Recommended Telescopes

[ExMachina]

Hey guys, I was wondering if you guys could source me a Telescope that would fit my need as I am big newbie when it comes to specification. I've always wanted to take a closer look at the skies Especially nebula and neighboring planets etc I would always look into the sky with my glasses on barely able to see a star.

A Telescope that could provide great details on the Moon, Maybe some Eyepieces too that could enhance the view/zoom, Moon filter and so on. Sorry if am saying stupid things as I don't really know much about Telescope equipments lol

Also do I have to be in a specific place or a time to effectively use the Telescope? As i currently reside in the UK/London so there may be a bit too much Light pollution which am unsure of.

My budget is around 250-350 Pound

[Moonshane]

welcome to the group!

- what's your observing site like?

- do you have access to a garden?

- do you live in a house or flat

- do you want to transport the scope to darker sites?

- do you have a car?

- are you of average fitness and strength?

These answers will help a lot when it comes to making recommendations.

In terms of where to observe, there will be a lot of light pollution I expect where you live but planets, moon and double stars are pretty much unaffected by light pollution. Others targets might be but you can sometimes use filters to help with this, although a darker site will make a much bigger difference.

In terms of when, there is a procession of objects throughout the year so there's always something to see. During summer the light nights will affect things but even then you have planets and doubles to keep you sated.

One thing I would stress is that you should ensure your expectations are at the right level in terms of what you will see. With the exception of our moon, don't expect frame filling views of planets etc. and galaxies if you can see them (they are the worst affected by light pollution in some ways) will generally be grey fuzzy blobs, not star filled like the images you may see.

Cheers

Shane

[swamp thing]

Hi

Before you buy anything it may be best to join a local society and go along to their viewing nights.

Have a look through a few different scopes. Most amateurs are a friendly bunch and will be more than happy to show you their scopes.

It will also give you some idea of what can actually be seen through the eyepiece. Photographs are not realistic on what objects look like.

There are several active astro societies in and around the smoke. You may also be able to kink up with some of the astronomers on here check out the "social groups" via the community link on the top of the page.

Regards Steve

[foundaplanet]

Hello,

This is a great sticky, third one down in this section if you haven't already read it.

http://stargazerslounge.com/beginners-help-advice/72869-essential-reading-those-who-thinking-about-getting-into-astronomy.html

[umadog]

Welcome.

You're in the right place to ask questions and learn. You'll get plenty of advice here. This question comes up very often, so the quickest way to get the information is to look at past threads on this forum and on cloudy nights. Much of the advice you get will be similar to information in books like Nightwatch or Turn Left at Orion. Purchasing those would be a great first step: you'll learn loads.

As regards telescopes: ask yourself the questions outlined above. Head off to google and learn everything you can about refractors, Newtonian telescopes (also search Dobsonian), and SCT telescopes. They all have advantages and disadvantages. In the last 10 days or so there were some very good posts on the topic on Cloudy Nights at the beginner's forum. Go there and check them out. Look on pages 2 or 3 for a post by David Knisely. Then keep going a couple of pages back, reading the posts by jbarnett and Alan French. You will learn a vast amount by reading those.

There are lots of good articles floating around the web.

[jabberwocky]

as a fellow newbie my advice would be the biggest dobsonian you can afford/move with ease.

eq mounts are great for astrophotography but a royal pain in the **** for visual use, or at least the cheap ones are. i spend more time arguing with my eq2 mount than i do observing the skies.

im either going to upgrade to a better eq mount or buy a dob, not sure yet.

more experianced guys on here will give you much more detailed advice than this but wanted to give you the newbies perspective.

[swamp thing]

eq mounts are great for astrophotography but a royal pain in the **** for visual use, or at least the cheap ones are. i spend more time arguing with my eq mount than i do observing the skies.

:D Sounds like me when I used to have equatorial mounts.

I'm sure others probably think the same about Dobs.

We're all different. That's what makes it so much fun.

That's why I think a bit of hands on experience is invaluable.

Regards Steve

[Capricorn]

Have a search for The Baker Street Irregular Astronomers.

They meet monthly at Regents Park.

It would be the place (for London) to see a few scopes in use and hopefully get the chance to look through a couple.

[ExMachina]

welcome to the group!

- what's your observing site like?

- do you have access to a garden?

- do you live in a house or flat

- do you want to transport the scope to darker sites?

