Ongoing advice for first telescope ...

[kbp]

Many thanks for all the replies giving advice and support to my earlier posts, and for the information given to other newbies, which has also been helpful to me.

From what I have read so far, the Skywatcher Dob 200P seems to be a very good choice and tempting. I live in the countryside and have plenty of space to keep it. Although if kept it in a conservatory would the heat affect it in the summer?

My one dilemma is that we have a caravan and buying the Dob 200P would mean we couldn't take it with us on our trips. We could up our budget to £400 and I looked at the Skywatcher Explorer 200P with EQ5 mount, but this does look trickier to set up. Or perhaps there is another option we could consider?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Karen

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

Maybe consider 2 scopes?

The 200p should technically be fine in the conservatory, nothing is going to melt/warp etc, but it will add massively to the cooling time, so it's not really ideal.

As far as traveling, that's a few months off yet (i assume), and you could always grab a smaller scope for traveling with, like a short tube refractor or a 130 heritage dob. Should be able to pick either up second hand for £75-100. Eyepieces etc will be interchangeable so it isn't too much extra, especially when spread across several months.

[kbp]

Thanks for your thoughts, and the second scope is an option, but are there any other suggestions for a suitable scope to be used both at home and at the caravan?

[twotter]

Can I suggest the 200P dob at home and a couple of pairs of binoculars for you and your significant other in the caravan?

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

The thing is, size is everything, so by going for portability, you compromise on the views you'l get while at home.

The 200p isn't exactly non-portable. They'l happily fit across the back seat of any car, so when actually traveling it'l be fine in the caravan, maybe wrap it in a duvet or something to protect it, then whenever you aren't using it, or wanna go sleep etc, just throw it in the car for the night.

I'd personally go for the 200p. It seems senseless to cripple your hometime views for the sake of the occasional holiday view, especially when you could do both with minimal fuss. An 8 inch under dark skies will blow your mind, whilst still being manageable if you really feel it's important to take it traveling. And if you find it isn't manageable, just grab a cheap pair of binos or a cheap small scope for traveling, since it'l just be for "getting a fix" whilst you're away.

[kbp]

That is probably what will happen, and we would have the benefit of the good scope at home. But then again at the caravan we will have more time to sit out and enjoy the evening skies - and it'll be warmer.