dobsonian or other type of scope

[Tom_m7117]

Hi all,

I just wanted to ask a quick question, I appreciate there are many previous topics similar to this but was hoping to get some of my own answers from you guys.

I'm completely new to astronomy but have always been fascinated by the stars. I was looking at some scopes but can't decide what's best. The ones I was looking at are both dobsonians as they look great and of course offer a lot of scope for the money. My oly doubt is if I should buy a goto or not. I could afford a goto but am unsure if I would be better trying to learn to navigate my way around rather thn rely on a computer , my only concern is if I struggle to find the deep sky images I am interested in. Also is there much difference other than price is a solid tube dob or a flextube? I'm looking at a skywatcher 8 or 10 inch.

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated

[PreludeToADream]

Dobsonians are great 'scopes when starting out in astronomy. However they are quite large 'scopes so it might be worth seeing one in the flesh if you haven't already to get an idea of scale. I have a 10" Dobsonian and have to carry the base and tube separately if I want to transport it (even out into the back garden). Make sure you're aware of this.

As for whether GOTO is for you or not, it really depends on you. If you, like me, enjoy the challenge of finding objects then you probably won't need GOTO. However if you just want to see a lot of things quickly then you might want GOTO.

Diving straight in with a large 'scope is always tempting to a beginner, but it might be a wise idea to invest in some binoculars and see if you can learn your way around the sky first.

The flextube dobsonians collapse down so they don't take up as much space in storage / transportation. I personally prefer the solid tube version but it again depends on your needs.

[Tom_m7117]

Hi thanks for your reply, I'm not to worried about the space it will take up so if the only advantage to a flextube is space I will go for a solidtube. Are the dobs much easier to align then other types of mounts? I would mostly be using it in my garden on the grass so I would guess I would need to have some sort of level surface to place down first? Like a board of wood or something like that. Is that correct?

[John]

Dobs are as simple as it comes - dump it down, let it cool for 30 mins then use it. They work OK on any surface although protecting the MDF base from damp makes sense.

There are one or two accessories that make a manual dob easier to use - the red dot type finder being one of them. This can either replace the optical finder or, preferably, sit alongside it.

[Tinker1947]

You will need it level, and if you go the GoTo type some power, being on grass with the dew we get would either be a Battery 12v or like mine a 12V mains PSU with a 20' 12v lead so the mains is inside, just think about which way you may take this hobby Dobbies are for viewing, if you wanted AstroPhotograhy its the wrong type of scope a Reflector for the really faint stuff with a DSLR attached plus a Mount, sort of to of the amatuer range will set up back towards £1500, thats a 10" plus a NEQ6 which is sort of upgrade proof for a back garden hobby.

[Tom_m7117]

Ok great I think I might go for the manual scope as can be picked up for a reasonable price and should help me learn my way around. If looking at Jupiter or Saturn for example is it hard to track them in the sky or quite easy and does the same apply for deep sky objects?

[RikM]

Tracking objects in the sky with a manul dobsonian is quite easy. Wide angle eyepieces make it even easier but are not required. The higher the magnification, the fast objects appear to move, but even traking planets in a 10mm plossl with a 2x barlow lens is not too difficult.

I just bought a load of 1m² tarpaulins from Tesco for 50p each to stand mine on, as I also observe from grass (mud at the moment )

[ollypenrice]

The planets are easy to find but at high powers the nudges to keep them in the view are frequent (though easy). At lower powers you get longer between nudges. We use low power EPs on larger objects like nebulae etc. and high powers for planetary detail.

Olly

[Tom_m7117]

Ok so if I buy a push dob would it be a good idea to by some digital setting circles to help me find my way around? If so does any1 no a good place to buy them from and no how easy to use they are?

[jabberwocky]

i really wish id bought a dob rather than the 130m on a eq mount, the eq mount is way too much hassle, i spend more time fighting the mount than i do observing, i now use my 15 x 70 binos rather than the scope and am saving up for a 10" dob.

my advice to any beginner is buy binos first then do loads of research into which is the best scope for you whilst having fun with the binos.

[todd8137]

the goto is a waste of time!,i have it and when it does seem to work its erratic one day it might and the other day it will,its 200 quid for a better scope or extras which you will need drop the goto its a waste of time,once you have found one constellation,every thing else will be easy ,part of astronomy is the chase,its like move in to a new city ,you can use your gps to find a certain shop,but then,you miss all the other little shops in between and if your gps fails one day you will be in the same boat as before

so no ditch the goto thats what i say ,you still have to no a few stars for this to work,

i can track jupiter and what ever else i want it takes a couple of goes to get the swing a things ,but after that its no probs save ya money ,get a telrad or some thing similar

dobs are great and the chase of looking is great 3 years in and i still love it and i still have not done all the messier list because i spend weeks looking at the same thing

cheers now

[Tom_m7117]

Hi Todd,

Yep I'm taking your advice and going for the push scope seen a 12 inch skywatcher which I think would be immense

[swamp thing]

Hi Todd,

Yep I'm taking your advice and going for the push scope seen a 12 inch skywatcher which I think would be immense

Wow! A 12" Dob as your starter scope.

