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Hello from Nottingham


erichardson

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Hello everyone!

I've been interested in the night sky for a long time, but up until recently I'd never taken it too seriously. I have one of those branded department store 76mm reflectors which in all honesty sat gathering dust in my loft for a good few years! A year or two ago I took it in to the garden just after Christmas when the sky was crystal clear and managed to get good, albeit wobbly views of the Moon and Jupiter. Since then I've been hooked! 

The plan now is to invest in a better telescope and mount with the hope that I can do some visual astronomy first before moving in to astrophotography later. I like the look of the Skywatcher 130PDS, not least because I've seen the famous thread on this site  :tongue:. The only issue I'm having now is deciding on which mount to get! I was thinking of starting off with an EQ3-2 (without GOTO) and just learn the basics and enjoy the visual element of astronomy. Then I can upgrade to a sturdier mount for imaging later on.

I already own a DSLR and tripod so I have been taking some shots from my back garden.

Here's a couple from tonight (nothing to shout about quality-wise but I was very happy that I saw these two objects for the first time!)

http://imgur.com/OMV6VZm - M31

http://imgur.com/ktzZ9VE - M45

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Hallo an welcome to SGL

the 130 seems to be a good scope for imaging from wot ive seen, the EQ3-2 will serve you well to learn the basics & an intro into astrophotography with a EQ mount, as you suggest if you want to take the AP further you will need to upgrade to a bigger mount, most people recommend the HEQ5 as a minimum, but have seen worthwhile pics from lesser mounts, if you upgrade your scope to a larger one then the HEQ5 will be a bit of future proofing for you.

hope this helps

clear skies

john.

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Hello everyone!

I've been interested in the night sky for a long time, but up until recently I'd never taken it too seriously. I have one of those branded department store 76mm reflectors which in all honesty sat gathering dust in my loft for a good few years! A year or two ago I took it in to the garden just after Christmas when the sky was crystal clear and managed to get good, albeit wobbly views of the Moon and Jupiter. Since then I've been hooked! 

The plan now is to invest in a better telescope and mount with the hope that I can do some visual astronomy first before moving in to astrophotography later. I like the look of the Skywatcher 130PDS, not least because I've seen the famous thread on this site  :tongue:. The only issue I'm having now is deciding on which mount to get! I was thinking of starting off with an EQ3-2 (without GOTO) and just learn the basics and enjoy the visual element of astronomy. Then I can upgrade to a sturdier mount for imaging later on.

I already own a DSLR and tripod so I have been taking some shots from my back garden.

Here's a couple from tonight (nothing to shout about quality-wise but I was very happy that I saw these two objects for the first time!)

http://imgur.com/OMV6VZm - M31

http://imgur.com/ktzZ9VE - M45

hi and welcome . your mount is the most important to spend you money on.  for an 130PDS would i advise for something in the direction like an Skywatcher (syntha) HEQ-5 or an AZ-eq5GT or something in that range celestron VX-mount is anohter example.  my 130PDS lays on a AZ-eq6-GT ( a bit overkill maybe  :cool:  ) because i had an heavier telescope before.

you just need to think well about it. if you want maybe / can afford in the near future another bigger or heavier telescope it can be wise to buy now already a mount with a bit more loading capacity.

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Hi Eric and welcome to SGL, go for the strongest and most stable mount your pocket will allow, you will not regret it. The basic EQ5 range with the ability to add drive motors is not a lot more in cost that the EQ3 you are considering now. There are also the possibilities, should you want to upgrade to a bigger scope in the future, that you will already have the mount to cope with it and not be faced with the cost of having to change this part of your kit this as well, enjoy the forum:)

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Thank you all for the messages and advice  :smiley:

Last week I took the plunge and ordered the Skywatcher 130PDS with the EQ3-2 mount and it arrived at my work today.   

I've been sat in the living room assembling it and then practicing balancing the scope and familiarizing myself with the controls. 

So far so good! I'm very happy - it's certainly a huge step up from what I've used in the past.

Now all I need is a nice clear evening to properly test it!

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