Decent Portable Scope?

[Mezolitik]

Hi guys,

I've been looking around for a new telescope and, as a beginner, I had my heart set on the Orion XT8 Classic @ £359. It seems like a pretty awesome piece of hardware for the price.

I'm really interested in the Messier objects, galaxies, nebulae, etc. so the Orion's specs are really appealing. I live in a pretty ideal place for observing at the weekends too, given that there isn't a huge amount of light pollution around.

However, the XT8 is built like a howitzer, and it doesn't seem like something I could carry on e.g. a train. Given that I work and live in a different city during the week, I'm being forced to scale down.

So, my dilemma is thus: I'm looking for a telescope that is portable, but will still allow me to see some of the more unique objects in the sky. The Orion guy recommended the Orion StarBlast 4.5 @ £179, but the fact that it is marketed at children has put me off.

Ideally, I'd like to buy a telescope without a go-to computer of any kind, as there's no incentive to learn anything when stuff is pointed out. I also wouldn't mind spending the same £359 for the XT8 on a really good portable scope.

What do you guys think?

Thanks!

Chris.

[Astro_king]

What about a celesta on Nexstar off eBay? Also you could easily get a 127 skywatcher version.. Goto helps a lot and 8inch only gives you so much.. I have always felt like wanting for more because as much as 8 inch is praised .. It's all down to the sky u live underneath. I believe less aperture with the option of carrying it far away is better than larger aperture in the middle is light polluted city

[E621Keith]

The Starblast may look like a toy and marketed to young teenagers and children, but it received many praises from experienced astronomers and various magazine review. Essentially, it is the US equivalent to UK's Skywatcher Heritage 130p., but with out the collapsible tube. If you can't get the SW 130p dob, the Orion Starblast 4.5 can be a good choice.

[rowan46]

welcome to sgl imho the most portable scope is the celestron c5 spotting scope, mount it on a good photo tripod and under dark skies it sees a fair bit 2nd hand you will pick them up for about £200-£250

http://www.firstligh...ting-scope.html

[Catweazel]

Hi Chris. Keith is right about the Starblast, the only thing that I don't like about it is that it comes with a table-top rest rather than a tripod. A better alternative might be the SW 130P http://tinyurl.com/d4o5gdo as this comes with a EQ2 setup, which makes it a lot more practical if you are going to travel to dark sky sites!

[Mezolitik]

Thanks for all the replies! Much appreciated.

Is the SW Heritage 130p portable/heavy? The Dobsonian scopes seem pretty huge.

Also, does anybody know if the StarBlast 6 is worth the extra £100 over the 4.5? The 4.5 seems to be the more 'tried and tested' model.

I'm thinking that the table-top Orions (with a tripod) might be the best place to start, if only because they'd be easier to protect when travelling.

Apologies for my overall ignorance! I'm quite overwhelmed with all the measurements and numbers!

Thanks!

[E621Keith]

This video will give you an idea of the Heritage 130p's size

The Starblast 4.5 and 6 will be larger.

[Mezolitik]

Hi Chris. Keith is right about the Starblast, the only thing that I don't like about it is that it comes with a table-top rest rather than a tripod. A better alternative might be the SW 130P http://tinyurl.com/d4o5gdo as this comes with a EQ2 setup, which makes it a lot more practical if you are going to travel to dark sky sites!

This video will give you an idea of the Heritage 130p's size

The Starblast 4.5 and 6 will be larger.

Thanks both! That's a big help.

The barrel of the heritage seems a bit flimsy. The reviews on Amazon are very positive though.

I'm gonna take some time to read up on the specs before I buy anything, as there are such a lot of scopes out there!

[moogoomonkey]

Hi there! Please do watch the video as the company do produce some high quality introductions to the products but the same cannot be said for their actual sales. Their customer service is terrible but I would definitely recommend this scope, was going to buy it myself!