Absolute Beginner

[SHANKSY]

Hi All

My husband is a very amateur stargazer and I have come up with the idea of getting him a telescope for Christmas.  I have had a look on this forum and can see that it's not going to be that simple.  Can anyone point me in the direction of a telescope for a beginner?  Without getting too technical, I want a "decent" one and don't want in 3 months him saying this is rubbish I need a better one.  Where do I start??

[kev100]

Hiya. What's your budget? Will your husband be observing from the back garden or driving to a dark site? How's the light pollution where you are? Is he showing any signs of wanting to take astro-photos?

Kev

[SHANKSY]

Hi thanks so much for reply.  I don't know how much they cost lol but can we say £ 500 absolute maximum including any accessories??  Primarily it would just be from the back garden but he has on occasion mentioned that he'd see more elsewhere so a dark site is also possible.  Light pollution he's mentioned this before we are fairly close to the centre of Glasgow so I think it's probably pretty high.  Never mentioned photos but honestly wouldn't put that past him either.  Sorry to sound so vague, it was just an initial thought but the more I think about it the idea is perfect.  Thanks again!

[kev100]

Hiya.

Okay, the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P is the UK's most popular scope (I believe), and is well within your budget (leaving you plenty for accessories): http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html

It's readily transportable by car, and will offer great views. Its fairly large aperture will let in lots of light, including the bad kind (street lights, etc), so you may get slightly washed out views at home (compared to a smaller refractor type scope), but it'll be incredible under darker skies. It's a completely manual scope (no special, computerised gizmos to find objects in the sky). A good all rounder.

A refractor like this one – http://www.firstlightoptics.com/evostar/skywatcher-evostar-120-eq3-2.html–  will offer possibly more contrasty views from home due to its optics design and smaller aperture, and will also give good views (though perhaps not of the same fainter objects that the 200 will pick up  due to its greater light gathering) at a darker site. Still within budget, though, and a cracking scope. He will have the option of upgrading the mount should he decide he wants to do astrophotography. Again, a good all rounder.

Kev

[badger111]

Agree with Kev, the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P is a cracking scope (I wish I'd had one to start with)

[Charic]

The second scope kev mentions has more to setup every time its used? the 200P does not, my reason for owning the 200P Skywatcher, Skyliner ( I had another scope that required the same setup procedures, just too much faffing about for my liking).

If you want a solid and reliable telescope, that is simple to use, and may last a lifetime, all that you need, except a few new eyepieces, and your set up for a long time.

Not always easy to buy into a hobby for someone, but I would also recommend a store visit or a local club, just to see the size of the telescopes, and maybe peep through one of them, which would entail a night visit to the local club. You dont have to join!

[happy-kat]

A dobsonian mounted telescope is very easy to setup and use, but think about whether the size of 200p suggested is right for you.

I have a much smaller dobsonian telescoe as that size is the size I can move about and be bothered to use.

From reading another members post Glasgow has a lot of light pollution I think there is a thread discussing how best to see when in that situation and what type of telescope is best. I will see if I can find it.

[Charic]

....without trying to discourage, happy-kat is right, however from the same site of observation, my 200P leaves my 127EQ standing.

Smaller has some benefits, but loses out on light gathering against the larger scope.

No wonder folk stumble when trying to understand how it all works, why it all works, and whats best?

Im still learning something new everyday with this hobby, its remembering everything thats the issue.

[ShrimpBoatSteve]

If I were to start again (only been back into it for few a months), with the knowledge I have now, I would have bought a smaller scope with GOTO capability straight away. Using this I would have got the basics correct and not had the frustration of learning how to get a 2nd hand scope back to good order and then learning how to set it up.

It's a tough learning curve and probably the reason so many scopes end up on ebay It is OK If he has time to learn and you don't mind him suddenly being out all night. I would also say that unless he knows what he can expect then he won't be disappointed, too many people expect to see Hubble type images through any scope, again ... they end up on ebay.

My recommendation would be the Skywatcher 150P EQ3 GOTO scope, not cheap but does everything.

[BritAngler]

+1 for the Skywatcher 200P. It is a bit big but easily fits on the back seat of my car.  Comes with 2 eyepieces plus Barlow and Moon filter (IIRC), and at a later date the EQ5 mount can easily be converted to a GOTO mount.

The only down side of owning a Newtonian telescope (which includes those mislabelled as Dobsonians) is the need to regularly check collimation, but there are plenty of helpful threads, websites and Youtube vids available to help you out

[kev100]

Hi again Shanksy, lots to think about there, and I don't envy you having to decide. Thing is, though, either scope will be an incredible surprise, and will at the very least get your husband started and set on the right path.

The sheer size of the boxes they come in will be a major shock.

If your light pollution is really quite bad, then the 200P may not be for you, though again, from a dark site it'll be amazing. If the set up issues of the smaller scope are an issue, then perhaps you should look at the 6 inch version of the 200P ... The 150.

As for the goto scope, that's a very personal thing. I personally enjoy the hunt, the journey not just the destination, as it were, though I can see the benefits of keying in the object you want to see and have the scope find it for you. Of course, the scope has to be set up correctly in the first place ... Which isn't for everyone. I love my dobsonian because I can just plonk it down, take off the caps, plug in an eyepiece and I'm away

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[SHANKSY]

Thanks so much for the replies, its given me two to look at and I'm confident you are the guys to ask :-)

A couple of stupid questions - do they both come with a stand or is that something you buy separately

Also how portable are they we are going back to the Maldives next year and spent many hours gazing at the stars - the sky there is perfect would he be able to take this with him or is it going to take up half the case???

