Help choosing telescope for wife please

[Astro Imp]

We go outside at night - set the scope up - then what?  What do we actually point it at in a typical session? 

I'm not being obtuse but it really does depend on what you want to see and the conditions.

Let me expand a little, you have gone out it's clear and the moon is showing, have a good look, at this time of the lunar month the deep sky is less viewable as the moon creates light pollution the same as man made. You looked at Stellarium before going out and saw that Jupiter will be visible and took a note of where in the sky it's situated, you'll definitely want to include this on your observing list. The brighter deep sky is still available, M44 and M45 are stunning and easy to find. If you have Turn Left at Orion look to see what else is visible at this season, probably a selection of double stars, well worth tracking down. When the moon is out the way the whole of the night sky is available to you only limited by your local light pollution, your scope's aperture and your skill.

Good luck

[happy-kat]

There are lots of threads on adding a setting circle and using a wixey with the dob base to make it push too.

Here are just a couple.

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/193174-setting-circle-mod-for-dob-bases/?fromsearch=1

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/220650-setting-circle-for-200-dobson/?fromsearch=1

Google images using setting circle wixey

[wheresthetorch?]

Maybe look at one of these, if you want a dob and help with finding things? Maybe too pricey though if you're just starting out.

http://www.scsastro.co.uk/catalogue/orion-skyquest-xt8-intelliscope.htm?gclid=CIHE2_OEw8ICFQjLtAodDAwABg

[simonrp]

Thanks again for all the great advice above - That XT8 seems perfect but out of budget for the first scope   However,  IF I can "get her into" the hobby then there is no reason she wouldn't sanction a budget of up to about 1k for the next one  

So I guess the only thing would be, now that my budget is a pretty firm  £200 is the 150p still the one to go for ?

[Stu]

So I guess the only thing would be, now that my budget is a pretty firm £200 is the 150p still the one to go for ?

Yep :-)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Liquid360]

Can this be reversed to allow me to choose a wife based on a telescope?

[simonrp]

Here I go again lol.  I am really so grateful for all the help and advice you folks have given me so far.  This forum is certainly going to be become a regular haunt for me and, hopefully, as my knowledge progresses I will one day be able to help others out in the same way I often do in coding forums and FB groups

But... at the risk of annoying people (I hope not, please bear with me) - I have some more questions :

I have been thinking very very carefully about my (our) requirements so here goes :

The main thing is to keep my wife interested to the point where she will take up astronomy as a hobby - that would be great as I would also love it as a hobby (which you might have guessed by now lol) - We don't have many hobbies that we share so this would perfect.

Eventually we could get the children interested as well (although they are only 5 and 1 at the moment).

So, to keep her interested I guess the following are requirements for the first month or so :

1.  We can go outside for an hour when the children are in bed and quickly set a scope up to start viewing (within 10 minutes or so,  excluding cool down time as I can always pop it outside in advance).

2.  We can point it at the sky and (apart from the Moon which I imagine is relatively easy) look into it and get that "wow" factor even more than we already do when we stand on a dark night and look up into space.

3.  We can find planets with ease and also find clusters and nebulae as well.

Basically, I am trying to stop the boredom factor setting in so we can make that transition from "wow this is cool" to "hey this could be even cooler if we really started to learn about astronomy" - I reckon that is about a month or so of being suitably impressed as to want to invest more time and effort into it.

So,  go to thinking about upping my budget slightly and looked around the FLO site for other options.  I stumbled across some (which then opened up others lol) and would like some more advice please.

a)  Firstly, I found the Skywatcher Explorer 130P SynScan AZ GOTO for £285 at FLO.  Is this a viable alternative to the 150p Dob?  Would it give similiar, near as dammit images as the 150p?  Would it be easier to use and find things "out of the box" ?

  Then I got to thinking, well if I was spending £285,  that brings me in the price range of the Skywatcher 200p Dob - Would this give significantly better images than the 150 or the 130 GOTO ?

