Newbie Help Needed

[bobfou]

Hi

After many years  (too many!) I am about to plunge into a childhood passion in astronomy so I am looking to buy a telescope

I live right at the edge of a largish town tucked into the local hillside (South Downs) - Eastbourne so there is some light pollution from one side and hills on the other! add a large conifer hedge at the bottom of the garden and viewing is not the best, however I can see about half of the sky

Given all this portability seems desirable  

After a lot of research I like the look of something like the Celestron NextStar range as the portability of a  Schmidt-Cassegrain scope is very appealing - Although budget is limited I could stretch to the 150mm model, I also like the look of the skymax127 which would leave me some funds for accessories.

Here's the rub I have a chance to make an offer on a friend's Celrestron C6-NGT. Although its 7 years old I know for a fact that its only been used once!! I've had a look at it and it cones with powerpack, several eyepieces, barlow lense and dslr adaptor, I know I'd lose out on portability to some extent but it is a complete kit on a very solid equatorial mount

Two questions

Is it worth considering? and if it is Any thoughts on what sort of offer should I make?

Any help/advice gratefully received!

Bob 

[Sporadic Dobstronomer]

At the risk of not being much help, you need to take a sober look at the portability issue.

Will you have the motivation to get the telescope out when the initial enthusiasm has worn off?  If you find it a real pain to set the thing up then you probably won't because astronomy happens at a time of day when many people don't have much energy to do something now that will become fun in half an hour's time.

[happy-kat]

Could a c6 be mounted on a easy to move altaz mount like the skywatcher az4? One of the reviewers uses a 5 kilo ota on thiers and the c6 is less for just the optical tube assembly (ota).

"http://www.firstlightoptics.com/alt-azimuth/skywatcher-az4-alt-az-mount.html"]http://www.firstlightoptics.com/alt-azimuth/skywatcher-az4-alt-az-mount.html

Then you have the eq mount in the shed for if you ever want to get into imaging.

If the ota is kept in a cool place it perhaps won't need so much cool down time.

I don't have the experience to say what ball park area for an offer price but others might reply to that.

[laudropb]

Ask the friend if you can try setting it up and having a look through it before making up your mind.

[bobfou]

At the risk of not being much help, you need to take a sober look at the portability issue.

Will you have the motivation to get the telescope out when the initial enthusiasm has worn off?  If you find it a real pain to set the thing up then you probably won't because astronomy happens at a time of day when many people don't have much energy to do something now that will become fun in half an hour's time.

Good point - I've just got rid of a small sailing dinghy for this very reason. The time getting to the beach, getting it rigged,  down the beach, then back up and all put away just ensured it was rarely used

[bobfou]

Ask the friend if you can try setting it up and having a look through it before making up your mind.

I've already tried this, setting up was a bit long winded, especially since neither of us knew what we were doing! Looking through it in daylight seemed absolutely fine with very sharp images. one of the things that is attracting me to it is the eq mount as I would be very keen to get into imaging later and most of of what I've read about it suggets that a good eq mount is essential.

[bobfou]

Having explored the site a bit more I realise my post should have been in the beginner's forum

Anyway I've more or less decided not to go for the CG6 and have been looking at possible alternatives. Given that portability would be a real plus I've been looking at the Celestron Nextstar Range and really like the look of the 6" and 8" models. I appreciate that these are not necessarily the best for astroimaging but that's probably a way down the line. My real question is given I could stretch the budget to the 8" is it is significant improvement over the 6" in terms of what can be observed. Ny comments very welcome!

[MartinB]

My first scope purchase was a second hand 8" Nexstar GPS. I never regretted it. Increasingly I got into DSO imaging and found that a german equatorial gave me a lot more flexibility, so I eventually sold it with some regrets.

[Jim Steele]

At the risk of playing devils advocate, I would go and take a look at some telescopes at your local astro shop or join a club, you can really get an appreciation for the size and portability of them as well as what you would be likely to see through one. You need not spend alot of cash if your begining, dip your toe and see if you get the bug before going down the imaging route.

