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I am about to take the plunge


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Hi I am new here and about to take the plunge

I have always wanted to try star gazing

The more I read the more confused I get .

So my plan for starters is  inexpensive telescope $ 200.00 so if I don't like it $ 200.00 is not the end of the world

I am an amature photographerr so IQ is important

So can this be done ???

What go me interseted is a Celestron PowerSeeker 80AZS 80 x 40mm Telescope for $ 175.00 CDN

thanks in advance

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Hi Freds,

Welcome to SGL!

There's no doubt that there is a lot to learn, so confusion is entirely normal. But making use of forums like this one, along with local astronomy societies and helpful suppliers (a good many exist), should help you navigate your way through.

I think the answer to your question is yes - you're in a much better position than you might have been say 20 years ago, when good quality kit cost more. 

You're in Canada, so ordering from suppliers like FLO is probably not a good option. But FLO have a very nicely organised telescope page where you can look at a list of "Beginner Telescopes" (which by definition are at the lower end of the price range), and get an idea of what you can have, new, in your range. Of course, you can get more for your money if you buy used, but that can be a bit of a mine field in itself.

It rather depends on what exactly you want to image. But in general, imaging telescopes tend to be mounted on equatorial mounts, which make tracking stars, moon and planets much easier than more simply mounted telescopes such as "Dobsonians". But those equatorial mounts cost more - you will find that you get more aperture for your money by going for a simple mount.

Assuming that you want to go for the tracking mount, then something like the Skywatcher Explorer 130P is probably a nice one to start with. Pardon the link to a UK supplier, but here it is:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-explorer-130p.html

Note that the motor which allows the telescope to track stars automatically is £65 more, so with the current exchange rate this might take you over your limit - but not by much. Depending on the kind of camera you have, you may need to buy extra adaptors etc to get that attached. But the cost of those will be relatively minor compared to the initial outlay of the telescope.

That's my 2p worth - others may have different views or suggestions.

Best Regards

Nigel

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freds I'll go along with Nigel and add only that possibly you should track down the local group(s) and check out the equipment used by their novices.  They would certainly be able to suggest a reliable local store as well.  Don't forget to check out the local universities - sometimes they have astronomy societies / groups.

Good luck in the search and welcome.

michael

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One thing  I know bigger,  is better

Freds, welcome to SGL!

For visual use bigger is generally better but if you're planning on doing some astrophotography I'm afraid that the opposite pretty much applies.

Is your primary goal with the equipment visual or photographic? 

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Hi Freds and welcome!

You're in good hands here, lots of people that are happy to help you out.

I have had a rough road in astronomy doing lots of typical mistakes.

Rather ask and think once more before spending lots of cash. Especially in the beginning, better quality equpiment will not change your experience at all. Those differences are only noticed later on im Astrophotography. And even in AP - my scope is pretty much as expensive as my focuser :) (and not by far my most expensive piece of equipment!) so the world is upside down there to beginners.

Btw: i had (and still have) tons of fun with my binoculars! If you dont have a pair, please get one. its so much fun and you get to learn the sky much faster in my opinion than with a scope - and you will see more than you expect :)

If you have any question just shoot.

P.s. The stars are not going anywhere soon, so take your time and enjoy the ride :)

Kind regards, Graem

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Freds, welcome to SGL!

For visual use bigger is generally better but if you're planning on doing some

Is your primary goal with the equipment visual or photographic? 

Thank you

I would guess 75 % photographic and 25 % visual

" astrophotography I'm afraid that the opposite pretty much applies."  please explain

thank you

Hi Freds and welcome!

You're in good hands here, lots of people that are happy to help you out.

I have had a rough road in astronomy doing lots of typical mistakes.

Rather ask and think once more before spending lots of cash. Especially in the beginning, better quality equpiment will not change your experience at all. Those differences are only noticed later on im Astrophotography. And even in AP - my scope is pretty much as expensive as my focuser :) (and not by far my most expensive piece of equipment!) so the world is upside down there to beginners.

Btw: i had (and still have) tons of fun with my binoculars! If you dont have a pair, please get one. its so much fun and you get to learn the sky much faster in my opinion than with a scope - and you will see more than you expect :)

If you have any question just shoot.

P.s. The stars are not going anywhere soon, so take your time and enjoy the ride :)

Kind regards, Graem

YES I have so much to learn . like you said I am in good hands here

I am still open to what is best for me

there is a $ 50.00 Celestine First Scope 80EQ locally for sale ( just to try out and resell for $25.00 )

I have flushed $ 25.00 down the toilet with photography stuff a few times

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Thank you

I would guess 75 % photographic and 25 % visual

" astrophotography I'm afraid that the opposite pretty much applies."  please explain

thank you

Eeeek! That is very difficult to explain in a short post but firstly if your primary interest is astrophotography then stop looking at scopes to buy until you've done a lot more reading. 

Aperture rules for visual use but it's only a small consideration for AP. The two important factors are:

Focal length which combined with the size of your camera chip gives the field of view. The longer the focal length the more difficult it is to achieve a good image.

Speed/F-ratio which is the focal length divided by the aperture. This is how fast the scope is i.e how long it will take to achieve an exposure, the lower the number the better/faster.

Also there is the physical size to consider, the bigger the telescope the more it is prone to air movement and it puts more weight on the mount.

Yes... the mount. For AP it is the 1st, 2nd and 3rd consideration.... it is everything!! Without a good mount you could have the best telescope in the world but you'd be wasting your time. A good mount is expensive, most people spend as much on the mount as the do on the optics.

