Help me choose the right telescope

[tokozedg]

Hello,

What do you guys recommend as a first telescope?

I am interested in observation only, not really thinking about photography. I have about 200$ for it right now. And one issue for me is a shipping weight, I am not located in the USA, I use another company to transfer packages from the USA to my country, and 20 pound for me gets quite expensive, therefore searching for lightweight or traveling telescopes, around 15 pounds max.

I am currently thinking about:

Celestron 21079 Cometron 114AZ

Celestron PowerSeeker 70AZ

or buying an Orion 9947 ShortTube 80 with the eyepieces I really need.

What do you think I should go in my situation?  Should I go for Orion Shortube 80? 

Thank you for your time.

[NGC 1502]

Hi and a warm welcome to SGL.

Of the scopes you list, I really like the Shortube 80. Although at its best at low to medium power, it's ok at higher powers (maybe 100-120x max) so long as you can tolerate a bit of a blue halo around bright objects, and can manage expectations - no "Hubble-like" views.

It's a no hassle and very portable scope capable of a lot of good astronomy if used with patience.

But don't forget you also need an adequate mount. It's a matter of opinion, but I much prefer a simple altazimuth mount with this type of scope. Basic Alt-az mounts are also lighter than a small eq mount because they don't need a counterweight, so less shipping weight.

Don't know what's available in your area, but the second scope in this link - http://www.sherwoods-photo.com/sky_watcher/skywatcher_short_tube_refractor.htm(scroll down) shows the Skywatcher equivalent (same as Orion version) on an alt-az.

For astronomy use, I prefer a 90 degree diagonal rather than 45 degree, and and a red dot finder rather than an optical one.

But see what others say on here, lots of differing opinions out there, have a trawl through online reviews, and take your time.

Good luck with your choice, Ed.

[PeterCPC]

Hi and welcome. I'm mainly an imager so I will not comment on the scope.

Peter

[happy-kat]

Hi

The Orion 9947 does not come with a tripod so you would need to mount it on something. I have this telescope and keep it at my Mum's and very much like it for it's size and lovely wide field of view on the stars which appear lovely and crisp points of light. It does have chromatic aberation on very brigt objects like the Jupiter or the Moon but this was less when I used my own eyepeices, not gone but less.

The Powerseeker is a slower focal ratio refractor so will have less chromatic aberation to the ShortTube 80, possibly still with some but in theory should be less.

I personally would not go for the Cometron because it has a short focal length so would need a very high powered eye peice to reach higher magnifications.

But I guess the thought is would the extra apperature of the Cometron provide an advantage when considered with the very fast focal ratio and short focal length.

Both the tripods could be quite wobbly.

I think you would find reviews from members who have used them on here, as I have only used the one I have the Orion shorttube 80mm which I have enjoyed using, though not given it a huge workout yet. I like the way it looks, the ease of use and the wide field of view and crisp stars. A no fuss telescope quick to setup and use.

If you already have a tripod then that helps keep in your budget if you needed to also buy eyepeices.

With this example more of the cost is going on the optics as a very simple table top tripod.

http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/TableTop-Telescopes/Orion-SkyScanner-100mm-TableTop-Reflector-Telescope/pc/-1/c/1/sc/416/p/102007.uts

I am trying to find the US version of the Hertiage 130p but so far I can't find the link just yet.

Edit: I found it here but sorry it is not within budget I thought it was going to be under.

I bet you have dark skies where you are.

[happy-kat]

Just in case you rather a table top mount, there is this slightly bigger apperature back to the 114mm size.

http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/TableTop-Telescopes/Orion-StarBlast-45-Astro-Reflector-Telescope/pc/-1/c/1/sc/416/p/102010.uts

Would have thought the tabletop version of the 114mm would have been cheaper then the one with the tripod.

Enjoy choosing the sky is not going anywhere and ask as many questions as you think off.

What ever you choose you should see lots more than with your naked eye :-)

[MrManQ]

Ive bought a powerseeker 114eq which is pretty cool for the price. Even with the boxed eq mount, it wont be that heavy although as someone else has said, a new mount will probably end up being tour next buy. I managed to pick up an eq5 for £125 and it will be good for my next tube, which im hoping to be a 12" newt.

[Qualia]

What do you think I should go in my situation?

I appreciate and can relate to the sting of postage costs - and I'm just in Spain . Before making any decision, is there anyway you can get in contact with a local astronomy club, giving them a ring and asking how their members got hold of their gear? Other than that, I quite like Kat's idea, going for a reasonably light and already mounted Newtonian which will be easily transportable and which will have sufficient aperture to open up the night sky for you. I had a look at Astroshop (which has an excellent customer service in my experience) and they can get the 130 Heritage to Georgia for around €42. With a 650mm focal length it'll be nice for wide field views under dark skies. The only 'downside' to Newts is that they require collimation which is easy to do but requires a little collimation tool which will set you back another €25 or so. 

Good luck with what ever you decide and welcome to SGL

[tokozedg]

Thank you so much for kinds word and recommendations. Really like the Newtonian idea and 130 Heritage look awesome too.

I don't want to end up frustrated with astronomy only because I chose the wrong telescope. It's something I've always been interested in. 

[-Aldebaran-]

As a first telescope, if I can Quote a phrase from the poor man's astronomy website:-

"Buy the biggest,affordable scope you can easily carry around."

Have a read through the actual article, I found it very interesting.

http://poormanastro.tripod.com/page8.html

[LukeSkywatcher]

"Buy the biggest,affordable scope you can easily carry around."

I really think that this should be the first,middle and last comment made to anyone who is looking to buy a scope. It just makes so much sense in every way. Its what i did with my last scope and ive never been happier. I only have one scope out of 4 that i regret buying and that is my first one because i wasnt a member of a forum such as SGL and i just bought what i liked and thought would work for me.

Its nice to see the SW Heritage 130P being mentioned so much lately (even by total Frac heads). Its 5", just over 100 quid and can be carried with one hand (or even 2 fingers and a thumb). It fits perfectly into the "Buy the biggest,affordable scope you can easily carry around."  for most people starting out in astronomy. Not that the scope is a "starter" scope. Its a great all-rounder and will give yrs of enjoyment (says the guy who upgraded from it to an 8SE within 2 yrs).

LOL.