One point to note is that Schmidt-Cassegrain scopes tend to have a narrow field of view so spotting targets can be difficult, (unless you just want to concentrate on the planets).

Something like a Herratage 130mm http://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.htmlis a great starter scope for dipping ones toe, and they are relitively cheap too!

[esxste]

I second Jim's first suggestion of looking in Astro shops, or going along to an open night with a local astronomy club. As the members there about their scopes, have a look through, and get a general idea of size, weight and ease of set up. 

If you have an interest in astrophotography, then you're right to be considering EQ mounts; and you're very right to be doing your research before buying. 

Consider your budget carefully; There is no point in wasting it by buying inferior equipment for your end goal. If AP is your end goal, I advise that you consider carefully what mount you get. When considering this, you need to think about what you're going to put on the mount at the end: Mounts have maximum payload capacity; most advice seems to be to consider the maximum imaging payload capacity to be 50% of the advertised maximum payload for a mount. 

This can help inform your decision about what telescope to get; learn about and get a feel for the different types. Consider the weight of what you're looking to buy. 

Then consider the imaging options. Will you be happy with DSLR, or will you want to get into CCD.

If you have the budget, I'd suggest getting a Advanced VX or HEQ5. These are pretty portable, yet effective mounts for imaging with telescopes within their payload capacities. A Skywatcher 130pds will be an effectively priced  imaging Newtonian telescope with reasonable visuals, and at the right weight level. 

All that said; Jim makes a sensible suggestion for toe dipping; the Heritage 130p is a nice portable, manual mount for observing. However, the mount it uses makes it very poor for imaging; so worth bearing that in mind. 

[Tyson M]

I jumped right in, Orion skyview pro 8 set up.   Big newt reflector, complicated mount. Not really beginner friendly.

I couldn't align the finder or find anything first night out and had to pack up with my tail between my legs.

Furthermore, it took almost a year for me to get the hang of how the EQ mount actually properly works. Yes, I'll admit it. I didn't join a single astro club or test any equipment. Just Youtube and people's reviews. Big mistake.

Some nights I'd leave my house without a crucial small piece for my mount or scope.

I spent many nights trying to find the perfect observing site, which matters a lot considering portability and setting up from your car and an obstructed view of Polaris and the sky.

If I wasn't so obsessed/determined I could have easily gotten rid of the scope and abandoned the hobby.

I hear the Nexstar is great, I myself really wanted the 8SE as a first scope. The SCT's have a particular appeal, but the GOTO can be very complicated for a beginner. Alignment takes a lot of practice I hear. I know a girl who is half ass interested in the hobby and has a Nexstar and never uses it because she can never get it aligned and constantly uses batteries instead of a powerpack. 

the point I am trying to make is that joining a club would be invaluable. Do a ton of research and buy some books if you can help it. I bought the book "The Backyard Astronomers Guide" and it was my bible.

Buying a user friendly scope is a serious issue. The 6SE is a great choice, but I think an 8 inch dobsonian is better a choice if you can transport it in a car and best value for the money a beginner can spend. Period.

The dob base is simpler, less problematic. Unless you got a killer deal on the 6SE, I'd pass and learn the sky more with binos and make a more informed decision down the road. Electronics always complicate things. 

Just my two cents. I am still very much a beginner myself who after a year is ready for imaging and tracking systems. 

[bobfou]

Thanks everybody for your thoughts - a lot to think about!

[bobfou]

I finally settle on a Celeston 8se, bit over budget but I'll just starve for a few weeks! I'll spend some time getting used to it before I even start to think about imaging. I've signed up for Open Learn's "Observing Orion" course so looking forward  to using the scope in conjunction with this

[happy-kat]

That is a good course.

[Dave Lloyd]

Welcome to the forum by the way.

[bobfou]

Thanx