Beginner £350 budget, which scope to consider?

[smuudge]

Hi everyone, taken some time to happen but finally about to take the plunge and take ownership of a telescope, originally a few years ago I was settled on the Celestron 130SLT Nexstar as I like the idea of being able to quickly move around and learn the sky. The 130 appears to have been around for a while now so should I consider any other scopes around the £350 mark? Thanks!

[paul mc c]

not electronic but excellent scope with money left over for some goodies.http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html

[Bagofmostlywater]

As a complete novice I'm not in any sort of position to advise on different scopes but have you considered second hand equipment? I've been shopping around a bit recently and all the second hand kit I saw was either bought, tried once and then stored or else well used but well cared for.

Most of the kit I was looking at was close to half of the brand new cost so I managed to stretch my budget (not too dissimilar to yours) quite far and you might find you can get better equipment than you first thought. If you're ok with second hand of course.

[Scott]

I agree that there are some terrific bargains to be had on the 2nd hand market. Just make sure you know what you're looking at or you have someone who knows their apples to do it for you .

[Charic]

Hi smuudge how you doing?........I have the Celestron 127EQ on a GEM mount and a 200P Skyliner  on a Dobsonian mount.

I can operate both successfully, but wholeheartedly recommend you invest in a Dobsonian mounted telescope like the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P. ( There are other 8" / 200P telescopes on the market ) Its a whole box of headache pills less of a problem with  the setting-up and  use  throughout your viewing session if you just want to look around the skies at some deep sky objects like  other Galaxies, or the Planets like Jupiter. The 200P can see these targets, but ensure you have good seeing conditions, little or no light pollution(  If you have a car, this may not be a problem as you can drive to darker sites, and the 200P will fit easily inside say a Ford Focus sized car)

£350 gets you a good scope for visual observations. If you want to try astrophotography, you`ll need about twice as much just for a suitable mounting system for your telescope. You will discover this soon as you start to get feedback, and start your studying? 

No need to rush, take your time, read, read and re-read until your 100% you know what you want, why you want/need it, then your ready to purchase that equipment. 

Whilst were still in mid Winter, and the nights are longer, see if you can get to a club, just to ask a few more questions, but more importantly, to get your hands on some equipment, and to see what fits, handles the way you want, and what the images look like. 

keep on asking, enjoy the pain  that will follow with too many choices and too much information (maybe) we've all been there   

[David P Osborne]

I started as a complete newbie two years ago or so with budget of around £300 and got Skywatcher 150PL on a manual EQ3-2 mount, which I am still enjoying and most observing from town centre back yard with some light pollution. Have added some bits and pieces since. Having just replaced supplied small 6x30 straight finder scope with SW 9x50 RACI I would recommend this from the off if your budget allows. Also Telrad finder is well worth it too.

[ronin]

Add a location and then there may be a club near to you that can be suggested.

It pays a lot to see what is used, and you can get a lot of information in a short time.

[happy-kat]

Depending on circumstances consideration to storage and distance to observing location may also need to be factored in, like are there stairs or a walk between.

[Qualia]

Some really good advice above. The trouble with buying your first telescope is that it can be quite a daunting task, so while you're searching - and don't stop asking questions here at SGL - it might be helpful to ask yourself a few questions.

It's important to know where you will store your scope and how far you will need to move it in order to use it. Another question worth answering is what kind of celestial objects you want to look at; planets, nebulae, double-stars, galaxies, that kind of thing. You can get a reasonable idea of what to expect by checking out sketches made from similar apertures to the scopes you're looking at. By way of example, you might find this link helpful.

As a first time buy, the best value per inch of aperture is always going to be a dob mounted newtonian, preferably around 8" or so. These scopes are excellent for visual observing of planets and deep space objects. They do tend to be a little bulky. However, at this size their footprint isn't any larger than an EQ or Alt-azimuth mount set up and at the end of the day, they generally don't take up any more room than a 4" f10 refractor and mount.

Ideally, then, it’s a good idea to look at telescopes in person and even better if you can look through them. Getting in contact with your local astronomy group and heading out to a star party is probably the best way to do this.

[timwetherell]

I agree, second hand if you can. Try to find an expert willing to go along with you - shouldn't be too hard, most astronomers love looking at telescopes!

There can be some dodgy ones out there but generally they're good scopes especially if the seller is a member of a club. No one want's the reputation of selling bad stuff! It's a bit like cars in a way. there's the illusion of integrity when buying from a professional dealer but really they just want your money and couldn't care less if you're not happy afterwards. When you buy from some Johnny down the road you know where he lives, so there's that bit more incentive to be honest

all the best

Tim

[russ.will]

Do you know what? Just buy the Celestron 130SLT Nexstar. It's a quality piece of kit, will show you some great views and setting up an Alt/Az Goto is about as simple as it gets. There are some great vids on First Light Optics website to help and any other issues you run into will be easily answered on here. I'm of the opinion that an easy to setup Goto scope is an better introduction to astronomy, than crouching down at awkward angles in the opposite direction to that of the subject you're trying to find.

To me and others of my ilk (and I'm still a newbie) Dodsonians are great IF you know where to look. However, having both a very manual Dob and a Goto mount, I have the luxury to pick and choose my nights for learning my way around, or grabbing a few quick Goto subjects as time allows.

As such; I'd start with the Goto and at 130mm aperture, you'll be nailing a lot of subjects that will keep your interest up and at this point, that's the important point. Once you're hooked, THEN you can start making it difficult for yourself!

Russell

[bill_reed]

as someone who would be fairly new to astronomy  then i would go for the go-to 130 nexstar as you will be looking at objects in the sky from the off and not spending most of the time searching the sky. for a newbie the go-to is great and get you looking at the night sky from the off, but also hinders your learning of finding things in the night sky! so it a trade off. If you plan on spending some time learning about star hopping the the dobson will give you more bang for your £.

[phoobar]

As such; I'd start with the Goto and at 130mm aperture, you'll be nailing a lot of subjects that will keep your interest up and at this point, that's the important point. Once you're hooked, THEN you can start making it difficult for yourself!

Russell

What russ said.

Clear skies are few and far between, spend that time observing stuff rather than struggling to find anything.

[estwing]

Or spend those cloudy times to learn the night sky like everyone did before goto star hopping is a skill that will stay with you for life unlike that goto battery

[smuudge]

Some great advice here.

 

Its always nice to hear peoples opinions who are in the know!

 

I think a 'from new' purchase will give me more piece of mind, particularly as it is a present.

The reaility is i will have limited time with the new hobby due to a young family in tow, so as Russel said the GOTO sounds like a quick way into star gazing for me without the understandable frustruations of manually finding objects. I can indeed upgrade to something larger with better optics, abeit manual when the kids of have lleft home!

So i think will go for the 130SLT on that note.

I have found a pretty good deal for a new 130SLT with the AstroMaster Accessory kit for £300, unless anyone can recommend anywhere else worth checking out?

 

Thanks everyone, looking forward to clear skies.