- do you have a car?

- are you of average fitness and strength?

These answers will help a lot when it comes to making recommendations.

In terms of where to observe, there will be a lot of light pollution I expect where you live but planets, moon and double stars are pretty much unaffected by light pollution. Others targets might be but you can sometimes use filters to help with this, although a darker site will make a much bigger difference.

In terms of when, there is a procession of objects throughout the year so there's always something to see. During summer the light nights will affect things but even then you have planets and doubles to keep you sated.

One thing I would stress is that you should ensure your expectations are at the right level in terms of what you will see. With the exception of our moon, don't expect frame filling views of planets etc. and galaxies if you can see them (they are the worst affected by light pollution in some ways) will generally be grey fuzzy blobs, not star filled like the images you may see.

Cheers

Shane

Thank you for the warm welcome guys! I really appreciate your help guys

- I do know a few location with good observing sites such as Greenwich Park and other various location which are 5-10 minutes away.

- I don't have a garden as i currently live in a flat

- If there are darker sites which are close by then i am willing to travel

- No car but me and a friend who does have a car are really interested in Astronomy

- Yes i believe i am at least an average in fitness and strength lool

[Moonshane]

on the basis of what you say, you'll be likely to travel to a darker site to observe on most occasions. therefore it's likely that you'd benefit from a decent aperture and based on your budget I'd suggest an 8" dob like First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian along with a Telrad finder which would be pretty right on your max budget.

BUT as others have said, try and get along to a meeting if you can to see a few scopes, try them if you can and then decide. I suspect though that you'll go for the dob.

I totally agree about dobsonians for visual use. I love them and both mine are dobs (6" and 16").

[ExMachina]

on the basis of what you say, you'll be likely to travel to a darker site to observe on most occasions. therefore it's likely that you'd benefit from a decent aperture and based on your budget I'd suggest an 8" dob like First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian along with a Telrad finder which would be pretty right on your max budget.

BUT as others have said, try and get along to a meeting if you can to see a few scopes, try them if you can and then decide. I suspect though that you'll go for the dob.

I totally agree about dobsonians for visual use. I love them and both mine are dobs (6" and 16").

Thanks for the help Moonshade, I've been doing a bit of research on the telescope you recommended me and it does look like it fit my needs. Could you also source me the Telrad Finder? as am not sure if it should be a specific one.

Are there any eyepieces/Filter i should be aware of?

[umadog]

An 8" Dob would certainly fit the bill. They're pretty portable.

[ollypenrice]

Hi

Before you buy anything it may be best to join a local society and go along to their viewing nights.

Have a look through a few different scopes. Most amateurs are a friendly bunch and will be more than happy to show you their scopes.

It will also give you some idea of what can actually be seen through the eyepiece. Photographs are not realistic on what objects look like.

There are several active astro societies in and around the smoke. You may also be able to kink up with some of the astronomers on here check out the "social groups" via the community link on the top of the page.

Regards Steve

Seconded.

The 8 inch Dob gives more optics per pound than anyting else in that price range but anywhere within a hundred miles of London is going to see a lot of London!!

Olly

[rwilkey]

As for eyepieces and filters, the only essential filter IMO is a moon filter, an ND96 (0.09), as for eyepieces, get used to the ones that come with the scope first, decide what you like looking at best and then think about EP's. Purchase of EP's is very much tailored to what you want to look at, wide-field low power for DSO's (deep sky objects) and medium power for the moon and some clusters, high power for the moon and planets. With a Dob (f/6 approx) I would go for low power and wide field to start with, but see what you can see with the EP's that come with the scope first, and then see what your preferences are for viewing and base anything soundly on what you want/expect to see.

[GeorgeB]

ExMachina, I'm in a similar situation to yourself as I too live in London and in a flat with no garden. I made the decision to buy a fairly portable telescope with GOTO capability. GOTO really helps find things with light polluted sky, which I'd never be able to find otherwise. Having a fairly portable scope makes it easy to lug outside to the carpark to use, or to throw in the car for trips out of the city.

If you are going to do most of your observing in London, then you might want to buy something specifically for viewing the moon and planets, such as a Skywatcher or Celestron Maksutov - they are quite dinky and don't take up too much space in a flat. An 8" dobsonian would be very cost effective, but you might find it a bit more hassle to lug up and down stairs and they'll take up more storage space.