skywatcher explorer

[Steve Swancott]

hi fellow star gazers.

iv recently put a post up about what telescope to get.

im a 13yr old beginer and most people have been recomending the explorer 150 or 200.

but would a 20cm be two big for my age and experiance?

cheers

steve:headbang:

[Kevdan]

Hi,

I have the 150p on a eq3-2 its a great scope and would probably be better suited for you unless you got a hand from someone to help you set up and break down again later. However the 200p is the better due to apperture of the 2 scopes.

Have you thought about a 200p on a dob?

Kev.

[knobby]

Hi Steve,

the dob would be easier to manage as the mount is simple / quick to move and the OTA pops on and off pretty easily.

The 200 is pretty big, how big is a 13 yr old now days, probably about 5' 6" i'm sure you could handle it ...

try a star party / club if you can find one

Good luck, theyre both very capable scopes

[Steve Swancott]

i wasnt really after a dob. ive been told the table top ones arnt the best because its easy to lose what your looking at

i dont know if thats true, but id prefer a 'normal' telescope if you know what i mean??

[knobby]

The Dob's mentioned 150 and 200 are deffo not table top jobbies ... I do think you should try to see the Scopes your after in the flesh before you make a decision.

There is a thread somewhere I think by astrobaby showing the sizes of Scopes, worth a look

http://stargazerslounge.com/beginners-help-advice/128173-look-size-thing.html#post1674991

[Black Knight]

This is the thread here:

http://stargazerslounge.com/beginners-help-advice/128173-look-size-thing.html

[Kevdan]

Hi,

As Knobby has said these are no table top scopes, they are proper scopes with lots of potential to keep you interested in the hobby for years, Personally like i said id go for the 150p on an eq3-2, have you got a budget in mind, as the 150p on an eq3-2 is just £279, But depending on your budget you can get the 150p on a fully goto mount for £559.( I realise your age may be an issue with budget)

You may well get these cheaper from astrobuy and sell second hand.

The 150p is a great scope and the eq3-2 mount copes well with it . and if you just want a basic mount for now you can upgarde it later with motors etc.

Kev.

[Mr Spock]

A 150 is a very capable scope and will give you many years of service. The 200 my just be a little bit too big to handle.

The only real way to find out is to see one in person. Could someone at your local astronomy society help with this?

[RikM]

My eldest son is 13 and he manages with a Skymax 127 on an AZ4 and has had a good go with a 200P dob. I would say don't think of a scope on an EQ mount as a 'proper' telescope and a Dobsonian as something else. There are real advantage to the Dob mounted scopes. They are easy to set up, easy to use. Fairly light up 200mm. If you have a corner of the room to stand it up in, they take up less room than a scope on an EQ mount as well.

Also remember that you are 13 now, but won't be forever. A 200P Dob is a scope that will last you a long time. See if you can get along to a local meet and have a look at a few scopes before making your decision.

[Quatermass]

If you can handle a 200p that would be better but it depends how big you are. If you take a read through my blog it will give you a lot of info about it but the 150p is also very good and may suit your needs better. Take your time and dont rush into anything.

Sent from my GT-S5670 using Tapatalk 2

[Steve Swancott]

my budget is £400.

te 200p looks prtty big i didnt realise actually how big it was

irl probobly go for the 150 and with the 150 what mount would you put it on???

[nightfisher]

The 150 is a good choice, if your budget will allow, go for an EQ5 then you will have a really nice stable set up

[peteftm]

I would look at the celestron SLT range , say the 102 refractor model.No maintanence and if your unsure of your way around the sky the goto will help

[RikM]

Here is a 200mm Dob next to my youngest son when he was 7 (and he's titchy).

If you are sure you want a scope on a tripod mount then the 150P is easier to handle. The EQ3-2 would get you started but if you can afford and EQ5 it would be better. You can add motors to either mount later if you want. Which you can't do with a Dob.

[Steve Swancott]

would i be able to carry it do you think? i mean it looks pretty heavy in other words do you struggle to carry it????

and can you give me a rough overview of what you can see through the 150

cheers

ssteve

[RikM]

would i be able to carry it do you think? i mean it looks pretty heavy in other words do you struggle to carry it????

and can you give me a rough overview of what you can see through the 150

cheers

ssteve

The 200P is quite easy to move if you split the base and tube and carry them separately. You should have no trouble if you're an average strength lad. I can carry it easily in one go.

If you have a look at the sketching section or even click on my sketch album, these will give you an idea of what objects actually look like through a scope. Most sketchers put details of what size scope and what eyepiece or magnification we used.

This is much more realistic than looking at photographs because cameras are so much more sensitive than human eyes. Also remember that planets will always appear smaller than you expect. Even at 200x which is about the best you can hope for planets will look about the size of a pea held at arms length.