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Help needed on buying telescope


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Hi I want to buy a telescope and need help to decide which one to get. i have a budget of £400 and would like one that i will be able to use to see planets stars and the moon really well. can anyone tell me which one i should get plz?

I saw the news on the eclipse of the moon yesterday which looked really cool.

Claire

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welcome to sgl Claire, There's a few answers we need, as the best scope for a person is the one they will use not necessarily the best optical instrument.

Where do you intend to use the scope ie: do you need portability, transportability or is it for your back garden? how much space do you have to store it? the answers to these questions will be able to help people give you better choices rather than guesses.

My initial reaction is the skywatcher 200p dobsonion as that is the biggest apparture for the money and quickest to set up

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Claire, The sort of info that would help inform a decision on which scope would be:

Is that your total budget for the hobby or just for the scope ?

Portability? Do you have lots of light pollution? Would you prefer to view the planets, Moon or Deep Sky objects or everything ? Will you be interested in taking pictures?

Have a look at this recent thread also here :)

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Thanks for the link. I have £400 for the telescope only. I do not want to carry it very far only in the garden at night it gets really dark here. Its not close to roads so no pollution.

I do want to see stars and the moon and objects everything and i would like to take pictures aswell

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Telescope only.... EXPLORER-200P (EQ5) 200mm (8") f/1000 Parabolic Newtonian Reflector about £280... But on a tripod... ie EQ5 takes it up to £440

or.. SkyMax 127 SynScan AZ GOTO £400 complete

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To be honest you are going to struggle taking pictures on a new scope for £400, the mounts that are capable of holding a scope and tracking accurately cost more than that. It is possible to take webcam pics of the moon and planets with that sort of money but not the nice pics you see of galaxies and nebulas. I would get this scope

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian

Its a big enough apparture to see most things and it is possible to take pics of the moon and planets with a webcam

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Hi,

I am a newbie and recently bought a Celestron Nexstar 127 SLT which is nice and compact and also automatic which is a great deal of help to me when trying to find objects. I have also invested in some charts and also a planisphere which have been excellent.

I originally bought a 8" dob back in April and being a newbie I didn't have any real concept of it's actual size until I got it set up in my living room. I then realised that I had dropped a huge clangar as I only have a small house, so I sent it back. The Nexstar is great for me as it is nice and compact, easy to set up and easy to store. The only dissapointing thing so far has been the cloudcover that has decended over my house since I bought it.

On the plus side when I have had the chance to set it up in my garden the images that I have seen have been great. It is also right in your budget.

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Claire,

You could look at one of these:

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Explorer 150P EQ3-2

Well within budget at £280, leaving enough to add a drive(s). The 150P is a very capable telescope. Will perform well on all objects. Not heavy or cumbersome, so no probs carrying out to the garden.

The EQ3 mount can be motorised for tracking and some basic astro imaging. Either with a webcam through the telescope for some nice lunar/planetary imaging. Or as a camera platform for a DSLR and lens (get some nice widefield images).

Or you could go with the Explorer 150P tube on the steel tripod AZ4 mount. That is simplicity itself. Incredibly easy to setup, use and carry about. Again, well within budget. A suitable mount for imaging can be purchased at a later date when funds allow.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-150p-ota.html

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/alt-azimuth/skywatcher-az4-alt-az-mount.html

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  • 2 weeks later...

Claire,

If you are a beginner (an apologies if you are not!) then in my opinion a lightweight refractor will be easier to use and have less teething problems. Ideally something with around 100mm diameter (or more if you can handle/afford it).

It is true you might be able to see more with a reflector but there is also colimation to consider and if you intend taking any kind of photos then you may have focussing issues and need a coma corrector.

There are plenty of good threads on this subject and lots of knowledgeable people here so welcome to SGL.....

Regards

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