Upgrade Opinions Please

[Mazza671]

Hi

I have joined to see if anyone can give me some advice/feedback

In January 2016 I bought the following telescope for my husband which has given fantastic views of the moon and also some of the moons of Jupiter (I think it was Jupiter). He now wants something more powerful to view more planets. He doesn't wish to take photographs simply to view.

Current set up:

Sky-watcher Evo star 120

Magnification (with optics supplied): 40x and 100x      Objective lens diameter 120 mm     1000 mm refracting telescope     Ocular lens included (1.25 inch): 10 mm and 25 mm      6 x 30 finder scope  

dual fit 1.25 inch / 2 inch focusing optics     1.25 inch / 31.7 mm star diagonal     Multi coated lens

Any advice/ assistance would be very much appreciated as it is his birthday in a few days, and it would be the ideal present.

Thank you

Mazza

[Charic]

Hello and welcome to the SGL.

He`ll see the same Planets even with the new scope.
I really like the scope I have, the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P.
Different in style but  this would be great to run alongside or in-place of the present scope, and probably a lot easier to  setup.

Hey! you could both be outside enjoying the night skies with a scope each?

Happy New Year

[Mazza671]

So only the moon and Jupiter?  I think he said something about nebulae too but I might have that wrong.  I thought that there would be more to see (excuse my ignorance )

[BXRO]

Your going to have to spend some serious money to get a stepped improvement with what you have already got as they are reasonable scopes, my suggestion would be 200 or 300 mm Dobsonion. If you don't want to spend so much money how about a UHC filter, a moon filter or a light pollution filter

[ronin]

Planets fall into an odd catagory.

Realistically there are 3 of them to view. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.

Mercury and Venus are inside our orbit so they are visible at times but you never really see them face on and illuminated, that is becasue at that situation it is daylight. Uranus and Neptune are a long way away and more resemble dim green/blue stars then planets. So he is in a way stuck with 3.

The scope he has is fairly good, a nice all round scope. What I am not sure about is do you want to talk a bigger scope or better viewing?

The next scope up as a refractor would be something like the 152mm ES AR scope, it being 152mm diameter so 60% more light gathered.

Better views could be same scope but buy the 8mm and 12mm BST Starguider eyepieces as a present. £49 each so close to £100. The standard supplied items are not great and he should see a significant improvement with the BST's.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Skys-the-Limit-Astro-and-Optical/BST-Starguider-ED-/_i.html?_fsub=2568750014

Nebula he should see with the 120 scope, if he selects relevant ones to point scope at, M42 is presently around, that is the obvious. Nebula are generally dim but M42 now and M57 later are within capability of the 120 Evostar. Simply unsure of the others.

Bigger scope above the 152 mentioned effectively means a change in type, from refractor to reflector, do not just go and get a completely different type if he is used to refractors. Mainly as he seems content with the one he has.

If the 8mm and 12mm eyepieces are insufficent magnification for Saturn then consider the Altair 6mm Lightwave (think it is that one) at £55. I suspect the 5mm BST is a bit too much. The 6mm could therfore also be.

Better views and present scope I say the eyepieces, bigger scope implies the ES/Bresser 152mm AR (Achro). Well that is my thinking.

[Stu]

Mazza, you could do a lot worse than follow Charic's suggestion.

The 200p will show the planets with better resolution and less false colour than the scope he currently has. It is large, but relatively simple to use and would also be good for deep sky objects (nebulae, galaxies etc)

[Mazza671]

Happy new year and a big thank you to all  for the help and advice.

Charic:  I have ordered the "Skywatcher Skyliner 200P" -I like the idea of setting up both telescopes so that we can view together  Thank you.

BXRO: Great idea to upgrade the current telescope and I have ordered  a UHC filter and a moon filter, neither of which I would have known about, so thank you .

ronin:  Wow, this is a fantastic post with lots of advice that I will print and pass on to my husband.  I opted to try the  the 8mm and 12mm BST Starguider eyepieces  first and ordered them, but as you will see from other replies I also decided to buy another telescope too.  He can decide which he wants to keep, or even keep both if he wants to.  Thank you very much for the help 

Stu:  Because of your recommendation I went back to Charics post and decided to buy the 200P.  Thank you for helping me decide .

What a fantastic site.  I am so glad to have found it.

Mazza

[Charic]

Nice one! I just hope you like it? 

I too was glad of the help and advice when I initially joined the SGL ( still  getting help!)  and I was choosing between the  TAL 100RS and the Skyliner back then.

I'd like to look through the TAL or similar, but opinions from some folk said my decision was sound, but I`ll only know once I look through the TAL, I'm happy so far. 

[StarryEyed]

Wish him a happy birthday from all of us.

[alanjgreen]

I need a wife like you Mazza!