Looking for a new scope help

[Jimmyj]

Hi,

Really need some help, I'm starting to take a serious interest into astronomy ive got a 60mm by 700mm scope at the moment, skywatcher it is, but i want something a bit more powerful, there is so much on the market it is really hard to work out the next move. My budget is probably 350 to 400 quid but id really like it to have one of these computerised mounts so i can tap in what I'm looking for and track it. I would like something where i can get closer look more detail on distant stars. Ive never used any other type of telescope but i would also like to be able to travel with it easy enough to get in a car ect when visiting family? Any help would be great.

Or do i continue using this one for a bit and just get some better eye pieces? Im just using the standard ones that comes with it or if i get a better ones i will get a better experience?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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[tony210]

Hi - large aperture reflectors are great - 6inch /150mm and above- but getting GOTO can be expensive - however the difference with at least 6 inch aperture to your visual experience is enormous- I went from a 3inch refractor in the 80's to a home made 8 inch reflector F8 as funds were a problem - the performance was incredible and that was with a home made Dobsonian plywood mount in London - probably need to look for a compromise between aperture and GOTO mount but I would still recommend a larger aperture reflector - best wishes Tony

[ollypenrice]

You can't have everything on a budget. Your cash goes into the optics or the electronics and mount but it can't go into both.

If you want to get as much light from the depths of space as possible into your eye then it's a no-brainer. Buy a Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount. A Dob.

If you want GoTo and tracking (both of which are nice to have) then aperture has to suffer.

On your budget I'd go for the Dob. There are small GoTo scopes all over the net which can Go To thousands of objects that will be totally invisible once Gone To. What's he point?

Olly

[happy-kat]

Distant stars are still pin points of light you see loads more of them

Something like this is in budget and the telescope I think is quite portable (not used one) though you will need to factor in powering it.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/az-goto/skywatcher-skymax-127-synscan-az-goto.html

Great for the Moon and splitting double stars and the brightest DSO but has a narrow field of view.

It is just an example.

[Highburymark]

Look at the Meade ETX - very good optics and decent scope. Or better still, have a look at the classifieds on this site and get a really good second hand scope.

[nates]

What mount do you currently use?

Maybe you could motorize the current mount RA axis only and buy an OTA, IF the mount is good enough and can support the weight, that way you'd get both the aperture and simple tracking. Aperture is certanly key to having a good time observing.

[Jimmyj]

You can't have everything on a budget. Your cash goes into the optics or the electronics and mount but it can't go into both.

If you want to get as much light from the depths of space as possible into your eye then it's a no-brainer. Buy a Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount. A Dob.

If you want GoTo and tracking (both of which are nice to have) then aperture has to suffer.

On your budget I'd go for the Dob. There are small GoTo scopes all over the net which can Go To thousands of objects that will be totally invisible once Gone To. What's he point?

Olly

Thanks for the advice id rather have the views than the mount could you not get a newtonian reflector on a go to mount?

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[Jimmyj]

What mount do you currently use?

Maybe you could motorize the current mount RA axis only and buy an OTA, IF the mount is good enough and can support the weight, that way you'd get both the aperture and simple tracking. Aperture is certanly key to having a good time observing.

Well id like to upgrade my scope as mine is very basic at the moment id like to get one thats a more powerful, id also like to be able to fit a webcam to it, there are just so many about i just don't know where to start. Lol

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[nates]

I've checked out your scope online and if you're using the stock mount motorizing the mount certanly isn't an option.

For your price range i'd rather go with a dob as you'll be much better off for starter DSO observing but that's visual observing only.

For visual/photography combo you could get something similar to mine with both axis motorized and would cost you about 550eur (not goto, manual motor control via buttons).

Don't forget you'll probably need an additional eyepiece or two in the near future. A few months after getting my scope I purchased a 6mm and 3.2mm planetary (60eur each) as i found using the stock eyepieces with a barlow noticeably lowering contrast and brightness on mine, and a bit later a used 2" 26mm 70deg AFOV low mag EP for nicer wide field views.

From personal experience the setup may not last you long as after a year with my setup i already have the itch for a bigger aperture 

[Jimmyj]

I've checked out your scope online and if you're using the stock mount motorizing the mount certanly isn't an option.

For your price range i'd rather go with a dob as you'll be much better off for starter DSO observing but that's visual observing only.

For visual/photography combo you could get something similar to mine with both axis motorized and would cost you about 550eur (not goto, manual motor control via buttons).

Don't forget you'll probably need an additional eyepiece or two in the near future. A few months after getting my scope I purchased a 6mm and 3.2mm planetary (60eur each) as i found using the stock eyepieces with a barlow noticeably lowering contrast and brightness on mine, and a bit later a used 2" 26mm 70deg AFOV low mag EP for nicer wide field views.

From personal experience the setup may not last you long as after a year with my setup i already have the itch for a bigger aperture

Thankyou for the info i think im going to get myself down the local club at some point and have a go at lots of different scopes do you think i should get some better eye pieces for this one ive got now as i am just using the ones that come with it?

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[nates]

The local astronomy club should certanly be your first stop when buying any new scope so if possible you can try out some that interest you. I'm in the process of buying a big dob and although i already have the money saved up, i will also be checking out some of the local scopes to see if the ones i'm interested in "fit".

