Celestron Astromaster 70az VS Skywatcher Capricorn

[Dreamgazer]

Ok... Finally, after spending half an hour working out how to post I'm writing!

I'd say I'm a beginner astronomer. Ok, truth be told I'm completely new. I've always read books about the stars, watched endless documentaries, but then it struck me. Why not get my own telescope? It is this rather ingenious (yes, I am joking) idea that has brought me here today.

After endless research, and trying to find out why there are so many numbers involved with something I had presumed to be so trivial. Of course, I now understand the true complexity of astronomy and that it's is so much more than pointing a metal tube at the sky.

But anyway, my real reason for posting this is not to rattle on about my lack of astronomical knowledge. I have been researching 'scopes (I'm picking up astronomer lingo already!) and chosen two which I think best suit my needs. Both have good reviews and come from -to my knowledge- reputable companies.

The Celestron Astromaster 70az and the Skywatcher Capricorn (I Believe that is the full name). Both come in (best price) at about ninety pounds, I've read countless reviews but I just can't decide between the two!

Please can anyone who owns or has owned either of the 'scopes in question tell me what they think, either that or suggest a good 'scope for beginners.

Thank you, clear skies!

[Dreamgazer]

Another thing, can anyone enlighten me on why it says "vacuum" under my username?

As far as I know I am human... I think.

[John]

Hi and welcome to the forum !

"Vacuum" will change as you make more posts on the forum.

My advice is to be patient and save up a little more money. 70mm of aperture is just too little to provide satisfying views in my opinion. Another £50 and you would be able to get a 130mm scope which would be in another league entirely.

[Dreamgazer]

Ok...

I'll take that into consideration!

Thanks!

[xyz]

I had the Astromaster 90AZ for just over a year. 90mm was just OK 70mm I suspect is a little too small. I found the tripod was a bit wobbly and I had quite a bit of difficulty in centering anything in the field of view - this was because if the AZ bearings were tight enough to stop completely free rotation then the only way to get something into view was to move beyond the object and then take hand off and the scope would (hit-and-miss) relax into the correct position. I suspect that this is called backlash. I also had no luck using the red dot finder to find anything, I did have it line up with the scope, but at night, the red dot was way too bright and obliterated the view. Anyway these drawbacks were enough of an irritation to cause me to upgrade to a somewhat larger Dob. BUT I did stick with the scope for as I said, just over a year and I learnt a lot about what I would look for in the next scope - so it was useful as an introduction to stargazing and an education into what I wanted to avoid next purchase.

Hope this helps.

[Dreamgazer]

Thanks for replying!

After EVEN MORE research i've decided i might try the SkyWatcher Explorer-130/900 EQ2 Telescope, is that any good?

It's 130mm so -as i'm a beginner- it should be quite good.