joe aguiar

for 17 each thats a great buy and nothing wrong with plossls, there are much worse than them that get thrown in to starter scopes evem mid level scopes. joejaguar

well easiest for imaging is an apo type triplet is prefered but doublets are good too the dob can suit him very well in the 8" size which is recommended if he gets serious about viewing the dso the dob is not suited for imaging and since u alreday have it why not get him maybe a different scope like the refractor, maybe a used 80mm ED, that way you guys have a scope reday for the imaging part plus its a great grab and go scope. then all u need is the mount which you can find used . on canada wide astro buy and sell one just went up a heq5 pro for $800 cdn. Of course u wouldnt get it from here cause its too far but u could get it there which is about $500 UK? maybe he can view with yours being 6" which is decent BUT are you sure he will want to image ? normally for imaging since most ccd cameras chips are small u want a short focal range scope thats y i said maybe something like the SW 80 pro and the focal reducer. yours is an f/8 its kinda slow for imaging and has no tracking of any kind so its not good for imaging. joejaguar

ok so there are so many more question u didnt say will he manilly view planets or deep sky objects like cluster, nebual , galaxies or everything? but here goes ill talk about in cdn funds for UK divide by 1.60 for usa divide by 1.30 ok first for visual in that bujet 300 UK is about $480 canadian for a refractor thats probally an 80 or 90mm acro on a eq2 or a better eq3 mount. maybe a 102 on a Az3. a refractor is good for high planet views double stars and some bright dso. being lens most expensive but doesnt need alignment like other scopes will. Being kinda smallish wont see dso too well, and being an acro not best for imaging. If on a eq2 or 3 mount it has manual slow motion controls, later u can add a drive so it can track the planets by it self. you can do some imaging if you get a polar scope (eq3 or eq4) and dual axis drives. a reflector on dob mount a 6 or 8" dob. you may need a sturdy table to put it on and maybe a chair for the lower level viewing . cheapest kind to make. its bigish so seeing dso is better. it does good on planets too. being pull push type scope it has no manual controls at all so at highter powers it harder to move in minute motions. cant really do imaging cept the very basic stuff. reflector on eq mount-a 130mm (5.1") reflector on eq2 or better eq3, i dont think the 6"f/5 reflector is this cheap unless you buy it used. eq2 or 3 mount it has manual slow motion controls, later u can add a drive so it can track the planets by it self. you can do some imaging if you get a polar scope (eq3 or eq4) and dual axis drives. sct type unless used i dont think its in this budjet you maybe can find a used 6" sct but then no mount etc maybe if u wait a used 5" sct on a used eq3.eq 3 mount it has manual slow motion controls, later u can add a drive so it can track the planets by it self. you can do some imaging if you get a polar scope (eq3 or eq4) and dual axis drives. for imaging heres the hard part a good scope to image skywatcher 80mmf/7.5 evostar $1200 cdn then u may need a focal reducer $300 a good mount HEq5 $1800 a camera you didnt say if he has or not so lets say $500 to $1000 then an guilder or auto guilder $400 to $500 this doesnt include any filters if a laptop is needed andy power sources and dew controls for it as you can see its alreday at $5000 at least i would say get him to start with visual on the first part learn the stars consteallations later get a 2nd scope for imaging. joejaguar

I will go into more detail when I get on my computer but visual and imaging are different things. Imaging can easily go into thoudsands. Visual that's an ok budget to start with. Joejaguar

Polaris is half a degree off from true north for visual it's ok for imaging its need to be closer. Even if u got closer like quater degree is not good enough so getting as close u can is ideal. Joejaguar

Your always gonna have issues with either lp dew and frost in this hobby. I find a dewcap is more than find for my needs. However if u live in a humid and dewy area/country then that may not be enough. As I said in another post most people think dew is only a sct/ mak or refractor issue but it's not any scope optics may have this problem. Since u have a reflector u may need a dewcap to extend futher out. Wrapping your whole ota or both. If that doesnt work u may have to wrap dew strap powered around the 2nd mirror. The tube is larger than the mirror so putting a dew strap around the outside tube may not do anything. Try 1st part if it works then great if not go 2nd part etc The 3rd part could be a strap on the bottom of the mirror but I'm not sure if that work if not around the mirror itself inside the tube but I never had to go to these extremes for dew control Joejaguar

Very cool Joejaguar

I dont leave my scopes out but for those that do u still need air flow under the cover. Some people who keep the scopes in a shed use a 100 watt light bulb so it doesn't free either Joejaguar

