confused !!!

[jojo]

Hi complete newbie, have read and re read through previous postings but still would like to ask.......

want to buy my first telescope and have done hours of research, i have come to the decision of a Skywatcher explorer 130, but then i read about the 130P which is more expensive but has parabolic mirrors which i understand would be better. I then found the 1145P which is cheaper but has the P, so if i cant stretch to the higher cost would I be better off with a 1145p with the parabolic mirror or to stick with the 130 non parabolic.

Hope this makes sense and thanks for reading.

Joanne

[kniclander]

I would suggest that the bigger aperture would make more difference than the parabolic/ non-parabolic.

[dobbie]

Hi jojo , have you thought of a s/h dobsonian you could pick up a 200mm for the same price as a new 130 or even a 150mm dob very cheap s/h , just to confuse you more ;-)

Ps welcome to sgl.

Sent from my HTC Wildfire using Tapatalk

[Cornelius Varley]

At apertures of less than 6" there is little difference between parabolic and spherical mirrors.

Peter

[swamp thing]

Hi

I think it depends on the f/ratio if they are f/10 then spherical would be Ok but short f/ratio spherical mirrors are utterly useless.

Anything faster than f/8 I would steer well clear of regardless of aperture, if it were not parabolic.

Regards Steve

[barkis]

Hi Joanne,

I know you are keen to get started, but therte really isn't any deadline you are working to here. Just take your time and do some more research. Ask more questions of the members here.

The second hand market is not to be ignored, many a great bargain can be found if you wait for them to crop up.

A 200mm. f5 Dobsonian would be an Ideal start for you. Quite managable physically, and nothing too technical to contend with.

There are some decent 114mm and 130mm scopes, but aperture plays a big role in observational astronomy, so give some deep thought to your decision making.

Just my thoughts on the subject, and you are free to ignore them as you see fit .

Good Luck.

Ron.

[GazA]

best advice i could give is to find a club or someone who has some and have a play and find out which suits you best, a lot depends on what you mainly want to be looking at whether its planets or DSOs.

another point is maybe looking for a reasonable pair of 10x50 binoculars and starting to learn the sky while you save money and make a decisions, the stars aint going nowhere.

[JamesM]

Barkis and GazA making some good points about taking your time and of deciding what you're interested in. In my view, one of the problems of research, particularly the numbers side of things be it the aperture, focal ration, reflector or even refractor is that unless you have spent an equal amount of time looking through some of this kit, the numbers can very quickly become meaningless as you don't effectively have anything to hang these figures on.

As GazA has said, get along to your local astro club or astro observing group (they aren't necessarily one and the same) and spend some time have a good old look. When I was doing the same research as you I spent over a year annoying everyone with requests to look through their gear but it does help and it also provides a useful way of managing any expectations of what you might see too. The stars aren't going anywhere and this time of year is popular for clubs performing this type of outreach with the public so you should be in luck.

Of course budget does come into it as well but in a way that is a lot easier to decide upon and so the above suggestions regarding the second market will be a really useful resource area to own some aperture!

James

[jojo]

wow, thanks guys for all the very informative replies. This is certainly a very welcoming forum and one that I am glad I found.

I will take on board all the advice given but sorry to say time is a bit of the essence. I am off to France in just over a week and need to buy before then. Have done months of research and each time i think i have come up with something suitable i find some more information and go off in another direction.

I think what I need is :- something not too complicated or time consuming to set up for a complete beginner, nothing too big and heavy so I will be able to manage it myself.(I can always build up to this with bigger better and more complex scopes in time)

SWAMP THING - thanks i have looked at the F length and it`s a 900mm F/7 so not sure now if I should not bother with the skywatcher explorer 130 ...ahhhhhhhhhhh:confused:

back to the drawing board me thinks .

[kniclander]

if you are going by car and have room I wd say a small dob for simplicity of use and ease of set up (like a 6" skyliner or 4.5" heritage?)

[swamp thing]

I think what I need is :- something not too complicated or time consuming to set up for a complete beginner, nothing too big and heavy so I will be able to manage it myself.(I can always build up to this with bigger better and more complex scopes in time)

Sounds like either an alt-az mount with a Frac, SCT, Mak or a 6" Skyliner Dob would be ideal.

