Jump to content

Hello

Matt1

By Matt1
in Welcome

Recommended Posts

Matt1

Matt1

Posted
Posted

Hi Everyone

I am starting from the bottom for learning about astronomy, so as I start to learn I will probably be asking lots of basic questions I hope people don’t mind? My first of many is what do people think of the Skywatcher Startravel 102 AZ3 Telescope for beginners any thoughts and opinions much welcome before I purchase?

My background

Bat Consultant for planning applications (Plenty of night work)

Cheers

Matt :smiley:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 32
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Velvet

Velvet

Posted
Posted

Hi matt and welcome to the forum/

You might want to post in beginners section about the scope and explain what you actually want to do now and in the future, observing,astro photography etc etc It will

give us more of a clue what to advise to start with. An alt az would be no good if you want to do photography of deep sky objects. If its just visual then its OK

A bit more info would help

regards

Velvet

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JamesM

JamesM

Posted
Posted

Hi Matt and welcome to the forum. The Startravel scope is great for wide views of the sky but on bright objects like the moon and planets something called false colour will prevail. By that I mean a type of colour fringing, where the objective lens fails to bring all the available light to a sharp focus meaning which translates into you witnessing a violet glow on the limb or edge of a bright object. Now many people aren't that bothered by this aberration whilst others find this false colour distracting, only you will be able to decide. In scope design this effect can be cured by either having a scope coming to focus over a longer length (longer tube) or by having various coatings along with the addition of an extra objective lens (3 now instead of 2) that is designed to help bring the wayward light to the same focus point as the rest of the light. That is why you will see many short scopes that cost quite a bit of money because they are triplets and are able to bring all the light into focus within a short distance. If your intention is to image with the Startravel or if your observing desires are going to be focused towards solar system objects (moon & planets) then perhaps a reflector type scope (newtonian which uses a mirror rather than a lens to capture light) might be a better option. Regarding the mount, I believe from reviews that I have read that it is a good performer in helping you to locate and track celestial objects. Being an Alt-Azimuth design which tracks across the sky in tiny steps, this method is unnoticeable to the eye but for imaging purposes completely unsatisfactory as those movements will be picked up by a camera's censor and create a poor final image. These mounts aren't particularly sturdy though this can be helped somewhat by hanging a suitable weight from the eyepiece tray to lower its centre of balance.

You asked for comments regarding the setup's suitability for a beginner, and to answer this I would also have to include in any evaluation, value for money set against the view that you can expect to see. As great as the Synscan option is to have, in my view its money that would be better spent on the scope itself although others may disagree. If I have understood correctly the particular setup you have in mind, for £300 you could buy a skywatcher 200P dobsonian which would have a much better resolving capacity on planets and deep sky objects without any false colour. Yes this would mean finding objects yourself but there is no point in spending part of your budget on a system that will point to an object if spending that money has meant that you are forced to have a scope with a greatly diminished aperture and remember that aperture means the ability to resolve detail and structure. Learning the night sky isn't difficult and the 200P is the U'K's best selling scope and for good reason as 8" aperture is where I believe observing starts to become really interesting. If for some reason you find that astronomy is not for you (....which I doubt very much :grin:) then should need to resell it, its popularity will mean that it will hold its value really well and therefore the scope in real terms won't have cost you as much as the Startravel, which in my view will be harder to sell. On a more positive note should you wish to upgrade to a larger scope because you have caught the observing bug, its value will serve you well in helping to fund that ambition. Others may disagree with my view but those starting out are often the most in need of larger apertures to help convince them that there is plenty to see and appreciate and that this will sustain them in the longer term. It's always going to be a balancing act where budgets are concerned - I hope my thoughts help you further in your considerations.

Clear skies

James

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Matt1

Matt1

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hi James and everyone else too and thank you for your welcomes.

James just been reading up on the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian telescope, which I am turning to as is apparently it gives better detail in any object the more minutes you observe, as I am focusing on looking at planets in better detail this scope seems to be the one to start my astronomy hobby. Thank you for all the info it’s been really helpful.

Matt

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.