Beginners Scope Advice

[adiep]

Hi Guys, first post so hope I have the right sub-forum, apologies if not..

I live in Southern Spain, near Gib, and have just moved into a new apartment. It is the 6th floor and I have a very large terrace, 150m2 with pretty much 360 degree visibility, its also right next to the Sea, therefore instantly I wanted a telescope

The skies here are a little light polluted, but I think its probably pretty good considering were next to the sea, which doesnt have a lot of lights (apart from the ships). I also have access to some mountains near by which are deserted, so probably great for skywatching (I hope)

Now, originally I was thinking of getting a spotting scope, then I started to think about astronomy and saw there was a Celestron C5 scope that can do both.. However, as is always the way, ive now seen the CPC800 series scope and I think I have a deep desire to own one, having spent a lot of time on YouTube looking at some of the images and movies posted there from c8 owners.. Looks fantastic.

So, Im kind of torn. In a way I think its a bit crazy to shell out 1500 for a scope when I dont really know much about astronomy in practice, however, when I add up what I might end up spending to get the C5 into the kind of setup I might want , that can do terrestrial and cosmic, then the price isnt really massively different. Well not small... but manageable.

I would need a very very sturdy tripod/mount as it can get pretty windy up here, and the C5 has no mount yet the CPC mount looks very sturdy.

I would also want a different set of eye pieces for the C5, I think CPC comes with a couple...

And I would end up wanting a "goto" system before very long, and sturdy mounts with goto are not cheap...

So, the question is, can the CPC800 be successfully used for some terrestrial? If so, whats needed apart from an erector?

Also, is the CPC a practical scope to begin with, will it make astronomy fun for a beginner or be hard work?

And what do you guys think about the C5? Any ideas about mounts etc, if I do go that route?

Or any other ideas?

I do want both terrestrial and skies though, so dobsonian not really the best for me...

P.S ive had a look around for secondhand gear, but doesnt seem to be that much around that seems to be good... Cant see the secondhand section here yet, not enough posts.