Looking for a telescope for DSO observations.

[Star Wanderer]

Hey.

I am looking to upgrade my 60700 telecope to a 130mm aperture one or higher.

I stopped at two choices:

Celestron Astromaster 130EQ Motor:

and

Explorer130P

They come with different mounts 130EQ is on CG2 and 130P is on EQ2 and I have no experience using this kind of mounts. I am wondering which of the two would be better?

Perhapes you could recommend other telescopes that would be ideal for observing DSOs.

[CraigT82]

Before anyone else gets in there...

Dobsonian!!!

If you're after views of DSOs then aperture is what you need rather than an EQ mount, and you won't get more aperture for your money than with a dob. I can thoroughly recommend this one: Heritage 130p which will give you the same aperture but for less money (so you can get yourself a nice low power eyepiece!) or if you can stretch your budget a bit then the 200mm Skyliner will not disappoint you. Keep an eye out for second hand dobs as well as they come up quite often on ebay and sites like Astro Buy and Sell.

Craig

[emadmoussa]

LOL -- I knew somebody would through in the word ''Dobsonian''...

Yes, Dobsonian are great value for money. But they lack the rich wide field a refractor could provide.

[RobH]

LOL -- I knew somebody would through in the word ''Dobsonian''...

Yes, Dobsonian are great value for money. But they lack the rich wide field a refractor could provide.

How's that?

Field of view (visually) is down to magnification and the field of view of the eyepice. A 6 inch F5 refractor (for example) has exactly the same FOV as a 6 inch F5 reflector with the same eyepice.

Go for the 200P Skywatcher dobsonian....great value for money and an 8 inch scope has enough aperture to see a good few DSO's from a dark site, but is still small enough to be easily portable. Visdually, for DSO's, aperture rules.

[TwoPi]

+1 for the 200P - it's a great scope!

[Star Wanderer]

I have conidered Dobsonians, but their size is what worries me. My only way of transportation is a bicycle, so transporting a 200p dobson would be impossible, wouldn't it?

[CraigT82]

A bicycle you say? Then the Heritage 130p is your friend! It will fit into a medium/large backpack and you wont need to carry a tripod (just a pad for sitting/kneeling on). Plus you'll save yourself 1000 kr!

[emadmoussa]

Probably the Mak 127 can do the job. You still need some sort of tripod/mount though.

[TwoPi]

I have conidered Dobsonians, but their size is what worries me. My only way of transportation is a bicycle, so transporting a 200p dobson would be impossible, wouldn't it?

Er yes, that's the 200P out of the running then!

[Star Wanderer]

How good are Dobsonians for taking astrophotography?

I was mesmorized by some of the images of dso's i found here on this forum from a Explorer 150PDS, and was wondering if Dobsonians can do the same?

[Moonshane]

imaging is something that is not suited to minimalist travel or low budgets. whilst you can take great images with small cheap scopes, you need a heavy and expensive mount to go with it. the exception to this is if you went for imaging with a camera and an astro-trac sort of mount.

dobsonians are not really suited to astro imaging of deep space objects unless you spend a lot of money on other things and even then they are not suitable really to get good results.

I'd recommend you stick to visual observing for now, manage your expectations of what you'll see (nothing like the images but amazing nonetheless) and perhaps buy a small refractor, mak, or newtonian on an alt-az mount for now until you have transport.

[AlexB67]

LOL -- I knew somebody would through in the word ''Dobsonian''...

Yes, Dobsonian are great value for money. But they lack the rich wide field a refractor could provide.

Actually, a Dobsonian is useless for observing anything, it is a mount, without the scope you do no get very far . But, in all seriousness, apart form could not resist throwing in that useless comment, In the end it is up to the OP what he wants. I'd say the DOb too for DSOs, but I have never owned an EQ2 mounted scope, but I do begin to feel/question their usefulness even for AP from reading around, and how ( perhaps not so ) sturdy they are, perhaps the fine tracking adjustments is something nice to have, I can't say never had that feature.

For visual alone I'd would lean towards a DOb if DSO is the main interest, and getting that aperture up to enjoy deep sky targets best you can for the cost and the kind of figures you mentioned for the scopes you already listed if planets or splitting double stars say, other things perhaps, I'd feel different.

Good luck with deciding.

[RT65CB-SWL]

If travelling to a dark site any form of reflector (maybe excluding Mak's & SCT's) by bicycle, surely it will require collimating by the time you got there. My only concern is that I would not fancy my optical hardware ending up as a pancake or squashed hedgehog on the road.

Disclaimer:

No hedgehogs were harmed, injured, suffered or died during the making of this post!

[RikM]

A Dobsonian mounted scope is practically useless for astrophotography, but great for visual observing. The Heritage 130P would be a great backpack portable telescope. I had a Skymax 127 and it is fairly heavy for it's size, together with a mount and field tripod is not comfortable to move more than a couple of hundred meters.

