Bins or Telescope

[White230]

I'm new as you can tell..

I'm not sure whether to get a pair of Celestron 15x70 and a tripod. Or to just save a little and buy a telescope straight off.

I'm unsure what to get telescope wise as there are so many. I've seen from searching on here that the Skywatcher Donsonian is a popular choice for beginners but I'd prefer something on a tripod. Like an Explorer 130p or similar. My budget will be around £150-200 for a telescope.

I would like to view the planets and Nebula to begin with and as my knowledge advances to further objects. I would also like to delve into astrophotography as well. Another reason why the Skywatcher Don may not be suitable?

Any advice would be great.

Chris

[spaceboy]

Astrophotography is beyond the pocket of most us mortals so I would not concern yourself to much about it at this point. Regards Bins or Scope almost every astronomer has a set of bins in their kit. The reason being they are cheap, show a great deal more than you can see by eye, don't require expensive mounts and are the ultimate grab and go. This said they will never show you what a scope can. With a budget of £200 it may pay you to look at second hand as you will get a lot more for your money. U.K. Astronomy Buy & Sell is a good place to start.

[Capricorn]

Buy a scope.

If you get binoculars the most probable is 15x70. You will need a tripod for these or ones with more magnification. Ultimately if you buy binoculars you are spending on them and in reality astronomy is done with scopes.

Binovulars are good but best if considered as a different form of observing. I use standard 8x42's for looking at the sky. They work fine.

Even 20x's will just show Jupiter as a small disk and no detail at all.

A scope you can alter the magnification, so see detail of Jupiter. It is the ability to alter the magnification that is relevant.

For the budget you will get told that the 130P is good and the 150P dobsonian is better. Which is correct.

Refractors are outside the budget for anything reasonable.

Could look at the used market, search for UK Astro Buy and Sell.

[Catweazel]

On the basis that anything other than webcam photography will be really expensive, your decision is really then about aperture. The best £/aperture buy under 200 is the 150P Dob IMHO. If a tripod is a must, go for the 130P

[Grunthos]

Ultimately if you buy binoculars you are spending on them and in reality astronomy is done with scopes.

With all respect - what a odd statement.

Binocular (as well as naked eye) astronomy is just as valid as that done with telescopes (or radio, x-ray, IR, UV....)

I suggest an alternative for White might be a good 10x50 binocular (no tripod required) and perhaps a Planisphere and a decent Star Chart.

If he/she decides to get serious a good telescope can be saved up for (and the delights and costs of astrophotography investigated at the same time!).

Oh and bins can show you stuff a scope can't (think about it:D)

Just my 2p worth.

[x6gas]

The trouble is that the sort of scope you need for nebulae (which are often quite large, but very faint so you need lots of light gathering ability = large aperture) is almost the entire opposite of the best scopes for viewing the planets (where you benefit from high native magnification which means ideally you need a scope with a long focal length...)

If you really want to look at planets, then maybe consider a catadioptric scope (SCT or Mak-Cas) as you get a lot of focal length for your money. You could use a focal reducer later on to get widefield views, but they'll never really be as good for nebulae as a Dob or Newt (a Dob is just a Newtonian reflector on a very simple mount...)

The reality of deep-sky imaging is that you need a pretty heavy duty mount, though good results can be achieved with a fairly modest scope mounted on it. So perhaps think about webcam imaging of the brighter planets (check out the planetary imaging board on here to see what can be achieved with what kit) as your first dabble with astrophotography.

Just be warned; this hobby can get addictive and like most addictions expensive!

[x6gas]

Oh and do you have a local astronomy club? They sometimes have scopes you can borrow while you find out what suits you best...

[Grunthos]

Oh and do you have a local astronomy club? They sometimes have scopes you can borrow while you find out what suits you best...

Local to White

The Society for Popular Astronomy is based in Rednal and there is the Birmingham Astronomical Society (meeting every Wed evening).

[White230]

Thanks for all your reply's.

I didn't realise taken photo's would mean big expenses. But maybe that can be looked into later once I've actually an idea of what I'm doing.

Scope wise I have looked at the Dob 200p and it looked rather big and cumbersome. Thus my other approach with the 130p.

[Trickystar1]

Iv had all types of scopes through my astronomy life . I can definitely recommend a dobsonian newtonian telescope. You will find the simple part is buying the scope, hope your looking forwards to collimating! Lol, welcome to the hobbie of hobbies.

[Flyingpig]

Hi and welcome to the SGL

I didn't realise taken photo's would mean big expenses.

It doesn't have to but it depends what you wish to achieve, as has already been hinted some great Astrophotography is done with webcams, then again if you already have a DSLR type camera you can gain fantastic astronomical photos with it, most digital cameras can be used one method or more to gain astronomical photos - but I the other end of the scale dedicated and expensive astronomical ccd cameras take some of the most impressive astronomical photos of deep space objects. If you want to achieve anything other than lunar shots and star trails you are going to need a stable mount with the ability to acurately track the motion of the sky (almost always) by use of a motor driven mount; the cheapest being a motor driven EQ2 style mount.

Scope wise I have looked at the Dob 200p and it looked rather big and cumbersome. Thus my other approach with the 130p.

If by big and cumbersome your refering to the space you have for storage then yes I can understand, but if it's for ease of use you'd be surprised to learn that the Dobsonian is for most people the easiest mount to use. An EQ mount needs to be set and aligned to the zenith, balanced with counterweights and if not motor driven then hand controlled by cables. A dob is simply moved and aimed. Joining a society or one of the SGL social observing groups as has been suggested would be a great idea and a chance to feel for yourself what you might like to purchase.

Anyway, heres my comprehensive intro to the hobby for beginners.

Before buying equipment take your time, be patient you don't need any equipment to start out in this hobby, your own eyes are the main tool. Many wise people start out with binoculars to get a feel for the hobby, and to learn their way around the sky before buying an expensive telescope. Meet up with other observers if you can and try out a variety of different types of equipment, there might be an SGL observers group close to you, or else locate your nearest Astro society.

Welcome to the hobby and enjoy yourself it may seem that there's a lot to learn in the beginning but take your time and be patient don't rush out and buy a scope which turns out to be a lemon or something that you find to difficult to use. Get an idea of what to expect from the equipment; no telescope is going to show you the planets and deep space objects like nebulae etc in the glorious detail you see in magazines and film, these are obtained by spacecraft or by astrophotography using expensive and dedicated ccd cameras.

You can however get reasonable results using a cheapish webcam through a telescope. What you can expect to see through a telescope with your own eyes are the planets; these appears as small circles of light, you may see banding on Jupiter and with larger scopes you will see the great red spot and some detail on Saturn and Mars, you will see Jupiters moons and Saturns rings, you will see Galaxies and Nebulae but these appear as fuzzy patches. The stars will not appear any bigger since they are too far (often many light years) away, but you will see a lot more stars that weren't visible with your naked eye. Remember too that in addition to a telescope you need to buy decent eyepieces many people buy expensive scopes and then budget on the eyepieces - these are just as essential as the scope itself.

I don't want go put you off astronomy - rather I wish to prepare you to enjoy the hobby to its best; having the best equipment that is suited to your needs and ability is going to serve you much better since you will use it more often and you will enjoy the hobby better. Remember also that this hobby is conducted at night time often in sub zero temperatures, clear skies mean cold nights whatever time of year, but more so in the winter months, wrap up well with thermal clothing, a warm coat and fingerless gloves hat and scarf etc put on twice as many layers than you think you might need - its surprising how soon you will feel cold when your not moving about much.

Finally good luck in your quest and have fun, if you need any help or advice just ask any of us we are more than willing to be if help.

Phil