astronomy newbie

[eastern star]

Thinking of getting 114mm orion reflector table top auto rotate

anyone have advice on this scope for taking photos

[Pompey Monkey]

Welcome to SGL!

In a nut-shell: You could probably do the moon/Jupiter/Saturn with a modified webcam, but that's about your lot.

Taking photos (or "imaging") of deep sky objects like nebulae and galaxies is a process that requires a technical finesse that a table top 'scope will not be able to deliver. This is a good place to ask questions: http://stargazerslounge.com/forum/184-getting-started-with-imaging/

[Cornelius Varley]

The Orion Starblast 114 Autotracker, also sold as the Skywatcher Heritage 114p Virtuoso which is also cheaper,  is not ideal for imaging,  especially with a DSLR. Most Newtonian reflectors are not designed for imaging and you may find that the telescope will not be able to reach focus without the aid of a barlow lens.

The mount also is not ideal for astro imaging through a telescope. The mount design (aly-azimuth) moves across the sky in a series of zig-zag motions, unlike an equatorial mount that moves in an arc to match the rotation of the stars across the night sky. The zig-zag movement of the mount will show up in the images as field rotation and you will be limited to relatively short exposures ( 30 seconds or less ) before field rotation becomes apparent.  A heavy camera might also make the mount unstable or difficult to balance.

Without trying to dissuade you too much from imaging with the 114 you should be able to image the moon with either a modified webcam or through an eyepiece using a mobile phone or compact camera.

[Putaendo Patrick]

+1 on buying the Skywatcher version in the UK. Skywatcher and Orion are both brand names of what are essentially the same products made by Synta in China, however in Britain Orion tends to be more expensive.

+1 as well on the limitations of this sort of telescope set up for imaging.