If You had to Start all Over Again!

[sabana]

I like hypothetical questions. And here I feel is a good un'

If you had to start all over again in Astronomy. What would you do different?

That is. Which scope would/should you have chosen. Which mount would/should you choose. Which eyepieces etc etc.

Maybe even you may have bought a house within a Dark Sky region. Or checked out the neighbours garden hedge shrubs/trees plans. Or even started building the observatory from Day One so it would have been finished by now.

.....

[ncjunk]

I bought a second hand LXD75 with a SPX 8" as a first scope then went on to an EQ6.

If I had to do it again I would buy an HEQ5 with an ED80 followed by a 200mm F4/5 newt as the initial setup. Then I would go onto the EQ6 whilst keeping the HEQ5 for trips to dark sites.

The SPX LXD combination was just wrong for me but you live and learn!

[moflaher]

I would started the same way (binoculars and turn left at orion until I prove myself that astronomy was my thing), and then go for the biggest aperture within my budget, probably a 8-12 dobson.

[garethmob]

i origionally bought a meade etx 70.... i would change that for a dob and TLAO

then i went to a EQ2, then EQ3-2 then kson eklipse

i would of wished id saved them and bought a HEQ5

and my 102ST i wish id gone straight for the megrez 72 instead

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I think I would do much the same. My own first scope might have had a better mount (but that would have required a bigger budget). Otherwise I am quite happy with my choices to date. As I posted recently, my telescope turned 15 last weekend, so it is clearly doing something right for me .

[Steve]

I started with a Meade ETX105. Optically it was very good but mechanically it was an exercise in frustration! And having GOTO meant I didn't learn my way around the sky. If starting again, for back garden visual astronomy, I would buy a six or eight-inch Dobsonian or Newtonian on a motorized GEQ mount, without GOTO.

[cantab]

I would have started a few weeks before I did, and maybe got to see that supernova!

[Anders]

I would've bought a dob from the start, it's really a lot more fun when I have to hunt the objects down myself.

GOTO feels a bit overkill for visual stuff to me to be honest.

[Starlight 1]

I would put all the money back in the bank.

[great_bear]

I think I would have done most things the same, except:

I wouldn't have bought a Spotting Scope for astronomy use.

Sky @ Night Magazine did a great disservice to readers by implying that Spotting Scopes were a good choice of instrument for astronomy. I do like my spotting scope for wildlife use, and may have bought one at some point in the future, but it was unfit-for-purpose for astronomy and drained my funds at a time when I should have made different choices.

[rfdesigner]

I would have taken one roll of practice film before having my one and only go at Hale-Bopp. (I lost second chances to cloud)

I would have saved real hard and got myself an OAG and autoguider more or less at the off.

I would also have needed a time machine or a very large wallet for many of the other bits I would have wanted.

If I was starting now I'd be stumped by choice!

Derek

[steelfixer]

I would pretty much do the same as I have done only 40 years earlier.

[pvaz]

On EPs I would do pretty much the same.

On the scope, I was trying to keep it on the cheap side as I didn't know if the bug would byte. I would get a larger dob instead, as I live in a very remote location when I upgrade, I'll be pretty much stuck with my current scope as well. The shipping costs are just too high to resell and still get a half decent value for it.

[pete_l]

If you had to start all over again in Astronomy. What would you do different?

Well, I started in 1999. Since then SCTs have pretty much halved in price - and their drive/control mechanisms are better too. CCDs are better and cheaper, too. There are these things called DSLRs and there's much. much more stuff on the internet (yes, we did have t'internet in the last century). There's also a lot more software available - both to control 'scope movement and imaging and also for image processing.

So, I'd probably buy today's equivalent of what I bought in my first 5 years and still have a load of cash left over for yet more goodies.

[smudgeball]

Well I'd obviously move away from the orange glow ! Although LP is not too bad where I live.

I think If I had to start again I'd do it inside out, perhaps look at building an observatory (roll top shed) get familiar with the sky and finally purchase a scope.

It would be a refractor as (for me) I've never had that on my list of preferrred OTA, so it really would be a brand new start.

Neil

[angusb1]

I would have done it all the same. I've been really lucky with everything I've bought.

[spaceboy]

My first scope I would have bought an EVO 120ED instead of a TAL 200K. Sold a kidney and had an EQ6 from the off. Invested in a box full of BST explorers & BGO's instead of spending a small fortune on premium EP's. Had a 12" dob with coma corrector rather than a 10" with out. O... and built the obsy 4' larger.

[RogerTheDodger]

I'd have waited and got the NEQ6

[NGC 1502]

Equipment - bite the bullet and get decent kit as soon as you are sure astronomy is for you. Buying cheap then upgrading costs more in the long run.

And I'd have joined a local astronomy club MUCH sooner.

Regards, Ed.

[nicnac]

i would have bought the Hotech with the 2" adaptor instead of without, thats it i think

[Ags]

I wish I had spent my eyepiece pennies on speer-walers rather than hyperions, not that I've ever looked through an s-w! :-)

The 4SE has been an excellent starter scope - I am glad I started with it.

[Moonshane]

I think I'd have gone straight to dobs. I started with a 120mm f8.3 refractor and due to CA and lack of aperture, I then decided to try a 12" dob. after getting the dob I scarcely used the frac and when I got my 6" f11 I then decided there was no need to keep the frac and sold it. I still have that 6" f11 dob but also a 16" f4 dob too which is about as large as I will be able to afford for a very long time I reckon (unless I sell all my eyepieces).

eyepiece wise, I made mistakes initially but always managed to get most of my cash back and now have a nice set of eyepieces which will last me a lifetime and then some.

thankfully I never went down the imaging route, I realised very early on, it's just not for me.

[Astro Imp]

Only been observing since January, pretty happy with my kit but should have started years ago.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I spent the best part of 30 yrs in this hobby using a pair of 10x50 bins.

I dont regret that for one second because i have a very good knowledge of the night sky now. However if i was starting over..................i would not have left it 30 yrs to buy a scope.

P.S.~~for me,my 1st scope was a 90mm refrac on an EQ1. Seemed a great buy at the time when i bought it and great advise from the guys. However it didnt take me long to find out that a 90mm refrac on an EQ1 weighing a combined 28 Lbs................really wasnt the scope for a wheelchair user.

Live and learn.

[swamp thing]

For a start I wish I'd kept the little 2" frac that my parents bought me when I was about 13.

It would have been nice to have hung on to it.

I also wish I'd tried a Dob years ago instead of messing around with GEM's most of my observing life.

I'm happy with my eyepieces and haven't bought any duds......yet. I have got a couple of shockers but they came with scopes.

I think that maybe I should've got a computer a bit sooner (only this year have I had one ) then I would've beneffited sooner from online stuff, like this forum.

Regards Steve