They're all good, but which is best............ Fight!

Regards Steve

[jojo]

thanks guys, i was just looking into the skywatcher heritage 130p dobsonian flexitube, seems to have fab reviews and is really portable, but will look into your suggestions, heres to more researching

[whirlpool5194]

If you can stretch to it i'd go for a skyliner 200p. An 8" scope will keep you going for a lifetime, well that's what they say!! In reality you get an affliction called "aperture fever" lol

Wp

[tom33pr]

jojo,

I'd second the suggestion (above) regarding a s/h dobsonian with a bigger aperture.

Take your time, read on the scopes more and pick one that will do you for some time, as opposed to be rushing the decision and then upgrading in no time.

I'm not suggesting a new and expensive DOB. A second hand one will do rightly, and it will cost the same as the new scopes you mentioned or even less.

Keep your eye on U.K. Astronomy Buy & Sell

There's a good selection of s/h scopes for a decent price. Pick one you like and ask the guys around here what they think before buying one.

Good luck

[kniclander]

I wouldnt buy second hand if it's your first scope, especially not an open tube design.

[tom33pr]

kniclander - why not?

[kniclander]

mainly because if there's something wrong with it you wouldn't know when you bought it and might not even be aware of it when you used it. that's all. it'd probably be ok cos in my experince most astro people take good care of their kit but i'm a cautious fellow:glasses1:

[tom33pr]

1) Most of the sellers (from here and UK Astro B&S) suggest that you come and pick up the scope yourself - you can go and inspect the item. They are also happy to demonstrate it and explain the related bits and bobs to you.

2) Most of them are fanatical about keeping their astro stuff, you would have to be very unlucky to buy a dodgy scope.

3) I've personally bought and sold a number of items here and on UK Astro B&S and was never disappointed - not a single time.

4) You can always contact the seller on the phone, if you have a feeling something's wrong - don't go there and don't buy it.

5) Your point of view is correct regarding fleaBay for instance... I would think twice before buying from there; OTOH - I would be VERY comfortable with buying s/h items either from this website or the mentioned UK Astro B&S - especially if I was to pick the scope up myself, having researched it before.

Regards.

[jojo]

right here goes, firstly thanks to all who have taken the time to give advice, I think I have decided on the skywatcher heritage 130P dobsonian. Why - because it is easy to carry around and set up, it is IMHO a reasonably equiped first telescope , the cost is favorable to get started with and bearing in mind it will mostly be used after consuming a few glasses of bordeaux in the depths of french countryside will give me better results than what I have now which is a big fat nothing . I can get all my practicing done with this and hopefully move on to bigger and better things in time.

Secondly, any recommendations on extras to buy for it, for example different EP, moon filter, I even read about a deep sky filter???? thanks again

[tom33pr]

Secondly, any recommendations on extras to buy for it, for example different EP, moon filter, I even read about a deep sky filter???? thanks again

Jojo,

Since it is a newtonian type you will definitely need a collimator. There's been so much written about collimating scopes and collimators here that it would be silly to get into detail again. Just search the forum for this subject and read a bit on it.

Regarding the eyepieces - again, it will take you some reading to see what would suit the most - it is a very broad subject. Just stay away from ep kits and invest in a couple, maybe 3 semi decent ones instead. I'd leave it for a while though - just use the supplied ones. DS filter? Leave it for now

If I were you I would join the local astro club - those guys would answer all the questions you have, plus you would get some hands-on experience with their gear... and mostly - it's fun to go observing with them.

[jojo]

Well here we go, I`ve eventually taken the plunge and it feels good!!!!

One skywatcher heritage 130p dobsonian , barlow lens and moon filter ordered and should be here tomorrow. yipppeeeee

So sorry guys prepare for cloudy skies!

Thanks again to everyone for all their advice and opinions it has been more than appreciated.

I`ll let you know how I get on.

[hayju01]

Great to here you've got yourself sorted with a scope

So sorry guys prepare for cloudy skies!

'Prepare'?? I've had nothing but cloudy skies of the past 7 weeks !!!

Good Luck with your new scope.