Scope suggestions wanted.

[CFC]

Hi all,

I would appreciate your advice on a scope. I am buying it for my husband.

I'm trialling the suggestion of a question list to see how it works out so you'll need to feedback to the question list threadstarter how you find it.

1) Do you want to use your scope visually, for imaging or both (what is the priority)?

Visually, maybe planetary pics via webcam if it's suitable later.

2) Do you want the scope to find objects automatically or learn the sky and find them yourself?

I think he doesn't know enough to find them on his own.

3) Once objects are found, do you want the scope to track the object or manually track it yourself?

Open to opinions

4) What do you want to look at or image; planets, galaxies, nebulas, sun, moon or stars?

Planets first. Bigger or interesting objects are more likely to get attention.

5) If you want to look at or image galaxies and DSOs, do you want to see the larger brighter ones or small and dim ones?

Pass

6) If interested in imaging, do you have any imaging equipment currently (eg, DSLR, webcam)?

Nope, and it wouldn't be a DSLR. Webcams are cheap though!

7) How long to you want to spend setting up the scope (eg. 20mins, 45mins, >1hour)?

As little as possible

8) Do you want the scope to be relatively maintainance free, or one that needs adjusting from time to time?

Maintainance free, he doesn't do instruction manuals

9) Do you want a portable setup than can be carried long distances, one that can be carried short distances, one that has to be dismantled to be moved or a fixed setup?

Carried short distances is fine

10) How much do you want to spend?

£200 sounds good. I would go up to £350 and leave it till Xmas if that was the absolute best choice.

11) What is your experience in astronomy?

Practically nil. A Tasco telescope on a tripod. Don't know what kind it is.

12) What is your technical ability and are you confident with computers and software?

Computers and software A-OK.

13) What is the light pollution like in your area?

Bad

I have also tried out the other suggested questions so you can see which set or mix is better

a) What is your budget? See above

Where will you be observing from?

Usually the back garden. Views are obscured in some directions by large tree and houses. It would also come on holiday with us.

c) From this given site, is there space for you to move around and observe the sky? - obstructed at some points

d) How will you get your telescope to that site (a telescope, mount and tripod are generaly very heavy). n/a

e) What do you want to observe? What do you think you will see through your new telescope?

Planets to start with, especially the moon. Doubtless then it will be other interesting objects

f) How much time will have to dedicate yourself to this hobby?

Unknown, but I think he'll always be interested, on and off.

g) Is there any particular area of astronomy you're interested in? (If you put astro-photography, then double or triple your budget!!) Unknown

h) Do you think you need a telescope to help you find objects in the night sky?

yes.

i) Where will you store your telescope? Unless I threaten him with death, in the front room, so I'd prefer one that's not too bulky.

j) Is there any telescope you already have in mind?

Open to ideas.

Other points - I'd prefer a tripod as I don't want really want my small patio table carted round the garden and I'm not sitting on the ground in the cold.

I would be interested in buying a second hand telescope but I'd like advice on whether this is a 'safe' route ie what should I look for in buying one.

[nightfisher]

My suggestion would be a skymax 127 on a goto mount, but might be pushing the budget a little

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skymax 127 SynScan AZ GOTO

[tjr]

As night fisher says, Mak 127 is a good option for what you are after, but comes in at around £350 so top end of your top budget. The Mak 102 is only £280 though.

You might want to look at this one too:

First Light Optics - Skywatcher Explorer 130P SynScan AZ GOTO

Although it will be hard to take on holiday with you. If you are certain you'll do this then the Mak is a better option.

[SamAndrew]

Hmm that's a tricky budget,

You could get a Skywatcher 150p (6 inch)

That will give you the best performance for your money and is easy to setup and doesn't need much reading of the manual.

If you could stretch a bit further to £270 then you can get it's bigger brother 200pl (8 inch) which is a significant step up in performance again.

You wont have GOTO so will have to find things manually, but the planets are easy to find, and so are things like the Orion nebula and Andromeda galaxy with the help of a good book like Turn left at Orion or one of the monthly magazines.

If he enjoys that then he will probably enjoy the challenge of finding other objects, and will have a big enough telescope to go hunting for them.

A cheap GOTO scope will start in the region of £225, will be quick to setup as well, and will have a tripod, but will require a good reading of the manual to start with. These perform well on planets, but will be more limited for other objects. Ignore the 40,000 + object databases they advertise, the number you can really see with that sort of apature is in the hundereds, and most of these will probably be double stars.

