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first scope

beanyboy1982

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onesmallstep

onesmallstep

Posted
Posted

Hi and welcome to SGL

I've had a quick look at the Fleabay links posted above and although the scopes are cheap they are not really suitable start scopes and are aimed more at the casual observer. The only (partial) exception is the Celestron 114 reflector. A 'good' starter scope will depend on what you want to observe, your budget, staorage and transport issues, sky quality in your area, to name but a few factors.

A good place to start (other than SGL) is to contact your local astronomy society and attend any public astro events they hold. This way you can talk to other astronomers and use a range of scopes which will give you a better idea of what to buy based on your own astro interests. Search the internet under the term 'fedastro' and click on the societies link from the homepage.

Read the primers on SGL. These can be found as a sub-forum and cover all the bases.

Buy a pair of 7x50 or 10x50 binoculars plus a starmap. Try FLO above as well as the other UK based suppliers. Binoculars have several advantages over scopes when learning the night sky and cost £25-50 depending on make and model.

HTH!

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damnut

damnut

Posted
Posted

Good advice from John above, also worth going to local astro shop and see how you would manage the scope, and leave a few pennies over for a good quality eyepiece and barlow.

BST eyepieces have a good rep and they are c£35 ea. They bring a huge improvement over the usual supplied eyepieces.

Good luck on your journey.

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nikocel8

nikocel8

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Posted

I didnt do a ton of research before I purchased my SE 8, but I love it. I have never used any other type of scope though so I have nothing to compare it to. I am trying to do astro photos with it and that is seeming to be a bit of a challenge (due to my ineptness). So my valuable input? research and what everyone above has said!

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onesmallstep

onesmallstep

Posted
Posted

Hi

Again, you would be buying a scope from a non-specialist outlet where the emphasis would be on the sale and not the product. PC World have a total of three scopes all from the same manufacturer and two of them are aimed at the casual astronomer so would be unsuitable as a starter scope.

Give yourself one week as a minimum time (ideally extend this to one month) to do some research, buy astro mags and read the reviews to see which scope best suits your needs as an observer. If you haven't already done so check out site sponsors First Light Optics and search the 'net for other UK-based suppliers to compare models / prices.

HTH!

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