I think its worth it. If u want to do visual and basic to intermediate imaging it's good but if u go to more serious imaging u probably need a goto mount, and a guilder or auto guilder . Joejaguar

pm sent I don't wanna over do it posting my own channel or vids joe

well the problem alan people will buy telescopes in the $40 to $99 range by the hundreds regarless if we say not to on these forums. we see those toy telescope for sale all the time on the used markets. we have to remember when we started out and didn't want to spend or maybe couldn't spend a lot on something we didn't know we would like. there are some cheaper scopes under $99 out there that are not the best BUt enough to get someone interested in the beginging, where then they will get something better. we cant just say if you cant spend this amount $$ then don't get into the hobby. I mean myself for instance I don't buy expensive cell phones. I only get the free cell phones that I get free from my company every 2 years. if my cell breaks b4 that I buy a $99 phone or less. right now I got a galaxy3 which to some people is acient, but I don't care for me that's enough its to text and talk only. I don't use my phone for apps or internet nor do I consider a phone a tablet or a computer. I would say a HUGE amount of people buy the latest cell phone ranging from $700 to $900 every year. they may look at me and think iam cheap or iam outdated but to me that not important. I have cars that most people would be jeoulous 2 jaguars and a Porsche I would never say if you cant afford a Porsche don't even think of buying a car. anyway cheers joejaguar

ok just an update i hit the cancel button on amazon celestron 76mm first scope. since i got a price on the meade light bridge 114 mini dob $175 tax and shipping brought it up to $215 cdn remember that's Canadian so USA would be $162 and Ik is $132 SHIPPED and TAX included. they are giving me a final price tho on SW 130mm heritage so depending on whats the final price here if its too much ill stick to the meade since its parabolic includes a finder and better eps than the celestron firscope. i didn't relize the firscope wasn't a parabolic mirror being f4 and spherical and no finderscope and hygens ep i decided no. so if its the meads that be a much better scope to test then i thought maybe i do a barska 70mm f/5.7 refractor also on the table top mount comes with finder and looks like 1.25 ep (maybe the cheap ones) but was only $74 only $13 more then the firstscope. in USA that's $56 and in UK that's $45 so hopfully that's works better as 2 entry scopes for people 1 each type also hope i didn't hijack the tread too much but maybe new people reading can get good info from us here whats decent start if you have a budject of $40 to $99 that's ok joejaguar

I agree with u alan i also preferan f/5 for a reflector scope for visual, altho there are thousdands of those 80f/5 refractors that have sold and i have had some of those and they are great for those wide field views or for a light weight portable refractor. reason i ordered the celestron 76mm is $54 free shipping and with tax was $61 cdn. in this price range its not even the trash scopes as we know but the garbage scope or toys. Even going to the $99 to the $125 price range these basic starter scope are not that bad overall BUt its the crappy tripod mount (az1/az2) type. They also come with a 0.965" focuser and eps etc these are just garbage BUT there have been lots good reviews from the 4" mini dob to the 4.5 to the 5" sw hertigae scope. so even tho its f4 its parabolic mirror it may not need collimation unles they drop it. better yet it comes with the 1.25" focuser and even on this mount may be a muich better starter scope compared the 3" reflector on a az1 with 0.965 accessiors. even that i don't think a new would be $61 new Canadian uk that's about $36 UK anyway i will test it out and do a video and see if this would be a better scope that the one i memtioned and see but on paper and with my experience i bet it is better overall but ill wait to say my final thoughts.

i just ordered 2 of those mini dobs for my youtube channel to test since christams is right around the corner, the 1st one should come by fri just intime for a weekend video. the celestron 76mm was my first one ordered so ill see how that mount or overall scope is for a new person. the 2nd one iam thinking of is either the meade 114 mini dob or the skywatcher 130mm heritage one i havnt decided yet cause depends on price, i cant always buy a scope just for testing on a video. joejaguar

that's the full adptor do you see the front part where it gets bigger? that front part also unscrew off. screw that to your t-ring then camera that may or may not still reach focuse but should be much closer then using the full adptor. If it still doesn't you may need a low profile focuser BUT before doing that there are 2 more things to try maybe put a 2x barlow into focuser and then then your camarea with the small nose piece also di you see that thumb screw on that full adptor you can put an eyepiece there and that thumb screw locks it there so it doesn't slip and see if it reaches focus that way. I used to do it that way I think its called ep projection, anyway I did it that way before buit with a slr camera not a dlsr camera but it may also work. joejaguar

Had to end that 1st part as my train went in subway and didn't want to lose info. Anyway let us see the mirror first And if u post few pics of the scope so we can see how your setup. If u have a 5x24 finder I think u need to upgrade that right away. We just answered that last week to another guy who got a similar scope . After he made a new thread called you guys were right. Look at it it could also help u too. If u have 0.965 focuser and ep u also need to change that but hopefully u got the better 1.25 inch focuser. If your ep are hygens h20 h12.5 or sr4 then those are also no good need to chang asap. So that bascally it till we see your scope and mirror. Joejaguar

Dont take out mirror yet take a couple pics of it first post it. If u take it out u must re collimate then, if u dont know how then thats an issue. Many people over clean the mirror minor dust or dust in general wont do much and is norm for an open reflector.