If you want to try astrophotagraphy of deep sky objects, then the mount is the most important consideration. These tend to be big and heavy equatorial mounts if you want presentable images. I use a 150P for imaging and yes, the telescope tube is only 70cm long and weights 6kg, but it sits on a 30kg mount next to a 40kg battery and a folding table and chair, laptop, two cases and seems like 3km of wires

For portable DSO imaging, perhaps a DSLR camera on one of the new Skytracker or Polarie mounts would be more compact and convenient? Perhaps a pair of binoculars to look around while the camera is collecting photons?

[scarp15]

I have conidered Dobsonians, but their size is what worries me. My only way of transportation is a bicycle, so transporting a 200p dobson would be impossible, wouldn't it?

Not necessarily if you consider a bicycle trailer such as the Revolution Cargo Trailer, available through Edinburgh Cycle Company, Denmark is sure to have similar alternatives. Will need collimating of course, but that is a normal requirement and quick n' easy. Would not be entirely convinced that it would transport a 200p, yet will provide you with more options and is more practical than a backpack.

[Lenny147]

If you going for the 200 why not the 250

[AlexB67]

If you going for the 200 why not the 250

... also a good bit more expensive and a bit heavier. I mean by that reasoning, why not the 350, 400 etc. It is not as if you are getting better bang for buck. No way a 250 would go on a bike, not to mind a 200 without something like a trailer with it . If what the OP said carrying things on a bike, probably I would not go for a dob bigger than what I have for doing visual, ideally something else probably that is as easy to carry as possible, along the lines what Rick mentioned if interested in some form of photography. I know nothing about imaging but I suspect that expecting good results requires equipment that is simply heavy to carry around, so with a bike you have to keep expectations in check as to what can be achieved.

[Star Wanderer]

Thank you for all the advices.

I am aiming to get 150PDS - for future upgrading to astrophotography.

The mount i would need some advices with. NEQ 3 and NEQ 5 both lay in my price range. How different are they in weight size and transportation?

[RikM]

Neither the EQ3 or EQ5 mounts are really up to imaging with a 150P. I started with an EQ3 and while I could get images, I very quickly outgrew the results I was getting. I tried an EQ5 and the particular example I had was no better than the EQ3. I think this was down to me having a good EQ3 and a poor EQ5, so unfair comparison perhaps. For a telescope of that size, you should really look at the HEQ5 as a minimum. I now use an NEQ6 and it is great.

Option 1. get the 150P and NEQ3, sell EQ3 and buy HEQ5 after 12 months.

Option 2. get the 150P and NEQ5, sell EQ5 and buy HEQ5 after 18 months.

Option 3. save up and buy HEQ5 + 150P, get larger scope for visual use later.

Option 4. get larger visual scope now, get NEQ6 mount or second scope/mount for imaging later.

[Stargazer_00]

I have conidered Dobsonians, but their size is what worries me. My only way of transportation is a bicycle, so transporting a 200p dobson would be impossible, wouldn't it?

How about getting one of them trailer things people drag their kids around in when cycling and put a scope on it instead. then you can have whatever aperture you want.

[Star Wanderer]

Neither the EQ3 or EQ5 mounts are really up to imaging with a 150P. I started with an EQ3 and while I could get images, I very quickly outgrew the results I was getting. I tried an EQ5 and the particular example I had was no better than the EQ3. I think this was down to me having a good EQ3 and a poor EQ5, so unfair comparison perhaps. For a telescope of that size, you should really look at the HEQ5 as a minimum. I now use an NEQ6 and it is great.

Option 1. get the 150P and NEQ3, sell EQ3 and buy HEQ5 after 12 months.

Option 2. get the 150P and NEQ5, sell EQ5 and buy HEQ5 after 18 months.

Option 3. save up and buy HEQ5 + 150P, get larger scope for visual use later.

Option 4. get larger visual scope now, get NEQ6 mount or second scope/mount for imaging later.

I see, what is the maximum apertur a HEQ5 can hold? And what is recommended apertur for it?

[rowan46]

you are looking at 2 different things when it comes at mount capacity for visual and imaging. generally you go 50%-66% of a mounts capacity for imaging 50% is best 66% if you are skilled and maybe 75% if lucky and skilled (i realise that the very skilled make their own luck) Best big relatively inexpensive combination for visual on the heq5 is probably the 200pl and best imaging combination is probably the ed80. Must you travel to view? sometimes bigger apparture can punch through light pollution more successfully than a smaller scope and narrow band imaging is possible even in major cities.

[Star Wanderer]

I have just recieved ordered telescope 150PDS on NEQ3 Mount.

Assembeled it without problems so far and now hopping for some clear skyies in the evening.

Thank you very much for all the advices.

[TwoPi]

Enjoy!

[rowan46]

nice scope enjoy