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Room for a shy newbie?

AstroMum

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AstroMum

AstroMum

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Hi everyone. :) My name is Becky and I'm from Suffolk where I live with my husband and our 19-month old son.

I'm very much a newbie to astronomy, it's always been something I've wanted to learn more about but never got around to it. A few years ago, my husband bought me a cheap 'scope from Toys R Us " (eek!) which didn't really impress me and dampened my enthusiasm.

It didn't help that I also lived in the middle of a busy town with a tiny garden until recently and it wasn't ideal for stargazing.

I now live in a quiet village and have been awed by how clear the skies are here (though you can still see the glow from my old town on the horizon!). So after recovering from the shock and sleep deprivation that come with having a baby, I find myself in a position to look at this as a hobby again.

I like to think I'm better informed now and won't be buying a cheap toy-store 'scope again! I've spent countless hours lately looking at different 'scopes and decided I'd really like a refractor. I've got my eye on the Skywatcher Evostar 120 with the EQ3-2 mount and GOTO, though the husband is not too keen on the cost. Will have to see.... I know it's probably going in at the deep end a bit, but I want something that will (hopefully) last me a few years that I can grow into.

Anyway, sorry for such a long intro, I do have a tendency to waffle. Looking forward to dipping my toes in these new waters though! :)

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Nibor

Nibor

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A warm SGL welcome from W Yorkshire - lots of advice on this forum - the search facility is very handy and a good pair of binoculars can be a good way to begin.

Get two pairs - one for yourself and one for your hubby!!! A good Star Atlas helps eg:-

Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas: Amazon.co.uk: Roger W. Sinnott: 9781931559317: Books

And the virtual planetarium (free!!):-

Stellarium

Enjoy!!

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AstroMum

AstroMum

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Thank you for the warm welcome everyone. :)

A warm SGL welcome from W Yorkshire - lots of advice on this forum - the search facility is very handy and a good pair of binoculars can be a good way to begin.

Get two pairs - one for yourself and one for your hubby!!! A good Star Atlas helps eg:-

Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas: Amazon.co.uk: Roger W. Sinnott: 9781931559317: Books

And the virtual planetarium (free!!):-

Stellarium

Enjoy!!

I've got a pair of Nikon 8x40 bins already, bought them for terrestrial use a couple of years ago but have recently enjoyed looking at the moon and stars with them. Thank you for the book recommendation, I'm definitely after some good reading material - everything online is a bit mind-boggling!

I downloaded Stellarium last night (thank you also Tinker1947). I also have an app on my iPhone & iPad called SkySafari which I've had lots of fun with over the last couple of weeks.

Hi Becky

Welcome to the fold from a fellow Suffolker.

Nice to "meet" you. :) Ipswich is my old home town, hope you've got better skies than where I lived!

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Catweazel

Catweazel

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Hi Becky & welcome to SGL. I like your choice of possible scope, but I am biased as I have one :) I am really happy with mine! The most popular recommendation here for beginners tends to be either the SW 150P or 200P dob, due to £/apperture ratio, but hey, it's nice to stand out from the crowd sometimes :) Clear skies. CW

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AstroMum

AstroMum

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Wow, so many friendly people here! Such a lovely welcome, thank you all. :D

Hi Becky & welcome to SGL. I like your choice of possible scope, but I am biased as I have one :) I am really happy with mine! The most popular recommendation here for beginners tends to be either the SW 150P or 200P dob, due to £/apperture ratio, but hey, it's nice to stand out from the crowd sometimes :) Clear skies. CW

In my research I've certainly come across a lot of recommendations for the larger Dobs. I've given them a look and they do offer a lot of bang for the buck as they say. I keep going back to the refractors though! :D

I also want a motorised or GOTO mount as I intend to dabble in some astrophotography. I did see a nice Orion 8" Dob with a GOTO mount, but it's out of my price range.

