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Hi everyone, another newbie here!

pjcrystal

By pjcrystal
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pjcrystal

pjcrystal

Posted
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Hi all, another newbie here in need of a little assistance.

I would love to get into Astronomy but been a bit put off with all the different types of telescopes and equipment out there. I sort of understand the basics with reflectors and refractors and that they both have their advantages and disadvantages. But one telescope did catch my eye and that was the Europa 150 f5 De-Luxe, partly due to the great review (93/100%) it got from Sky at Night and becasue it's in my price budget too.

Would this be a good entry level telescope for a complete beginner?

Also, can anyone recommend any books that would be of great help to a novice? I would like to learn all about focal ratios, eyepieces, filters, pretty much everything involved with using a telescope to enjoy the night sky!

Thanks everyone.

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timetraveller

timetraveller

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Hello PJ

and a very warm welcome to SGL

I'm afraid i don't know about the scope you have mentioned , but if it got a good review in S@N then that should be a very good indication and a 150 mm is a good size to start with. what sort of mount does it come with and has it got go-to or similar built in . As for the books there are plenty on the market to get you started probably one of the best is Turn Left at Orion which was written specifically with the smaller scopes in mind and its a pretty good read too. I would also suggest a good star atlas, also download as a freebee Stellarium which is a cracking planetarium also Virtual Moon Atlas also free to download as for the rest just read the various posts , tutorials and primer's on the forum here and most importantly of all ask loads of questions that's what we are here for and there is absolutely no such thing as a stupid question so please ask anything you feel you don't know or understand . This place is full of great very clever people who love to share and teach so go for it and enjoy this superb family best wishes Pete

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Mel

Mel

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Hi PJ

Welcome the the SGL - I'm new here myself, but I'm confident that you'll get nothing but plenty of good helpful (and free) advice here.

The one thing I will add, and I know it's a cliche but it is also very true, and that is not to discount using just a pair of binoculars. I don't know if you have tried this already, but a good pair of bins on a dark sky can be just as rewarding (and so much easier) than a small scope. It's also far easier to 'star hop' your way around star maps and familiarise yourself - maybe you're already doing this? :D

Having said that, there is no substitute for seeing Saturn's rings or the equatorial belts or moons of Jupiter - both of which should be well within the reach of the scope you mention (with appropriate eyepieces - say a 2x barlow - which doubles the magnification of the eyepiece - and a standard eyepiece like a 26mm).

My first scope was a Meade ETX90 in the mid-early 90's, before that it was naked eye or bins.

Whatever you go for, enjoy.

Iain

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peeceeTal2M

peeceeTal2M

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Hi PJ, this is also a good scope in the same price range, and although i've nothing against Orions( i have an europa 10" ) the skywatcher will give you about 70% more Light Gathering than a 150mm scope. Don't forget to allow for some extra eyepieces and a moon filter too :D

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=200eq5

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Astro_Baby

Astro_Baby

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Hi PJ and welcome from me too. I actually considered the Europa too but I wanted the de-luxe version. ( I'm a relative newbie as well ).

In the end I opted for the Sky-Watcher 200 on an HEQ5 mount on the oft qouted maxim that aperture is king and I could get an 8" Sky-Watcher on a powered mount for the price of a 6" on a manual only mount from Orion.

I havent been disappointed with the Sky-Watcher and having seen an Orion on the Vixen mount very recently and having seen some views through the 200 I am pretty sure I made the right choice.

The 200 is a bit on the big side to lug about though. Depends on your budget I guess and what sways yuo - I liked the Orions kick ass quality approach and without a doubt it would have fitted in with my home furnishings better. :D

Thats my two penneth :(

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pjcrystal

pjcrystal

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Thanks everyone for your welcome messages and replies. It's great to know that all your expert advice is only a mouse click away. I'm sure you'll all be hearing more from me over the next weeks, months, years.....!

Before I decide on a telescope should I consider photography now? Or are most telescopes combatible with the various cameras and equipment you can buy in order to take photos?

Thanks again!

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timetraveller

timetraveller

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PJ if your considering Astrophotography then it will definitely impact not so much on the make of scope but more importantly on the mount . It will need to be big enough and strong enough to carry the weight of the scope of any camera you add to it also it will definitely need to have a motor drive so that you can track whatever your going to photograph most of the people on here would almost certainly suggest the HEQ5 mount or bigger and i will certainly echo that point as for the scope itself you will need to decide quite early on exactly what type of astrophotography you wish to do if your just wanting the planets and the moon then a refract or would probably be the better option as it has a much better contrast for picking out fine detail. But if its dso's ( deep space objects ) you want to photograph then you need as much light gathering ability as the scope can muster so an 8" tube will be better than a six inch. The best advice I can give you is ask around some of the members on here we have some great astrophotographers here on the forum who's work borders on the professional take a look in the observing pages of the forum were they post their work you ll see exactly what I mean best wishes and dark skies Pete

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Mel

Mel

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Hi again PJ

If you're thinking of taking pictures as well, I'd suggest starting with planetary, or even better, the moon, which is a fascinating target.

For this you dont even need an EQ mount - which can be hard to set up each time if you have to do that - you can take satisfactory moon/planet shots with a simple webcam and a tripod.

I started out with my ETX90 on the field tripod mounted Alt Az - though this scope compenstates for the alt-az mounting by tracking with both motors to keep the target in the field of view.

HTH

Iain

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