Getting Started - Help

[richardmhowell]

Hello Everyone,

I have been really interested in space and the stars for along time and recently decided to get myself something for looking at the stars/planets.

I live in the countryside in the uk so light pollution is not really a problem however I can't at the moment pick out stars just by looking up at the sky.

I have a budget of around £100 at the moment and am thinking that maybe binoculars are going to be the best.

What do you suggest?

Thanks

Rich

[Tinker1947]

Look at the 10 X 60 they shouldn't be to heavy but let in that extra bit of light....

First Light Optics - Helios Quantum 4 binoculars

[steppenwolf]

10 x 50 Binoculars, a sunbed (yes, really even in the winter!), a planisphere and a star atlas would be an excellent start. Although I am an astrophotographer, I often get my binoculars out when I have set up an imaging session and am amazed by the splendour that they show me.

For your budget, I really think that you would be disappointed by the quality of mount and telescope that you would get.

[richardmhowell]

10 x 50 Binoculars, a sunbed (yes, really even in the winter!), a planisphere and a star atlas would be an excellent start. Although I am an astrophotographer, I often get my binoculars out when I have set up an imaging session and am amazed by the splendour that they show me.

For your budget, I really think that you would be disappointed by the quality of mount and telescope that you would get.

Thanks very much what brand of bino would you suggest?

I don't want to spend lots and lots of money to begin with if that makes sense.

[steppenwolf]

If 10 x 50's appeal then this pair by Celestron would be a pretty good choice.

Binoculars can feel rather heavy after a while when you have been observing so you could also consider a lighter pair with lower magnification (8 x) like this pair of 8 x 40s.

[Capricorn]

Concern here is that at 10x there will be no detail of anything like Jupiter. Even on a small scope at 30x you will start to see (if the optics are half decent) a couple of bands.

10x binoculars are simply gathering more light. Just be aware of this.

They will allow you to clusters in greater detail as you will see more of the stars. Some of the wider doubles will be seperated.

See any posts saying that a person wants to reduce the magnification to 10x from 120x ? Money spent of binoculars will postpone the day you can afford a scope.

I would count binocular use as different and seperate to scope use.

Have you looked at the used market?

U.K. Astronomy Buy & Sell

[richardmhowell]

@Capricorn

Thankyou for yor information as you can tell I am not very educated in this yet but I had read that binos were the best for beginners but I can see what you mean now.

How would a Celestron 130EQ be for getting going? Would that allow me to see some planets in some detail I

[steppenwolf]

.... Celestron 130EQ .... and bang goes the budget! Obviously this would allow you to see more detail on planets that binoculars would.

I think you need to decide absolutely what your budget is - it's changed already! What is your absolute maximum spend?

[richardmhowell]

The budget i was working on was based on Binos.

I have found the Celestron 130EQ on Amazon for £127 so that is only an extra £27 ontop of what my previous budget was..

Really i am just after some advice, as i said i have no real idea what to get or what i need.

[Squagnut]

It would be best to establish what you want to do. It's quite understandable if you're not sure about this at this stage, but it would definitely be helpful so you don't blow your hard-earned on something which doesn't do what you want. Though to be frank, a budget of less than £150 is going to limit your options, whatever you want to do.

I always recommend newcomers try to increase their knowledge before acquiring equipment - going to an astronomy club to meet astronomers and using their equipment would be a good start, as would getting a book or two. Learning your way around the night sky, so you can identify a few key constellations and know some of the 'bright stars' by name would give you an enormous advantage when you get some equipment. This knowledge doesn't have to be encyclopedic, but it's very useful, as it's part of the language of astronomy.

Can you please explain what this means:

I can't at the moment pick out stars just by looking up at the sky.

I don't wish to pry, but is that a knowledge problem or an eyesight problem? If it's an eyesight problem then I think binoculars are probably the best way to go, to begin with.

[richardmhowell]

It would be best to establish what you want to do. It's quite understandable if you're not sure about this at this stage, but it would definitely be helpful so you don't blow your hard-earned on something which doesn't do what you want. Though to be frank, a budget of less than £150 is going to limit your options, whatever you want to do.

I would just like to be able to go out into the garden or field with the scope and look up at the night sky and be able to see some stars in greater detail than i can when looking up with the naked eye.

I understand that their is alsorts of different parts of astronomy like deep space astronomy and astrophotography but i am not really ready to embark on that yet, i would just like to be able to look at some of the more popular planets like the moon and Jupiter and see the rings of Jupiter.

Can you please explain what this means:

---Quote (Originally by richardmhowell)---

I can't at the moment pick out stars just by looking up at the sky.

---End Quote---

I don't wish to pry, but is that a knowledge problem or an eyesight problem? If it's an eyesight problem then I think binoculars are probably the best way to go, to begin with.

It just means that when i look up the sky i can see clusters of stars but i don't really know what they are called for example, if you were out with me one evening and said wow their is Jupiter and you started to home in on it with your scope i wouldn't really know what to point mine.

My eye sight is not that bad, i can see the stars with my eyes, i do however wear glasses but don't think that this is a problem for me to see or make out the stars.

[Squagnut]

Ah, thanks for clearing up my misunderstanding. I asked about eyesight because I once tried to show my brother some basic night sky things, knowing that his eyesight is poor - he couldn't see Venus unaided, when Venus is tremendously bright.

Click Here for a useful guide to first steps in astronomy. It - sensibly - points out that astronomy is a study, an intellectual exercise, and observing aids such as binoculars or telescopes are merely tools which help in that study. A good first tool would be your unaided eyes and a planisphere or star charts - use a torch with a red filter to read star charts outside at night without ruining your night vision.

Just to learn and know where things are and what they are does not take a telescope, it takes time spent outside under the stars, that's the point I'm making. Once you're more familiar with the night sky, then you'll have an idea of what you want to look at more closely and what might be the best equipment to help you do that.

I appreciate that you'd like to see Saturn's rings and Jupiter's moons - these are both quite breathtaking - but before you get on to their finer details, you really would be best off by learning how to find them!

In fact, I've not offered any advice on finding planets, as these move independently of the stars, so star charts don't include them. Again, make a study of where the planets are and which ones are visible at which times of year. This information is easy to come by, from astronomy magazines, websites, and even planetarium software.