Which telescope for beginner

[andy77]

Hi guy's/gals

First id like to say hello as im a newbie, so hello peeps:)

I'm looking into buying our first telescope for my self and 7 year old daughter, she's been going on at me for months about the stars and planets and how she wants to look at them so ive decided to get her one as one of her xmas gifts. we will both use it so im willing to spend £200-£300 on a decent one but havent got a clue which, im a massive photograper at heart and would also love to get some great pics using this telescope with my canon 5d mk2, Would love some info in which to buy and why........

Many Thanks Andy

[Chris H]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Two good scopes that come in within the budget are either the Skywatcher Skyliner 150p (£197) or the Skywatcher Skyliner 200p (£271). They are very simple to operate and will provide excellent views of planets and deep sky objects. They may be a little high for a seven year old but she could stand on something no problem. However they are not much good for astrophotography and if your really keen to do that you are going to have to spend more than your budget allows on a mount alone. I'd forget about taking photos for the time being and just enjoy viewing and learning the night sky with your daughter. Aperture counts second only to dark skies and for the price these two scope provide a good aperture.

[carldr]

Regarding astrophotography with your Canon 5D mk ii, there are only a relative few scopes which will cover the whole of the full frame sensor without severe vignetting and very few that will do it with a flat field (without buying an additional field flattener.)

If the scope you buy has a 2" focuser, you can still use that camera of course, but you might need to crop the image - perhaps not a huge problem considering its resolution!

I can't really comment which scopes within your budget might be suitable unfortunately - I doubt there are any - but if you are interested in astrophotography, it might be something to consider when making your choice.

To be honest, with the budget you have, I agree with Chris - just go for the best scope you can for visual.

[andy77]

Thanks for the replys guys, both scopes look amazing that you have recommended kris77, i will have a read up and then make my decision me thinks, regarding the astrophotography its not the main reason for buying its for my 7 yr old daughter to get her interested in astronomy as she seems very keen....

Andy

[Parus major]

Actually reading the thread gets me past the standard recommendations for the price point and tells me the owner won't be wanting to faff around with collimation and the like and might be a bit on the short side for operating some telescopes.

I'd suggest First Light Optics - Skywatcher Evostar 102 (EQ3-2) Hit's the price point, requires very little in the way of looking after other than the usual "don't drop it, don't scratch it, don't get it wet" and gives enough magnification to let her see the things someone her age would find exciting.

If you want to get in on the fun then Other types suggested are viable but they are outside the ability of a seven year old girl collimate but I imagine since you're clearly interested and you won't likely let her unwatched outside at night then Newt's, Dobs and the like could be the way forward.

[Chris H]

A 6 inch F7.8 or 8 inch F6 Dob is not outside the ability of a 7 year old. I have experience of 7 year olds using my 10" Dob with ease, on a step as I mentioned above to get up to the ep, but they used it fine. The larger aperture will provide views good enough to maintain interest which is the main thing with young children. They don't want to observe for long periods picking out detail and they don't want to be underwhelmed they just want to look and see.

Collimation on these two Dobs is also not critical.

[ollypenrice]

There is a case for the simple refractor but the Dob will give a much brighter image and is intuitive to steer.

Vitally important, though, a good map of the sky, electronic or on paper. Free Stellarium online can print out paper finder charts to take outside. Computers outside do damage your night adaptation even when used with red acetate over them. I never use them for visual observing though they are an unavoidable feature of imaging.

Also very useful, a simple planisphere like the Philips.

Olly

[DOBBY]

I would suggest looking at the skywatcher skyliner 200p Dob...quick & easy to set up...kids don't always like to wait...you'll get great views of the moon..saturn & jupiter plus feint fuzzys & more.

you can always mount it on a tripod or pier at a later date if you want to get into astro-photography

[Rob wright]

I got a starblast 6 for my daughter its a great pick up and go dob, you can sit it on a park bench or a small table, very light so it will get used more than a larger dob and not so tall it needs a box to stand onto view

It has great reviews too thats why I chose it

just a week ago we went to exemore to the new dark sky reserve with it and got some great views.

[andy77]

Ok guys ive been looking into these dobs your going on about and narrowed down to these 2?

Sky Watcher SKYLINER-200 203mm (8") f/1200 Parabolic Dobsonian

Optical Vision Skyliner 150 6" Parabolic Dobsonian telescope

Thanks for all the opinions guys so what are your thoughts on these.

Andy

[Parus major]

Go for the 200 since they're about the same length. Run as far as you can from scopes n skies, though.

