Cheekyman Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Hi People.... Just a few words from a guy who's been an astronomy and science fiction nut since little.... BUT? Hasn't done a thing about astronomy at all!!Until now that is.....I'm retired but have used a computer since they were made!!My passion for astronomy has been rekindled through passing an Observatory near my home town and my son said "About time we went their as you promised umpteen years ago!" He's now 25!!Anyhow we are making plans to visit that place soon and I'm looking for a scope. This is where you come in and advise me on what I need..... If you be so kind!Cheers..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orange Haze Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Hi and welcome. I only joined SGL last week but as a result I have learned a ton, which takes me from total novice to starting to understand. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheekyman Posted April 9, 2012 Author Share Posted April 9, 2012 That is half of the fun buddy..... Learning!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesM Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Hi and welcome to the forum. In order to assist you, a good starting point will be for you to advise us of a working budget and in particular, what you would like to use a scope for. Are you primarily interested in the solar system (moon, planets) or deep sky objects (DSO's) such as galaxies and nebulae or even astrophotography? The reason for asking is that different scopes are designed to work in slightly different ways (with some overlap) which results in different optimum performances and goes some way to explaining why many astronomers own more than one scope. In general the dobsonian type scope represents the best value for money when considering aperture, but there are other considerations such as tracking, goto, portability (if you need to visit a dark site) storage, set up and cool down times, collimation (tuning the scope) and general ease of use - to name a few:D:DLets use the above as a starting point and await your response for further suggestions. Clear skies forn now.James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeSuppalot Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Hi and welcome to SGL.Choosing the right scope can be quite difficult and depends on lots of different things that are relevant to you. ( Budget, what you want to see, where you're observing from, do you want to photograph using the scope etc etc).There is a good link in the beginners Help and Advice section called Essential reading for those who are thinking about getting into astronomy. Certainly worth a read.Luke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheekyman Posted April 9, 2012 Author Share Posted April 9, 2012 Thanks Guys....In answer to your questions errr? Well!My budjet is around £200 - £300I have a Canon Camera I'd like to useObviously want to see the planets and as much as possDon't understand Star Charts etc...Been looking at the tracking ones (Love gadgets) as I usemy computer daily..... Anything to make it easier for me!!Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charon Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Welcome to the forum Cheekyman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesM Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Well, on the computer side of things, you might want to start your astronomical journey by downloading a free piece of planetarium software called Stellarium which you view here. Lots of great features to help you find and identify what you are looking at. Has a date/time advance feature which is useful when planning your observation session.Now with regrards to your budget (which I will now happily spend for you:D) I can recommend the U.K.'s most popular scope, the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P. It is popular because its aperture of 200mm (8") is great for revealing detail and structure on lots of deep sky objects as well as on planets. Being a dobsonian design, most of the money has gone into providing a good size parabolic mirror (that's the 'P' bit) which enables the scopes tube length to be kept to manageable levels for storage and transporting around to dark sites. It doesn't have any tracking or any goto facility so finding your objects will be down to you via Stellarium above and other good star maps. The dobsonian mount is an alt-azimuth type which is intuitive to use and simple to use and set up and affords the smallest footprint for storage compared to an equatorially mounted scope. In short it a well made solid performer. hope that helps.Clear skiesJames Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinker1947 Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Welcome to the SGL, Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Hi welcome to SGL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Spock Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Hi, welcome to SGL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizibilder Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Hello Cheekyman and welcome to SGL!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToxoLight Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Hi Cheekyman and welcome to the lounge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telesto Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Hi and welcome to sgl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScubaMike Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Hi CheekyMan,Welcome to the forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glowjet Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Hi Cheekyman and welcome to SGL John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
todd8137 Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 hi and welcome from me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michigander Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Welcome to SGL, Cheekyman!Dana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwilkey Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Hi Cheekyman, and welcome to SGL from me too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duns Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Hi and welcome to SGL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturn4me Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Hi and welcome to SGL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catweazel Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Hi and welcome to SGL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty Strings Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Hi and welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gurneyfan67 Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Welcome from Oregon USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheekyman Posted April 11, 2012 Author Share Posted April 11, 2012 Well I'm well and truly blown away by the *WELCOME* I have never in all my life had so many friends say "Hello" all in one go ha haThe next question is? "WHERE'S THE DRINKS BAR?"See you all next door........Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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