Very glad to hear you're happy with the Evostar 120. I'm really excited about it, but need to look at the finances and hope the husband agrees!

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JamesM

JamesM

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Hi Becky and welcome to the forum. I have some refractors and they certainly have a special appeal - after all they do look like a telescope. However the dobsonian is the better value for money and will resolve better detail on deep sky objects (DSO's) galaxies and nebula etc. Refractors are more useful on planets and the moon as they offer better contrast. Becky before making a decision, why not go to one your local astro clubs and see if they are doing any public observation evenings so that you can 'try before you buy' and calculate the differences between scopes for yourself. Some astro clubs even lend out kit which would be useful in the shorter term as it will suppress the urge to 'get a scope'.

If you stick to the major brands (Skywatcher, Meade, Celestron) you won't go wrong but take your time to do the research to find out what scope (+size) will realise your observing expectations. You can image the planets and moon with a simple webcam on any scope but DSO's are a different ball game - you will need a bigger budget for them. Hope that helps.

Clear skies

James

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AstroMum

AstroMum

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Yet more lovely welcomes, thank you all! :D

Hi Becky and welcome to the forum. I have some refractors and they certainly have a special appeal - after all they do look like a telescope. However the dobsonian is the better value for money and will resolve better detail on deep sky objects (DSO's) galaxies and nebula etc. Refractors are more useful on planets and the moon as they offer better contrast. Becky before making a decision, why not go to one your local astro clubs and see if they are doing any public observation evenings so that you can 'try before you buy' and calculate the differences between scopes for yourself. Some astro clubs even lend out kit which would be useful in the shorter term as it will suppress the urge to 'get a scope'.

If you stick to the major brands (Skywatcher, Meade, Celestron) you won't go wrong but take your time to do the research to find out what scope (+size) will realise your observing expectations. You can image the planets and moon with a simple webcam on any scope but DSO's are a different ball game - you will need a bigger budget for them. Hope that helps.

Clear skies

James

Thanks for the tips James. :) I'd love to attend a local club, unfortunately I don't drive and need to be home in the evenings to look after my son (husband works evenings) so it's not something I can do very easily. The local one does open evenings, but I think the next scheduled one is on October! Don't really want to wait that long lol.

I'm not sure what kind of observing I'd like to do yet, so something that provides a reasonable middle ground would be good. I didn't think the planets would be that interesting initially, but having viewed various videos and images online, I'm quite excited at giving them a look. Especially the moon, which looks fascinating enough through my rather basic bins and my husband is quite keen too.

There is a 'scope shop about 20 miles away. They are a bit pricey, but I'm thinking about visiting and taking a look at their stock. I know I won't be able to observe the sky, but I can at least get an idea of what the 'scopes look like and perhaps how they handle. I'm quite petite and don't want anything too cumbersome.

I must have spent 100+ hours reading reviews, looking at videos and photos and perusing forums for advice (this one has been the best of course! :)). I've considered every type of 'scope and my budget has fluctuated between £200 and £1000, though my husband was not impressed when I presented my more expensive findings. :D I do like the generous size of the Dobs, but I really can't seem to resist the refractors, especially as it's easier to find them with motorised mounts.

This is really not an easy decision to make...... :)

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Catweazel

Catweazel

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I must have spent 100+ hours reading reviews, looking at videos and photos and perusing forums for advice (this one has been the best of course! :)). I've considered every type of 'scope and my budget has fluctuated between £200 and £1000, though my husband was not impressed when I presented my more expensive findings. :D I do like the generous size of the Dobs, but I really can't seem to resist the refractors, especially as it's easier to find them with motorised mounts.

This is really not an easy decision to make...... :)

lol, I did exactly the same thing, hours and hours...

One thing that I forgot to mention about the Evostar 120 is that it is quite a size (it's hard to get much idea from the sales pictures). I keep saying that I will put a photo of it on here, so I will (honest!) asap to give an idea to anyone considering buying one. :D

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