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Finally bit the bullet and ordered my 1st telescope

fiftyonedegreesnorth

By fiftyonedegreesnorth
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fiftyonedegreesnorth

fiftyonedegreesnorth

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After months of looking and reading, talking to others and checking out what people say on the forum, I've committed myself to a purchase! I hope to take delivery of a SW 250PX Flextube DOB later this week! This has been a long awaited purchase as I couldn't decide on what I REALLY wanted a scope for - looking or imaging? For others in a similar predicament below is a summary of my thoughts:

a) I wanted to be able to set up in my garden but also wanted to transport the set up to darker surroundings. So whilst the DOB is fairly heavy, it travels in two parts and is quick to set up and start using. With a scope+mount+polar align, etc, I really had to ask myself "will I want to set it all up if there is slight cloud or I only have an hour or so available?" A wise person once said "the best scope is one that you will use the most".

B) Whilst imaging would be great, I've seen others doing this and I'm not sure if I want to sit around for 2-3hours while the various subs are taken, then take an hour or more to process it. I want to LOOK at the wonders of the universe! I might go this route in a couple of years with another scope, as what they have produced is stunning and hats off to all imagers!

c) My knowledge of the stars is still young, so GoTo would be useful; however, the additional cost at present prevented this. So Im looking to strap my mobile phone to the guide scope and once aligned use either google skymap or starchart (other apps are available :grin: ) to find objects - or at least point me in the neighbourhood. For now, just being able to look further than my trusty 10x50 binos will be enough. The only concern I have is tracking - but this is part of the fun (or so Im told!)

d) Aperture - 10" - well this was what caused most of the delay - I stated looking at 127 SC, but was informed that for planets this is great, but not so good for Deep Space Objects (DSO), I then looked at 6", then 8", then got carried away with the %age more light grabbing than the previous size. In the end I decided that 10" was the biggest scope I would be able to manage on my own.

e) Price - DOBs are really good value for aperture per £ and with little to go wrong I don't mind my children (5-15 years) using it - I wont become too protective over it :mad:

f) Fun - I want to enjoy my hobby - now all I need is for the rain to stop, the clouds to go away and the night to come!

I hope this wasn't too rambling, and is of use to others who are still deliberating.

Cheers and clear skys to all

Rich.

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mdstuart

mdstuart

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Sounds very well thought through to me...

Now remember even in a 10 inch dob galaxies etc will not look like they do in images but of course you will be able to see far more DSO's and detail than you 10 x 50's..

I recommend getting a book like the illustrated guide to astronomical wonders to show youo how to find your first 100 or so objects...It will really help..

Enjoy

Mark

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stevetynant

stevetynant

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yup sounds like you've already got it well thought through Rich - don't forget though - Dobs as wll as being easy and quick to set up are also easy to Mod - perhaps you couldn't or didn't want to pay for GoTo this time around but making yourself a setting circle and getting a Wixey would cost @ £30 in total I guess- then you have push to - which works suprizingly well - and much better than strapping a phone to the OTA I would suggest

Good luck any way , welcome to the Dob club and don't forget to ask questions - there's loads of people here just waiting to help

cheers

Steve

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Astralstroll

Astralstroll

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Hello Rich, and welcome to the delights of Dobs. I got a call today to tell me that my 10" lightbridge is being delivered on Friday! I really cant wait to see how good it is. Well, once the clouds have departed at any rate.

Clear Skies, Dave.

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Naemeth

Naemeth

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Brilliant Choice! It sounds like you've thought everything through, and by all accounts you are getting a fantastic scope. That scope should be with you for a long time, as realistically only 14" and 16" are above (18"+ is of course available though, should aperture fever set it, it shouldn't do though, unless of course you look through a 20" or something..)

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Stu

Stu

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Very good choice Rich, well thought through and will serve you well for a long time to come.

The only thing I would add is that you should avoid using your mobile for finding things when observing. It will kill your night vision for quite a while and make it harder to find things. Best get a decent star map and red light torch and find your way around. I've not used one but a wixey will help you locate stuff as already mentioned.

Enjoy your scope

Stu

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JamesM

JamesM

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Hi Rich and welcome to the forum. Looks like you've arrived at a very good choice and I know what you mean regarding the % seduction - we've all been there and some us are still there! Although there is a lot of choice out there, by the time you have considered budget, mobility and targets you want to observe, the choice gets a little easier. The main thing is you have bought a desirable scope that will always provide a good return should you wish to resell in order to upgrade further down the line.

Wishing you clear skies for later this week for when the 'baby' arrives. :grin:

James

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Ifmfo

Ifmfo

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I would also recommend the book Turn Left at Orion, excellent for helping you find objects to look for, with realistic diagrams of what you should expect to see whenever you've found what you're hunting. It's designed to be readable under red light.

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Coco

Coco

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Hi Rich

I think you made the right choice, you have plenty of aperture for serious observing, imaging can be fun using a simple digi camera and tripod, it does not matter what mount you use as long as its steady, you also can have some fun with the moon through your bob.. :)

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fiftyonedegreesnorth

fiftyonedegreesnorth

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yup sounds like you've already got it well thought through Rich - don't forget though - Dobs as wll as being easy and quick to set up are also easy to Mod - perhaps you couldn't or didn't want to pay for GoTo this time around but making yourself a setting circle and getting a Wixey would cost @ £30 in total I guess- then you have push to - which works suprizingly well - and much better than strapping a phone to the OTA I would suggest

Good luck any way , welcome to the Dob club and don't forget to ask questions - there's loads of people here just waiting to help

cheers

Steve

Thanks Steve (and all the others for the very helpful and kind comments). I'd never heard of a Wixey before, but after a quick search I can see the advantage. The app on the mobile can be set to red display, but if the screen times out the unlock screen is normal white! I will have to tap up the wealth of knowledge of DOB owners about making my own setting circle.

Cheers Rich.

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