So I've managed to say hello, Now to start the scope hunting!

[Black Knight]

The 150PDS is similar to the 150P except it has a Dual Speed focuser - that's where the "DS" in 150PDS comes from. The secondary mirror is also apparently located closer to the primary mirror, which is good for imaging.

[Daz1974]

I'm in a similar position to you Nimon. Budget in the region of £300 give or take a few £££

I was emailing the chaps at FLO yesterday who were very helpful. From their advice and recommendations I had decided on making my choice out of

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Explorer 130P SynScan AZ GOTO

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Explorer 130P SupaTrak AUTO

or First Light Optics - Celestron Nexstar 127 SLT if Ireally did stretch the budget.

However after further reading and recommendations the Skywatcher 150p EQ3-2

does seem another good option. DSLR photography isnt something Im thinking of, just viewing.

Was talking to the missus about it last night and she threw a spanner in the works, telling me not to do anything yet. Its my birthday in 3 weeks and she's got something planned. She's a radiographer and one of the physicists at the hospital is a keen astronomer with a 'massive telescope' according to her and she spoken to him about it.

Absolutley no idea what she's got planned, and without sounding ungrateful I hope she hasnt been down to toys r us and bought something

Will be interested to see what you go for Nimon and what your thoughts are.

[Perthshirelass]

Hi I'm new to Astronomy too and cant wait to buy my telescope but its such a mine field so I have decided to buy binos and tripod for now and keep researching. You will see that alot of the others have binos in their kit lists so no money wasted and gives you a quick start. The current weather forecast isnt that great so your stuff could be ordered and on your doorstep intime for the next clear night. If it helps I chose skymaster 15x70 with a redsnapper tripod and waiting patiently for a trition ball head and you will also need a stronger tripod/bino adapter from the one that Celestron supply with binos. (too much movement). I saw Jupiter the other night for the "first time" with my bins and WOW. Good luck. :-)

[Nimon]

Haha excellent, I hope that everything works out great Daz, I shall be using this forum more and more as I learn and start to view in the future, I'm sure I'll let you know which one I go for in the end.

In regards to Bino's I'm up for any link or recommendation to start the search. 15 x 70 sounds good, I shall try look on FLO's site and see how much to put aside for those! Best of luck to you both!

[onesmallstep]

Hi

Ideal starter bins are 7x50 / 10x50 as they are easy(ish) to hold for long periods and are steady. The larger scopes (15x70 and above) are regarded as being too heavy to hold for long periods so need a tripod. The third way is to go for image stabilised bins such as the Canon 10x30is model but these are over £250 new.

There are several books on binocular observing as well as the Bins observing forum on SGL.

[AweSIM]

Hey guys,

I joined the forum last night after staring at it for about a day. I love astronomy and always try to make time to go out several times a month. The problem is I only have my eyes and in a need of my first scope!

I've done a lot of thinking and spent all of last night researching scopes from the very basic things and starting to look at a few models. My initial budget is around £350 - £400 (flexible) and I'm pretty certain it's a Reflector that I'm after.

I think the Go-To mount is handy, can I still use this manually?? Ultimately I want the scope to last several years and to be able to eventually hook my Canon 450D (soon to be 600D) up to it.

I have one telescope that really stands out from my initial "window shopping" It's the Celestron NexStar 130 SLT. This seems to be able to do many things I want it to do and the built on database seems like it would be very helpful with a GPS add-on if I ever have trouble. I was recommended binos and will happily pick up a pair of these too.

Please, please, please can someone let me know if this sort if thing will be okay? I was blown away with the Sky Watcher 200p EQ5 from my magazine. I just don't know which will be better as this seems over kill and I know nothing. What features does the NexStar have that may be handy for me, am I on the right wavelength?

Many Thanks! I look forward to contributing to this forum as I develop over the next few months!

hi.. i was in the same kind of position as you brother.. had only my eyes.. needed a good kit to last me a couple of years without any major upgrade.. and capable of astrophotography..

my take on this issue.. GBP 400 might be a little short.. my budget has stretched from EUR 300 to almost EUR 1200.. since you wont have that kinda cash.. id recommend you get a DOB for now.. get as much aperture as you can (keeping mobility in mind).. i opted for skywatcher explorer 200ds.. its a monster.. and barely fits in my car.. but it has crayford focuser which supports direct DSLR connection which is great.. the DOB will allow you to get up and running with visual observation..

then raise some more cash and go for a tracking mount.. an heq5 pro or neq6 preferably.. after that you can get your hands on a second-hand DSLR for photography.. plus some decent EPs..

you can shift these items around as you see fit.. but an OTA is the most important with the mount being second in importance.. gather up a good kit and youll love it for years to come..

asim

[Nimon]

Thanks John, You've given me a lot to think about the past few days I appreciate it!

So much to take in but at least I know it's staying in for the moment!

[onesmallstep]

No probs, happy to help!

[Nimon]

Thanks Asim,

One of the most important things is making sure it is transportable. My nearest place I'll be able to go to avoid light pollution of Peterborough is going to be a good 10 / 15 miles and must be able to fit in my car with two or three other people. My budget can stretch reasonably higher and I'd love the HEQ5 but sadly that one's a little too far for my first scope and mount =[

[brantuk]

"Sadly the 150 seems to be mostly bundled with the EQ3"

Suppliers often match scopes to mounts at the top end of the mounts capabilities. So when you upgrade you have to buy a whole new package (mount and scope). They never tell you to get an oversized mount and work your way up with OTA's cos they wouldn't make as much.

However if you intend to image, a solid weighty mount is imperative. You'll be holding an image on a chip at a tollerance of a single pixel for an object thousands of light years away, perched on spinning planet (Earth). A mount that vibrates, shakes or moves at all will be useless.

[gary1968]

The PDS series are tweeked for imaging, they have low profile focusers that make it easier for DSLR's to reach focus which can be a problem with reflectors. I think they may also have larger secondary mirrors, but I may be incorrect with that.

Gary

[Nimon]

Haha well thats a very good way to put it. Quite scary actually Brantuk. Makes me realise just how tiny we are and how fortunate we are to be able to gaze at such wonders.

As soon as you said get a sturdier mount I was in complete agreement. Haven't stopped thinking about it since I joined actually. I've had this forum open for the past few days and not even closed the window!

[Nimon]

Thanks Gary. I'll need to bare this in mind when I come closer to purchasing.

Does anyone recommend any particular star maps?

[g0ibi]

PM sent

[rwilkey]

Star maps: The Sky and Telescope 'Pocket Sky Atlas' by Roger W. Sinnott is one of the best I have come across for star-hopping (ISBN 1-931559-31-7), very detailed and DSO's are colour-coded, highly recommended.

[moonwatcher]

I was in the same position a year ago...take the best advice from Sir Patrick Moore (SPM) - buy a pair of 10x50 binoculars (get a tripod eventually, I have only just bought mine 6mths on) and go out when clear and learn the night sky - constellations, how to read a star map (usually a centerfold in SkyAtNight magazine) using a planisphere (a very good buy, get the large 11" for about £10) and find a good intro book such as SPM's yearly publications or go to local library get everything and plogh through them - you will know what you do/don't wont then.

Using Bins teaches you two things 1) how to star hop, 2) what scope might be best for you right now and your first year...after that you will know more as you will have done more.

I have just bought a 4" refractor and a couple of ep's - just looking at moon and jupiter for now to see how I go...oh yeah, join an astronomy club if you can.