Trouble choosing scopes

[TheEli]

Hey im quite knew to astronomy and have been trying to use a Skymax 127 GoTo telescope to look at some deep space stuff. I havent really achieved anything and am wondering about changing either to an 8" dobsonian (which can track and have a camera attached to it) or a traditional 10" dobsonian- really stuck for choice!!!

[Gradie]

The 10" will undoubtedly give the best deep sky views, but...

What have you been trying to view with the 127, and how long have you been trying? You should easily be able to see the likes of M13, M92 and the Dumbbell Nebula at the moment (assuming a UK location), as this is precisely what I've been looking at recently with the same scope. Setting up the GoTo accurately is important, but in particular with M13 I've found that if it's not quite there, it's usually an easy job to scan around the region until you see the telltale fuzziness, at which point you can stop, focus, let your eyes adapt and gradually see more detail jump out.

It also depends very heavily on your sky conditions. If you're in a heavily light polluted area you might be better off sticking to the 127, as it'll be a lot easier to put in the car and drive somewhere with darker skies than a larger dob. That was a big factor in my choice of scope (the 127), as my home skies are disappointingly polluted.

[TheEli]

the main problem i'm having with my skymax 127 is that when i am aligning it it suggests a limited number of stars i can choose -sometimes they are not in its line of sight- so it takes a while (also does it automatically track stars and other deep sky objects?)

cheers

[Gradie]

The GoTo system will automatically track stars, planets and DSO's, but only if it is correctly aligned, including setting it up with the correct time (with daylight saving option) and the correct co-ordinates. I use the brightest star alignment and currently select the Western sky for Arcturus as the first option, then usually Vega or Altair as the second option. Other than Polaris, these are about the only stars I can identify by name, but I've found Google Sky on my Android phone to be useful at identifying alignment stars as well (Stellarium is also very useful).

It sounds like you may be using the two-star alignment option, where it gives you a long list of stars to choose from (many of which might be out of view), rather than brightest star alignment option. With the latter, you select a direction (e.g. Western sky) and it will give you a short list of the brightest stars that should be visible from your location in that portion of the sky. Then you only have to worry about physical obstructions (i.e. trees) or similar getting in the way!