New & enthusiastic, but what one?

[Miaow]

Hi everyone..

I'm new to the world of planets & stars but hooked! I only get to star gaze with my camera and a good zoom at the moment. But I really want to buy a telescope.. I have models in mind and wanted to see what is recommended?

1 - Dobsonian Skywatcher 150p

2 - Tal 2m 150

3 - Skywatcher 130em

4 - Skywatcher 150p

5 - Celestron 130 eq md

From what i can tell they are all good, but i want to get the best for my money.. I love planets with a passion and want to see them properly!

Thanks for taking the time to read

Miaow x

[faulksy]

the skywatcher dob 150will be good for visual but not photography as it doesnt track, but will be good for visual and with the money you saved you could get some decent e.p.s

[rwilkey]

The SW Dob 150P gets my vote as well, especially for visual only.

[Miaow]

Thank you both of you, so how would i go about bringing the photography side into it?

All this lingo is like a foreign language to me i'm afraid.

Miaow.

[Paulb3098]

The Dob 150 is a great scope but no good for photo's. If you like planets have you looked at the 150PL (basically the Dob on a EQ3 mount) a) great for planets more forgiving on EP's and c) you can upgrade to auto / goto later ?

[JamesM]

Given that you main focus will be on planets, have you thought of this scope, the 150PL, the 'L' bit meaning a slightly longer tube (1200mm) as opposed to the standard (900mm) length. The focal length of the tube will help determine the magnification per given eyepiece, so that for example, a 10mm eyepiece on the 'PL' version would be 1200/10 = x120, whereas for the 'P' scope it would be only 900/10 = x90. The maximum useful magnification would be around x180-x220 which would mean that for the 'PL' version you could use a 7mm or 6mm eyepiece which are fairly common, but the 'P' version would need an eyepiece less than 5mm to get the maximum out and the eyepiece choice diminishes.

Having suggested the above which comes on an equatorial style mount, for the same money you could of course purchase a Skywatcher Skyliner 8" dobsonian here at a cheaper price with the same focal length (1200mm) but with a much larger aperture instead which will help resolving detail at the higher magnifications. I would go for the dobsonian but you might prefer my first recommendation as it falls in more closely with your original selection. Hope that helps.

James

[JamesF]

Not sure about the Tal, but the others are all fairly short focal lengths so they're not ideal for planetary viewing. However, consider:

Mercury is rarely visible (though at the moment it is rising just before the sun)

Venus is getting past its best as an evening object now, but not exactly the most thrilling planet visually

Mars is quickly getting past its best at the moment though still in the sky for some time

Jupiter is pretty much over until it becomes a morning object in the summer, but not an evening object until October

Saturn is actually in the sky at the moment and the rings are very open, but it isn't going to get that high in the sky for the next five years or so and is already past it's best this apparition

Uranus and Neptune are both morning objects at the moment, rising slightly before the sun, but possibly not early enough to be visible with your suggested scopes

In other words, if all you're interested in is planets, there's no real rush and you could afford to wait to buy a scope more suited to planetary viewing and photography. On the other hand if you'd like to spend some time looking at other objects in the night sky, the 150 dob is a good choice.

James

[Miaow]

JamesM thank you for the links, this telescope buying business is rather confusing.

[Miaow]

JamesF - The Tal 2m has a focal length of 1200mm! I don't know if that helps?

[rowan46]

if you want to do anything other than webcamming planets you need an eq mount with at least ra motor. Ideally you need dual drive motors so that you can guide it. webcamming can be done on any mount it just takes some practice

[rowan46]

I've never heard a bad word against tal except for quirky never having owned one I'm not sure what that means. Looked through a couple and both were optically very good the tal appears to be f8 which is ok for planets it will barlow up nicely

[Miaow]

Thanks rowan that's great, Its the one i was swaying towards. Fingers crossed I'll be up and running by the weekend! Cant wait to see what wonders are out there.

Sure i'll be back picking your brains VERY soon.

Miaow x

[David JM]

I look to buy a 'scope that is one or two steps beyond what I am doing at the moment. I've seen all the planets now that Pluto has been demoted in my NexStar 4SE and imaged all the naked eye ones.

I'm about to get a C9.25 for the next step [empty bank account and bigger planets] after three years of 'practical' astronomy. For solar system observing you won't need a powered mount, but for astro photography you will.

Good luck with your 'scope purchase.

[Miaow]

Thanks all, just seen a Skywatcher Evo Star 120! any good?

Miaow x

[Hitesh]

Have you looked at skywatcher skymax 90mm? really good small scope and fantastic for planetary and lunar observing. plus absolutly no collimation (yay)!!!!

[Hitesh]

FLO have it for a mere £155 First Light Optics - Skywatcher Skymax 90 (EQ1)

[JamesF]

I wouldn't recommend anything on an EQ1 to anyone. I think it's completely pointless as far as telescopes are concerned.

James

[Miaow]

Well i've narrowed it down to 2, both Skywatchers.. either the 130p or 150p, anyone know the best place to purchase?

Am i right in thinking the P is the better model?

Miaow x

[Miaow]

Sorry i meant skywatcher explorer.

[Naemeth]

P is a parabolic mirror, which is considered a better quality mirror.

[JamesF]

The default answer will be the forum sponsor, linked at the top of the page. There are a number of other reputable dealers though. If you're not sure about any given one, just ask and I'm sure you'll get a raft of contrary opinions

Whoever you decide to buy from, it would be sensible to ascertain before ordering that your desired telescope is genuinely available from stock right now, as there are shortages of some models and it can take a while for new deliveries to arrive as they all come on a slow boat from China.

The "P" means it has a parabolic mirror, which is generally preferable to having a spherical mirror.

James

[JamesM]

'P' just means parabolic mirror and one that has been designed with extra curvature in order to reflect the light back to the focuser within a shorter tube. This will afford a wider view and is great for galaxies and star clusters etc. Alternatively, the mirror can be made with only a slight curve, meaning that the light being reflected will require a longer tube to bring the image to the eyepiece. This type of scope will have a narrower field of view compared to 'P' type, though having a longer tube (focal length) will mean you can have a little bit more magnification and makes this type of scope better for planetary viewing. I do not own either scope but I gather that the at the 130mm aperture, the 'P' mirror is actually a better mirror, not sure if that applies to the 150mm. Hope that helps.

James

[Miaow]

Hi guys, just a quick update!

I went for the Skywatcher 130p in the end! Seems like a good starting point

Now to await some clear nights!!

Miaow x

[David JM]

Now to await some clear nights!!

They usually happen when you have to get up early the next day, have a previous engagement or are too knackered to drag the scope out.

And I'm an optimist.

[Tribal-Wolf]

Hi guys, just a quick update!

I went for the Skywatcher 130p in the end! Seems like a good starting point

Now to await some clear nights!!

Miaow x

All you need now is a couple of BST Explorer EPs, a TAL 2x barlow, a copy of Turn Left at Orion and a collimator then your sorted for a while lol