Where to start?

[Bennythebrit]

Had some great nights observing with 10 x 56 binos. Want to go a bit further now and get a scope as a companion to my binos.

My interests are Nebs, clusters and planets.

Want something that is quick to set up and break down.

My budget is around the £150 to £200 mark

Any advice would be appreciated

Merry Xmas and a cloud free 2014.

[Steve Ward]

You could do a lot worse than this one ... http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-150p-dobsonian.html

[Bizibilder]

If you blow your budget to £205 you could get one of these:  http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-150p-dobsonian.html  Reasonable aparture - needed for DSO's - and enough focal length to get decent views of the planets and Moon. Dobsonian refers to the mount - a simple "push to" design.

Edit:  Must type faster!!

[Bennythebrit]

Ok excuse my ignorance, but does the term dobsonian refer to to the mount ? I take it , looking at the pic , that the mount is basically the circular thing on the bottom and that is what makes contact with the ground? So how high would that set up be.? I'm 5"9 , but that looks small ? Would I have to sit on a chair to look thru it?

[Alien 13]

Basically all Dobs are Newts but not all Newts are Dobs its all in the mount.

[brantuk]

Yup a chair would make observing much more comfy. You may also want to think about a right angled finder as well to avoid bending into awkward positions to look through it. The 150P is a newtonian telescope on a dobsonian base - the base being a simple to set up and use rocker box on a turntable. It fits your budget and viewing interests perfectly and is light enough to be easily portable. Hth

[NGC 1502]

Ok excuse my ignorance, but does the term dobsonian refer to to the mount ? I take it , looking at the pic , that the mount is basically the circular thing on the bottom and that is what makes contact with the ground? So how high would that set up be.? I'm 5"9 , but that looks small ? Would I have to sit on a chair to look thru it?

Here's a reasonable definition of a Dobsonian telescope http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dobsonian_telescope

A Dob is "the biggest bang for the buck" in terms of what you will see, compared with what you will spend.

Regards, Ed.

[Bennythebrit]

Thanks all for the replies. I've read a lot of stuff regarding colimation? Not really sure what that is but it sounds complicated.!

Would a new dobsonian need colimated.?

[NGC 1502]

Thanks all for the replies. I've read a lot of stuff regarding colimation? Not really sure what that is but it sounds complicated.!

Would a new dobsonian need colimated.?

Hi again.  I think Dobs are great, but yes, collimation ( aligning the mirrors ) is a necessary part of ownership.

Hard to say if a new one would need a tweak.  Maybe if you buy from a good retailer they could at least do a basic check when you collect.   Some do check collimation at every session, but provided it hasn't had a bump, most Dobs stay collimated, and anyway, it's really not a big deal when you get used to it.  If the scope is delivered, it will have been bumped around in transit, and of course, most of them have come halfway round the world.

I wouldn't let collimation put you off getting one, but I do think that Dobs are best suited to DIY types with at least basic skills.

Regards, Ed.

[brantuk]

It may or may not require collimation. It will be set up at the factory but the shipping might have knocked it out slightly. Collimation is just lining up the mirrors with the focuser tube and eyepiece so light is being reflected and focused correctly in the right place. It's not such a big deal as it sounds and only takes a few mins at the start of a session.

There are several different collimation tools and methods - a visit with a local astronomy group will give you a chance to see how it's done and decide what might suit you.

[Naemeth]

Thanks all for the replies. I've read a lot of stuff regarding colimation? Not really sure what that is but it sounds complicated.!

Would a new dobsonian need colimated.?

It shouldn't do, and if it does collimation is a really straight forward task. Takes a few minutes once you know what you are doing, and there are plenty of guides about it available on the internet

I used this one

[Kirscovitch]

Collimation can be daunting at first but It is actually not that hard. There are a lot of videos up on youtube  that can show you what you need to know.