Advice on telescopes!

[Matt.Badger]

Hi All,

Just joined Stargazers lounge as a newbie! I'm pretty new to astronomy and have only previously done a bit of stargazing with a works Bird spotting scope (good enough to make out Jupiter and 2/3 moons) and a cheap app on my iphone.

Im looking to buy my first telescope, but don't want to get ripped off with something that wont do the job.

Im looking at spending between £150 and £250 and have been advised that a refractor scope is better to look for, but might be out of my budget range.

Below is a link to one that i have seen at what appears to be a reasonable price.

Telescope House Meade 90AZ-ADR Altazimuth Refractor Telescope

What do people think? Is it worth it?

Regards

Matt

[dweller25]

You might want to consider this - it's a much more capable scope .....

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 150P Dobsonian

[Capricorn]

First point there are those that like refractors and those that like reflectors.

The refractor shown will have 2 lens as the objective, this means 4 faces have had to be ground.

In a reflector only one face has had to be ground, so it is cheaper to make a reflector and you will therefore get a larger mirror for the same cost.

If a refractor is what you want then the one shown looks fairly good. Suggest you have a look at other options such as the Skywatcher Evostar offerings.

The 90mm will be fairly trouble free, refractors generally are.

The alternative is a reflector. The Skywatcher Explorer 130P Supatrack falls just into budget, it is bigger and will track an object.

Another is the Skywatcher Skyliner 150P dobsonian (FLO). Dobsonians are fully manual but at £200 you get a bigger scope and will see more. You will need a collimation tool to keep the scope collimated (Mirrors aligned).

As said the 90mm is fine and would be happy if you bought one, however being fair the 150P is larger and will collect 2.78 times as much light so a significant increase.

[rowan46]

welcome to sgl matt, the problem with cheap refractors is the optics are not usually the best. In astronomy it's not magnification you are after but light grasp and that requires apparture the bigger the better within reason. For this reason most new astronomers go for reflecting telescopes. If portability is the main requirement a good small refractor is hard to beat if it's for your back garden something a little larger will be better. Most beginners go for a dobsonion base because more of the money is spent on the optics. If your price is absolutely firm then this one is the best to get First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 150P Dobsonian if you can make £300 this is the best scope you can get

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian

both will give better views on everything. See if you can get to a shop to see them they are biggish scopes. or maybe an astro club or even the sgl7 starparty in march. the meade scope will have lots of colour fringing poor light grasp and ultimately will dissappoint. Meade make some very good scopes but like most manufacturers their bottom end ones are not the best for astronomy

[AdrianP]

Hi Matt. I would recommend starting out using a good quality pair of binoculars first, like the Celestron Skymaster 15x70's. Also invest in a good sky guide, Phillips have a comprehensive range and take a little time getting used to where things are in the sky and then go and buy a telescope. Bear in mind that refractors are high quality and cost more for less aperture (Mirror size). Newtonian reflectors on a simple dobsonian mount will give you the best apeture/cost ratio. The Skywatcher 8" 200p is a heavily favoured scope.

Hope that helps. - clear skies.

Adrian.

[Matt.Badger]

Excellent.

I will check out those links and see what comes up.

I'm not exactly set on a refractor, I was just advised they were better, but it sounds like its a matter of opinion!

Thanks very much for the quick replies. Its much appreciated.

Matt

[Moonshane]

Some good advice above. The difficulty with this sort of question is that the answer to 'which is best?' depends upon what you want to observe. To use a birding analogy, if you were in tight woodland looking for American Warblers at migration time then a wide field pair of 7x35s might be the best option but if you are scanning for gulls or waders on the coast from a seat then maybe a pair of 12x50s or even 15x70s might be best. In other words, there's often a need for more than one scope.

The scope mentioned will give good views of planets, moon and double stars and also some of the brighter galaxies etc. However, the mount might be a little flimsy and the small aperture provides low resolution and light gathering. For me (and assuming you don't wish to go down the imaging route in the near future - this can be expensive and time consuming and are also averagely fit and healthy and not living in a high level flat - do you want to observe from ground level?) a good all rounder is a 200mm Skywatcher dobsonian.

This will give a much brighter image of fainter objects and also better images than the 90mm refractor of most other things too. That said, if you bought the 90mm and then in the future had more hunger for aperture, then the 90mm would still be a good companion for a larger scope as it is lighter and more 'grab and go'.

[Matt.Badger]

I've had a look at the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian, and i like the look of it. Its slightly more than my budget, but i think i can probably stretch to it.

I will be mostly observing the moon, planets and other "common" things to start with. I am a VERY amateur astronomer! It looks like the above mentioned scope is a popular, but very good quality scope. I've read a few reviews and they all seem to be good.

Best go and see the bank manager tomorrow now......

[AdrianP]

You definitely will not regret it. I have that scope too, the eyepieces that come with it are very good for what they are. An extra £40 spent on a TAL x2 Barlow lens will give you a range of magnifications that will keep you busy for ages!

Good luck - Clear Skies.

Adrian.

[John]

You definitely will not regret it. I have that scope too, the eyepieces that come with it are very good for what they are. An extra £40 spent on a TAL x2 Barlow lens will give you a range of magnifications that will keep you busy for ages!

Good luck - Clear Skies.

Adrian.

I fully agree with this. The 200P dobsonian is fantastic value for money and a scope with serious observing potential that could last a lifetime in the hobby. I had one a few years ago and miss it despite having had larger aperture scopes since. Worth pushing the boat out a little for I reckon

[LukeSkywatcher]

While there is nothing wrong with a 90mm refractor, i like others above think you can get a better scope for the same price.

"Bang for buck"................without doubt it had to be a Dob.