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Just getting in to star gazing  I have a 70 skywatcher telescope  on a  tripod mount  seen Saturn for the first. Time new we're the planet was in the night sky but it took me ages to focus getting it to a small dot on my scope  look at the moon to beutifull  tried Mars. Not so good  now Iam thinking shall I get a skywatcher dbsonian 10 inch or am I trying run before I can walk any suggestion on the scope I  have for getting the best out of this 70 scope it has a red dot laser to pinpoint stars thanks

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I would say get more experience using and viewing with your 70mm scope first before you upgrade to quickly, and learn the basic main constellations. It is surprising the range of things that even a small 7mm scope can see. I'm assuming you have maybe the bog standard 20mm & 10mm stock EPs with that scope? Regardless of whether you get a new larger 10" dob you will also need to get better, and a wider range of EP's to use. A quick way to do this early on is to get a good quality 2 x Barlow which will double the EPs focul a length range you have at the moment .i.e. 20mm EP will be come a 10mm EP, 10 will become a 5mm EP etc. Or if you can afford to get some better quality EP's.  However, even with stock Eap's there are plenty of globular/open clusters to see, planetary nebula & a few galaxies that you should see on a good night too with that kind of scope.

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It is usually better to wait, you have a little time before the nights start to get really dark, thinking of the clocks going back at the end of October.

Would likely be better to wander off and find a local club and get to look at a few scopes. Another reason is that I read quite a few instance of people going down in size not upwards.

A 10" will show more and should be better but the planets at this time are in a terrible position. To an extent pointing hubble at Jupiter and Saturn from where you observe would not help. A 10" scope is not going to give you clear views of Saturn simply because the atmosphere is the problem.

You need to align the finder with the scope, there is more to it then attaching finder to scope. This is best done during the day on an object about 1 or 2 miles away. You need to know where to look. Learn the constellations and where objects in them are. As said previously the 70 will see a fair number of things. In effect have you found Albireo, Almaak, M13, C14 (double cluster), M92, M31. There is the same problem with a 10" as a 70mm you have to know where to look and find them. They do not just appear in your view, even with a goto they do not just appear in your view quite a lot of the time.

The other aspect is that there are loads of galaxies from the handel end of the Plough down through Bootes to Virgo (all part of a galaxy supercluster), by eye you see none, in binoculars maybe 20, in a small scope maybe 40, in a 10" say 80. The "catch" is you see more but theyare always very tiny disks. They do not suddenly manifest into large swirly spirals of colour. In effect the question is: Are 80 small disks beter the 20 small disks. I use them as an example of just showing people what they cannot see by eye, but in numeric terms.

The other is simply monetary: A 10" costs and then there are the eyepieces, with a better scope there is the tendency to buy better eyepieces. Even if you bought the BST Starguiders you would likely be looking at the complete set eventually,  of them, and that add £300 on, then a collimator, £25-30. All starts to add up. Maybe strange but people will often spend much the same on eyepieces as the scope cost.

Still suggest you find a club and see the assorted options available to you. Check if any have an open evening for the public.

 

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You'll be very happy with a 10" scope I'm sure, but I do agree that it would be best to learn more about the night sky first. I'd say buy a copy of Sky and Telescope Sky Atlas, pick a few of the brighter deep sky objects, and search for them with what you have at the moment as a means of teaching yourself more about the position of the constellations and how to star hop towards a target. A pair of binoculars will do just as well. I used my 15x70 binoculars for this for a year before I bought my 10" scope, finding my way around the sky was a doddle after that.

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Hello and welcome to SGL. With 70mm of aperture you are limiting your magnification to around x140 maximum on a good night of good seeing and clear views. So a barlow with a high power eyepiece could take you well over this limit, and all you will get is a fuzzy image of unclear view. With a small aperture like this a barlow with a high power eyepiece just will not provide a clear view..

You are much better sticking to a lower power and getting a clear sharp view than a high power and getting a blur, magnification is not everything in this hobby, but seeing is.

If you wish higher magnification and clearer views then up the aperture and this will allow higher magnification to be used therefore a more close up view

If you do wish to step up in scope and magnification then bang for your buck look at a skywatcher 200p or 250p these will be good for planetary and DSO so a good step up and worthwhile addition.

I hope the above helps☺

 

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4 hours ago, ronin said:

It is usually better to wait, you have a little time before the nights start to get really dark, thinking of the clocks going back at the end of October.

Would likely be better to wander off and find a local club and get to look at a few scopes. Another reason is that I read quite a few instance of people going down in size not upwards.

A 10" will show more and should be better but the planets at this time are in a terrible position. To an extent pointing hubble at Jupiter and Saturn from where you observe would not help. A 10" scope is not going to give you clear views of Saturn simply because the atmosphere is the problem.

You need to align the finder with the scope, there is more to it then attaching finder to scope. This is best done during the day on an object about 1 or 2 miles away. You need to know where to look. Learn the constellations and where objects in them are. As said previously the 70 will see a fair number of things. In effect have you found Albireo, Almaak, M13, C14 (double cluster), M92, M31. There is the same problem with a 10" as a 70mm you have to know where to look and find them. They do not just appear in your view, even with a goto they do not just appear in your view quite a lot of the time.

The other aspect is that there are loads of galaxies from the handel end of the Plough down through Bootes to Virgo (all part of a galaxy supercluster), by eye you see none, in binoculars maybe 20, in a small scope maybe 40, in a 10" say 80. The "catch" is you see more but theyare always very tiny disks. They do not suddenly manifest into large swirly spirals of colour. In effect the question is: Are 80 small disks beter the 20 small disks. I use them as an example of just showing people what they cannot see by eye, but in numeric terms.

The other is simply monetary: A 10" costs and then there are the eyepieces, with a better scope there is the tendency to buy better eyepieces. Even if you bought the BST Starguiders you would likely be looking at the complete set eventually,  of them, and that add £300 on, then a collimator, £25-30. All starts to add up. Maybe strange but people will often spend much the same on eyepieces as the scope cost.

Still suggest you find a club and see the assorted options available to you. Check if any have an open evening for the public.

 

 

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I too would wait a while before upgrading your 70mm. A 10" Dobsonian reflector is a great telescope but it may not be the best for your needs. It is quite large (certainly not impossible) so if you need to move it, or travel to a darker site, this may be an important consideration. It can also be demanding on eyepieces - which can mean serious money! You might also think about 6" and 8" Dobsonians. If you live in a city, you may also find that light pollution reduces the benefits of larger aperture.

Other types of telescope designs may also prove interesting - if you are drawn particularly to lunar and planetary observing, a very compact Maksutov could fit the bill. Many people also like computerised go-to mounts which will allow you to find objects and track them. Take your time to make the right decision.

The Derby and District Astronomical Society have their next observing evening on Saturday 20th August - it might provide a very good opportunity to see a variety of different telescopes in action and discuss their various merits with the owners: http://www.derbyastronomy.org/

 

 

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