optic or mirror whay ch is best ?

[GerryLee]

I am currently consdiering purchasing a ,Celestron NexStar 8 SE Telescope or a Celestron CPC 800 GPS Telescope, SkyWatcher Skymax 180 PRO EQ6 PRO SynScan Maksutov Cassegrain Telescope or SkyWatcher Skyliner 350P FlexTube SynScan Dobsonian Telescope

i am totally unsure which is best is it the larger mirror or optics,,i an mew to astronomy,and neeed any adivce give.

Thanks in advaance

Gerry

[jason.p]

Welcome Gerry, a lot depends on what you want to do (visual, imaging etc). Whatever you decide there's wealth of experience and expertise here, just ask.

Good luck

Jason

[sungazer]

Hello Gary, I would suggest you find a local astro club, and try to look through as many scopes as you can, to gauge which might best suit your needs. Do not buy the first scope you see !! There is a vast amount of info on this site ,just ask. Good luck, John.

[Adrian lord]

Yes good advice above - don't just jump in head first. Test drive a few. The key variables you need to combine to their most ideal for your need being budget/aperture/length/weight/wieldliness/glass or mirrors.

[perrin6]

I'd advise getting a small telescope first or even a pair of binoculars rather than jumping in the deep end. You're obviously ready to spend quite a bit of money so getting some small equipment first shouldn't be a problem. Also a good introductory star atlas and guide. I always repeat like a mantra that small telescopes and binoculars are still useful (and often preferable at times) even when you have the big, high tech stuff.

[acey]

You're looking at a huge range of aperture there - from 7 inches to 14 inches - and also a huge range in weight and portability, which can't really be appreciated by looking at pictures on websites. For a first scope I would advise not going above 8" aperture, otherwise you'll most likely find the scope too big and bulky to be fun, and it may wind up "for sale - hardly used".

An 8" dobsonian is a good all-round starter scope. Once you've figured out what you can and can't do with it, and what you'd like to do, then think of upgrading.

Remember that the most important thing of all is the place where you'll be observing from - that will dictate a lot of what you can or can't do.