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Dobsonian for a Beginner

Dizeee

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Dizeee

Dizeee

Posted
Posted

Hi all, spent some time last year researching this and got as far as deciding on a dobsonian as I am more interested in deep space than planetary observations.

I was going to go up to 1k but after getting busy with house renovations last year rather than actually getting a scope I am now at the point of buying one this year. I am interested in all aspects of observing and have never owned a scope before, all I have used is my basic bins which you can just about make out the moons of Jupiter with.

So my question is, as a complete novice, with no idea of scope maintenance or adjustment or setup etc, and being Rubbish at constructing anything / building anything myself - can I just go out and spend circa £400 on a decent dobsonian which will ne easy to setup (does it even require setup out the box?) and need little or basic maintenance?

I have read on here in the past about people changing the eyepieces and cleaning the refractors etc - I would have no idea how to do this unless it is a simple task.

Cheers

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Laurie61

Laurie61

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Hi, any scope you buy will have a certain amount of assembly needed but nothing too demanding  :smiley: The scopes you linked to aren't strictly Dob's although they use the same optics, a Newtonian reflector. This is a dobsonian -   http://www.philburtonphotography.co.uk/?shop=shopitems/sky.watcher.skyliner.150p.sky1016.aspx

The idea behind the Dob is to spend most of the money on the optics and have a basic, point and shoot, mount. Viewing deep space objects is usually considered easier with a bigger scope than the 5" you linked to, you would be better going for an 8" scope for this.  If you buy a Newtonian type scope you will need to find out about aligning the optics and basic maintenance, you cannot clean the mirrors like you would a binocular lens for example. Having said that anybody who takes on House renovations should probably manage just fine :smiley:   

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NGC 1502

NGC 1502

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Posted

I'm a confirmed Dob fan, but they are not for everyone.

Best suited for people like me for whom technology just gets in the way, rather than someone who loves the techie stuff.

Being familiar with basic DIY helps too, for collimating the mirrors to sorting sticky Dob mounts etc........no prob at all if you are at least fairly handy with basic tools.

Nothing wrong at all with go-to but that's not for everyone either.

Regards, Ed.

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starboy71

starboy71

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hi all, hope you are all well. now i have just joined stargazers lounge so please bare with me. i am re-entering astronomy again after many years away from it ( life got in the way)... i know my way around the sky but not so much a telescope..my 1st was a terrible cheap thing that was proberbly older than i was at the time! ( 14 then...i`m 42 now)..i have been researching many many dofferent types of scopes and in truth its made my brain ache..im certainly no techno wizard... ive half decide on an 8 inch dob...looks simple to operate..not much to go wrong with it?..however i came across collimation...can some one tell me what this is and more importantly why? thanks.

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starboy71

starboy71

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I think you'd enjoy one of these for a nice simple dob. The larger the aperture the better with dobsonians - which is after all the main reason for getting one - and this is right on your budget of circa £400. It's big though so be prepared. :)

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-250px-dobsonian.html

thanks mate..wow thats a beast!!... now im thinking space to store in house and in the car to and from some dark locations... what could i see if i purchased either a 6inch dob or the 8 inch dob as i mentioned earler?..decent shots of jupiter saturn mars and our own moon? galaxy structure ? even some nebulae too perhaps?..i have found you tube footage of what appears to be jupiter through an 8inch dob..looks amazing!

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NGC 1502

NGC 1502

Posted
Posted

hi all, hope you are all well. now i have just joined stargazers lounge so please bare with me. i am re-entering astronomy again after many years away from it ( life got in the way)... i know my way around the sky but not so much a telescope..my 1st was a terrible cheap thing that was proberbly older than i was at the time! ( 14 then...i`m 42 now)..i have been researching many many dofferent types of scopes and in truth its made my brain ache..im certainly no techno wizard... ive half decide on an 8 inch dob...looks simple to operate..not much to go wrong with it?..however i came across collimation...can some one tell me what this is and more importantly why? thanks.

An 8" Dob is a nice size and could sustain many years of great astronomy, with no real need to ever upgrade.

Collimation discussions can get a bit heated  :embarassed: but here's good advice - http://www.garyseronik.com/?q=node/169

Gary has been with Sky & Telescope magazine for a long while, he's an experienced telescope user and builder.

I wouldn't let collimation (aligning the mirrors) put you off getting a Dob.

Regards, Ed.

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LDW1

LDW1

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If you are more interested in deep space this will do for

starters http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html

the most popular Dobsonion as a starter scope, it's a good 

all rounder too.

I second this one, lots of bang for the buck (pound that is) - LOL ! I have owned 2 plus a 153mm SW Dob, just bought my second one today, one for home and one for my remote camp in northern Canada ! It can't get any better or easier with awesome views on those great seeing nights.
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Kirscovitch

Kirscovitch

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You should be able to get a decent dob for that budget.

As stated above that there will be some sort of assembly required out of the box. I'm am usually all thumbs when it comes to putting stuff together but assembling the mount for my dob was a breeze.

When it comes time for collimation it can seem daunting and scary at first but there is nothing to it. There are lots of ways to go about it and there is tons of information and videos out there that show you how to go about it.

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LDW1

LDW1

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thanks mate..wow thats a beast!!... now im thinking space to store in house and in the car to and from some dark locations... what could i see if i purchased either a 6inch dob or the 8 inch dob as i mentioned earler?..decent shots of jupiter saturn mars and our own moon? galaxy structure ? even some nebulae too perhaps?..i have found you tube footage of what appears to be jupiter through an 8inch dob..looks amazing!

You had better stick with either a 153mm or 200mm Dob, anything over that starts to get pretty big, heavy and harder to store / move around ! On a great seeing night you will get awesome views of things like the Orion, Lagoon, Swan etc.nebula's, galaxies like M51, M31, M81/82 etc., star clusters like M13, M36, M37, M38 etc.(including the beautiful Double Cluster in Perseus) to name but a small few, all glorious and all up there. Also get yourself a copy of the books Night Watch and Turn Left At Orion both geared to the beginner or experienced alike, very comprehensive explanations written in easy to understand laymen's terms and as well download a couple of astronomy apps Sky Safari Plus and Stellarium, the first costs a bit, the second is free but not quite as good in my estimation. One thing to always remember is that no matter what type of scope or size you buy the views will never look like the beautiful colour photos that you see in mags as most of them were taken with some pretty sophisticated / expensive equipment costing big $ . Hope this helps ? Clear Skies to you !
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cotterless45

cotterless45

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Bit bigger range here, if you have the space. No use buying an 8" when you're aperture fever says 12" .

I'd stick with a solid tube. Trusses even with a shroud invite every bit of muck onto the mirror,

http://www.telescopehouse.com/acatalog/Revelation-Dobsonians.html

Don't forget your spends will include a Cheshire, eps, rdf or Telrad finder, ep case, seat and cold weather gear,

Nick.

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