The right telescope

[rex88]

Good Evening to you ALL

I have just joined and would like to introduce my self.

Im Ricky 22 years of age, male from cornwall.

i have had my telescope now for a few years (vivitar 70060) and its limiting what i can view,( jupiter ball with slight colour variations) andromeda haze with centre light source.

could someone please advise a telescope (£200-£250) mark that will enable me to see these objects and nebule, planets on other galaxy's.

kind regards

Ricky

[John]

Hi Ricky - welcome to Stargazers Lounge !

Are you happy to find objects in the sky yourself or are you hoping to get on that has one of those GOTO mounts that finds things for you ?.

Also does the scope need to be moved around a lot or fit into a small area for storage ?.

For just under £200 you could have a 6" aperture newtonian mounted on a dobsonian mount which is completely manually operated but great value in terms of the views per £ spent. For £271 you can have the 8" version which is also a really great scope in terms of value for money.

But you may have some preferences that you have not told us about yet which would change the recommendations.

[AstroLuke]

Maybe the SkySwatcher skyliner 200p dob?

[dweller25]

Hello Ricky and welcome to SGL.

The classic good all rounder is an 8" Newtonian - good on the planets and large enough to show more detail on faint deep sky objects than your current scope - BUT they will never look as good as in the books.

This would be a very good first choice .....

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian

It has to be moved by hand to track objects - but I follow the planets at x240 in one of these with no problems.

The beauty of this scope is that if you want to add motorised tracking you can buy an equatorail mount that it will fit on.

The best of both worlds.

Hope that helps.

[great_bear]

The vast majority of folks seem to find this to be the best "all-round" scope:

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian

£20 above your budget, but well-worth the stretch

Make sure that you won't find it too big though!

[great_bear]

Oh - but be aware that Andromeda and other galaxies will always be a smudge in *any* telecope!

[rex88]

I have been looking around on Ebay and seen a seben 150 mm reflector but not really sure what im looking at. im looking something that would show the detail in nebula plants and andromeda, would like to see the hubble deep field in detail but i dont have the money to buy the hubble scope of NASA.

I like using constellations to fund my way round the sky but the Motor Drive M2 takes my fancy.

I am not limited for space.

[onesmallstep]

See sig for my recommendation!!!

[Ags]

Avoid the Sebens - they are famous for all the wrong reasons.

[Cornelius Varley]

I have been looking around on Ebay and seen a seben 150 mm reflector but not really sure what im looking at, some that would show the detail in nebula plants and andromeda, would like to see the hubble deep field in detail but i dont have the money to buy the hubble scope of NASA.

I like using constellations to fund my way round the sky but the Motor Drive M2 takes my fancy.

I am not limited for space.

Avoid the Seben 150/1400 telescope and any other brand (Event Horizon, Olivon, Syvlan plus a few others) that sells this specification telescope.

Peter

[rex88]

Avoid the Seben 150/1400 telescope and any other brand (Event Horizon, Olivon, Syvlan plus a few others) that sells this specification telescope.

Peter

I guess this is not a good scope,

i almost got a meade 6" reflector for £100 but sold the day i rang for it

[king-jaffethehutt]

I would maybe look at a 2nd hand Newt, I got 150mm skywatcher explorer for £150ish on an equatorial mount. but bang for your buck the 8" dob is virtually unbeatable, and as already mentioned you could eventually mount is on an eq mount.

I have looked at the Seben myself, I just was not sure about it.

at least with a recognised brand like skywatcher or celestron there will be hundreds of users of SGL who could always offer advice and give technical help is needed.

Rgds

Scott

[John]

Unless you really know what you are looking for, I don't think E.Bay is a good place to buy, despite the tempting prices. Stick to recognised brands such as Skywatcher, Celestron, Meade and the UK's Orion Optics - they are tried and tested and have many satisfied owners on this forum and elsewhere.

[great_bear]

The only reason I've heard anyone dislike a 200P is its size - some find it too big. Other than that, people always seem unreservedly delighted with it, so it should be considered a serious contender

[rex88]

Im liking the look of the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P. what have people seen with this

[rex88]

The only reason I've heard anyone dislike a 200P is its size - some find it too big. Other than that, people always seem unreservedly delighted with it, so it should be considered a serious contender

does it work the same way as the bigger the better

[John]

The Skyliner 200P is capable of seeing literally thousands of astro objects including deep sky objects such as nebulae, star clusters and galaxies, binary stars, amazing detail on the moon, nice detail on Jupiter and Saturn, some surface features on Mars, when it's at it's closest to Earth, the phases of Venus and Mercury, Uranus and Neptune although those latter three will be little more than spots of light - different from stars though.

The most important thing in not to expect anything like the photos you see when looking through a scope, even a largish scope. Our eyes just can't compete with the detail and scale that the imaging devices can capture.

So most deep sky objects will be shades of grey and many will be just faint patches of misty light.

[rex88]

will image capturing lenses be capable of zooming in on the imaged for more detail, and is it available for this scope

[John]

The Skyliner scopes are not motorised so not really suitable for imaging. You can do some basic lunar and planetary shots with a webcam.

[Rapallokid]

Hi,

I concur avoid SEBEN, i had a friend who bought one. what a waste of time and money. A 200 dob would be an excellent starting scope. It should keep you busy for many years.

[great_bear]

will image capturing lenses be capable of zooming in on the imaged for more detail, and is it available for this scope

Imaging rapidly turns into a very expensive pastime.

The general consensus on the forum here, is not to think about imaging in the beginning, as (on a small budget) you end up with a compromised setup that is not good at either imaging or visual observation.

Best to concentrate on what will provide the best experience for visual use for your money.

In the longer term, with the 200P, you can always mount it on a sturdy mount for imaging later (£600+ -told you things get expensive with imaging! )

[rwilkey]

I agree, the 200 is a great scope, the best starter scope for DSO's, this is where you begin to see real detail. As others have said, avoid Seben, they are poorly made, stick to the recommended suppliers as found on FLO.

[brianmc]

I too am preparing to jump in to astronomy with both feet and get the 200p. Can anyone advise though if this is still the best scope if you have a couple of street lights shining into your garden. I'm in a generally rural area but of the 4 streetlights in my village 2 of them manage to shine in to my back yard.

[rwilkey]

The 200P is pretty good in light poluted areas, but it depends how bad the light is from those two, an LP filter would be recommended.

[rex88]

Thanks everyone for the help and advice, i have checked out the size all good tho. if i was to expand my budget to £350 mark would you recommend any others or just some upgrades for the 200p