Something like the skywatcher-skymax-102-synscan-az-goto would be reasonable, but not great.

A secondhand Nexstar 4se (4 inch) is a good example, and at the upper limit of your budget.

I'm sure others will have more / better advice

[CFC]

Thanks all I will have a look at the scopes suggested. I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

I do doubt his ability to find anything on his own (I had to convince him that his 'Mars' was in fact Venus!!) but perhaps I'll consider whether a mobile phone app would be enough, even if he wanted to graduate beyond the planets!

The dobsonian doesn't fit the bill as it's a ricked back or the cold ground, although I appreciate that it's got the biggest aperture for the money.

Could someone clarify for me why

Skywatcher Explorer 130P SynScan AZ GOTO

is cheaper than

Celestron NexStar 4SE

as the Skywatcher is bigger? Confused!

[Black Knight]

Could someone clarify for me why

Skywatcher Explorer 130P SynScan AZ GOTO

is cheaper than

Celestron NexStar 4SE

as the Skywatcher is bigger? Confused!

Both are mounted on similar-ish computerized AltAz mounts, but the main difference is in the type of scope. The NexStar 4SE is Maksutov-Cassegrain scope, whereas the Explorer 130P is a simple reflector. Maksutov-Cassegrain scopes are catadioptric scopes utilising a folded light path, so are more complex beasts than a simple reflector, and that is reflected in the price.

In visual astronomy, there is a saying that goes "aperture is king". Very often, a reflector provides the best "bang per buck" you can get, allowing larger apertures for a given price when compared to refractors or compound scopes such as Maksutov-Cassegrain (usually abbreviated to Maks) or Schmidt-Cassegrains (usually abbreviated to SCTs).

What this means in practice is that for whatever aperture size you may be looking at for a refractor, Mak or SCT, a reflector of the same aperture will come in much cheaper.

[basher0010]

this one might be a good idea and fullfills most of your criteria..

http://www.amazon.co.uk/SKYMAX-102-SynScanTM-102MM-COMPUTERISED-MAKSUTOV-CASSEGRAIN/dp/B005O6Z10Y/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ce_1

[onesmallstep]

Hi and welcome to the site.

+1 for the Skymax-127 as it seems to fit your requirements as laid out above and seems a popular choice with SGL members. A couple of accessories for this scope are a dew shield to stop the business end from getting misted over with condensation which is a problem for this design. Also, if you choose the Goto system then get a powerpack as the system will go through batteries like a chocoholic in Belgium. This does mean that you push the upper limit of your budget though, sorry about that.

Maybe you could attend a public astronomy session / star party at your local astro club. A list of them can be found here: http://fedastro.org.uk/fas/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=8. This way you could try out the different types of scope, talk to the owners and get a better idea of what would suit your needs.

HTH!

[knobby]

Hi and welcome to the site.

+1 for the Skymax-127 as it seems to fit your requirements as laid out above and seems a popular choice with SGL members. A couple of accessories for this scope are a dew shield to stop the business end from getting misted over with condensation which is a problem for this design. Also, if you choose the Goto system then get a powerpack as the system will go through batteries like a chocoholic in Belgium. This does mean that you push the upper limit of your budget though, sorry about that.

Maybe you could attend a public astronomy session / star party at your local astro club. A list of them can be found here: Federation of Astronomical Societies - Member Societies. This way you could try out the different types of scope, talk to the owners and get a better idea of what would suit your needs.

HTH!

Yep, good advice, you could gauge hubbys exitement at the site of various scopes while there.

[CFC]

Thank you very much for your advice.

I went to a local shop today to eyeball the scopes in the flesh and was horrified at how physically large the 130P is! I therefore chucked the budget out of the window, phoned my husband, asked him to put some money towards it and bought a Celestron Nexstar 4 SE.

Hope to have clear skies tonight and give it a run

[tjr]

Brilliant choice. Enjoy the scope!

[LukeSkywatcher]

Now we should discuss accessories.

[CFC]

Yes please Paul - accessories! What do we need to go with it? It only comes with a 25ml eyepiece.

The three star alignment worked brilliantly and set up was simple. We live right in the middle of a city and viewed from the back garden. It wasn't a great night, there were few stars to be seen with the naked eye. I am now sold on the GoTo function - it showed us stars I couldn't even see a hint of with the naked eye, trying to find them on our own would not have happened.