Basically, I *think* I am asking : Is there a huge gap in what you can actually view between the 130 and the 150 and then is there a bigger jump altogether from the 150 to the 200 ? 

Also, is it REALLY that hard to find things with a non-goto Dob ?  I read an article here : https://cumbriansky.wordpress.com/2010/10/30/two-things-not-to-buy-for-christmas/  which seemed to imply that a Dob was NOT suitable for a beginner (second part of the article, not the one about star naming).

I am so confused and really need to order this tomorrow.... 

So my choices are :  The 130p SynScan AZ GOTO,  the 150p Skywatcher Dob, the 200p Skywatcher Dob.

Help.... :)

 

[simonrp]

Just to add to the above post (I don't seem to have the option to edit) :  We also both have Android phones (Google Nexus 4 and Nexus 5) - Are there any apps I could use and stick the phone on the Dob to help find things?  I am sure I read about that somwhere.

[Scooot]

I'd advise the 130 goto given the "keeping interest factor"

The 150 would give you about 33% more light so you would have a better view of what you look at but you'd spend more time looking for things. However it's probably not such a better view that if you were upgrading from the 130 you'd choose the 150.

Regarding the 200, yes the views will be much better. However, price for price you would always find a scope with more aperture for the same price as one with goto. The reason you're thinking of the goto is to encourage and maintain interest in the subject from the outset.

I hope you both really enjoy whatever you go for.

[daiwelly]

I would go for the dob for simplicity and stability and value for money and can be modified to a certain degree have a look at my blog

http://stargazerslounge.com/blog/1370/entry-1760-sw-200-dobson-eyepieces-my-mods/

[Scooot]

Here's a review

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/33880-exp-130p-synscan-az-goto-review/

[Dave Lloyd]

Google skymap is free from playstore

[wheresthetorch?]

I really would advise some sort of GOTO set up if you're looking to spend time looking at objects rather than looking for them. Once you've learned the (fairly simple) alignment process, it only takes a few minutes to do. The rest of your evening can then be spent observing rather than hunting. Don't get me wrong - I have the greatest respect for star-hoppers, but I think it's a relatively solitary occupation. I daresay it's fun for the star-hopper, but spare a thought for the other party who is standing around in the cold waiting to see something.

[daiwelly]

Just to add to the above post (I don't seem to have the option to edit) :  We also both have Android phones (Google Nexus 4 and Nexus 5) - Are there any apps I could use and stick the phone on the Dob to help find things?  I am sure I read about that somwhere.

Sky Eye is one application you can use. I use it  on my dob

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lavadip.skeye&hl=en

PS I had the sw 130 az synscan goto. I sold it it was like waiting for a kettle to boil and had to keep doing PAE corrections

[Scooot]

Sky Eye is one application you can use. I use it  on my dob

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lavadip.skeye&hl=en

PS I had the sw 130 az synscan goto. I sold it it was like waiting for a kettle to boil and had to keep doing PAE corrections

Hi David, I use Astro Devices Nexus as a Push To system and because it uses encoders it's very accurate. However like Orion's intelliscopes it's beyond Simon's budget. How accurate is the Skyeye? Will a beginner be able to use it effectively? what made you decide to use the Skyeye app rather than rely on star hopping?

[daiwelly]

Hi Scoot I have skyeye I wanted to find if it works it does but predominately I star hop. and I use stellarium using the alt/az cords and using a wixey and setting circle I have that choice.

the sky eye is very easy to use it gets location by GPS then one of the options is to choose a alignment star there is a long list then point at say Vega presuming that is the alignment star chosen that it then you can choose any object from its stored list then it will show you the direction  to move the scope. the steel tube of the scope affects the magnetic field on the android so this has to be taken into consideration I made a holder out of aluminum to hold it off the scope anyway here are some pictures of the setup the stand was roughed up to see if it works after Christmas I will have one made properly.

[Stu]

Like everything in life, choosing a scope is a compromise.

A dob has a simplicity about it in that you plonk it on the floor and start observing straight away (assuming it's cooled Etc). With a Telrad, a Wixey/setting circle and a good star map or app you are ready to go. You may face some frustrations finding things but with a well aligned finder you will soon learn how.