[Grunthos]

Vitally important, though, a good map of the sky, electronic or on paper. Free Stellarium online can print out paper finder charts to take outside.

Also very useful, a simple planisphere like the Philips.

Agreed.

I just bought these for my friends 8 year old.

Planisphere (although there is a new one about to be released)

Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas

[RikM]

This is the one you want.

[andy77]

This is the one you want.

Thanks i have actually saved that site as a favorite, so i think this will be my 1st purchase into the world of astronomy for me and my daughter...... SOOOOOO looking forward to it:D

Is there any acessories that anyone would recommend so i can purchase at the same time, i was thinking a moon filter, you get a free planisphere and book with the scope.

Andy

[Parus major]

Thanks i have actually saved that site as a favorite, so i think this will be my 1st purchase into the world of astronomy for me and my daughter...... SOOOOOO looking forward to it:D

Is there any acessories that anyone would recommend so i can purchase at the same time, i was thinking a moon filter, you get a free planisphere and book with the scope.

Andy

First Light Optics - Cheshire Collimating Eyepiece

[andy77]

First Light Optics - Cheshire Collimating Eyepiece

Thankyou but what exactly does this do?

Andy

[RikM]

It is essentially a tube with a set of crosshairs to help you align the mirrors in the tube to make sure you always get the sharpest view. Dead easy and the 200P is quite stable.

[RikM]

To give you an idea of the size of these scopes, here is my 7 year old with a very similar scope.

Edit: We were looking at the woods on a nearby hill top and were VERY careful not to point the scope anywhere near the sun!

[Grunthos]

Is there any acessories that anyone would recommend so i can purchase at the same time, i was thinking a moon filter, you get a free planisphere and book with the scope.

Andy

I'd tend to go with a variable polarizing moon filter

You might also want to consider a small folding stool

Don't forget to get the little un involved in the BBC Stargazing live events on 16th -18th January 2012

[Chris H]

This can make pointing the scope where you want to a lot easier

First Light Optics - Rigel QuikFinder Compact Reflex Sight

[andy77]

Ok just been searching through the different scopes, and come across this beast, First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skymax 127 SynScan AZ GOTO would this be a better scope than the one ive been looking at earlier, here's the one i have been looking at First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skymax 127 SynScan AZ GOTO , What would be the main differences ect, if im right the dob has a larger apeture than the goto, but the goto has a larger maximum focal range of 1500mm apposed to 1200mm on the dob, any advice and opinions on these 2??????????

Thanks Andy

[RikM]

Larger aperture wins.

The Skyliner 200P gathers a lot more light than the Skymax 127, this means you will be able to see fainter objects and see more detail on brighter objects.

I am slightly biased here. I have a Skymax 127 and it is my least favourite scope. All telescopes really need to be at the same temperature as the air outside to be able to give the best, sharpest view. With the Skymax, it takes a loooong time to cool down before you can really use it. And even when properly cooled, the small aperture means I can't see the faint deep sky objects I want or sharp detailed views of planets I want. The only thing going for it is that it is very small and can fit in the car when we go on holiday. Otherwise it would have bitten the dust long ago.

[andy77]

Larger aperture wins.

The Skyliner 200P gathers a lot more light than the Skymax 127, this means you will be able to see fainter objects and see more detail on brighter objects.

I am slightly biased here. I have a Skymax 127 and it is my least favourite scope. All telescopes really need to be at the same temperature as the air outside to be able to give the best, sharpest view. With the Skymax, it takes a loooong time to cool down before you can really use it. And even when properly cooled, the small aperture means I can't see the faint deep sky objects I want or sharp detailed views of planets I want. The only thing going for it is that it is very small and can fit in the car when we go on holiday. Otherwise it would have bitten the dust long ago.

Thanks for the advice rik, so should i go for the dob over the goto??? or is there any other scopes i should be looking at as ive upped my budget to around £400, i just want the best possible kit for the money.

Andy

[ItIsOnlyMe]

First thing to think about with the Skymax 127 on this goto mount is that you will need to run power out to the garden or get yourself a powertank (like this Celestron PowerTank: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics) to use it. It does come with a battery pack to take normal batteries but I don't find it that reliable and it doesn't last very long. I have both a dob and this mount (though not that scope) and I use the dob a lot more, it gives truly instant gratification with next to no setup time.

[Nexus 6]

the comparison I have made between my cpc 925 and SW Skyliner 150P is such...the price of this dob for the views delivered is outstanding, can only imagine how well the 200P would be at showing the delights of the night skies

I am currently offering it for sale for one reason, I have the chance of using a 16" dob if things work out otherwise I would not sell it, go for the 200