Goto or no Goto

[frankie]

Hey guys just wondering on your opions about to order my scope and was wondering to get Goto or not, As a novice will i find it difficult to locate DSO or is it better as i will learn the night sky and not rely on computers?

look forward to your replys

[brantuk]

What suits you is best really. You are free to learn the sky wether you have goto or not. If you do get goto then you still need to learn how to polar align an eq mount and do star alignment. If it's an alt/az or dob mount you'll still have to learn star alignment - so knowledge of the sky is needed anyway. If you don't get it then you'll have to learn how to point the scope.

Whichever way you go it'll be easy enough to learn what you need to know anyway - hope that helps

[Nexus 6]

Ye I think its go what ever you feel is best for you although many people will say forget the Go To option and "learn the sky".

I use any means I can for help in learning my way about, computers, books, the forum, all are good for helping you along the way

Good luck whatever way you decide to go.

[frankie]

Thanks brantuk think ill prob go without Goto for now much cheaper too

[Moonshane]

for me it's not about goto or not goto it's more that you can often get a lot more aperture for the same price if you just get tracking rather than goto. personally, I think aperture is important as although a goto might point at something, it may be too faint for the aperture. to my eyes this would lead only to frsutration and disappointment. with more aperture you may take longer to point at something but when you find it you'll see something (although it will usually be grey and fuzzy even with aperture) and appreciate it more.

you can always learn to star hop (although light pollution makes this tricky of course).

having used dobsonians with and without tracking I feel that at lower power it's not an issue but when looking for planetary and lunar detail or planetary nebulae at higher powers (say 100x plus) then tracking is a real boon.

good luck with your choices!

[frankie]

Thanks for the replys

[Steve_meg]

I got my telescope a month ago and had the same problem. I'm the end I went for a bigger telescope. Must say I'm mostly glad I did, for example saturn through my 10" is amazing. I would say spend the money on the telescope not goto and have fun exploring the sky.

[Grandad]

When I started we were still using slide rules and abacus so we had to learn the hard (but fun) way.

That said; if I was starting today I would pick goto without a doubt.

Good luck

[frankie]

Hi Steve is it difficult to find DSO or did you just get used to it

[ZEbbEDY]

with programs like stellarium and several smart phone apps its pretty easy to find the general area and time that the objects are in your area and plan what you can see on a certain day/time

[malc-c]

Goto typically adds £300 to the cost of a similar scope without it, however if you have the budget to combine decent aperture and a goto then I it's a good combination. Personally I have found goto a good teacher, it shows you where things are so you become familiar with the night sky. In the end it all boils down to your personal choice and observing habits. There is no point IMO of buying the largest aperture non motorized scope if you find it difficult and frustrating when trying to locate an object.

[Luke]

Hi Frankie,

It's a tricky choice I think!

If I am only viewing for a short time, goto is nice to see a bunch of targets quickly (that said, some people seem to find targets in their dob quicker than I do with goto!!!).

On the other hand, I wish I had spent a bit more time learning the night sky early on!

If you go the non-goto route, I'd recommend something like a telrad or rigel quickfinder to help you find targets quickly.

Good luck choosing the right setup, I think either way you have benefits, choosing a setup is a nice problem to have! :-)

[Moonshane]

Goto typically adds £300 to the cost of a similar scope without it, however if you have the budget to combine decent aperture and a goto then I it's a good combination. Personally I have found goto a good teacher, it shows you where things are so you become familiar with the night sky. In the end it all boils down to your personal choice and observing habits. There is no point IMO of buying the largest aperture non motorized scope if you find it difficult and frustrating when trying to locate an object.

and this is what makes this such a wonderful hobby. so many diverse views and a plethora of kit to help us debate things

[wiseman]

If I had pots of money I would try the goto, but on a budget, I am spending my dosh on aperture instead of motor.

I tried using a friends goto, but he was too far from a mains power source, batteries were flat etc etc , and trying to shunt it by hand just meant the scope whizzed around and we couldnt find a thing

[johninderby]

I think that it's about 50/50 for deciding which is best for you. For every beginner that prefers not having GOTO there's someone else who would give up on the hobby if they didn't have GOTO.

So there isn't really a right or wrong answer to the question. Just do what feels right for you and don't worry about any one else's opinion.

John

[MorningMajor]

I have a goto, and use it about 50% of the time - I like to learn the skies but occasionally that elusive object defeats me and I pass it over to the goto - usually, the next night I try to find it again manually, so a goto is really the best of both worlds - you don't HAVE to use it.

You don't mention budgets, and I think ultimately what you can afford should be the defining factor in your choice

Good luck

[Dob]

GoTo is nice, but it isn't just click'n go.

And it needs a power source.And it is heavy.

[philhas]

For what its worth I have just got back into astronomy and had the same dilemma, whilst I was thinking about it a goto came up on ebay so I bought that and haven't been disappointed. Stellerium is a must as mentioned earlier and that linked to a goto is even better! IMHO its got me back up and running finding objects easily, the Celestron/skywatcher goto's are especially easy to align so if you want to get up and running quickly you can't beat them.....but don't discount more aperture on an EQ mount as I suspect this is where I will end up!