With a GOTO, you spend more time setting up, you need power or a battery, and will need to align the scope/mount before it will find things. There is more to go wrong but it should help locate objects more easily, although accuracy can vary in my experience.

The more you spend on electronics from a limited budget, the less you put into the optics so you may find your target more easily but the views may not be as exciting.

There is also the size. A 200p will give wonderful views but it is not a small scope. The compromise here is about motivation to set up! You may well use a smaller, lighter scope more often because the effort is less when tired!

The 150p has a longer focal length so will work better with cheaper eyepieces, whilst giving very good lunar and planetary views. The 200p will, as mentioned, give fabulous views but will benefit from better quality eyepieces.

I think yours is quite a common problem, paralysis by analysis :-). To some extent there is no right or wrong answer, just take in all the advice and go with something. Within limits, any scope is better than no scope and if you treat the whole thing as a journey and learning experience then I think you should have fun.

A pair of 7 or 10x50 binos will also help you locate targets first before trying with the scope.

Cheers,

Stu

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[simonrp]

Thank you to EVERYONE for all your friendly advice - In the end your advice really resonated Stu when you said that any scope is better than no scope   

I finally decided that, until she decides she likes the hobby,  the Dob would be too cumbersome for my wife to move outside and the inital learning curve may bore her.

I went instead for a Celestron NexStar 130 SLT from FLO.  Steve there was so helpful and the scope is sat in my office waiting to be wrapped up for Christmas.  I figure that this scope will be easier for her to take outside and setup on her own and the GOTO might just be easier to use.  I notice as well that with a suitable RS232 cable I could take our netbook outside and control it from Stellarium - that may be useful.

I have a copy of "Turn left at Orion" on the way to me and a copy of Collins "2015 guide to the night sky" here as well.

I am thinking of ordering a Powertank as well - any thoughts on that folks?  Will I need one?  I am guessing that batteries don't last too long and a Powertank might be more convinient than rechargeables.

I will also be investing in woolly hats, gloves and scarves as well

Is there anything else that I should buy that might go well with this particular scope ?

[happy-kat]

Sorted :-)

I am not familiar with the telescope but the spec on FLO says it is a reflector so a collimation tool would be handy.

Such as either a collimation cap or cheshire collimation tool.

[simonrp]

I wasn't sure on which collimation tool (Cheshire or Laser) so I bought a "Collimation Cap" for now until I get some advice - I figured it was only a couple of pounds so not a problem if it is made redundant by a collimation tool.

[happy-kat]

I only use a cap and read far too m many posts where a laser version was out of collimation itself.

[Helen]

That will be fun   It is light enough to easily carry outside.  The alignment routine from Celestron is from my experience easier than the equivalent Skywatcher.  Just make sure you're finder is properly aligned in day light, and learn the position of the brightest stars, and you're away   The 130 size is a nice compromise of light grasp and portability.  A tracking mount means that you can both look at the same thing without having to re-find it, and if your kids get interested it'll be great for them too   And as a gadget person you'll love the fact you can control it from your phone/tablet/laptop (and with a simple Bluetooth dongle do it wirelessly).  It is just so cool to click on an object on your phone and watch the scope go to the object for you

Enjoy

Helen

[simonrp]

The control phone phone/tablet sounds good - I take it the device would be the Celestron SKYQ WiFi (this one : http://www.firstlightoptics.com/slt-series/celestron-skyq-link-wifi-adapter.html )  ?

Also, what about eyepieces?  Am I better going for separate ones or maybe something like this :  http://www.firstlightoptics.com/baader-planetarium/baader-hyperion-zoom-eyepiece.html  ?

[happy-kat]

Personal choice, I prefer to choose individual eyepieces.

The only one I would suggest if you want more straight away is a better high mag eye piece such as a 8mm.

Wow a zoom :-) no idea on that one

[wheresthetorch?]

Yes, good choice I think. Well done.