden, I still have them as my main spotter pair if I'm out with a telescope or sometimes I just sit out in a recliner with them. Things to look for when buying binoculars: Fully multi-coated glass surfaces Porro Prism Bak-4 glass While not absolutely necessary, they will provide a noticeable improvement to the views and are definitely worth the extra money. When it comes to binocular collimation, it's a common problem with binoculars that have been tossed around in storage boxes at a warehouse, gone through the mail, and plopped through a letterbox or whatever. I've had to collimate several pairs of binoculars, the larger the pair the more noticeable it will be. Under the rubber armour near the top bulge there should be a couple of small screws, collimation is a matter of looking through each eyepiece and making sure they both line up exactly to a target (so the binoculars need to be held in place, e.g. on a tripod), the screws require tiny adjustments, but once set they should remain collimated (a dab of superglue or threadlock ensures this). The rubber armour should lift up fairly easily from the eyepiece end to reveal the screws, it might be lightly glued in place, I've never had to glue mine back down though. Collimation shouldn't put you off buying or using binoculars. Note that nearby objects inside the field of vision can sometimes throw off your eyes' focus on the distant object, I find this especially when using large binoculars, it can be mistaken for collimation issues.

This reflector fits your £200 budget, however I will say that the mount is by far the weakest part of the package - you will experience vibration whenever you touch the focus so high magnification with the 10mm eyepiece will be tricky. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-explorer-130p.html If you were willing to increase your budget you could go for this slightly larger reflector, it comes with a decent mount and should be much steadier than the EQ2. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-150p-eq3-2.html Increasing your budget is a case of famous last words, there's always a more expensive scope / mount around the corner that will give you that little bit more resolution, light gathering, steadiness, but you need to be realistic both in terms of expenditure and also what you're capable of handling as generally the more light gathering you go for, the bigger and heavier the telescope becomes. Personally I would not go above 6" as a first telescope, I have the 150P reflector and it's just the right size for easy handling and storage, 8" and 10" reflectors (whether EQ mounted or placed on a dobsonian base) require a strong back and pair of arms, and a safe place to store them when not in use. If they are of the truss type (e.g. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-250px-flextube-dobsonian.html) then there's extra setup required which can introduce more chances to break something for the beginner.

That would explain why I can't see the Syntrek version of my NEQ6 Pro mount for sale (new) anymore, it was the same thing with two versions available, the only difference being the handset and about £300. I like the Syntrek, it's simple and doesn't require any handset setup from one session to the next.

I had power connection problems with my 8SE mount, I eventually ended up replacing the power socket with a BNC connection which was very effective and solved the random resets completely. However, I'd already outgrown the mount with my additions to the 8SE OTA (focuser, 2" diagonal, 9x50 finder, among others) so replaced it with an NEQ6 Pro SynTrek - it might be overkill but it's rock steady even under windy conditions! No Goto, can't say that I really miss it after all the problems it gave me. HEQ5 Pro would no doubt be enough for the 8SE, can be upgraded to Goto.

Looks like a very nice scope and mount. Note that you can (with great care) move the OTA back and forth in the rings if you wanted to shift it down a bit to reach the eyepiece easier, so long as it remains balanced on the mount. You may find on occasion that you'll want to rotate the OTA within the rings if you need to switch sides when something might be hitting the tripod on one side. If moving the OTA within the rings, make sure it cannot slip out (horizontal is probably best) and then slacken off the two large ring thumb bolts just enough to be able to move it. I second the alternative finder scope / red dot finder suggestions, with a 200P you'll likely want to be able to find fainter objects so you'll need all the help you can get. WRT the weights you may find that you only need one of them (maybe the larger one) at the end of the bar, or part way down the extension bar (if you have one). Make sure you always put the screw cap on the end of the bar. Consider adding the middle-weight eyepiece you might use when balancing the scope.

Yasser, I can boogie. *gets coat*

I know we're entering the 'light side' of the astronomical year but I think many of us still have some pieces of equipment that don't get much use, even during the winter months (or perhaps they saw a lot of use and were never maintained). Today I decided to get my 8SE and NEQ6 Pro out to give it a systems check in daylight, I thought it might have been out of collimation but looking down the Cheshire tool I could only see perfectly aligned circles, I presume that means it's fine, I'll have to do a star test at some point but for now I'm happy. One thing that came to light was that one of the power connections to my 12v battery had corroded to the point where most of the copper strands had turned to powder at the terminal, had to cut it back a good half an inch to get to clean copper wire. A new spade connector later and it's good as new. All else looked to be fine, although I think there may be some residue / dust / fogging on the inside of my SCT corrector plate, not sure if it's worth dismantling to clean (a future project perhaps!) This looks like something I should probably have a go at:

I agree with Cosmic Geoff, go for the visual setup first as that seems to be your primary interest. Later, you may discover what it is you most want to photograph, and that is what should drive your choice of specialist kit for that intended use. I have the Skywatcher 150P, it's a very nice reflector which should work fine on an EQ3-2 mount for visual. I prefer the 6x30 finder as supplied with the Skywatcher over the red dot finder that comes with the Omegon you linked to (I've never actually heard of that brand, it looks and sounds like a rebranded Skywatcher). The f5 speed means that you can use some high power, high quality eyepieces which is a big plus when you have clear skies with excellent clarity, something to consider for the future when you start adding eyepieces. You could add an RA motor drive to the EQ3-2, and provided you learn accurate polar alignment (with the purchase of a polar scope which fits inside the EQ3-2), there's no reason why you couldn't have a go at some quick and dirty astrophotography, but keep the expectations low and targets easy.

Ha! Well there is a subtle difference between an EQ1 and just about anything with the name Manfrotto stamped on it, not just the price. I'd argue that the shape of those legs on the Manfrotto is undoubtedly a major part of it, that and the extension mechanism.

I just couldn't get on with the friction clamps, eventually two of mine broke (they are just thin plastic) so I had to use jubilee clips and glue to hold them together, never really worked very well after that. Maybe I just got a bad one, but the friction between plastic, aluminium and aluminium just wasn't there for me when I tried to use it with the legs extended.

Quick and cheap and very easy to use: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Celestron-21035-Travel-Scope-Telescope/dp/B001TI9Y2M (upgrade the tripod to a decent photographic one though, supplied tripod is too light and flimsy) Nice easy introduction to dobsonian mounted reflectors: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html A very capable scope for the money, but could be quite hefty and bulky as one unit (scope lifts off easily enough), could be difficult to find things with for the beginner (9x50 finder scope gives quite a magnified view, can be tricky to find your bearings through it) : https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html Another very capable scope, this time on an Equatorial mount that has the option to have Goto, although personally I would not recommend Goto for a novice: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-150p-eq3-2.html I prefer the 6x30 finder scope as supplied with the 150P for casual observing, it gives a wider field of view than a 9x50. The latter finder scope is for more advanced stuff, finding those fainter or smaller points of light, you really need to get in the general area before you can use it. I find that I sometimes need a red dot finder as well as a 9x50.

+1 for replacing the EQ1, treat yourself and the scope to something better. After my experience with an ST80 on an EQ1 I would never have a tripod with those aluminium square section legs again, tubular steel all the way for me (or wooden if I could afford a good one). The ST80 was far better than the EQ1 it came with, all it needed was a decent mount.

A few things from my own experience... Don't look at the NexStar 4SE or similar Celestron / Meade 'arm / fork' Goto scopes for astrophotography, your heavy camera would upset the balance and hit the mount near the zenith. Whether you're into visual or photo, buy a bigger mount than normally comes bundled with the telescope you have your eye on, it will provide steadier views and allow you to upgrade the telescope by at least one size up at a later date.. OR allow you to easily fit more accessories and hang a heavy camera off it without overloading the mount. For the 150P reflector I'd go for EQ4 or EQ5. Expect to pay as much or more for the mount as the telescope. Upgrade to tracking later, just get the mount and telescope first and learn to use it in manual mode, learn some of the night sky, get used to being out in the freezing cold (and become adept at using the mount and scope without the aid of any lights, just star light and your amazing night-adapted eyes). It may not be long before you want that tracking, but by that time you'll hopefully have the money to buy it (probably around £75). You *could* go for the EQ3-2 Pro Goto, that would certainly give you everything to start off with, but Goto is not always the easiest thing to use for a beginner, if they go wrong then you could be lost and unable to observe at all (I've seen them be unable to even track or slew, which can really ruin your evening). This is why I sold my Goto mount and now only use single axis tracking, I lost several perfectly good evenings trying to do the Goto setup and having no end of problems (some noob mistakes, some hardware, some just quirks of the system that didn't make any sense). Sometimes you can replace the Goto handset with a basic 'tracking only' one, or just put the handset into 'tracking only' mode, I would recommend this mode for the beginner. Consider that you will also need a decent battery or power supply (6v) to drive a Goto or tracking mount, from personal experience with the typical EQ3-2 tracking motor kit the battery pack is awkward and looks like something Spock usually carried in Star Trek, I replaced this with a small 6v lead acid battery and some home-made wiring (including an inline fuse, important in the event of a short circuit), it lasts a loooong time with this size of mount and is much easier to handle than fiddling around with D cell batteries. Consider it as a future upgrade / project. There are pre-made 12v battery packs designed for the larger mounts but I'm not sure if they also can supply 6v, you could look into a simple voltage drop circuit to place between a 12v battery and the mount. So far as batteries go, I'd always recommend looking at the leisure batteries instead of lead acid, they are usually more expensive but much more robust and won't degrade if discharged beyond 50% as lead acid batteries usually do.