With eyepieces remember that changing focal length gives you different magnifications so try to plan in advance for you future purchase of a new scope. I've never owned a frac so wouldn't know how much the eyepieces change/better views but for DSO observing you certanly won't gain much in visible magnitude as i suspect the aperture is still key here, maybe some frac owners can elaborate. Personally I'd rather first buy a larger scope and go from there.

As far as newts are concerned apart form the mirror itself and collimation (a very important step newt novices sometimes forget), the eyepieces are very important as bad ones can distort and diffuse light to the point the image isn't pleasant to look at. So when buying eyepieces try to get some quality ones, they don't need to be very expensive just check some reviews before buying, there are quite a few useful ones here on SGL. As many have stated here, you may change scopes and gear but quality eyepieces normally stay with you.

Also use care when buying low power wide angle eyepieces for newts as they are much more subjected to coma, field curvature and other aberrations especially on faster (f5 or less) scopes (that unfortunatly is the effect of a mirror -newton rather than glass -frac).

Keep us updated on how it goes

PS: sorry for the long post

[niallk]

Hi,

Just a suggestion:

As mentioned, a dob would be a great option for DSOs - if they are targets you enjoy.

In my 10" f/4.7, one does not require tracking imho for the vast majority of DSO targets and mags that one practically uses to frame these objects.

Tracking (I imagine) really comes into its own for high power planetary and lunar viewing.

I do pretty well manually tracking at 200x binoviewing in my 10". I got an eq platform a couple of years back, but doesn't get a whole lot of use tbh. This is another add-as-you-go option for tracking.

Regarding 'go-to', perhaps 'Push-To' is worth considering? I mention this because one can get upgrade kits to add rotation sensors to add Argo Navis (what I have on my 10" and 15" scopes), or the very highly thought of Astro Devices 'Nexus' system for use with a smart phone/tablet.

I added the sensors to my 10" 4yrs after purchasing the scope - it was a doddle!

This approach might allow you to spend your money on aperture/optics now, and over the course of time, add things like wide afov EPs, Push-To, etc, when budgets permit.

Best of luck,

-Niall

[Charic]

Hi,

Really need some help, I'm starting to take a serious interest into astronomy ive got a 60mm by 700mm scope at the moment, skywatcher it is, but i want something a bit more powerful, there is so much on the market it is really hard to work out the next move. My budget is probably 350 to 400 quid but id really like it to have one of these computerised mounts so i can tap in what I'm looking for and track it. I would like something where i can get closer look more detail on distant stars. Ive never used any other type of telescope but i would also like to be able to travel with it easy enough to get in a car ect when visiting family? Any help would be great.

Or do i continue using this one for a bit and just get some better eye pieces? Im just using the standard ones that comes with it or if i get a better ones i will get a better experience?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Eyepieces magnify the image produced by the scope, and no matter how good the eyepiece is, it only magnifies the image from the scope,  too much magnification dims and degrades the image, rather than improving it.

Take the aperture of your scope, double it,  in mm and that is the theoretical limit of your scope, under perfect conditions ( above the weather on the edge of space maybe) if you take the aperture alone, like mine at 200mm then I assume that is my limit, although I can push this limit on a bright target like  the Moon for example. I also use the focal ratio to determine the highest power eyepiece to match the power capable from the scope, so a 6mm EP is ideal on my scope for a power or 200x.

GoTo telescopes require alignment every-time you use them, in order to correctly align and track your target. This is critical, but  once mastered and your confident with the set-up, and handling and the handset to program input data and slew commands, then a GoTo is advantageous under certain conditions, ie family groups, where you ask anyone, " what would you like to see", then slew and track that target, but believe me, the thousands of  targets  wont all be visible for many and a varied amount of conditions and/or  reasons? 

If for solo use, I can highly recommend the 8" Sky-watcher Skyliner as a good telescope, in fact, any 8" telescope If you are blessed with fairly dark skies, this scope gives amazing results, as do the larger versions, but more issues to consider such as cost, weight and transportation, even from house to the garden can be an issue for some folk.

Having said all that, Ive just had a look here, and I like the 12" GoTo specs?......... 

[nates]

With my scope in stable skies on bright planetary targets i can easily reach a usefull 400+ mag even if it's well over max recommended. Although it doesn't reveal any more detail, some objects are easier to study. The problem is the resolution not brightness actually. On the other hand, with DSO mostly medium magnifications will be used so not really an issue there, especially with a smaller/cheaper scope, as small faint objects that might require higher mags won't reveal much detail anyway - if any.

Charic, about the video, have you noticed the narrator only asks the questions that will show off the features of the scopes and not the shortcomings

I agree with niallk about probably not needing goto from start and personal use as for a novice the money would be better spent on aperture (you should first learn to walk before you goto  ).

Both my gf and i are used to manual EQ controls and there is no problem following an object once you set up the mount right. It's easy to track with a EQ mount. You need a bit more practice with dobs i believe but if it's a good rocker box i trust you'll do just fine. For Argo and other systems, take into account they may cost more than the actual scope you would be equipping in the future.

[Charic]

nates.........dont they all do that?

[nates]

"WORD"