Present for my Wife, please help :)

[brantuk]

The motor gives you tracking only (not "goto") so the object stays in the eyepiece with only slight tweaks in declination (assuming the mount is polar aligned). It won't help with locating stuff however.

It's a good starter scope but very basic with a small aperture (check if it has a parabolic mirror which isn't allways clear). Give FLO a call - they will give you superb advice and a very reliable pre and post sales service.

[Ryp]

Super, thanks so much for everyone's help and the amount of time you have spent on me, it's very much appreciated.

Adam

[4lefts]

Hi,

Final question, sorry for the lack of knowledge here, but if I go for the Dobsonian 150p, what does it sit on?

It is clearly different from telescopes that use tripods, does it just sit on a flat surface like a table? I have no clue how large or heavy this telescope is.

dobsonians are deceptively massive, even small ones, like this. when i was choosing mine (i was torn between the 150 and the 200, which are basically the same, except the tube on the 200 is a slightly larger diameter, and therefore gathers more light and enables you to see fainter objects. i went with 200 in the end), i found this video helpful to judge the size:

if you've never seen one before, it catches you out, doesn't it?

also, there's no way you can conceal it until birthday time and have it as a surprise. it's two boxes, the one for the tube is 5 or 6 foot long.

the trade off is that you're getting a proper scope, that will give you proper views. highly recommended.

(i got mine from flo too, also highly recommended)