AlvinP

Thanks for all the quality comments; jesus; everyday i learn lots of new stuff. Im liking the comments about the 130PDS or similar scopes. I think ill pass on the refractors for now; maybe in the future ill revisit them.

So; these are the models im currently looking into: Refractors Gskyer 90x700mm - The first i checked was a direct upgrade with the same brand, its a bit better than my current one; but still same shady brand; and well; i dont really know if there is much upgrade from my current one, honestly i looked it up more as a reference before starting to look into other models. https://www.amazon.com/Gskyer-Telescope-Astronomical-Refractor-Technology/dp/B00WCG3UOS?ref_=fspcr_pl_dp_2_499152 Celestro Astromaster 102AZ - much better mount and brand than my current one; and has a 660mm lenght; instead of 1000mm for the 90mm version; which i prefer for manageability. https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-22065-Master-Refractor-Telescope/dp/B01E5DVONO/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=gskyer&qid=1617382681&sr=8-10 Orion 9024 Astroview - I noticed this one has an EQ mount; which i feel i might be really into; however while 90mm in aperture, its 900mm in length, i get the feeeling that its start to become harder to work on than the 500-700 range. https://www.amazon.com/Orion-9024-AstroView-Equatorial-Refractor/dp/B0000XMSKC/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3PI4FHUVD0WI4&dchild=1&keywords=90mm+telescope&qid=1617252358&sprefix=90mm+tele%2Caps%2C217&sr=8-4 Reflectors - (i understand they all require constant collimations to keep focused and sharp) Celestron Astromaster 130EQ - Its the one i see most often being mentioned for starters, has great aperture and great price, and ive heard the brand is one of the best, if not the best; and well, its the same brands as my Binoculars who did perform as expected. I did however heard a strong minority mentioning that this telescope is generally made with cheap parts and that for the quality it offers there are better alternatives, such as the next one. https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-31045-AstroMaster-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B000MLL6RS/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=astromaster&qid=1617383065&sr=8-2 Orion 09007 SpaceProbe 130ST - Ive heard this one is slightly more expensive than the Celestron Astromaster 130EQ; but its much better in quality and its recommended over it, as it supposedly performs much better. https://www.amazon.com/Orion-SpaceProbe-Equatorial-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B00D05BKOW/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=reflector+telescope&qid=1617333705&refinements=p_89%3AOrion&rnid=2528832011&s=electronics&sr=1-2 Orion 8944 SkyQuest XT6 - This one is a 6'' Dobsonian; ive heard it offers amazing views for stargazing; and the price/aperture is the best on these types of scopes; however ive heard mixed views about them being useful for astrophotography, but i dont think they should be any different than a Refractor with an AZ mount; in fact; ive heard the Dobsonian mount its far easier to move and position over regular AZ mounts. So aside from not having an EQ mount; i think thats the only downside. https://www.amazon.com/Orion-8944-SkyQuest-Dobsonian-Telescope/dp/B001DDW9UW Thanks

Thanks! this is really good

Thanks for the replies; another thing i read on a website was: "A key advantage of the refractor is that there is no central obstruction. The secondary mirror of the reflector blocks some of the light coming into the tube which reduces the effective aperture. In telescopes with 5” or less aperture the refractor is typically considered to have about a 1-inch advantage. This means that a 5” reflector and a 4” refractor would be considered about equal in light gathering ability, a key measure of the power of a telescope." How accurate is this? would this mean that a 90mm Refractor would perform similar/close than a 114mm Reflector? Or is this based on older designs and has been reduced in newer models?

I have been browsing these forums for a couple of months non stop and just today decided to sign in with Facebook and make a post. I got a 70x400mm cheap scope, but im looking forward to all the amazing stuff ill learn on these forums!

