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solarman2012

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solarman2012

solarman2012

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Hi all, I am new to Astronamy and have decided to look around for a budget but decent telescope,the one i have eventually thought about getting is the Skywatcher Explorer-130M after many nights banging my head on the table of what to choose from at the price i can afford.

I have seen this scope for £168.99.

One shop tried to warn me away from that saying i would need special tools for the mirrors and tried to turn me to what looked like a toy telescope,I then decided to ask another shop about what i was told and he said to me that was rubbish what he said:icon_confused:

I was starting to think here we go again and not knowing what to look for,but to cut a long story short the one i want is what i have described,but can anyone tell me before i spend money if there was any truth about special tools needed and if so is there any recomendations on something else baring in mind i have up to £170 to part with.

Many thanks.

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RikM

RikM

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The right scope really depends on what you want to see with it?

If the 'special tools' were a Cheshire eyepiece for helping to align the mirrors then this is quite right and you will need one, or something similar with any Newtonian. If you are looking for something to get you started with visual astronomy then something like this First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 150P Dobsonian is probably the best value for money you can get.

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malc-c

malc-c

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If you are after a no frills scope for a little more than the £170 budget then look at the 150p Dob First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skyliner 150P Dobsonian

The chap in the shop was on about collimation - something that needs to be done with all reflector telescopes from time to time - it's easy to do with basic DIY tools

If you prefer a motorised scope on an EQ mount then the 130M would be fine

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knobby

knobby

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Hi Solarman, Welcome abaoard, Ive been here about a week and have learned so much ! the people here are extremely knowledgeable and freindly.

They all seem to recommend a 150p dobsonian , i wouldnt argue with them.

Its what I bought last year and love it.

They're about £200 though and not motorized...

good luck with your decision

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solarman2012

solarman2012

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Many thanks to all who have replied, could you elaberate a little more on what this collimation process involves,if it means taking the scope apart in any way then i need to have a rethink on what i am doing.

What i am wanting is a scope that gives good imagery of planets but also deep space,being new to this sort of thing, does this sound like a lot of want for the price i can afford,which will be no more than £170.

I realise of course im not going to get NASA type imagery but it would be nice to see something a little bigger than a dot or just a blurr :)

Many thanks.

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Tribal-Wolf

Tribal-Wolf

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Collimation should not be such a big issue on the 130M as is uses a spherical mirror instead of a parabolic mirror that's found in the 130P. A spherical mirror is less intolerant of bad collimation but does not have as sharp an image. Most people will say buy the 130P instead of the motorised 'M' but I have heard at 130mm aperture size it does not make much difference. In saying that if it were me I would buy the 'P' instead of paying for motors which I've heard aren't much good on that mount anyway.

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solarman2012

solarman2012

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So the 130p would give a clearer image over the 130m ?,would it be much clearer or would i be spending more money on nothing much better,I also notice that the package of the 130p doesnt have the 2x barlow lens and not so many optics.

130P-x26/x65, 130M-x36/x76/x90/x180 + 2x barlow lens.

Is this because of the parabolic primary lens.

Decisions decisions:confused1:

Really not sure what to do now:icon_scratch:

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Black Knight

Black Knight

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Collimation does not involve taking the scope apart. It is the process of using a sight tube to align the primary and secondary mirrors.

It can be a daunting prospect the first time you do it, but is not actually that hard. Take a look at AstroBaby's website here: Astro Babys Guide to Collimation. She explains the whole process really well. There are vids on Youtube as well, although they tend to focus on using laser rather than cheshire collimators.

These vids are by Orion Telescopes, but they apply to all newtonians:

Astronomy and Nature Centre vid, bit of a laugh as well :)

And the AstronomyShed vids, this is the first part - there are 7 altogether!:

Hope this helps,

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malc-c

malc-c

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What i am wanting is a scope that gives good imagery of planets but also deep space,being new to this sort of thing, does this sound like a lot of want for the price i can afford,which will be no more than £170.

Many thanks.

There is no "one scope does all",and certainly not in that price range. Given the price difference is just £20 between your limit and the 150P dob I would suggest you put off buying for however long it takes to save up that £20 and get the 150 Dob.

When you say "imagery" I take it that you mean visually and not photographically. Visually the 150P dob will give you good images of the larger planets and brighter dso's.

Don't get hung up on this colimation. Out of the box the scope will perform just fine, unless it's been dropped big time. You can spend £100 on a laser colimator, £30 on a cheshire type, or use something as cheap as a plastic film canister with a small hole...all these accessories can be purchased later or requested at birthdays or christmas presents. I went for months before I purchased a laser colimator and when tried found the optics were almost perfect and certainly not out as far as visually observing is concerned

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Capricorn

Capricorn

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The 130M will track the object that you decide to view, you have to locate the object and centre it and the mount has to be set up to a minor extent. Basically the mount has to be placed to point more or less at Polaris. Note The Mount not The Scope.

