Buying a telescope for my other half PLEASE HELP!!!

[Charic]

Hi starreyed2014,  It does show in your comments?..........Ok so i know absolutely nothing about telescopes.................they dont come on a tripod and are just based on a swivel stand i feel this wont be good enough............As i said above i would really like to get one on a tripod and the dobsonian doesnt fit the bill for that unfortunately. PLEASE SOME ONE HELP I WOULD MUCHLY APPRECIATE IT

We will try and help, but you seem to know enough already to  discount the Dobsonian in favour of a tripod mounted telescope. The Sky-watcher Skyliner 8" (200P) is my telescope of choice, and mentioned above (#3) is the 150mm 6" version, But I would say your partner should have the 8" version. Check out why this telescope is the UK's best selling telescope? before totally discounting it.  It is very easy to use, no fiddly set up with EQ mounts, and is a joy to use. He would be proud to say "My Mrs bought me a big old 8" reflector telescope for Christmas! "

However, its your choice at the end of the Day. If you don't want to get it wrong, get him some vouchers or cash in his Christmas card with a suggestion that there is enough to buy  a telescope. Another good option is to get some 10x50 Binoculars in order to study the night skies, and then let him decide if there is any need for a telescope?

[Coastliner]

Hi Starryeyed,

I'm a relative newbie, I've been following this because I want to buy another scope sometime. I wasn't going to get involved, but as it has given me some food for thought I thought I'd throw in my tuppenceworth.

I don't envy your gnashing of teeth and hair-pulling frame of mind you must be in now - you are in a difficult position.

What would I do?

Get the Dob plus "Turn left at Orion".  He will be outside and observing within minutes, both you and he will be amazed at what you can see even if you are looking at a seemingly empty patch of sky, he will get some brilliant views of the planets and some of the nearer Deep Sky Objects (Orion Nebula, Andromeda, clusters) and will have plenty to learn as a beginner without getting into EQ mounts etc. - and I do mean PLENTY to learn, this will keep you both occupied for a very long time.  The last thing you want to do is put him off by buying something over complicated to start with.

Then he decides he might want to have a go at photography - brilliant. Same scope, same eyepiece, simply point a smartphone camera down the eyepiece. Some folk have taken good photos of the moon doing exactly this. Then - better photos with better camera equipment.  At some point he will decide he needs to take longer exposures for DSOs. That is when he will start thinking about EQ mounts.

What I am saying is start simple, with a flippin' good scope, and build.  Even after he gets his EQ mount (he will still be able to use the same tube on it) he may find that for a quick observing session he will prefer to get the Dob mount out.

Look at him Doe-eyed and say "I really hope you like it, you have no idea how much research I've done and how many people have been involved".   He will be as pleased as punch.

Neil.

[Skywatcher 200]

Hi 'starryeyed2014' and welcome

As a 'newbie' , i looked at things a little more simply :

Viewing : simply a Dob,  http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html  easy to use/set up.. No power supplys/ cameras or computers.. Simple just point and view.... Bigger is better and you can always try taking  snapshots with your mobile phone through the eye piece !  Simplicity.... The only expense you will have is for better eye pieces or a Barlow

Imaging : This is the route i took, (wallet is in breakdown mode) ... I have spent more time trouble shooting my set up, than actually looking up ..(sad state of affairs)

                and the list of equipment is growing... but i'm winning

If i were starting over, i should have started with a Dob, and simply looked up and learnt my way around the night sky, and see some of the amazing sights above our heads, but,

Imaging was the route i wanted to go down, and i was fully aware of the costs involved, It would have been nice too gaze,( something i will remedy)  rather than pulling my hair out, when all things electrical, play their little tricks, and i end up staring at a computer screen instead ! (newbie errors)

Andy (A Newbie )

[starryeyed2014]

He is very interested in the moon so he will want to see that in depth - it is very hard to choose VOUCHERS are NOT an option just to make that clear...  i want to buy this for him myself as he doesnt know what he would want or like either as he has never done anything like this before which is why i have come on here to the experts to find out the right one to get. I understand you are all saying the dob is the one to look at getting but i am still not sure about ease of use as we dont live far away from the moors and that so i thought at some point he may want to take it out there i cant afford to buy an expensive tripod to go on the dob so i was more looking at the sky watcher telescopes as mentioned before without getting into the big technics etc as some ppl are can we just remember that this will be his first telescope he has never had any dealings with any of this but i do think that after using it he will get into it more and be more interested so something good but not too difficult to use easy to move around places to use it the mount on the dob looks pretty small that you just rest it on your lap?

i hope i dont sound rude but it is really difficult enough to make this decision without all the real technics being bombarded on me as well as i am new to all of this as well. i appreciate all your advice and help and i am looking at what you have said.

[jnb]

Not rude at all we've all wandered off to discuss details and technicalities while forgetting your original question. So some practical questions ...