It is, as I guessed it would, living currently in the sitting room so I'm really glad I didn't go for the 130P. It's funny how everything looks smaller in the shop than it does in your sitting room...especially in a tiny house!

We took it out tonight and saw Venus - I've seen pics of the phases but it's not the same as seeing it yourself....amazing!

Mars was a bit of a disappointment - just a red dot really, I had hoped to see a leeeetle more.

Can't wait to try it out on Saturn, really want to see the rings for the first time ever.....also can't wait to try it out on the moon.

Ok, so the money should really have gone on new guttering for the house - but you have to have a bit of joy in life

[LukeSkywatcher]

The best accessory for the 4SE SCT is a dew shield. They seem to collect dew like there is no tomorrow. You can spend quite a few pounds on a ready made one or you can make your own using a camping mat and velcro/tape.

EP wise.......i can only speak from experience and point you in the direction of the Vixen NPL range.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/vixen-eyepieces/vixen-npl-eyepieces.html

You may or may not want a barlow lens. If you do then you simply wont go wrong with a 2X:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/tal-eyepieces.html

I have the 8SE since Dec and i have seen more with it then i ever imagined i'd ever see.

You really did make the right choice in ditching your budget and picking the 4SE.

[Islander]

Another type of eyepiece to consider is the BST explorer range - they're sold by Sky's the Limit and are very very good for the money.

1.25" Eyepieces

Your 25mm eyepiece will give you a magnification of 53x (focal length of the telescope divided by the focal length of the eyepiece - 1325/25 = 53)

A 12mm would give you 110x and an 8mm, 166x

[nightfisher]

you have made a good choice on your telescope, as paul suggests, the vixen ep`s will work well, also the revelation/GSO plossl`s are a good choice, if you decide to get a barlow, avoid the cheap ones on the likes of ebay

[CFC]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'd like to start with just another 2 ep to go with the 25mm one. Can you tell me what size and make of ep is going to be best for moon and planetary viewing that would work well with my scope? I'd prefer it not to be too expensive given I've already blown the budget - I see the suggestions above but I have no idea how to choose between them. I see some folk use a barlow and some don't - is this scope dependent or to do with making the image fuzzier?

If I keep the scope somewhere relatively cool will I avoid the dew problem? If not I shall go the home made dew shield.

If I could try your patience with one last question - we were looking at (I think) M35 last night and I could see the stars, but the view of the stars was against a bright background rather than a dark one ie I would say lack of contrast. So much so that I started seeing my own eye vessels if you know what I mean. What causes this and is there a way to avoid it?

[onesmallstep]

Hi

There is a 'sticky' at the beginning of this section that explains eyepiece types and choices for all types of observing so have a quick look there before making any final decision and/or purchase.

Have a look at the Celestron Omni Plossl range, they are budget EPs and the 9mm / 12mm would be suitable for lunar and planetary work. Each eyepiece costs approx £30-35 so I would go for the 9mm but that's personal choice and would compliment the existing 25mm nicely. The only other accessory you would probably need at this time would be a moon filter at £10-15. Follow the DIY dew shield advice above and you should have everything needed to use your scope.

HTH!

[CFC]

Thanks John, that tells me I want a 10mm for looking at planets. I'll start with that one.

Any advice re the dew shield and contrast question? Is the contrast problem inherent in the scope due to being a Mak or is it light pollution or a poor eyepiece?

[onesmallstep]

Err, all of the above. The Mak design offers slightly dimmer views, especially of fainter objects such as galaxies. This is down to the Mak design as the light has to pass through extra glass and is stretched which loses some contrast and resolution when it reaches the eyepiece. You will notice a difference if you take the scope to a dark sky site. Scope temp can also be an issue so let your scope cool down to ambient temperature over a 30-60 minute period before using it.

[CFC]

Thanks - I think we'll plan some trips out of the city and give it a go there

[onesmallstep]

You could also contact a local astro group for observing advice and good locations in your area. I posted a link to the Federation of Astronomical Societies earlier on in this thread so if you haven't already done so it might be worth searching a group out and pick their collective brains.

[CFC]

Ah thanks for the advice on the 9mm John and the moon filter - somehow I missed out on that part of your post

[onesmallstep]

Sorry, I added those in as an edit.