I need to scope a scope

[sticks]

Hi - a not uncommon question from a newbie I guess but here goes. I have read a fair amount about the different types of scope and have taken a look at price ranges etc but I need help deciding which way to go. Here's where I am. I need a portable scope as my garden is useless for observing. I need to be able to assemble it quickly and easily by torchlight or near the car. I doubt I will get involved in photography. The simplicity of a Dobsonian is attractive but where would I put it? - so I probably need a tripod mounted scope. It would be nice to be able to use it for non-sky watching opportunites as we have a caravan holiday home on the coast. My budget is £400 max but don't tell the boss! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[twotter]

My vote is for a Skyliner 200P dobsonian. It seperates into the MDF mount and the telescope tube, and you basically put the mount on the floor then the tube on the mount with the screw in handles. Simple

The 200P comes in at £271 at First Light Optics (see the link at the top off the page), leaving you plenty of spare cash from your budget for a collimating device and red torch.

For the caravan I'd suggest a couple of pairs of binoculars so Mrs Sticks can join you looking at the night sky, scenery, wildlife etc...

[M4lcs67]

In a word I would recommend the scope I use. The Celestron Nexstar 127 SLT. It ticks a number of your boxes and could also become handy in as much as it a GoTo so being a newbie you will hopefully spend more time observing and not as much searching for objects. Also well within your budget. FLO have recently reduced the price to £350.

[vegaandarctures]

For your needs I would go with a Refractor on a simple AZ mounting. What about the Sky watcher Star Travel 120?

[umadog]

A 6 inch Dobsonian is a pretty small telescope and you shouldn't have trouble storing it. It should fit into a small cupboard (Heck, I keep my 18" in a kitchen cupboard designed for a washer/dryer). With the commonly produced focal ratios, a 6" or 8" Dob will stand close to 4 feet high. A collapsed tripod is maybe 3 feet or so in length. The main difference is that the Dob will occupy a larger foot-print.

You should know that the first 10" or so of aperture produces the largest gains in terms of what you can see and so an 8" will show significantly more than a 5". The advantage of a refractor is that you don't need to collimate it or cool it down prior to observing. This makes them ideal grab and go scopes. However, you pay more per inch for a refractor compared to a reflector. You pay *much* more for a good refractor. In contrast mass-produced reflector mirrors are now pretty good and aren't available in a range of different qualities. With Newtonian reflectors you can get aperture cheaply but you need to invest a little time tweaking the scope: align it and cool it. In practice, many people find these drawbacks to be worth the price of admission. Newtonians have the advantage that they can be easily mounted on a Dobsonian mount, which is very cheap and very stable. Whereas other designs become unwieldy at larger apertures, Dobsonian mounted reflectors are remarkably transportable even when very large.

The down-side of reflectors is that they don't make good day-time instruments. For that, a pair of binos is usually best.

[LukeSkywatcher]

A 6 inch Dobsonian is a pretty small telescope and you shouldn't have trouble storing it. It should fit into a small cupboard

I'd agree. A 6" Dob seems to fit your wants/needs. It is easily stored in any corner you have or a cupboard while being pretty portable (i'd imagine).

[sabana]

1 more vote for a 6 inch Dob.

[onesmallstep]

Hi

I use an 8" Dob and storage / transportation is not a problem - I lug my scope around in a small hatchback: Dob base in the boot area and OTA across the rear seat. Accessories spreead around the rest of the car. The 6" model will be no problem for you.

HTH!

[Orion_the_Hunter]

+1 for 6/8 in Dobsonian.

[sticks]

Thanks everyone, I will go research some 6"/8" Dobs. Daft question probably - but do you just sit them on the ground or do you need to take a flat surface/support with you and if so what's best to use?

[John]

Dobs often just sit on the ground - they have 3 feet for that purpose. Observing from the sitting position is nice with a 6" / 8". You can make a sturdy platform for them if you prefer to stand and want the eyepiece higher up.