Hello, I've been on these forums a couple of times for the last 2 weeks and ive found amazing advice, on telescopes, mounts and eyepiece. Besides reading countless of information on the internet about various equipments; pros and cons; and i got some queries about how to upgrade my setup. My original purchase was a 15x70 Celestron Binoculars last year, and boy ive seen amazing things with it, specially globular clusters, Jupiter and Saturn and the Orion's Nebula; for me these were amazing; i still use them given how easy it is to look at the sky with them and how bright and full everything looks. A couple of months ago i got a 70x400mm Gskyer Telescope with an AZ mount (The cheap 99$ one that Amazon is displaying on all its adds for the last two months) it came with a 25mm and a 10mm eyepieces as well as a x3 barlows (which i didnt even count as part of my scope as it is too bad quality and i havent managed a single decent view with it). Currently My Celestron Binoculars (x15) seem better for visualizing the sky than the 25mm eyepiece (x16) (things seem a very bit dimmer). And since the Barlow is a "no go", the 10mm (x40) eyepiece is what i really use, it has decent zoom and detailed views , it is my go to eyepiece most of the nights. However from reading all around, ive read that most of the stuff that come with the Telescope (aside from the scope itself) are actually really bad quality, specially no name brands without even webpage, so if i were to maximise my telescope i should update some of those items. -Recently i ordered a new Start diagonal to replace to default one (ive heard on Refractors its usually the weakest link next to eyepieces) as well as an economic x2 Barlow lens Keep in mind i recognize my 70mm cheap telescope will not suddendly become the Hubble Telescope, and that it doesnt matter how hard i push it, in the end such a low scope will be bound to hit its limit pretty fast, thats why i avoid 70$+ eyepieces and barlows for now. I expect to keep using this telescope for a good couple of months; at least until around August, when Jupiter and Saturn are more in the night sky, rather than morning. Now, im very satisfied with my current telescope; while the phone mount is garbage and the phone weight and the sound of my heartbeats pretty much shake the telescope out of position, as well as how cheap the mount is; it still gets the job done for seeing interesting stuff in the sky and i have managed to do some AP for some of the globular clusters, bunch of 1-2s images (with the wrong lens), not the best, not even good pictures; but decent overall for my equipment. I am currently interested in stargazing in general and some minor AP (as i dont have a camera, currently an Iphone 7s with the mount) Buuut im interested in borrowing a camera for the low sky photos without a telescope. I do most 97% of my Skywatching on my backyard, i live in a small country, there is some light pollution, but i can see the pleiades and the orion's nebula core on the naked eye most nights (so i guess its not that contaminated lol) Now; currently i like finding stuff by myself and show it to the other people around me who cant be bothered to find the moon in the sky, so setting up, finding and seeing stuff is part of what i like. With all the above in mind..... Id like to plan ahead for my next purchases. First, im thinking a x3 barlow lens (to replace the original crappy one) and a 15mm lens (to have a bit better view than the 10mm, but less spread than the 25mm) in two or three months (with this id be able to check if my new eyepiece outperforms my default ones, but given the quality of the scope, i dont expect this to be noticeable). And Afterwards id love to get a new Scope, but im not quite sure what i want... and i would like some advice and help in choosing my next Scope upgrade. -I entered with and im liking the refractors; however i dont wanna spend 300-400$ on another refractor that is 20-30% better for triple the price -Ive heard really long focal lenght might bring some distortions; and also make the scope much bulkier, annnd most importantly i know that magnification is not everything; so a 1000mm long tube would prob bring too much magnifications for me to use properly on my backyard skies. So i think id settle for a maximum of 600-700mm. -Originally i was againts Newtonians in general, those inverted views scared me, i have a hard time of my own with my finderscope. Then i found out that Reflectors are the name of efficiency as they have more value per aperture than refractors; and as someone once mentioned "There is not really up and down in space, you will get used to it" annnd its true... save for references on the ground, like buildings, trees and mountains to help you locate where you are in the sky; once you are on it, you dont need right ups and downs. -I did see some 90mm Orion's Refractors as well as 90-102 Celestron Astromaster Refractors (these are 350-400$) -Im thinking a 130mm reflector is what im looking for; i think the 130mm aperture is a nice upgrade for my 70mm, and will keep me occupied for quite a long time; ive read about Orion SpaceProbe 130EQ and Celestron Astromaster 130EQ (ive also read, Power Seekers and Astromaster's are made out of pretty much garbage lol) Ive read that the main issue is the constant collimation required for them; but ive also read its something that can be learned and once you get used to it; its a pretty easy thing to do to keep getting amazing views. -Ive also seen people recommending 6-8'' Dobsonians; i know the deal with them; if anything i could aim for a 6'' one i found a litter under 300$ ive read they are amazing values for their aperture So, TL;DR: I have a 70x400mm Telescope, im new to stargazing, im really amazed and excited by what im seeing with my current scope, but would like an stable upgrade before the end of the year that will last me a year or two. I am interesteted both in regular and deep sky stargazing and astrophotography; im not currently interested in an motorized mount; could deal with a regular Equatorial mount. But overall i am looking for more aperture (100-150mm) to have clearer views; than focal lenght for zoom. Im also open to the fact that at one point i might have to get a scope for stargazing and another for AP; but would like an upgrade that could help me all around for both while i get initiated. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Sorrry for the Huuuuuuuuge post, i was very excited while writing it; please let me know what you think and if there's anything else you'd want me to add to help understand my situation, thanks in advance!