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My first telescope, any good?

Mark719

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Mark719

Mark719

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Hey, I have been looking for a telescope to just casually look at the night sky (planets, moon and stars etc), this will be my first telescope and I haven't used one before either, I have always been fascinated by the night sky, looking up at it and wondering about it. So I finally thought I'd get a telescope for Christmas, I found this one http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-sky-watcher-130-explorer-newtonian-reflector-telescope/p1017011 and looked at some reviews and videos on it and it seems good, what are your thoughts? Anything better you can suggest for around that price?

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Laurie61

Laurie61

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Hey, I have been looking for a telescope to just casually look at the night sky (planets, moon and stars etc), this will be my first telescope and I haven't used one before either, I have always been fascinated by the night sky, looking up at it and wondering about it. So I finally thought I'd get a telescope for Christmas, I found this one http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-sky-watcher-130-explorer-newtonian-reflector-telescope/p1017011 and looked at some reviews and videos on it and it seems good, what are your thoughts? Anything better you can suggest for around that price?

Would be difficult to get a complete new, 5", scope and mount for less :smiley: the 90 mm refractor would also be OK. The only thing I could suggest is spend a bit more and buy this  http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-150p-dobsonian.html  

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Special K

Special K

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Hi, this is a good choice for the budget and if you can afford a little more you go for the 130M with a motor or the 130P which has a slightly better mirror that is parabolic in shape.  I’ve had mine over a year and still haven’t outgrown it!  This will give you decent views of the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn, and other planets (though those are much smaller in the view).  You also have a good chance with the deep space objects.  Sure there are bigger scopes with better views but this gets you in the game!  Open Star clusters are fantastic in this scope and many other types of objects are in reach.

There is scope to enhance your purchase later by introducing new and better eyepieces than the ones which come with the set.  Having said that, I still use the 25mm every session as it is a low mag wide field piece which helps in navigating around, and is not a bad EP. 

The instructions are good enough to get started and you’re on the right forum for advice and help when you need it.  The mount is sturdy enough for its purposes, and overall I’d say this is very good value for money.  Hope you enjoy whatever scope you settle on! 

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Scott

Scott

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In my opinion mark, I'd steer clear of the eq mount (or any cheap mount). It's going to wobble a lot and if there's a breeze it'll be worse. The dobsonian that is linked above is (in my opinion) by far the best choice but if money is tight then have a look at http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html. It's basically the same as the one you linked but on a dob base. it'll be much sturdier and a little cheaper.

Good luck with you search....It can seem like a minefield :)

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Mark719

Mark719

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Whats your budget mark? How much is the missus letting you spend i mean!

Sent from my GT-I8160 using Tapatalk 2

Anything from 100-200ish, I'm looking for something good which will last me a long time and is worth the money. :)

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swamp thing

swamp thing

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Would be difficult to get a complete new, 5", scope and mount for less :smiley: the 90 mm refractor would also be OK. The only thing I could suggest is spend a bit more and buy this  http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-150p-dobsonian.html

^^^^ This

IMO a 6" Dob is the best starter scope one can buy.

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catman161

catman161

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If you're looking for a good scope that will last you and keep you interested then aperture is key in my opinion so the larger 150P dobsonian is what I would recommend. Great little scope on a really simple altltitude-azimuth (up/down-round and around) mount (alt-az for short). Easy to store, just take it out and plonk (softly) Ono the ground and start looking. I had the 200P dobsonian when I started. In fact I still have the OTA (optical tube assembly) the tube bit basically! I just don't have it on the dobsonian alt-az mount anymore I put some rings on it and mount it on an NEQ 6 Pro motorised mount now as I like to take images of planets.

The 150O will show you loads, is simple and will keep you interested. Next thing you will need is a good star chart. If recommend Sky & telescope pocket sky atlas. It's got plasticised pages so they don't go soggy with the dew. Also download a free program called stellarium and then put your latitude & longitude coordinates in it (you can find these out by using google earth) for wherever you plan to use your scope (your garden for example) and the program will show you why star constellations and planets will be visible from your chosen location at any time/date.

Good luck and hope you have a great time with your new scope :)

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