Budget £300

What do you / does he want to observe mostly - The Moon, anything else?

Where is the scope going to be used? will it have to be moved much? (two meters from a shed is a different prospect to 10 km on a bus!) Moors and anywhere else?

How fit is your other half? Some telescopes can be surprisingly heavy?

How technically competent / practically minded is he? Will he want something that will do everything for him or could he handle it himself.

Answers to those should narrow things down a bit.

[starryeyed2014]

Mostly the Moon, stars and that as well im sure once he gets into it, i just have a feeling that once he starts he will be fascinated with it and want to do more

it will be moved from house to garden or  maybe out to the car to go to the moors etc

he is quite fit so carrying it shouldnt be a problem

He is pretty competent but maybe to begin with it would help that he had something to help him out with it until he gets used to what he is doing

Thank you

[Ruud]

Are the moors in your area very soggy?

[happy-kat]

The telescope you use is the best one you have regardless of what it is or how big it is.

The dobs being suggested would fit on your settee side ways to picture a size, base is not huge (not lap size) but the tube long.

There are small dobs like the heritage 100p or 130p that with base could fit on your lap weight 6.3 kilos or less. I have the 130p on a dob base but I actually prefer my 80mm refractor on the tripod plus I can use my digital slr camera on the tripod for wide star field images.

Perhaps some pictures with reference objects for sizing would help. Google is great for this.

Put the scope name in Google the select images and usually you will find a least one picture showing a person next to the scope.

[nameunknown]

Dear Reader,

I'd suggest explaining that you know all about his interest and are quite happy to explore it.

You may even consider telling him that you will lead him blindfolded into a specialist shop, and then let him choose whaich equipment he wants...

Joking apart, I think a whisper in the ear of "would you like a telescope" is the start of something cosmic.

P

[Owmuchonomy]

He is very interested in the moon so he will want to see that in depth - it is very hard to choose VOUCHERS are NOT an option just to make that clear...  i want to buy this for him myself as he doesnt know what he would want or like either as he has never done anything like this before which is why i have come on here to the experts to find out the right one to get. I understand you are all saying the dob is the one to look at getting but i am still not sure about ease of use as we dont live far away from the moors and that so i thought at some point he may want to take it out there i cant afford to buy an expensive tripod to go on the dob so i was more looking at the sky watcher telescopes as mentioned before without getting into the big technics etc as some ppl are can we just remember that this will be his first telescope he has never had any dealings with any of this but i do think that after using it he will get into it more and be more interested so something good but not too difficult to use easy to move around places to use it the mount on the dob looks pretty small that you just rest it on your lap?

i hope i dont sound rude but it is really difficult enough to make this decision without all the real technics being bombarded on me as well as i am new to all of this as well. i appreciate all your advice and help and i am looking at what you have said.

Hi, just remind me where you are in the UK. Maybe you could drop by someone's place and check out some scopes. Regarding the Dobsonians, it is already on its own mount so you don't need a tripod. You place it on the ground, choose a nice stool, sit next to it and look through the eyepiece at the top of the tube.

[Charic]

He is very interested in the moon so he will want to see that in depth - it is very hard to choose VOUCHERS are NOT an option just to make that clear...  i want to buy this for him myself as he doesnt know what he would want or like either as he has never done anything like this before which is why i have come on here to the experts to find out the right one to get. I understand you are all saying the dob is the one to look at getting but i am still not sure about ease of use as we dont live far away from the moors and that so i thought at some point he may want to take it out there i cant afford to buy an expensive tripod to go on the dob so i was more looking at the sky watcher telescopes as mentioned before without getting into the big technics etc as some ppl are can we just remember that this will be his first telescope he has never had any dealings with any of this but i do think that after using it he will get into it more and be more interested so something good but not too difficult to use easy to move around places to use it the mount on the dob looks pretty small that you just rest it on your lap?

i hope i dont sound rude but it is really difficult enough to make this decision without all the real technics being bombarded on me as well as i am new to all of this as well. i appreciate all your advice and help and i am looking at what you have said.

..........We have all been there so dont worry , don't stress about it. Just keep firing the questions.........

You'r in a difficult situation, You need to keep this a secret from your partner, yet by the time he gets 'his' telescope, He`s going to be alarmed that you`ll know more than him about telescopes when the time comes!

If you decided on say the Skywatcher Dobsonian 200P telescope, others here will agree, its a sound investment, and one that will bring many Years of joy. Its so easy to set-up and use . The only scenario your partner needs to learn is a subject called collimation. Its the equivalent of tuning a guitar in the telescope world?  The Dobsonian takes up about the same amount of floor space as a kitchen chair, so it may be easier left assembled, and if your partner is able-bodied, he will be able to lift it no problem into the garden, or separate into two sections for transporting in the car, to a darker place to view the skies. Any telescope you use may be a good telescope, but they are so much better when there is no light pollution around you, so in the middle of the Moors would be ideal. Any telescope on an EQ mount, requires special considerations prior to set up, and this requirement takes place every time you use it. If its not set up correctly, he will have problems.  An EQ system takes up more floor space for storage, unless you seperate the telescope from its mount?. A Dobsonian, just needs to sit on the ground somewhere, and its just about ready to go.

