Hmm, Money to spend, please help....

[milnei]

Hi all,

First post so be gentle;)

I have a total budget of £600 and would like to buy a decent telescope. I've dabbled with astronomy in the past with simple refractor scopes but nothing fancy.

My priorities are:-

1. Quality

2. Able to get reasonable views of nebula and detail on planets

3. full goto capability and quick to initially align and setup

4. Easy to mount a camera

5. Portability (the scope will live in our conservatory and will be moved outside for use, therefore it needs to be quick to setup

6. PC controllable, so with a camera mounted and connected to a TV, I can control the scope from indoors

There might be things I haven't considered as well (any obvious omissions, please highlight them)

So, can I get all this for £600, if so, what is the best setup to buy.

What about buying used? I have seen a Meade LX90 on ebay within budget, would that be a good buy?

All advice most welcome!

Thanks, Ian.

[swamp thing]

6. PC controllable, so with a camera mounted and connected to a TV, I can control the scope from indoors

Why not just look at Astro Photos on the internet and save £600.

That way you don't even need to go outside to set a scope up.

[BlueAstra]

The Meade looks a nice scope, especially at that price. It has a long focal length (2000mm) so it will be good (perhaps with a Barlow lens) for visually looking at planets, star clusters, the Moon or smaller nebula. Not so good for large objects such as big nebulas, since its field of view will be small. Nebula and faint objects may be a problem, especially if you have lots of light pollution. Have you considered a Dobsonian?

The scope is on an Alt/Az mount, and its long focal length makes it difficult (but not impossible) to guide, so not ideal for long exposure photography. You could put a sensitive webcam or DMK camera on it to view brighter objects, but don't expect the kind of views you see in photographs. You should be able to see Mars, Jupiter (+moons), Saturn (+moons), Moon without a problem. The scope tilts up in the fork mount, so there is limited space for cameras between it and the base, but I think it can manage an SLR or webcam. I don't know enough about its PC controllability, but I'm sure it can be done.

[milnei]

Why not just look at Astro Photos on the internet and save £600.

That way you don't even need to go outside to set a scope up.

I know it sounds lame, but the main reason for that is so my children can enjoy the images without the risk of them kicking the tripod or damaging the scope with a step ladder so they can see into the eyepiece........

[milnei]

Thanks BlueAstra, I've been slightly put off the Meade lx90 since reading a review by someone who'd bought one second hand and was very disappointed, especially in comparison with a SkyWatcher 150.

Now considering a toss-up between a Nexstar 5SE (with some slight budget manipulation), Meade ETX 125AT GOTO and a SkyWatcher Explorer 150P with synscan EQ3 mount.

Which is best considering my priorities?

Thanks all.

[ollypenrice]

Your requirements are very complex and in some ways self contradictory. If I were you I would read up on three key terms, Aperture, Focal Length and Focal Ratio in the context of astro telescopes.

To show anything besides the planets in a fast frame camera you would need a short focal length and very fast f ratio. To show the planets at a decent scale in the same camera you would need the reverse. (Well, you would't need a slow f ratio but you wouldn't have any choice short of buying something seriously enormous!)

I can send you a copy of an article covering telescope choices for deep sky imaging, some of which might help you think through the issues, if you like. Just PM me a regular Email address and I'll send you a copy.

Olly