deciding which starter telescope to buy..

[gouroun]

Hello people!

Im new to SGL and im a also new to astronomy.After a little research in the net i decided to begin my star journey with a skywatcher reflector.Skywatchers are the most affordable for me with good aperture and focal length overall.Im mostly interested in deep sky observasion and maybe sometime in the future a little bit of amateur astrophotography with a DSLR.The question is.

Skywatcher N 150/750 Explorer BD NEQ-3 or N 200/1000 Explorer BD NEQ-5?

I know that both are good for DSO's as they are f/5's but i have questions about the mounts.Is the NEQ-3 stable enough to hold a 6" solidly?Is the NEQ-5 capable of holding an 8"?Also,if i go with the NEQ-5,can i use it with any kind of 8kg OTA i want,if i want to upgrade my kit?

Thanks in advance,

Kiriakos

Clear Skies!

[Nova]

Hi and welcome. The EQ-3 will hold a 6" fine for observational astronomy but if you want to get into deep sky photography it is reccomended that the least you will need is an EQ-5 as the 3 is just not stable enough (in fact I think people more in the know would reccomend a HEQ-5 as a minimum). Im not sure about any 8Kg OTA on an NEQ-5. Best leave that to someone who knows for sure. If I was choosing between the 2 id say the 8" is obviously the more powerful scope but it is also larger and heavier than the 6" dont forget to take storage and practicality into account too. An 8" is great but if you have to lug it down stairs every time you want to use it you may find it becomes a real chore. If storage ect is not an issue id go for the 8"

[gouroun]

Thanks for the advice Steve!i also lean towards the 8" and although i have many stairs to carry it i live in the greek suburbs with no light pollution at all.So it worths carrying it downstairs!

[JamesM]

A scope that is great for observing is not necessarily best suited for imaging. Aperture is king regarding observing as more light equals better resolving power. Focal ratio is king regarding imaging in order to capture data quickly with shorter focal lengths. However, with imaging comes the additional requirement for accurate tracking. The minimum is a HEQ5, partly because of the accuracy of the motors and its generous payload capacity but also because the motors accuracy can be enhanced/controlled via an auto guider. This is when an external camera source is used to ensure that a nearby star to the object being imaged, is kept centrally in its field of view and achieves this by regulating the mount's motors. This facility is certainly applicable for a portable imaging rigs where tracking accuracy can vary on each outing. An observatory is the long term answer where the tracking can be perfected and then adjust very occasionally. Any other smaller mount will introduce errors that will be difficult to control or eradicate and will make imaging very frustrating.

If imaging is your long term goal, can I please recommend that you buy Steve Richards "Making Every Photon Count" (FLO £19.95) which will provide you with a total overview of what you need and why you need it to achieve the results that will meet your expectations. A modestly price book that could well save you a small fortune by budgeting and ultimately purchasing correctly from the outset. Imaging doesn't have to cost a huge amount of money, after all wide field imaging only involves a camera, a tripod and the capability to performed timed exposures. The planets and the moon can be imaged successfully via a webcam and both types of imaging can be done without the need for tracking. It is imaging Deep Sky Objects (DSO's) nebula, galaxies etc that require good tracking due to the object's distance and their relatively faint light.

Hope that helps

james

[gouroun]

thanks for the information james!

So,in conclusion,im forgetting about astrophotography for a while..if i cant image DSO's in the distant future with the NEQ-5 mount it would be a good idea to buy a dobsonian.Perhaps the skywatcher 200/1200 skyliner.Will this be any good for DSO observation?

[ronin]

F/5 doesn't make a scope good for DSO's, makes it better for imaging owing to the way optics operate. For DSO's you need aperture, simply to collect more light.

The final image you see will be bright or dim depending on the magnification. But a 6" f/5 mirror at 100x mag will be the same as a 6" f/8 mirror at 100x magnification.