startravel 80 eq1 or explorer-130 eq2?

[MadStu]

Hi everyone,

Firstly Merry Christmas!

I've always been interested in astronomy and my wonderful girlfriend wanted to buy me a telescope for Christmas.

She bought one then was advised by someone else that a different model was better so she bought another one, but in actual fact neither of us have any idea which would be the better.

I'm only allowed to keep one, so I said I'd ask you guys which I should keep.

The models to choose from are: Explorer-130 EQ2 & Startravel-80 EQ1.

I would be most interested in looking at planets and if possible, passing comets.

I'd appreciate your advice and expertise in choosing.

Thanks :-)

Stu

[Peter Drew]

The problem with these questions is that the reponses reflect what the responders would prefer. On that basis I would prefer the 130 on the EQ2. My reasoning being better aperture, better mount and no chromatic aberration.    

[MadStu]

Thanks Peter, I have no prior knowledge about these so gauging the preferences of the more experienced user helps me a lot

[happy-kat]

Peter is right about preference. I would choose the ST80, acknowledging the less than ideal mount, the telescope is very portable and gives lovely widefield views and the CA is present but I can live with it (It is very noticeable on Jupiter with the supplied 10mm).

Neither would be a disappointment as a first telescope.

[Putaendo Patrick]

They are both good scopes, and as said it comes down to personal preference. You could just flip a coin!

Tripod and mount are really pretty similar - not fantastic but good enough. No great determining factor between them here.

Telescope types: one is a refractor, the other a reflector. In terms of aperture, an 80mm frac is pretty similar to a 130 reflector, so again nothing really concrete, although the 130 could allow a little more magnification. Reflectors however do need to have their mirrors realligned from time to time (collimation) and you may want to buy a Cheshire EP for this. So perhaps a minus for the 130, but no big deal.

Focal length - or the length of the tube. This determines the magnification of a given eyepiece. The Travelstar is shorter (400mm), so in general gives better performance at lower magnifications, while the Explore has 900mm and may perform better at slightly greater magnification. Although in, general, refractors are better at lunar and planetary observation, in this case the Explorer might be better in this case.

Size and weight: as has been said, the Travelstar is lighter and more compact. However the Explorer is by no means a monster. If you're going to viewing from your garden, no problem - but you could even put the Travelstar in a padded rucksack and go places on a motorbike!

So, maybe just flip that last round pound! Happy Christmas.

[John]

I'd definitely go for the Explorer 130mm. It's not perfect but no scope in that price range is but 13cm of aperture gives you a lot more observing potential than 8cm whether it's deep sky objects or the moon and planets.

[MadStu]

Thanks for all the replies, they're very much appreciated I'll probably choose the 130 and hope for clear skies tonight