As an amateur photographer I assume you have a reasonable selection of lenses? With your budget I'd forget the telescope and have a look at the Skywatcher Star Adventurer upon which you can mount your camera, polar aligned and achieve results like the following.

http://www.astrobin.com/196588/

http://www.astrobin.com/199355/

http://www.astrobin.com/213797/

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Welcome to SGL.

I think you are in luck for good advice here. Lots of friendly and willing people on SGL.

Also you have a very good telescope shop just north of you.

I don't think they will have much for your price range, but they do have used equipment from time to time.

The Calgary center for RASC may also be another source for help and pointers. 

Me, I'm from outside of Edmonton. 

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I might take a moment to go slightly of topic. I've been lucky enough to travel all over the world, my wife and I have joked about a holiday to Antarctica so we could get the full set of continents but our favourite trip and by quite some margin was Alberta and British Columbia.

In our early twenties we scored some cheap flights to Vancouver and spent three weeks backpacking around your fabulous corner of the world, it was perfect, the fondest memories. We must, must go back.

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Hi. Welcome too, to SGL. :smiley:

First off, based from my experience, and what I have read of astrophotography, it can get quite expensive, especially when you want to go off in the long focal length, tracking, stable mounts etc. To a newcomer, it can be quite complex too. I'd advice you to stop right now. Think a little again, after reading a good starter's book on astrophotography (from using DSLRs to tracking OTAs on big mounts). There is so much to learn, and being introduced and led into the field of AP (astrophotography) in the right way is essential and cost effective. I started out with an e-book written by Jerry Lodriguss, that hit the nail on the head for me. Fantastic introduction, that for the experienced photographer, actaully goes into a lot of depth, but yet is a small book. Very user friendly. He also sells e-books of Advanced AP as well as image processing techniques. There not expensive either. Jerry comes from a background of professional photography particularly in sports for major newspapers in the US. Read at least his Beginner's Guide, and you'll be sure to save buying equipment you won't need in the long run, and also making the right decissions, the first time.

Here's the link to his website;

http://www.astropix.com/

As your probably finding out now, there are lots of us here who will help you out too. Other members who have lots of experience are a treasure trove of info, as I have found out over the years. I have found that the members here, whenever I have needed to ask questions, are always very helpful.

Best of luck.

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I'll add this:

In buying a telescope, I suggest that you deal with an outfit who will stand by you and be able to answer any questions about it that should arise. And will untangle any problems you may run into. This can be a better deal than buying used as a used telescope doesn't have a warranty to cover any possible defects, or missing bits & pieces

As for astrophotography, best to learn your way around the sky before considering taking images of what's up there. At least then you'll have sorted what objects interest you. Without knowing what targets you wish to image, you can't really choose what camera to consider to purchase. Again a warranty will also be your best bet.

Khan's is considered a great shop. I'd suggest taking a look around the place and see what you like:

http://www.khanscope.com/newEquipList.cfm?catID=1&subCatID=1&manID=6

And, of course, this forum is a great place to ask questions. We are end users here, with no vested interest to guide you into a purchase, and you'll get real information on what works and how best to use it.

Clear skies,

Dave

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And, of course, this forum is a great place to ask questions. We are end users here, with no vested interest to guide you into a purchase, and you'll get real information on what works and how best to use it.

Clear skies,

Dave

Dave of course is here referring solely to astronomy. :)

and before any of you start having deviant thoughts I am referring to Dave's expertise as a bicycle mechanic par excellence! :0

michael

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And, of course, this forum is a great place to ask questions. We are end users here, with no vested interest to guide you into a purchase, and you'll get real information on what works and how best to use it.

Clear skies,

Dave

Dave of course is here referring solely to astronomy. :)

and before any of you start having deviant thoughts I am referring to Dave's expertise as a bicycle mechanic par excellence! :0

michael

Have you been eating any of the residents of this thread?

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/254790-fungus-fest/

Hmmmmm??

Dave :eek::D

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More replys

Thank you all VERY much.

I am in the process of lots of reading/research

here is a moon shot I took last fall

Olympus EPL-5 and 75-300 lens   Olympus 2X crop factor and 2X Digi crop ( EFL 1200 mm )

iso 200  f 7.1  shutter 1/1250

7:00 am in my back yard ( cool and clear skys )

Earlymoon_zps2912da3b.jpg

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Welcome

Cracking Moon shot.

You already have photo gear there is so much you can do with it right now to capture the night sky.

Have a read of this link.

http://www.nightofmanywords.com/articles/kit-lens-astrophotography

So if you for now detach the telescope from the camera (read link above for what you can start to do now) then you can make a choice on visual observing.

Bigger is not better if it means you do not bother to use it as it is too much hassle to take outside.

I have a small refractor and a small Newtonian. My small refractor does show chromatic aberration on very bight objects but not every viewing session includes either a planet or the Moon and if they do I can live with it. But if your IQ demands are higher than your budget then I would stick to a Newtonian (never shows CA) or a slower F ratio refractor such as f10 or more as the CA should be a lot less.

Should add if it is a Newtonian (reflector) then ensure the length of the tube give or take is the same length as the stated focal length. Not looking for a reflector with a tube that is 400mm long and a focal length of 1000mm, this is not a good design.

£binoculars are lovely and quick to use and get navigating the sky with I like portable 8x42 which I can hand hold.

stellarium is brilliant software for up there and free too.

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