That's a huge tool.

Enjoy.

Regards Steve

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

That's a huge tool.

A blonde walks into a bar and asks for a double entendre, so the barman gave her one.

[Catweazel]

A blonde walks into a bar and asks for a double entendre, so the barman gave her one.

You can't beat a good *** gag

Back to scopes, I would say that a 12" dob is mahoosive for a starter scope, but hey...why not! As for learning the skies, download Stellarium which is an amazing free program that even I can use

[Northern Soul man]

Hi Ya Tom, go for it mate !!!, I've got a 12"(f5 for really good DSO hunting) Revelation dob that I use more than any other scope I own. I use a good set of star charts (sky atlas 2000) they're quite large charts that were not laminated when I bought them second hand - so I got them laminated to use outside at the scope - also a must buy for me was to replace the straight through finder scope with a Right Angle Correct Image (RACI) finder which is more comfortable to use than the straight through finder and also the orientation of the sky is the same as the charts so that what you see through the finder is what you see on the star charts to make it easier to star hop to the different objects, so it makes life a lot easier when searching for Deep Sky Objects. As regards the planets - for a good planetary scope you will need a long focal length - around f15, the best of which are the expensive refractors - but I find the dob great for Deep Sky ( low Focal Length) it also gived bright views of the planets but not so contrasty as a refractor - so the small detail on the planets isn't there but bear in mind that the atmosphere in the UK is prone to poor seeing, so the majority of the time your only gonna get adequate seeing conditions which will allow you to see slightly more detail on the planets - but go for it Tom, it'll save you upgrading when you need to Clear Skies Mate and Happy |Dob Hunting.!!!!!

[Northern Soul man]

Sorry Tom forgot to mention the level of light pollution will also enter into the mix of things, judging on your location you may roughly have the same level of light pollution as me, living in the West Midlands I suffer terrible with light pollution which really does alter how many objects you will be able to see unless you travel to a dark sky site - the rule of thumb is that if you can see the milky way clearly, then you'll be able to see the majority of the deep sky objects people on hear talk about, but if you can only see the main bright stars in each of the constellations (like me) the your gonna struggle with the fainter DSO's say fainter the Mag 9 or so, with the majority of the Planetary Nebulae and Galaxies being much fainter than this. Sorry to ramble on but you need to take all of this into consideration but if your like me - Still go for it. Paul.

[swamp thing]

If your level of LP is really high you would be wise to look at portability.

For DS observing, the sky is of much more importance than the scope.

A 6" scope from dark skies will easily show more detail than a 12" from a site badly affected by LP.

Obviously if you can transport a 12" scope to dark sites, it's gonna really kick butt.

But don't underestimate the benefits of good sky over aperture.

Regards Steve

[Tom_m7117]

Thanks Paul, I have never seen the milky way but would love to see it. Is it visible on dark sites then? I have seen some videos of it but never seen it in a uk sky. I'm hoping to get involved with a group and that way hopefully get to some dark sites

[Northern Soul man]

Hi Ya Tom, I've only seen the milky way once in my lifetime and I didn't have a scope then, but yes, light pollution is a great problem, you have to realise that when, lets say the Messier Catalogue was produced, it wasn't so much as light pollution was the problem, but as time and technology has progressed, more light has been focused upwards, so in the UK there are only a few "dark " sites left, just wished I lived in the depths of the West Country or mid Wales and some places in Scotland, but I'm afraid that living near large conurbations bring the lightest skies in the UK. If you have a really dark sky you'll get away with a smaller aperture - even Binocs for the larger DSO's, but I'm afraid that its not easy dragging a big "light bucket" around to a dark site. We have to put up with the conditions we have - it may sound bad but when the councils get round to turning off the streetlights over night to save money we are going to be stuck with light polluted skies for a while to come - nice to hear from you Tom and Clear Skies Mate. Paul.

[Crazyreyn]

Paul - Cheers for bringing this up, incredibly it's something I hadn't thought about. I believe I have similar conditions as you (also West Midlands) which would mean deep space objects aren't visible - is there any ways to check and be sure before I commit to a scope?

[Northern Soul man]

Hi Ya Crazy, its really bad around here, you need to travel almost into Mid Wales to get better skies, I only have a motorbike so travelling to a dark site with a scope is out of the question - its easy enough to learn the constellations because all the stars that are visible are the main stars which make up the asterisms of the constellations - M1 in Taurus is a good choice for sky conditions its a large diffuse object and well spread out, even with the 12" dob some nights its visible and some its not - as said before on this thread dark skies always win over aperture and if you live near or within dark skies you can get away with a smaller aperture - I'm afraid Crazy its down to sky transparency, but for me - planets, star clusters - open and globulars, and searching for the faint DSO's is hard - you may have the object directly in the field of view - but if you have a bright sky - your not gonna see it!!!. Regards Paul.