[Coastliner]

This is the exact Dobsonian that some of us are recommending - as you can see, a bit big to sit on your lap! That is the complete item, nothing else to buy other than a collimator. The whole thing sits on the ground, and you sit next to it.

Take a sec to watch this video https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UiW7rRSApBA

[starryeyed2014]

Wow thank you for that video I feel really stupid now as I thought it was a really small telescope nearly like a microscope that's why i was so concerned but after watchin that I can see exactly what it is now thank you so much for that I really appreciate it I now apologise to others that have recommended the dobsonian to me I really had no clue as to it's size and setup

[Coastliner]

Brilliant- now you see what we are saying, take it outside, point it in the right direction, look down the eyepiece and that's it. No power supplies, no aligning, just collimation to look after. And this why one of us said that you get a lot of telescope for relatively little money ( a lot of bang per buck) with a Dobsonian. You have a large aperture 8" diameter tube that will gather a shedload of light, enabling you to see faint objects as well as the planets.

[Floater]

Ah, starryeyed, now you see ...

As per my previous post, when he unpacks and puts together his Dob and gazes in wonder - at it and through it! - you will be his No. 1 star ...

Enough said.

[D4N]

Probably want to buy a lunar filter if you are getting an 8" scope and he wants to look at the moon, it's gonna be bright.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Robp]

Excellent, I was going to ask someone to post a picture of them standing next to the scope as the size is deceptively big, the sellers sites don't really show how big they really are!

At the top end of your Budget you have a choice between the dob mount or an Equatorial mount and as you are now coming around to the idea of a Dob these are the two options I'd recommend:

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

or

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-150p-eq3-2.html

As we stated earlier, the Dosonian will get you a bigger scope for the money (8inch mirror versus 6 inch mirror). This will provide you with a higher magnification.

I'm sure that once you have decided what to buy your lucky partner, if you let us know we can advise you on any small cost extras that you could ask other family members to purchase them as gifts as well!

for instance if you are going to go for a Newtonian telescope (both of the options I have supplied are a Newtonian) this device, a collimating eyepiece. This is used to keep the primary and secondary mirror aligned:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/other-collimation-tools/cheshire-collimating-eyepiece.html

Whatever you decide, I'd recommend you purchase through first light optics rather than a retailer like Amazon or Jessops. Lots of people from this forum use FLO for purchases and in my experience there customer service is top notch and there staff are keen astronomers as well

[Digger1895]

Just a little argument for and against EQ mount from a beginner.

For: for visual use only an EQ is very easy to set up, you only have to roughly polar align for visual use and I think the ra/dec controls help iin understanding how the earth moves relative to the sky. The slow-mo controls are far easier to keep the target in view rather than nudging.

Against: the eyepiece can end up in some very weird and uncomfortable positions. The cheaper end scope/EQ mount sets sold are normally under mounted and can cause frustrating wobbles when ever the scope is touched or in the slightest breeze.

I bought a 5" newt on a Dob mount, then got an EQ5 mount and put it on that, but the EP ended up in some uncomfortable positions especially the RDF. So I put it back on its little Dob mount with home made setting circles, it's much easier to use and also locate objects.

[starryeyed2014]

Thats great thank you all so much for your help i think he will love it really x gonna get it in a couple of weeks then have it all in time and dont have to worry can pick up the books and other little bits between now and xmas thank again

[Coastliner]

Don't forget to post a pic of your purchase!

[itmo]

Now her SO will wonder all christmas why it is so cloudy, then he will open the gift and there is a telescope, 2 more weeks of clouds..   Best to give him some books too to read while the clouds disappear and maybe tell him to download stellarium. Jupiter should be nicely visible in december already so I would start from there , then maybe some globular clusters and open clusters.

[Robp]

I'd be more concerned with how starreyeyed2014 is going to hide it from them until Christmas!

[DaveS]

Oh, and point him in the direction of this forum! I'm sure he'll have questions and we're always here to help.

Even though I'm definately not one of the "dob mob" I have to say that the Skyliner 200p is the way to go.

[Ruud]

Hi, OP,

Congratulations on your choice. You'd better have it sent to a friend's house because its going to be a big and conspicuous delivery that won't be easy to hide.

Looking forward on your report of how your better half reacts to this present.

[starryeyed2014]

Thanks everyone I will point him in this direction I'm quite excited I will be having it delivered to work for sure haha