I prefer dual axis drives to the goto It's easy to put on and they have slip nuts so u can also use the regular slow motion controls at the same time. I have now twice turned a meade lxd75 mount into a manual mount and put the dual axis drives. If all u need is tracking and bot goto then ya go for it. Me being in hobby since 90s can just polar align in like 60 sec the swing scope to my object then view. Goto may take 5 to 10 min for a brand new person and that's if its successful. Not to mention goto mounts are double the cost of the same manual mount. Plus u know how many times I read the goto fail maybe hand controller messes up or something wrong with motors. Remember too anything computer or electronic will lose alot money once it gets outdated or next version comes out Joejaguar

Well u wont see all 88 from one location half are in the southern part, if your in lp zone as u say the dims ones will be washed out so that's probably another half u wont see. So 20 ti 30 probably be it. I would recommend a planisphere and maybe night watch book. Night watch has 20 pages of maps with chats and constellations. Plus it has lots other info about most thing u may need to know later. The planisphere will let you dial to any time hr month and season to see what constellations are up. Then use the maps in the book to look for specific items. Both go hand hand. Some prefer using a phone but the older way u dont need wifi or data or wordy about wasting your battery or if your phone does. Joejaguar

agree most people think mars is the closest planet BUT its not its Venus. and venus is about the same size as earth where mars is only half as big and about 1/3 further away (depending on the orbit) the only reason we don't see mercury and venus cause its only available close to sunset or 6 months later before sunrise. I would think to most 1 to 2 hours before sunrise is extra hard to wake up to view then to go back to sleep or just go to work . its much easier when its on the other side after sunset BUt if you don't have a clear west view then that messys up that too. where mars being outside our orbit it available like 6 months a year and it crosses the whole sky making seeing this planet much easier then mercury or Venus. joejaguar

just wanted to add in case you didn't know dew is a problem for most scopes if not all. there is a thread just like within 2 weeks where a reflector (I think was a 6"f/5) mirror dews up, I have also had my 2ndary mirror dew up on reflector too, and of cours the scts /maks always have this issue. so dew is a problem that probally all scopes will have some more then others and of course depending where you live ie: by lake, by ocean front, in a country with high humidty joejaguar

also i know that the WO132 is 2mm more then the meade BUT you wont be able to tell a 2mm difference at all. In fact i wish WO made their scopes in a 130 instead of 132mm. Being that 53 glass is very expansive if they made it 130 i bet they could shave $200 or more from the price yes iam guessing $100 a mm maybe even bit more. The WO also has the better 53 glass vs the 61 glass but the meade's is f7.7 verses F7 for the WO so as we know being longer also makes the colour better so being almost a full f stop longer the meade has a sligh advantage or at least that help this scope a tad more. last the WO has a bigger focuser a 3,5" verses the meades 2.5". again i wished the WO used something a bit less expansive cause the WO focuser is really an imagers focuser for visual u dont a $1200 focuser. The meades focuser is i find very very good and can also be used for imaging. If the WO used a 2.5" like on their other scopes for this model they again could reduce the price maybe by $500. for all the visual people out there we dont need a huge expensive focuser mabe have 2 models one with a 2.5" dual speed at a reduced cost, and for the people that want the 3.5 one another cost. I bet you doing the focuser and shaving off 3mm would put this scope in the same bracket of the meade and other similar scopes and then it would probally be no brainer to buy the WO over the rest. BUT its not and i choose the meade over the WO according to my figure thats only puts the WO $350 more then the meade's, i probally would have got the triplet 53. i hope this info helps you joejaguar

that was one of the 2 scopes i looked at WO132 and the meade 6000 130mm WO is a triplet 53 weights 19,9 lbs and i like it in the red colour or for that fact that u can choose it in 3 colours which is not like a cookie cutter scope. Altho it costs $4879 plus taxes =$5513 the meade is also a triplet FK61 also weights 17.7 lbs blue colour is fine costs $3829 plus taxes $4326 almost $1200 less for the meade, you can buy a good 80mm apo with that difference. i ended getting the meade i found it brand new on sale $3159 with tax was $3569 which is amazing less then the reglar price before tax. and again was brand new in box was dealer last one and they wanted to just sell it.so bascally that about $2000 less then if i got the WO model. i have used it and really like it and it compares very well to my takahasi 120TSA joejaguar

I would reccomend a good book or map Night watch has like 20 pages of charts and those are like the brightest 100 to 200 items in the skies. Joejaguar

I agree the 130 skywatcher heritage would be good. They also make a 130mm f/5 on eq2. A 6 or 8 inch dob are good starter scopes altho it's a push pull scope with no slow motion controls or tracking. You may need a sturdy table for the first scope sw heritage and the last 2 dobs to view as they r only about 3 to 4ft tall. I norm prefer a EQ mount like the 130mm f5 model compared to a 6 inch dob on the floor. The eq model will probably have the ep at a perfect height for most adults. And it has slow motion controls so u can track manually and later u can add a clock drive so it tracks automatically Joejaguar