Hi from sunny North London

[terryc]

Hi All

Name is Terry and I live in North London.

I have left it late to take up the Astronomy hobby up!! You know how it goes......had money, got married, no money, kids, no time or money, mortgage, no money  etc etc!!

I have been googling like mad looking at equipment. Been to the library got a book (A little lesson on Astronomy). Been 'You Tubing', the wife is getting fed up with me being on the computer, God knows what will happen when I retire!!

Will be popping in now and again with questions etc, mainly on start-up equipment to begin with.

Q 1. Would £400 be ok for a starter system?? Looking on  the lines of the Skywatcher skymax 127? (or something like that, just a starter that I like the look of)

Appreciate your help/advice

Terry 

[rwilkey]

Hi Terry, welcome to the lounge, of course, there is plenty of choices out there, depends on what you are most interested in seeing as different telescopes are good at looking at different things, that's why many amatuer astronomers have more than one telescope.  Don't look specifically at 'starter' scopes, they are often too small and need upgrading too soon.

[rwilkey]

Forgot to add, always look at dedicated astronomy suppliers, like the forum sponsors, FLO, for example.  Keep away from the likes of Amazon and other stores.

[terryc]

Hi Robin

Been looking in the FLO site.

Thanks for the tips.

The only thing is that if I am just starting out, How do I know what a would like to look at? or is that a trick question!!

In the book I am reading at the moment there are  great pictures of nebulae. Planets like Saturn and the moom look great but at the moment  the nebulae pics look really interesting!! 

(think I am getting a bit in front of myself here, not knowing anything)!!

Terry

[ronl]

Hi Terry welcome to the lounge,

not an easy decision, your first scope, you are better off getting a scope

that will serve you for a long time, rather than, as Robin stated, one that

you will upgrade in a couple of months, here in S G L it is called "aperture 

fever", which means you want bigger, most of us have had it, and still do, but

think on the lines of 6 to 8 inch, then you will keep it for a long time, and it 

will save you money in the long term, because as soon as you get your scope,

as we all have done, we want to upgrade the eyepieces, and so it goes on,and

and on and on. So have a good long think before you buy.

Good Luck and Clear Sky's 

[Umbraldot]

Hi Terry, welcome to SGL.  You can add to your list "Took up astronomy, no money"

[rwilkey]

Hi Terry, nebulae are OK, you need good aperture for those objects to gather plenty of light, and a couple of nebula filters such as ones called UHC (ultra high contrast) and OIII (Oxygen III) as some can't be seen without a good filter such as the Veil Nebula in Cygnus (OIII needed) and so on, but there's plenty of time to learn!  Also, you need to realise that when looking at nebs you will not be able to see the colour that photographs show as our eyes are not sensitive enough.  The SW 127 Mak is good on planets and the Moon.  It has  long focal ratio 11.81.  A reflector is good on nebs as they gather more light as you can buy bigger aperture for the same money or less and they are also good on galaxies or feint fuzzies as we call them!

[swag72]

Hi Terry and welcome to SGL - If you look in the sketching part of the forum, that will give you a bit of an idea of the way you will generally see stuff. I can't help thinking that us imagers do a disservice to beginners as they see the great pictures in the books and they are rarely like that in reality.

Look forward to seeing you around

[Mr Spock]

Hi Terry, welcome to SGL

[Charon]

Welcome aboard.

[Floater]

Terry, welcome from another beginner.

I'm almost uncomfortable in writing anything more than that, because there are so many SGL members with so much more experience than I have.

Suffice to say that, as you'll see from my equipment survey in the signature area, my 'starter scope' is a Skyliner 150P. I enjoy using it when I get the chance - no clear skies for what seems like forever! - and I have spent an awful lot more than the price of the scope on eyepieces.

Two nuggets of advice that I liked when 'boning up' on what to buy and why are:

1) the best telescope that you can buy is the one you will use (transport, ease of set-up, etc.)

2) have fun and enjoy what you're doing. (That includes the frustration and the furious reading-up on the subject.)

Perhaps most important is - have clear skies!

[Saganite]

Hi Terry and welcome to SGL.

I can't really add to the good advice already given

except to say that 8" dobsonian is a very good scope

that is within your budget. One of these kept me more than

happy for 18 months until I decided to go for a Newtonian set up.

[wookie1965]

A warm welcome to SGL

[JamesM]

Hi Terry and welcome to the forum. All the advice above is good and will help your decision making process that bit easier for sure.  It is tricky when starting out because in answer to your question of "which scope", you will be often be met by the statement, "depends on what you want to look at" and if your answer is anything like me when I started out you will typically respond by saying, "well I want to see everything!"     