A 130P will deliver a sharper image, but unless motorised will not track.

A 150P dobsonian is bigger and may allow you to see a litle more.

The 150PL dobsonian is similar but a longer focal length.

Dobsonians are fully manual, you locate and nudge the scope to keep objects in view.

If you get a reflector then you will need a collimator. £30.

Collimation is simply getting all the optics aligned.

Find out about it and read up first.

Short focal length scopes are less tolerant of poor collimation.

The supplied optics:

Usually the supplied 10mm and barlow are not great.

Consider an extra eyepiece will be £30-40.

You could eventually easily need 2 additional probably 3.

What are the more relevant items to you? The motor or the aperture?

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solarman2012

solarman2012

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Many thanks for the post guys, I guessed the price would be limiting me on what i wanted, to explain a bit more of what i would like from the the telescope is this, I would quite like to take images from my DSLR as well as just looking,it would be an achievement to save images to my computer and know i took that,at a stretch i dont think i could come up with any more than £180 and that is pushing it:embarrassed:

Money isnt very good at the moment and my wife is ill with cancer,so money is quite tied down but we both have our chin up high which is why she has encouraged me more to get back to a hobby i have always been interested in.

Many Thanks.

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RikM

RikM

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Unless you are very fortunate and find something second hand, you won't get a telescope that you connect a DSLR to for less than about twice your budget. Some cheaper scopes will say 'direct DSLR connection' but this just means the focuser has a T-thread on it.

What do you want to take pictures of? Basic lunar and Planetary images can be got from a 130M or P with the motors and a little webcam with an 1.25" nosepiece. Deep sky images, galaxies and nebulae and such needs (as a minimum) a sturdy equatorial mount that can be accurately polar aligned and fitted with tracking motors. The minimum set up for this is the Explorer 150P and EQ3-2 with an RA drive.

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Explorer 150P EQ3-2 / EQ3 PRO GOTO

First Light Optics - Single-Axis D.C. Motor Drive for EQ3-2

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solarman2012

solarman2012

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Hi many thanks, I guess I am unlucky here because I cant go over budget,and to be honest if I am spending out what I have already stated then I want to make sure I know what I am getting.

I have seen some second hand ones for sale but they are either scratched or don't have original packing,perhaps I am being a little to fussy for what I want but that is how I am:embarrassed:

I am a little confused now as what to get,I can't afford to waste money on something that will let me down,this will be my first telescope and probably be the only one so this is why I really need the help and advice on a reflector telescope that is in my price range, I would really like to get something a bit more powerful but just can't be done:icon_frown:

I guess I am back to square one, help:icon_scratch:

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RikM

RikM

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Personally, I would forget about deep sky astrophotography on your stated budget. There is a lot more to it than pointing the camera at the sky and clicking the shutter. It's not like daytime photography at all.

Save up the extra £20 and get a 150P Dobsonian. This will give you a good basic visual scope that has enough aperture for the brighter deep sky objects yet enough focal length for the moon and planets. It is important to keep realistic expectations of what you will be able to see. The planets will always be smaller than you really want, and galaxies and nebulae are always faint and fuzzy and only just visible, even in the largest of amateur telescopes.

It would be a good idea to try and get to a local astronomy society and have a look through some of their telescopes before you buy anything to see for yourself if you think the outlay is worth it for the views you will get.

In the meantime, have a look a some of the drawings posting in the sketching forum because they give you a much more realistic idea of the view through the eyepiece than DSLR or CCD images.

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malc-c

malc-c

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Many thanks for the post guys, I guessed the price would be limiting me on what i wanted, to explain a bit more of what i would like from the the telescope is this, I would quite like to take images from my DSLR as well as just looking,it would be an achievement to save images to my computer and know i took that,at a stretch i dont think i could come up with any more than £180 and that is pushing it:embarrassed:

Money isnt very good at the moment and my wife is ill with cancer,so money is quite tied down but we both have our chin up high which is why she has encouraged me more to get back to a hobby i have always been interested in.

Many Thanks.

Sorry to hear about your wifes situation. Whilst money may well be tight I would strongly suggest that you beg borrow that £20 and get the 150P Dob. As we've said before what you want from a scope and what you have to spend are too far apart, and for the sake of £20 you could end up being quite disappointed. Yes you could get more scope for your money buying second-hand, but you could end up with a lemon and at least with buying new you'll have a 12 month warranty, especially if you buy from the likes of Rother Valley Optics or First Light Optics

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