Hi new starter here need some general advice!

[titan79]

Hi there, this is my first post just joined because i wanted some advice on buying my first scope . I've always been interested in the art of looking up but never got round to doing something about it . Just the other week i got some bi-noc's from my grandad for free , they are rubbish but as stargazing live was on this week i thought it would be rude not to try and see something. Had a great time in the back yard (well cold tbh ) and it made my mind up iam finally going to buy a scope ....... to cut a long story short iam going to be saving up for my wedding sometime later this year so before that i want to get the money together for a scope i've narrowed it down based on what i think is important to me :

1:Portability my back yard is quite light polluted so i want to get out as much as i can .

2:Easy to use i would prefer i computer controlled scope .

3:I know alot of advice says dont spend to much on your first scope , but as the wedding will be coming up i'am afraid this scope will be my friend for a long time and i want to do some astro-imaging(at some point in the future) so want to kill two birds with my first scope so to speak .....

Anyway i've done alot of reading and compering and i think the Meade ETX 125 PE or the Nexstar 5SE both are close in price and i think they fit what i want from a scope ..........

So to close just wanted to know if anyone in these forums have these scopes can tell me pro's and con's and if iam barking up the right tree ........

lol sorry for the long post !

[nicnac]

i would go for the nexstar, i hear poor rumblings about meade's mountings and only good things on the SE's

[titan79]

Really is so hard to choose my first one , managed to find a meade for £577 and the cheapest i could find the nexstar was just shy of £700 !

[Dave-Ryan]

I've never used either but if I had to choose I would also go for the Nextar.

I'm not sure either would be ideal for astrphotography though.

Would you be prepared to up your budget?

[titan79]

To be honest dave iam not expecting sky at night quality pictures , and i was only thinking of web cam stacking when i get round to it was just thinking of something that would be good to learn on and maybe could get a few good shots of moon and planets on my laptop. My budget could go up but then ill be skating on thin ice with the mrs lol .

[Dave-Ryan]

Both will probably be fine using a web cam imaging the moon and planets.

I think then that the Nexstar would be a good choice and keep you happy for a few years.

[titan79]

Thanks for the advice mate , just out of interest what would you say would be minimum set up for decent Astro-imaging ie. scope size , DSLR or webcam or CCD cam ?

[Dave-Ryan]

The best advice would be to buy a book called "Making Every Photon Count" by Steve Richards.

Astrophotography has a steeper learning curve than just observing and has a tendancy to drain your bank account.

[Jonny]

Hi there, this is my first post just joined because i wanted some advice on buying my first scope . I've always been interested in the art of looking up but never got round to doing something about it . Just the other week i got some bi-noc's from my grandad for free , they are rubbish but as stargazing live was on this week i thought it would be rude not to try and see something. Had a great time in the back yard (well cold tbh ) and it made my mind up iam finally going to buy a scope ....... to cut a long story short iam going to be saving up for my wedding sometime later this year so before that i want to get the money together for a scope i've narrowed it down based on what i think is important to me :

1:Portability my back yard is quite light polluted so i want to get out as much as i can .

2:Easy to use i would prefer i computer controlled scope .

3:I know alot of advice says dont spend to much on your first scope , but as the wedding will be coming up i'am afraid this scope will be my friend for a long time and i want to do some astro-imaging(at some point in the future) so want to kill two birds with my first scope so to speak .....

Anyway i've done alot of reading and compering and i think the Meade ETX 125 PE or the Nexstar 5SE both are close in price and i think they fit what i want from a scope ..........

So to close just wanted to know if anyone in these forums have these scopes can tell me pro's and con's and if iam barking up the right tree ........

lol sorry for the long post !

Welcome,

I only joined this forum a few days ago and everyone has been helpful, so it's a great place to start.

I bought a SkyWatcher Dobsonian 8" Telescope 2 months ago for £299 and have so far had ok views with it. Looking at the moon blows your mind, Jupiter is great (I can only see a couple of cloud bands and minor detail on those bands, but then again I hadn't collimated/aligned the mirrors since I bought it).

Also, I notice you're in St Helens.... I live just near Haydock.

[rowan46]

The nexstar 5 in its present incarnation is not the best one to go for. Its on the old nexstar 4 mount which means its not as good for photography. In the old days it used the same mount as the 6 and 8 if you can pick up a 2nd hand 6se it will be better. the 5 is at the top end of its present mount while the 6 is at the bottom end of its mount weightwise that is. having said that the meade is no better. both will webcam ok but the 5 will be a bit wayward with a dslr. The meade still has problems with its mount. you can get good ones but I hear quality control is still a little hit and miss.

[titan79]

haha haydock i'am from thatto heath its a small world isnt it , how have you found it having a big Dob in the yard , where did you get your scope from because st helens isnt the greatest place for scopes and i been trying to find a club to join but the closest is liverpool or manchester

[titan79]

thanks rowan, do you know of any places i could get a second hand 6se , or is that breaking forum rules (sorry mod)

[John]

thanks rowan, do you know of any places i could get a second hand 6se , or is that breaking forum rules (sorry mod)

Try the UK Astro Buy & Sell website

U.K. Astronomy Buy & Sell

[Jonny]

haha haydock i'am from thatto heath its a small world isnt it , how have you found it having a big Dob in the yard , where did you get your scope from because st helens isnt the greatest place for scopes and i been trying to find a club to join but the closest is liverpool or manchester

I transport the dob from the lounge through the kitchen and to the garden everytime I want to use it. It's very heavy and I can just manage to get it out without straining my back. Then I just stick it on a couple of wooden boards on the grass.

I got the scope from a dealer on Amazon, had it delivered.

As for clubs, I don't know of any in this area. I'll have a look though as I'm definately interested in joining one so long as it isn't miles away.

[titan79]

thanks mod

[titan79]

yeah mate could do with a club to join that isnt to far away ....... read some good advice when using a Dob attach it to some wood and put some castor wheels on the bottom heard it works a treat !

[Jonny]

yeah mate could do with a club to join that isnt to far away ....... read some good advice when using a Dob attach it to some wood and put some castor wheels on the bottom heard it works a treat !

I wouldn't trust castor wheels tbh. I imagine myself pushing it along and one of the wheels hitting something and then the whole scope would topple over. That'd be a nightmare.

[rowan46]

this maybe better for imaging not as portable but the scope is a better imaging instrument and the mount is better its a little cheaper than a new nexstar 6

First Light Optics - Celestron C6-N GT (GOTO)

[titan79]

Yeah thats a fair point mate , but maybe better broken scope than broken back haha .... right gotta go catch my beauty sleep thanks for the advice all ill defo be back tomorrow ... Clear skies !