Such confusion

[cutepetgroomer]

Ever since I tried my telescope away from the city lights, I been having mixed feelings about getting a new telescope. The one I want is considered a table top and I tried one exactly like it for my assignment at the camping trip. I was lucky to be able to try mine out but feel even luckier I i was able to try out many different types of scopes , I didn't like the cassegrains, I liked the eq mount a lot along with the goto mounts. But I really enjoyed the dob mounts and the tabletop ones best. They all had varying aperture sizes.

[ronin]

I would have thought the table top one's to be restrictive, I doubt they go above 130mm and owing to the need for compactness would be short so a fast scope. An overly fast scope tend to have problems of maintaining good collimation and additionally needing good (more expensive) eyepieces, maybe a coma corrector as well.

If you were looking at ones like the Orion Starblast 4.5 I suspect that they would be too fast for ease of use,

A popular dobsonian here is the 150P, it is an f/8 scope, somewhwere around there.

Height is good for visual and the 150mm aperture collects a bit more. Add in that the longer focal length allow the use of less costly eyepieces and collimation is less critical and so one of those would seem to be the better solution.

Looking at US sources the nearest is the Orion Skyquest XT6 (Optcorp) Neither Astronomics or Agena Astro appear to have similar, everything seems to start at 8" over in your part of the world.

The XT6 should be OK for transport, they are not large, and a table top reflector needs a table - although the table is useful for putting bits on.

[bingevader]

Horses for course, swings and roundabouts, the decision is ultimately yours!

It's been said numerous times in the past, but the 'scope that's best for you will be the one that you use the most!

If you've had the chance to try, then that's excellent.

With dobs, people often say, "Aperture is king!" This may be true in terms of light gathering ability, but with an increase in size comes a decrease in portability. There's a pay off and you have to decide where that is.

I have an 8" 'scope, but it's the 90mm that comes on holiday with me. 

[Peter Drew]

One of the reasons most of us eventually have several telescopes. 

[todd8137]

Think about the scope you would love to own lets say a 6" whatever ,get the next size up upgrades are expensive

Pat

[cutepetgroomer]

Yes I know. I do know when I get a house I can own a nice big one. For now though I know that I must get one that does what I want while being portable too

[happy-kat]

What do you want that your current scope can't do?

Would it do what you want if you did the upgrades to it that your tutors suggested?

[AlexB67]

The Heriage 130p is f/5, not that fast and only 6 kilos, though not sure if it is sold in the US. The orion starblast 6 is also f/5 a bit bigger and heavier but similar idea with the table top mount.

http://www.telescope.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=102011&type=product

You can always port these over to an alt-z if you so really wish at a later date, at least I know the heritage can. That orion starblast looks like a nice little scope

There is also an 4.5 version

http://www.telescope.com/Orion-StarBlast-45-Astro-Reflector-Telescope/p/102010.uts

though that is at f/4, somewhat more uncivil for collimation and sharp views across the FOV.

[happy-kat]

Yes the heritage model is sold a very similar one by the astro org for a low price I posted about it.

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/205265-us-equivalent-of-skywatcher-heritage-130p/?fromsearch=1

[LukeSkywatcher]

I dont think the Skywatcher Heritage 130P is available in America. I think you are limited to the Celestron Heritage 76mm.

Dont quote me on that.

[cutepetgroomer]

Well, I know my current one needs a new tripod even tightening the screws everywhere didn't seem to help the wobble factorby much, mainly when I go left and right, and I need new eyepieces but with this telescope being as old as it is it uses the .965" eyepieces. So it would be a lot of updating to this telescope.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Well, I know my current one needs a new tripod even tightening the screws everywhere didn't seem to help the wobble factorby much, mainly when I go left and right, and I need new eyepieces but with this telescope being as old as it is it uses the .965" eyepieces. So it would be a lot of updating to this telescope.

Maybe before you spend cash updating and improving your scope, it could be time to think about a new buy.

[cutepetgroomer]

Oh yes I have been pretty sure it's time for a new telescope. The end of this week my hubby will be ordering one for me

[happy-kat]

The good news there is a pretty identical model available in the US if it ticked your boxes. Not seen any reviews though equally I have not searched for any.

http://store.astronomerswithoutborders.org

A wobbly tripod must be frustrating.

[Charic]

cutepetgroomer......If it helps your hubby with the purchase, if buying a reflector, I would suggest that the 6" (150P ) is your minimum aperture to consider, so buy something bigger! The reflectors are best for Star clusters, Nebula and other Deep Space Objects ( DSO ).You can still observe the Planets!

Should he/you decide on a refractor telescope, consider a 3" (75mm) as your baseline minimum and buy something bigger again! Refractors can be more efficient in use, having nice crisp images ( those with apochromatic objective lenses )  and with  no secondary mirrors to spoil the views?  they should  be great on the Moon and Planets,  even Solar observations ( taking all the precautions available when looking at the sun!). But their not as efficient  on DSO's, unless you buy the biggest aperture, but then you hit the real stumbling block, the prices of large aperture refractors is astronomical, if you'll excuse the pun, that's why they say, a Newtonian is a better bang for your buck, as its cheaper to produce a large aperture mirror than it is to build a large aperture Objective lens.

At night, aperture is all important for capturing the low light levels, so the larger the aperture, the fainter the objects you should see, given the right viewing conditions. Also some targets are so large, and so spread out,  that they become invisible to the naked eye, take Andromeda M31 for example. With the eye ( if you've still got   20/20 vision - or using averted vision ) you may just see the core of the Galaxy, but having a large apertured telescope with a low powered eyepiece, its a truly Wow! image.

It would be nice to own more than one telescope for these reasons above. There are the compound telescopes that use a bit of both technologies, but again,  expensive, possibly a Jack of All Trades, and maybe Master of none?

Astronomy is like having a tool kit? Having the right tool for the job, gets the job done, but with our hobby,  its always at  a  considerable cost, but a lot  less than the cost of your your new home!!!

[cutepetgroomer]

True and I told him what type I liked and how big the aperture should be. He have me a budget and I think he's gonna go bigger like he tends to do