New Astronomer

[acmepalm]

Hi..I am completely new to astronomy and would like some advice on which Telescope to buy first.I would like to look at the moon in close quarters and our planets including Jupiter and Saturn.Also i guess Nebula and maybe Galaxies..Am I being too optimistic ?? I would love your experienced advice thanks..Steve:)

[gdheib0430]

Hey Ace. Best thing that I have read and what helped me when I first started out is to first off go get yourself a pair of 15x50 binos...you can usually pick them up real cheap and you would be surprised how much you can see with them...in a dark area you can easily see the Andromeda galaxy (M31). As for a scope, it really depends on your space requirements and how far you have to go to get to a dark site. If you are serious about getting into the hobby I would recommend probably a 6 or 8" scope as it will pull in enough light for DSOs and you will instantly want a bigger scope if you go with a small beginner scope like I did lol. I would also recommend a decent lense kit and or an OIII filter to help pull more of the nebulosity out and onto your gazing eye.

[John]

Hi there and welcome to the forum !

For £217 / $399 you can realise your ambitions. If that's a realistic budget for you then either of these (depending on your location) would do the job:

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian

Orion XT8 Dobsonian Telescope & Beginner Barlow Kit | Orion Telescopes

[Nexus 6]

would only add in relation to your scope choice getting a couple of decent books

Turn Left at Orion or The Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders are both worth checking out

also if you don't have it yet down load Stellarium

good luck with it and welcome to the forum

[gdheib0430]

Totally agree on the 200p or 8" DOB...gonna be my next scope if I don't go up to 10" instead.

[acmepalm]

Thanks everyone for your quick advice..What about which Brand of telescope..I was leaning towards the 6 or 8 inch as they would get a good view of the outer planets and I assume Nebula etc.What about Seben Big Boss or Nexstar 6se or 8 se. ?..Thanks ..Steve

[nightfisher]

Thanks everyone for your quick advice..What about which Brand of telescope..I was leaning towards the 6 or 8 inch as they would get a good view of the outer planets and I assume Nebula etc.What about Seben Big Boss or Nexstar 6se or 8 se. ?..Thanks ..Steve

Steve, avoid the seben, they always get bad reviews, the 6 and 8se will be very good for planets and lunar but a 200 dob will be a better al-rounder

[Chris H]

Can't go wrong with an 8" Dobsonian First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian they may not look like a traditional telescope but they will deliver the best bang for buck. But you really should try and see one in the flesh before buying. Have a look and see if there are any astronomy clubs in your area and get down and visit one.

[smudgeball]

Hi

Welcome to SGL and a Happy New Year.

As above, try and get along to a local astronomy club if you can to see the size of an 8" Dob, have a play and see if it's what you want?

6SE is a great scope (I should know:D) but more expensive and a little specialised towards some but not all of your requirements.

Great on planets, fantastic for the moon, then has to work harder as you head off into deep space. Still works ok, but bigger aperture dobs work better at that.

Plus you pay for the "GoTo" element of the nexstar setup, where as with an 8" dob you are just paying (a lot less) just for more aperture.

Try and at least have a look at one first, storage may be an issue for you ??

A few things to think about, but good luck with your choice and clear skies after your purchase.

Regards

Neil

[todd8137]

hi acmepalm with you have said in your post ,a 200p sounds just the job,i went straight for the 12" 300p i did go to my club one night were there was just about every scope go ing from a 50 pound cheapo to a 20"reflector

cash not be in on my side for a 20" i got a 12" instead glad i did its a bit big but the views i get are just great nebs, galixes and the big cluster are great but splitting doubles and picking a fe of the harder targets is were its at for me

[John]

Thanks everyone for your quick advice..What about which Brand of telescope..I was leaning towards the 6 or 8 inch as they would get a good view of the outer planets and I assume Nebula etc.What about Seben Big Boss or Nexstar 6se or 8 se. ?..Thanks ..Steve

Got fo 8" if you can.

Skywatcher, Orion (USA), Orion Optics (UK), Celestron, Meade etc all maket good dobsonians.

Avoid the Seben brand.

The Nexstar 6SE and 8SE are Celestron scopes of the Schmidt-Cassegrain type on GOTO mounts. Very different from the simplicity of dobsonians but also excellent scopes.

[acmepalm]

Hi again..Is the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian as good as the SAXON 8" Dobsonian Telescope .I would appreciate any opinions..Thanks Steve

[sabana]

People on this forum love to recommend the 8 inch (Manual) dob for newbies. Yes its great for the money and views are very good with standard eyepieces it comes with. However having tried one at first I soon realized this is 2012. Grab the technology by the horns and invest in a GOTO. For a newbie GOTO is a Godsend. The frustration puts so many people off when they can't locate objects or spend half the night trying to makes GOTO incredible value.

ps A GOTO dob is the best.