Time to get started with a telescope...

[Dunkster]

Hello everyone,

I've been intermittently gazing up since my teens, but now with a little more time and resources on my side, I'm eager to get started and see what I can see!

Following an enjoyable first night with the 15x70 Skymasters, I'm slowly starting to familiarise myself with the sky again, with the help of Distant Suns and Stellarium, given that lack of cooperation from the weather recently. I'm looking forward to many more enjoyable nights out both at home and away. I've joined a local society to get me out meeting fellow stargazers and learn and enjoy all I can. There's a fair amount of light pollution where I live, so I'm hoping to get some pointers for good dark sites within easy reach. The back garden is well shielded from direct light sources, and gives a half decent view from north-east to south, so I'm hoping that at least gives me some sky to start with.

So....... I'm looking for a starter scope (strictly speaking, not my first as I've dug my 1960s era 60mm refractor out of the attic - but it needs proper cleaning!), but in no particular rush, maybe looking to buy in the next month or so as I don't want to miss too much of the viewing season!

Of course, I want the perfect balance (which I know doesn't exist!)...

1. Whatever I buy needs to be suitable for back yard viewing yet readily portable for missions into darkness (car is no trouble) and easy to setup once I'm there
   
2. I'd like to be able to observe galaxies, nebulae and clusters, and also planets. Anything I've missed?
   
3. I'm not planning on doing any imaging just yet, although that is something I'd be interested in later on
   
4. I'm deliberately avoiding GOTO as I feel it might impede my learning
   
5. I'm uncertain which mount would be most suitable - again, to get started I favour ease of use and setup
   
6. I haven't settled on a budget yet, although given that I want to get started soon, I'll probably only have £3-400 to start with. My dream 'scope would probably be an LX200 or similar beast, but I expect it will stay a dream Life permitting, I'd be looking at complementing/upgrading in a couple of years
   

I hope I've been learning from all the reading I've been doing here in the lounge recently and that I'm heading in the right direction. I also expect I'll have a lot of questions to come

Anyways, wrapping up all my rambling (still awake?), I'm currently thinking along the lines of one of the Skywatcher reflectors, like the 200p. Is there anything else I should be seriously considering?

Any other advice, tips and suggestions are very much welcomed!

Thanks,

Dunkster

[Black Knight]

You mention a 200P, so probably a good start would be a Dob like this: First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian. At around £270 you'd have a bit left over for a collimation tool, a couple of eyepieces etc. It is a 200P newt, on a dob base, so simple to setup and operate. Most dobs (up tio the really large ones anyway) can be wheeled out quickly or transported in the car quite easily. Actually, I'd try and make do with the supplied eyepieces for a while at least until you know exactly what you want to upgrade them with.

[umadog]

8" Dobsonian should do you nicely. That should cash for accessories. Leave imaging for a future scope.

[onesmallstep]

8" Dob

[Nimon]

From my initial research then that should be a good scope. I believe the only set back is being able to do photography using it.

[nightfisher]

8" dob, if the imaging bug bites then get a decent mount and some tube rings, and away you go

[Dunkster]

Great - thanks all!

What accessories are essential to get started?

[onesmallstep]

Accs:

Filters, moon and planetary.

2x barlow lens and a few eyepieces to go with the two that come with the scope.

Red light torch to preserve night vision (yours and others).

Starmap and/or planesphere.

Warm clothing!!!

Out of the list I would go for the barlow lens, moon filter and torch / skymap as essential items. Total cost approx £50-60.

[Black Knight]

Great - thanks all!

What accessories are essential to get started?

In my opinion, definitely a collimating tool, probably a cheshire. You may also find a Telrad or Rigel finder useful (a conventional straight-through finderscope as supplied can be awkward to see through depending on where you have the scope pointed). And Stellarium or Carte du Ciel (or both) planetaria for the PC. Both are free downloads.

As for eyepieces, personally as I said previously, I would wait a while before jumping in there. If you can get along to a local astro society, ask other members (nicely!) if you could look through their eyepieces. Eyepiece preferences can be a very personal thing: what suits others may not suit you, and vice versa . If you can't get along to an astro club, there are plenty of eyepiece threads on SGL that you could wade through to get an idea .

[umadog]

Most scopes come with a Cheshire, although it's often not referred to as such and is called a "collimating cap." A Cheshire isn't sufficient for centring the secondary mirror in the focuser. There is a Cheshire/sight-tube combination tool which is like a collimation cap plus a set of cross-hairs and tube for adjusting the secondary position. It looks like this: http://www.tomhole.com/images/cheshire%20sight%20tube.jpg

I would buy one of those. They are better made than the collimation caps too.

I would also buy a Telrad. These will make finding objects a breeze compared to a finderscope.

I wouldn't spend money on moon filters, etc. There are plenty of lunar observers who don't bother with them. If they're not well made they will distort the image. Your eye is quite capable of adapting to the moon viewed through a telescope and that is all you need (remember that a telescope won't make the image brighter, only bigger).

A good book will help. Turn Left at Orion is a good starting point. Perhaps an extra eyepiece or a barlow.

[Dunkster]

Thanks for the tips folks!

If I were to get cold feet about not having goto, what would be a good second choice?

[onesmallstep]

Hi

The following links to Goto scopes should help. The Skymax for planetary, lunar and double stars.

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skymax 127 SynScan AZ GOTO

The Explorer 150P is good for wide field / deep sky object but still good on planets, etc. Two links, one for the scope OTA and one for the Goto mount.

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Explorer 150P OTA

First Light Optics - Skywatcher EQ5 PRO Synscan GOTO

There's a bit of a price difference but the SW150P doesn't come with Goto as standard. You could downgrade to the 130 Goto model but that limits aperture and light grasp and you would possibly be looking to upgrade anyway.

[Dunkster]

Great - thanks! Looks like I have lots more to learn and think about (and penny count!)

[onesmallstep]

It might be a good idea to find a local astro group and turn up to an observing night to try out the various types of scopes that will be there. That way you can see for yourself how each scope performs and which is most suited to your needs.

You can find a list of astro groups for your area by searching under 'fedastro' on the web and following the member societies link.