No worries, there is a get out of jail free card here and that is for you to go along to a public observation meeting, typically organised by your local astro club / observing group. The reason I make this suggestion is two fold. Firstly, all the specifications that you are likely to read in many of the scopes' advertisements won't mean a thing to you because you have yet to establish your own benchmark of what size and type of scope will best meet your own expectations - and we are all different. My personal view (...others may think differently) is that for a reflecting type of scope, (one with a mirror in it as opposed to a objective lens) around the 8" aperture size would be my choice and is in my opinion when observing objects starts to become interesting. Here I am thinking of observing galaxies and nebulea or what are more commonly known as deep sky objects (DSO's). These objects being so far away and therefore faint, will as a result require the ability to capture a good amount of light in order to observe any detail that is there to be seen. Remember, that no matter what size of scope you buy, there will always be a larger scope out there but 8" will ensure that you stave off the need to upgrade for some time and being a popular size of scope, will also help you get the best resale value when you eventually upgrade or decide on a more specific scope for your interests. The second reason for going along to a public observation session is to be able to try out many different types and sizes of scopes and to actually see for yourself the differences, particularly if they are pointing at the same object! You will also become aware of the size of some of this kit which is particularly relevant if you need to set your scope up for each observing session (as opposed to keeping it in a small observatory/shed) or to transport it to a darker site away from light pollution. There are other considerations such as the bigger the mirror, the longer it takes for that glass to cool down, that some scopes come with Goto which needs calibrating though it maybe argued that you will save time later on when selecting objects. Another advantage to these public sessions will be the ability to experience different eyepieces of which there varying standards and qualities that can make a significant difference to the view that you will see but like everything else it all comes at a price.  The point I am making here is that you will need to make a note of the scope AND perhaps the eyepiece that is being used in order to calculate the cost of replicating that same view with your own scope when you eventually come to buy one. 

I would also add that there is no rush to buy anything and as the saying goes, "...the stars aren't going anywhere" and what is more important is that you buy a scope that is right for you and your expectations. All the different scopes have advantages and disadvantages to them but the dobsonian reflector scope will represent per inch of aperture the best value for your money. To that end and taking account your prescribed budget, I would recommend you take a look at this scope which is the U.K's best selling scope and for good reason as it ticks a lot of the boxes. It will leave you with some change to buy a collimation tool (all reflecting scopes need the occasional tweak to align all the components to get the best performance) and a decent sky map/book such as this one to help compile a list of what you want to observe. If you want to take a look at the books format, you can have a look here.

No single scope does it all but the suggested scope I have listed above is certainly a good starting point to consider and many people on this forum have the very same scope as it is known to perform well on many types of targets be they planetary, the moon and DSO's. Go to at least a couple of observing sessions which will help you rule out certain types and sizes of scope and which will further help bring you nearer to what is right for you. Don't hesitate to come back to us with some choices or further questions because the research doesn't cost you anything. Stick to the main manufacturers (Skywatcher, Meade and Celestron) and purchase your scope from a astronomy dealer not ebay etc as the additional money spent will be more than repaid with good advice and after sales service.

Clear skies and hope you enjoy the forum

James

[terryc]

Well! how do I start!!

Thank you all for all your welcomes and help/advice, all invaluable knowledge.

Ron. I realise that in Astronomy, size does matter!!

Robin. I do realise about what to expect re the colour etc. In fact, I used to do a bit of press photography and I used to love messing with black/Greys and whites.

Up until a couple of years ago I used to do 'birding' with a scope 80ED glass and also have a decent pair of bins (8x42), not quite your x50, nearly enough for a start.

Gordon. I lilke your nuggets!!

Again, many thanks

Terry

[Floater]

Hi again, terryc. Leaving my nuggets out of this(!), JamesM has done you proud.

Have fun.

[C7tsj]

Hi Terry and welcome to SGL.

Mark

[valvenus]

Hi terry and welcome to SGL

[Guest]

Hi Terry, and welcome to SGL

[terryc]

 

Hi All

Thank you all for the welcomes, your making me blush!!!

When I start getting my questons ready, you will sick of me!!

Terry

[Pete Presland]

Hi welcome to SGL from Pete in Biggleswade

[michigander]

Welcome to SGL, Terry!

Dana

[todd8137]

Hi Terry welcome from me

Pat

[glowjet]

Hi Terry and welcome to SGL

[sologuitarist61]

Hello Terry and a warm welcome to SGL