Thanks again!

[Charic]

Also to note, there are two Skywatcher 200 telescopes, the Explorer & Skyliner. The Explorer has a faster focal ratio, and EQ mounting system, the Skyliner has the Dobsonian mount.

[Stu]

Thanks so much for the replies, its given me two to look at and I'm confident you are the guys to ask :-)

A couple of stupid questions - do they both come with a stand or is that something you buy separately

Also how portable are they we are going back to the Maldives next year and spent many hours gazing at the stars - the sky there is perfect would he be able to take this with him or is it going to take up half the case???

Thanks again!

Hi,

Either of the scopes would take up the whole of the case and more, not practical for taking abroad on a plane.

For that I would either suggest a good pair of binoculars or a small refractor on a photo tripod which would give lovely views under a very dark sky. They are very different requirements though which makes life more difficult!

[Charic]

http://www.telescopes.com/blogs/helpful-information/18966596-understanding-telescopes

Some pros / cons for telescopes.

For travelling, a pair of binoculars is also a very good option.

[SHANKSY]

Oh dear this has suddenly got a whole lot more complicated....its his birthday in February maybe get the binoculars then as something more portable 

[Charic]

The binoculars will always complement the scope, and furthermore, something you too can use when sat outside with your man!

The Stars and Planets won't be leaving soon, what I'm trying to say is take your time in choosing the right telescope. The binoculars ( I favour 8x40s for low magnification, and wider views ) may be a good start in learning the night sky, and introduce him to Stellarium, the freeware Planetarium. If then your man wants more power to see the finer details on the Moon and Planets, and possibly further afield, then select your telescope?

[SHANKSY]

And would this be the right place for recommendations for binoculars 

[nameunknown]

There was a recent discussion here: http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/256411-which-is-the-uk-best-starter-telescope/but for a ~£150 budget. One seemingly popular suggestion was the http://www.firstlightoptics.com/heritage/skywatcher-heritage-90-virtuoso.html (£159). That is quite a bit smaller than the others discussed above (hence much less powerful) but significantly more portable. It's also good for "daytime" use (wildlife watching). You won't be able to use this for much other than the Moon and planets (or the Sun with a suitable filter), but it is lightweight and easy to set up on a picnic table somewhere dark.

For a so-called "grab and go" I use the Skywatcher Skymax 127 (with stand about £350). Anything much bigger is going to be impossible to get to the Maldives at reasonable cost (the mount/stand of a "big" scope tends to be heavy and will use up all your baggage allowance - also, scopes don't like being thrown around like hold baggage and are best as hand-baggage). I certainly wouldn't like to put £500 worth of a big Dobsonian in the hold of a plane to the Maldives and see what came out at the other end - that would end in tears.

P

[Dave Lloyd]

Whether or not the scope is ",rubbish" he'll still be saying he wants a better one. That's how it starts. Beware!

[Charic]

name="SHANKSY" post="2803959" timestamp="1447186481"]

And would this be the right place for recommendations for binoculars

YES!

One of our valued contributors / member runs this site. If the information is not there, its not worth knowing!

http://www.binocularsky.com

[happy-kat]

Also how portable are they we are going back to the Maldives next year and spent many hours gazing at the stars - the sky there is perfect would he be able to take this with him or is it going to take up half the case???

The Maldives fabulous.

If the suggestions could fit in a case you would need two cases.

This is the 200p on the dobsonian mount being unboxed and assembled to get an idea on size.

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/27576-skywatcher-200p/

Binoccualrs I use mine for that go quick look as sometimes the clouds do not part enough to warrant anything further and another liking the 8 x 42 size.

[BritAngler]

The SW 200P comes with the EQ5 mount included, it's the one I have and is 1000mm focal length, giving an F5 wossname. The SW 200 on a Dobsonian mount is 1200mm focal length so is F6. The latter gives a bit more magnification than the former, but you will still be limited to about 250X magnification on a good night.

There are GOTO dobsonian mounts available, but I don't know if you can easily convert a basic Dob to a GOTO easily.

With an EQ (equatorial) mount, you will need to polar-align the mount prior to mounting the 'scope, but after that you will only need to move the scope in one direction to keep whatever star/nebula/starship in view. With a Dobsonian mount, you just plonk the mount on the ground, attach the 'scope and away you go. However, you will then have to move the scope in two directions (up/down & left/right) to keep the star/nebula/alien attack fleet in view. Polar aligning can be a bit of a pain at first, but there are various threads, websites and youtube vids out there to help you on your way.

Also, if you buy the F5 version with an EQ5 mount, you can build a good Dobsonian mount out of marine plywood and a couple of vinyl LP's (really, there are websites etc, etc) if you want to just go outside one night and plonk, and who doesn't enjoy having a good plonk under the stars

[SHANKSY]

Thanks all so much for your help.  I've decided that this too big for me to deal with on my own, so I'm going to get binoculars as a starter for xmas and he can look into (quite literally) the telescopes himself.  He uses several forums himself for various things so I will guide him to this one when the need arises!

Thanks again!