Help! :-s

[Mattyg]

OK almost ready to buy my telescope! £250? is that enough or I should I wait and save some more?? I am hoping to study and get a closer look at the planets and some deep sky objects. Jupiter is looking bright at the mo and would love to see some detail. I've done with reading as its frying my head a little bit refractor or reflector pfft! I give up ! any friendly advice would be most welcome. Also cant get my head round diameters of lenses an all that stuff........

On a different subject I have been looking around for astronomy clubs local to me with no joy I live in Rugeley in Staffordshire if any one has any ideas..

Thanks Guys n Gals

Matty G

[wrinkly]

You will receive a lot of well intentioned but conflicting advice.

Sift it and buy what appeals to you. It will never be perfect but is unlikely to be the only 'scope you will own.

[glowjet]

One of the problems with Astronomy is that it is such a vast subject that new people try to learn to much at once, Sir PM has always suggested that a modest pair of binoculars together with a star map or two, to help you navigate about the night sky, before you look into purchasing a scope, is the best way to start. In the interim period your knowledge will grow so that when you do take the next step you will not be waisting your money on a scope you may become frustrated with.

[Odd Thomas]

I would suggest that you wouldnt go far wrong with a skywatcher skyliner 150P @ £197 with enough left over for a couple of 'essential' acessories! or if you can stretch a bit more the 8" version is £21 over your budget but a lot more scope.

As glowjet mentioned bino's are a good way to start but there are enough things to see with them to last a lifetime anyway. I see them as complimenting your observing equipment rather than 'instead of' a telescope......or what about the 6" and a pair of bino's....choices! Welcome to the world of astronomy!

[Vega]

Just my opinion but a reflector would suit DSO hunting better. I have 2 refractors and 1 reflector. Both have their advantages / disadvantages.

Here's my reasons..

-Non APO Refractors suffer from chromatic abberation (false colouring), reflectors dont.

-Even though refractors perform better on planets / doubles etc, a larger aperture reflector for the same price will perform equally as well (and better on DSO's)

-Aperture is king! and refletctors are cheaper per mm of aperture.

-Collimating a reflector is really easy once you get the hang of it (dont listen to any scare mongering about collimation).

Re: Diameters of lenses.

Some are quoted in mm, some in inches. The diameter the primary lens/mirror is called aperture. This is the most important part of a telescope. The larger the aperture, the more light gathering power it has. If size is no problem then just go for the largest aperture you can afford.

I have a 250mm (10") Reflector and it out performs my 120mm refractor in every way! However the downside is sheer size of the telescope. Its expensive to mount, required a stepladder sometimes when mounted and generally a beast to handle. But the views are worth it

Maybe an 8" (200mm) reflector would suit you... just putting it out there. Then your next question would be whether to mount it or have a dobsonian.. ughh decisions, decisions!

Matt

[Stevonator]

Hi,

The best advice I can give you is to continue reading about it. You need to be able to look at a telescopes statistics and know exactly what everything means. In my opinion you're not ready to buy a telescope until you know exactly what your telescope is made up of. Otherwise you won't know what your telescope can or can't do until your looking at the sky and become disappointed.

If you're interested, I've written a little article about the three main type of telescopes which I'll be happy to share with you if you want. Different telescopes have strengths and weaknesses. I've been reading about astronomy for a couple of days and at times reading may become tedious, but it's the best thing you can do for your new hobby And I'll be more than happy to give you a helping hand !

Clear Skies

Steve

[JamesM]

Picking up from Steve comments above, the most difficult thing in deciding upon a scope is establishing a bench mark from which all the figures and specifications mean something to you. Up and above the technical differences between many variants of scopes out there in what they are best for and not so good at doing, the only way to progress is to get out there and to start looking through some gear first.

I know you will want to get started straight away by getting yourself a scope TODAY but remember, the stars aren't going anywhere and a bit of smart hands on visual research will certainly help you decide what size and type of scope will best meet your own expectations. The other advantage is seeing the size of this some of this kit up close, especially if has to sit on top of an equatorial mount and other consideration like the time it takes to set it all up, or to cool down - all of which you can ask about with hands on experience. One other advantage of getting your eye in is with regards to eyepieces which at some point you will want to upgrade from those supplied with the kit. Eyepieces can make quite a difference to the viewing experience so remember to make a note of what you're looking through. I don't want to imply that you must get these extras all in one go, but if you have found out what works on a scope that you like then that is another question answered.

I don't know how far away your local astro club is but don't forget there are also observing groups out there also that can help with some hands on experience. The 200P Dobsonian is a very good scope and 8" is for me the point at which detail can be seen. At the end of the day, specifications mean nothing unless you have something to hang them on to help establish your own datum line. I am amazed that people are prepared to buy a scope having never looked through any scope before believing that they will see magazine quality images at the eyepiece. So take your time and get the right decision for you.

Hope that helps

James