Stu1smartcookie

This is a question that in a less enlightened forum would create a " my scopes better than your scope " scenario . in laymens terms a refractor uses a lense whereas a relector uses mirrors . Each have their benefits and flaws . A reflector will , generally give you more "bang for buck " as you will no doubt be able to buy a reflecting scope with more aperture for the same price as you will pay for a refractor . Using a reflector , you will need to master collimation ( not hard , believe me ) . But as you have found out , a cheap frac isnt always the best option , especially if you want to use it to view planets . Whats better ? , IMHO if money is paramount buy a reflector , but , whatever you buy ... get a good mount !!! thats why people go for the Dobsonian design

I certainly "third" it !!! There is an underlining traditional theory that purists insist on an HEQ5 as "an absolute minimum" set up for astro photography . In reality , as this thread proves , and indeed for people using other AZ goto mounts photographing the planets and stars is very much achievable , with top results from our smaller rigs . Stu

As I found out last night although the little blighters that have eaten me are small black flies that hide in the grass . A hazard that we have to bear in the summer .

Last night , as per @Ags I was sitting outside ( getting eaten alive ) looking for meteors , only seeing one, at least the insects had a good time at my expense

By now you will have been bombarded with many suggestions , ALL OF THEM well meaning and perfect for a first scope . I agree with a previous comment , think about what you want to see . I know you are going to answer "everything" , but bear in mind , no one telescope excels on everything! The 200mm dobsonian is a favourite but , it can be a bit cumbersome if you have to move it up and down stairs . A small refractor such as the st80 has been mentioned ( I have an st80, and an ed60 refractor and they are great little scopes ),but they are for widefield viewing , not really suited to planetary . I also own a 127Mak which gives lovely views of planets as you can increase magnification due to its long focal length , but , this scope has its drawbacks as it has a small field of view . Also you have to think about a mount for the scope ( unless you go for the dobsonian) . This is where it all gets a bit expensive for a first time buyer as the mount is really the most important purchase . I certainly have made mistakes in cutting corners on mounts just to get a really nice scope and regretted it afterwards . Although in the past I have recommended the 127mak , I would buy a dobsonian , large or small , as my" first "scope .The heritage series are a good start . But if you can store it and you have easy access to a viewing point then the 200mm skywatcher is probably the best value scope . Of course the first thing to do is to "learn the sky " especially if you buy a telescope on a non GOTO mount . Astronomy can be the most rewarding hobby but also the most frustrating.Finding targets is time consuming . Buy some astronomy magazines .. Astronomy Now , and Sky at Night magazine , and the book Turn left at Orion ( which is a hard read but gives you an indication of what you might see at certain times of year ) . Whatever you decide , keep asking questions on here . You will get different opinions , and some great technical advice . NEVER be afraid to ask!! Oh and one last thing , Enjoy stargazing .. it's not a competition, go at your own pace, you don't have to do everything in one night . The sky will always be there .

Hi , thanks ... i have the newest sony 1 mk iv ... in manual mode with an optical zoom periscope lens 85-125mm. I'm just getting to grips with it having come from an iphone lol

No scope or Binos used last night , just my phone camera hand held , just a touch out of focus but it was worth a shot .

Its a great scope... nice purchase

Mr Peach , move aside ... brilliant image , Neil , as always

No need to apologise for buying the SVbony ... its great value , i briefly used an 8-24 and although the Baader is considered to be "king of the Zooms" the SVbony range of Zooms are great . Hmmm , Now i'm interested in buying another one !!!!!!

A good call Louis , that's why this forum is considered one of the best , everyone wants to offer the best advice they can .

true enough , i haven't but then again i think the op isn't looking at that kind of money judging by the scopes he listed . I'm purely in the doublet range .

HMMM spanner in the works , time . I am going to ask the op what interests them in the hobby . Planetary and Lunar ? , DSO's ? Double Stars ? Globs and Nebs? No one scope will do it all , well . I think the little Dob is a better all rounder , but i also think the Mak excels in what it does best . There is a reason why it gets such high praise on here and other sites . Sure there are downsides ie you must let the scope "cool down" longer than the dob , and , as pointed out the FOV is reduced compared to the dob , but lets look at the good stuff ... pinpoint views with high magnification , as has been said ... NO COLLIMATION . The Dob has probably one of the worst focusers going , which you can rectify by adding tape !!! To my mind that is a quality control issue that never should have passed inspection . Why you have to fix something that is new is beyond me . ... now for the spanner ..... im just throwing this one in , what about a nice refractor ? Decent focuser , No cool down time . Sharp Views . ( very satisfying to see the "snap" of an object come into focus on a frac ) . Hey , nobody said this hobby is a simple right and wrong !

Just getting used to our new house , and trying to put things away ( repeat to fade) ... just before i went to bed , around 11;30 i looked out on our "new" skies in Witchford nr Ely , Cambs OMG ! I now know there are definitely more stars than just the brightest favourites . In fact , staring at Cygnus i am sure i saw some faint misty patches to the left of Deneb , and considering the sky was clear i was mighty impressed by the sheer number of stars which were visible . It all bodes well for some lovely nights sweeping the sky with binos or indeed taking some shots through my little 60mm Horizon . Really exciting .

you trend setter ... looks great mate

Hello Tina , welcome to the forum .

Another early walk ... even earlier than yesterday , at this rate i will be staying up all night !! Took a photo of Jupiter sitting above the Moon. It was a bit cloudy first thing this morning and the photo highlights this

Due to an earlier start to work this morning i went for my morning walk at 4am . Wow , i've said it before but it reall is the best time to be out , at this time of year anyway .Jupiter was shining brightly to the left of the moon and i even managed to spot Mars , and of course Venus, which is a lovely sight . I'm turning into a bit of a lunar / planetary freak whilst the lighter nights and early sunrises exist , like many i'm sure . Looking forward to the nights drawing in and the mornings getting a little darker . Disclaimer : i honestly like the summer.... really .

Not strictly the postman but it’s the first time this rig has been put together so I think it’s worth a photo . missed a golden opportunity last night though as it was really clear but , hey , there’s always tonight

Nice set up . The 130PDS is a really capable scope.

Absolutely , and i will probably keep mine as a purely quick Alt Az set up .

yes or £599 including the tripod looks like Widescreen etc will have stock early next week . To be honest its been a good year for new mounts as the celestron Starsense mounts have been a great success . I think the new SA-Gti is a good upgrade from the original SA or AZGti ... dual axis guiding , illuminated polar scope , sensible counterweight system, but as you mention the price , its comparable to the EQ3-2 which basically does the same thing with the same payload . Whether its worth upgrading from an Az-Gti or a SA wifi ?... the Jury is out !

I certainly get around ! Another little journey to the south coast to meet @mareman48… and to collect the little beauty in the photos . A bit of widefield photography beckons

So it looks like the SA-GTi will be available next week . (Champagne corks popping ) .I received a notification today to order . Available with or without the tripod !

Good choice , especially the steel tripod as that enables stability.