help!! new and need advice

[shazzy81]

Hi im looking for some recommendations please.

Im thinking of getting my boyfriend a telescope for his birthday, hes never used one before so we are complete beginners!

He would be interested in viewing planets, moon, stars etc. We havent got loads of spare room, so the more compact the better! Or maybe someone could recommend some binoculars that are as good? Looking to spend between £100-£150 on something that will be decent without upgrading bits too often or soon.

Thanks

[E621Keith]

Hi, welcome to SGL

For your budget, I'd recommend a Skywatcher Heritage 130p Flextube dob.

the optics are decent and as this video showed it's very compact

I may get a 10mm Skywatcher plossl to replace the stock 10mm but it is not essential

First Light Optics - Skywatcher SP Plossl eyepieces

If you are interested in binoculars, a 10x50 like this pair is a good starting point.

First Light Optics - Celestron Nature 10x50 Porro

In fact it is recommended to start with a pair of binocular first and learn your way round the sky before getting a scope.

[shazzy81]

Thank you for your advice. I have looked at the heratige 130p prior to coming here, as i like the fact it can be table top rather than tripod.

I will certainly look at the binoculars as a starting point.

Thanks again.

[kenmyers]

as mentioned above the heritage 130p is an awesome telescope. great optics, and gives lovely detailed views of both planets and nebula plus more.

Jupiter looks splendid through it using a 8mm!

[Catweazel]

I would +1 the 130P

[paul schofield]

The 130p is a great scope that will keep you happy for ages, and it will not break the bank. Good luck with your choice.

[Tribal-Wolf]

You can get a Celestron Astromaster 130EQ for £125 inc. delivery from Amazon.co.uk. The scope comes with quite few extras and has a parabolic primary mirror, build quality seems to be an issues with them though and it could be a learning curve figuring out the EQ3 mount too. The Celestron looks more and is good value but the Heritage 130P is probably the better scope.

[shazzy81]

Thank you to all of you for replying. Im going to have a look at the binoculars but i am very tempted by the heritage 130p.

[shazzy81]

Can any of you tell me the dimensions of the heritage 130p? i can only seem to find height and weight.

[E621Keith]

Can any of you tell me the dimensions of the heritage 130p? i can only seem to find height and weight.

Watching this video will probably give you a better sense of the scale. Numbers can be misleading.

[kenmyers]

It is tiny when packed away, no bigger than a briefcase. (but obviously round)

My neighbours have built x3 tables/platforms in their garden with holes about 2 inches deep cut out of the centre the same shape as the mount. They can now position it in 3 different places to get easy views without getting back pain or a wobbly scope.

[misc999]

Hi, I'm eagerly awaiting delivery of a Heritage 130p so I'm biased in favour of this scope as well.

One thought re binos. I've used a pair of 10x50s and whilst they are easy to use and give good wide views of the sky, they are difficult to hold without some shaking.

This ruins the experience (for me) of looking at specific sky objects - even the moon, when the image is dancing around.

So, if you do go with binos, you should also budget for a good tripod to mount them on. This does make a wealth of difference and almost brings binos up to a "proper" astronomical experience, but not quite in my view!

I'm sure the Heritage is the way to go........lucky lad.

[kenmyers]

The heritage is what I would call the PERFECT STARTER SCOPE.

It was designed to be just that, too.

I figured I will be using my F/7.8 and my niece/missus/friends can use the F/5 and heritage at the same time.

GETTING MINE NEXT MONTH! (it will be my first dob mounted scope)

[todd8137]

hi and welcome,the he heratige 130p gets my vote great scope in the right hands and i would not worry about finding your way round the stars that comes with time hope you post what you get in the end