A newbie classic question - which scope should I buy?

[Chas1203]

Hi, I am torn and need advice.

Evostar 102 or Sky-watcher 150pl?

Currently using bino's but now, Jupiter as a disc and Andromeda as a fuzzy patch, although still great, it just isn't enough.

I am interested in planetary views and even more so DSO's.

My budget is around £300.

Please help as I am desperate to get a decent view of Jupiter before it's too late..... also, what could I expect to see of Jupiter with each of these scopes?

Thanks in advance.

[John]

If you don't mind simplicity then your budget will stretch to an 8" dobsonian which will really deliver on the planets and deep sky objects.

I'm always loathed to start describing what you can or should see through this scope or that scope because it varies quite considerably on each outing, depending on the seeing conditions.

[Chas1203]

Thanks John. I understand viewing can vary, I just wanted to know if I would see Jupiter and know it was Jupiter, i.e Red spot or would one planet just look like any other. Just setting my expectations.

I have just looked at the 8" Dob..... yes I think that would be great but from what I gather it is not really portable, yet another factor to consider

[John]

It depends what you class as portable but an 8" dob can be lifted in one piece by a reasonably fit person but easily splits into 2 sections which are easily portable. I would not want to climb lots of stairs with one but taking it out of the house and around a garden is easy.

In many small to medium aperture scopes Jupiter typically looks like the picture in this post by Spaceboy. On good nights you can pick out a little more detail and the pale oval of the Great Red Spot when it's on our side of the planet:

http://stargazerslounge.com/1973117-post10.html

You will also see up to 4 of Jupiters moons which are not shown in that pic. This is only a guide though - "your mileage may / will vary"

[Orion_the_Hunter]

Hi, I agree with Jameson. The 8" Dob is an excellent 'starter' 'scope.

I wrote a review after I got mine, might help you.

http://stargazerslounge.com/member-equipment-reviews/132996-skywatcher-skyliner-200p-8-dob.html

[Chas1203]

Thank u very much for the advice. Will have a look and feel of a 8" Dob.......

Rgds,

[Chas1203]

Having read your review my mind is made up..... am very excited and want my new scope now now now.

Thank u

[Hugh88]

Rather than create a new thread for my question, I think it would be best to tag along on this one.

From what I can tell the 8" dob is the scope most recommended to new folk, giving the "best bang for buck". I've been considering purchasing one, however I think there are 2 main worries for me:

1. Collimation

How hard is this to do? This question is coming from someone who is not very hands on and shy's away from even small DIY jobs. I think perhaps I would find this infuriating and would get quite obsessive about checking whether my scope is calibrated correctly. How "out of align" should I expect a new scope I purchase to be?

I've read a few posts from people saying that using a laser to collimate is not the best way, but this method

compared to this method using the cheshire collimator seems much easier ( Astro Babys Guide to Collimation )

2. Manual tracking. How easy is it to adjust a 8" Dob to keep, say Jupiter (seems to be all the rage at the moment) at high magnification within the FOV? From videos I've seen, it seems to be a fairly constant job, having to adjust every 10 seconds or so and I think I might find this quite frustrating, unless the Dobsonian mount makes the process extremely fluid, say perhaps as fluid as moving a mouse cursor over the object you want to click.

Would a different scope with an Equatorial Mount , perhaps even motorised, be a better choice? Spending a few moments finding Polaris before each observation session might be easier than having to constantly adjust to observe your target.

Perhaps a refracting telescope on an Equatorial Mount would be a better bet than an 8" Dob for me?

Finally, thanks to all the experienced observers who take the time to answer the questions from beginners here. It is extremely helpful!

[pvaz]

1) Collimation is not very hard. You want it well collimated, specially for planetary observation but, you'll still have decent views if it's not spot on.

A refractor would solve this but you'll see considerably less DSOs. It will also cost you a lot more to get anywhere near 8" aperture.

2) Manual tracking is very easy to get used to. If tracking is that important check out the GOTO dobsodians by Skywatcher. They have a much simpler setup then any EQ mount. EQs are not that easy to use anyway. They track but you may find your EP at a strange position and have to rotate the OTA in the rings. The way you point at objects with an EQ is a bit awkward at 1st.

[skywalker]

Get a Skywatcher 200. Just me penny's worth

[onesmallstep]

Hi and welcome to SGL

Before taking the plunge and buying a scope why don't you contact a local astronomy group and attend a meeting or public observing session. You can try a variety of scopes and talk to members to find out what scope would best match your onserving interests.

The Federation of Astronomical Societies website will have a list of societies for your area, just type 'fedastro' into a search engine and click on the Societies link.

HTH!

[Doug]

Hi Chas1203

A warm welcome to the SGL

In your post you mention Jupiter as a disc and Andromeda as a fuzzy patch well

in a 200mm =8" scope you will see more than a disc you will see the two band on Jupiter but Andromeda (M31) it still is a fuzzy patch and it's the same on a 12" Dob as well , it is so far away even though the galaxy is twice the size of our own galaxy

the only way to see Andromeda is to do Astro photography and for that you will need a Newtoian scope 8" or SW 80ED or both and a good tracking tripod

clear skies

Doug

Essex UK