Bongo

As a side note, I was just about to go to bed last night when I noticed that, despite the forecast, there was a completely clear sky. I grabbed the 'scope and managed a brief period of observing. Saw the Orion Nebular for the first time - very pleased with myself there!

Hi Daniel,

I was in pretty much the same boat as you late last year. I'm certainly no expert, but I too got bewildered by the options.

A lot of folks recommended binoculars as a better entry level option. Maybe that's an option for you. Personally, I wanted a telescope. I pored over reviews and discussions (this site was very helpful) and the pros and cons and fretted about it. In the end, I figured that any telescope was better than no telescope and just dived in and got a Meade 130mm Lightbridge (Dobsonian)*. It's still early days, but I'm absolutely loving it.

I think it's been discontinued now, or at least it's out of stock most places - there seems to be a telescope drought on at the moment. I don't know how it compares with the other options I could have taken, but I'm very happy with what I have. I'm sure there are plenty of comparable telescopes out there.

My main, personal takeaways have been:

• Almost any telescope is better than no telescope
• Dobsonian reflectors seem to give the best 'bang for your buck'

Good luck!

* For reference only, it was this one https://www.astroshop.eu/telescopes/meade-dobson-telescope-n-130-650-lightbridge-mini-130-dob/p,54287

20 hours ago, jacobingonzo said:

Don't think any of us tire looking at the moon- the quality of the view will be tempered by your seeing conditions depending on your light pollution and the atmospheric conditions- Just keep at it- Do you view from a garden or open space and is it in a city? Im sure you have read on here about Light pollution and dark sky sites for better views- Depending on where you are in the East Riding you may well be within striking distance of somewhere not too bad- (Im from Hull originally but now up here in Cumbria we have some really nice dark sites within 20 mins drive)

Ah! A fellow Hull person. I lived there for most of my adult life, moved out to Nafferton (just outside Driffield) about 6 years ago now. It's not a super-dark sky, but its fairly rural and a lot better than being in a city. Might try to get up to Dalby Forest at some point after all this lockdown stuff is over with.

The moon pics were taken when it was quite low in the sky, so I'm sure I could have done better if I'd stayed out longer, but frostbite was setting in.

Hi

Thought I'd drop a quick report on my first month's observing. Partly because reading posts from others on this forum inspired and encouraged me to get my first decent telescope (a Meade 130mm Lightbridge), but also because I'm giddy and overexcited.

I got my telescope late November. I got a lucky break in the weather on the first night of owning it, and managed to have a brief session. It was long enough to get the hang of the basics of using the telescope, but not much more. But after waiting the best part of a month, was rewarded with some decent skies over Xmas.

I'm still blown away by the moon at this stage. I've attached some pics I took (just clumsily held an iPhone up to the 9mm eyepiece that came with the 'scope). I know they're not amazing pics, but they are to me! The Pleiades have been a revelation - amazing that a smudge in the sky can have so much to see in it.

I've not had much luck with Mars though. The best I managed has been just enough of a disc to convince me it's a disc rather than a point. Absolutely no detail has been visible, which is unsurprising given the size. I do wonder what I might achieve at a more favourable time, or whether a better eyepiece would help, or whether that's just as good as I'm going to get with the 'scope I have?

Can't wait to have a look at Jupiter and Saturn when the time is right, although, as I look out of my window at black clouds and horizontal hail, I'd settle for a dry, clear night and a decent view of *anything* at the moment!

Thanks to all who have posted things I've found helpful so far on this forum. 🙂

Hello and welcome. Grwmp!

2 hours ago, banjaxed said:

Hi and welcome to SGL. It is a well known fact that when you buy any astronomy equipment the clouds roll in for at least 2 weeks 😀

This is 100% true in my (very limited) experience. Managed to get about 30mins decent observing time with my new telescope a few weeks ago, and its been solid cloud and rain ever since! Looks like there might be at least a couple of decent nights this week though (I'm in the UK too, over in Yorkshire though), so figures crossed.

For the record, I have an app on my phone called Scope Nights which has been handy for spotting decent nights coming up. (I am not the developer or associated with it in any way, I hasten to add!)

Good luck!

12 hours ago, Jasonb said:

P.S. Sorry Rob, for hijacking your thread!

 

No worries at all!

Just for the record, managed to get out for about half an hour last night during a break in the clouds. Very pleased with the view of the moon. Mars looked like a twinkly blob - not sure whether that's because of atmospherics (there was some very thin cloud even then - or whether that's the limitations of the telescope. Have to have another try to find that out.

1 minute ago, Tiny Clanger said:

And he's not excited about the imminent delivery, no siree, totally calm, utterly zen ... 

I'm not going to play it cool - I was (and am) like a giddy schoolboy waiting for mine to arrive... I'm 48. 

6 minutes ago, Jasonb said:

Nice one! Looks like a nice scope! I'm hoping to get mine tomorrow, a similar 130 Newtonian but on an EQ mount. And then all we need are clear skies!

Excellent! Good luck with the scope and the weather.

The forecast here suggests at least a couple of hours of clear sky around 8pm... but the current black skies and horizontal rain aren't giving me much confidence in that!

On 24/11/2020 at 18:45, Jasonb said:

If you haven't actually ordered a telescope yet, check out First Light Optics (FLO) sale that's currently ongoing, they have lots of good stuff at reduced prices!

Thanks for the tip - slightly too late for me though.

After much deliberation about various pro's and con's, I figured that any telescope was better than no telescope and took the plunge. I'm very happy to be sat next to a boxed up Meade Lightbridge 130 Dobsonian. https://tinyurl.com/y5nfulfb

Can't wait to give it a go!

Hi,

I'm a newbie myself, in a similar position to you. So I can't really answer your specific questions. However, I've just chipped in to say to be a bit careful and check stock levels. I was trying to order a Bresser and nearly everywhere was out of stock. Bresser themselves told me that some models might not be available until the middle of next year. You may be luckier than me, but check with the supplier, especially if you want one in time for Xmas.

For the record, I went for a Meade Lightbridge 130 Mini in the end. Can't recommend it as it hasn't arrived yet!

Good luck!

Thanks all for the warm welcome!

We're hoping our first decent* scope will arrive in time for Xmas, so we'll be out observing the first chance we get after that. Fingers crossed.

* OK, nothing fancy, but better than the beaten up, ancient binoculars we've been using up until now!

Hi all

I'm Rob, from the East Riding of Yorkshire.

I studied astronomy over 30 years ago (and wasn't much good at it) - the little that I did master at the time, I have since forgotten.

Now I have a young son who's showing an interest in planets and stars, so I'm having to swot up a bit! Hoping folks here will be able to help me out when he stumps me with a question!

Thanks for letting me join!