What Scope to buy next

[Newbs2215]

Hi, 

I

We (wife and I) have recently started our journey in Astronomy and currently own a Celestron  Nextstar 4se. Although it is ok for seeing the planets and some of the more brighter DSO's, we are looking to compliment this scope with another that will mainly be used for visual observation of DSO's and at a later sate, we would like to use it as the base for a foray into Astrophotography. 

We have a budget of about £1300 to purchase the scope/ tripod /mount etc. We have looked at most of the UK's Astronomical retailers, but we cannot yet make an informed decision.

Any advice would be more than helpful.

Newbs

[knobby]

Large Dobs are good value for dim DSO but not so for imaging.

A small apo refractor is good for imaging.

Possibly a good middle ground would be a 8" reflector or sct on an eq mount .

More suggestions will follow I'm sure .

[happy-kat]

Without drifting too much if you already own a DSLR and camera lens you could foray today with just using your 4SE mount into astrophotography working within the limitations of a laltaz mount. Check out the No EQ DSO Challenge thread.

[carastro]

If you're intending to progress to Astrophotography then the most important aspect will be a sturdy Equatorial mount capable of guiding.  If you don't have this then it doesn't matter how good your scope is if it can't track and guide accurately as deep sky images are acquired through long exposures, so if the tracking isn't right you'll get elongated and mishapen stars.  

If you're not intending to buy a really heavy scope, then the ideal one would be a Skywatcher HEQ5 (make sure you get one with a guide port as you'll need that.  That will cost in the region of £750.

Onto that you would do well to start with a low powers APO refractor such as one of the WO smaller scopes, or an ED80, or if you like Newtonians the Skywatcher 130PDS is much admired around £169.  You'll need a number of accessories, but this will get you started.

More powerful scopes are great for observing, but there will restrict the FOV for imaging, and also for a beginner make it more challenging.  Actually you could get yourself a more powerful scope for observing and one of the smaller ones I mentioned for imaging, and they can both sit on the same mount with the right dovetail.  

Carole 

 

 

[Timebandit]

 

Hi 

And welcome to SGL

For visual on DSO you need as much aperture as you can handle, for the light grasp.

But with aperture comes size and weight,so there is a trade off. You could start with something like a 200p dob which would be a very good step up in aperture from your present scope and still be able to be moved around and great bang for buck.

But with your budget you could go I the realm of big SW Dobs in the 14" / 16" range which would be great for DSO , but really you need a permanent outside site as they are Big. But visual wise for DSO that's the way to go.

For AP you really need to go a different route, something like the SWed 80 or the 130 pds would be great for AP on a solid mount 

It's horse for courses ,but really a great visual scope like a big Dob on DSO ,will not be great for AP

 

Also with a lot of DSO to get the best visually out of any scope then a dark site is best. The darker the better 

I hope this helps☺

 

 

 

[Whistlin Bob]

Lots of great answers on here already...

Your plan sounds quite like what I've done so far- albeit making it up as I went along:

Bought a 200p Sky Watcher Dob to do visual observing, plus some bits and pieces (eyepieces, Rigel Finder, adjustable seat) - approx. £400 altogether and a total joy to use - I've seen loads through it.

Decided I wanted to try imaging, so bought an HEQ5 mount 2nd hand + tube rings + power supply- £600

Realised a big Newtonian on an EQ mount works very well technically, but is a pain in the bum to use (to look through it sometimes I needed a step ladder, sometimes I was on my knees) so I bought a 130pds + Coma Corrector - this works brilliantly for imaging and was about £300.

Obviously some of this was second hand (works brilliantly, though), but it just about hits your budget and has been spent over 3 years. It also has the merit that I can set up the imaging rig and whilst it's working away taking pictures I can get my Dob out for some observing. 

Couple of warning points though:

- I'd repeat Timebandits point about dark sites- even doubling the aperture, what you see of DSOs is nothing like the pictures- they're called "faint fuzzies" for a reason. Only with much bigger scopes or long exposure photos will you see the real details in DSOs.

- It is addictive, and if you're anything like me you'll find yourself getting bits and pieces that will quickly take you over your budget.

 

 

[ollypenrice]

Honestly, uncouple visual observation from astrophotography. It is the only sane way to proceed. Don't chase your tail trying to find a system which does both well. If it exists I've never met it.

Olly

[Trikeflyer]

You can pick up a good 8 inch dob used for less than £200 on astrobuy sell. I use my 8 inch dob more than both the 12 inch and the mak. You'd still have loads of money for some good eyepieces and you could even consider a used astro photography set up from astrobuysell to compliment the visual stargazing. Good luck in whatever conclusion you reach. Keep us in the loop. 

Steve 

[nightfisher]

The only way i can see to do both might be an EQ5 pro and 150p-ds newt as asingle set up, but this is still going to be a compromise  so a 200 dob for visual is better and think about astro imaging at a later date

[alanjgreen]

Keep it separate. Buy two scopes (one for visual now and one for AP later).

Agree with everyone above. Get a Dob now (8" will be a real wow over your current 4" which is too small for visual).

Then buy a EQ mount and a ED80 refractor later for the AP.

With 2 you can even observe while the AP is doing it stuff.

I would say to keep both rigs small otherwise you won't use them. 

Do consider the 150p star discovery for visual, with its included goto it's a bargain at £350. And leaves plenty left for AP. The 8" dob will show more but is BIG. Suggest you visit a shop or watch YouTube videos to see the relevant physical sizes.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/az-goto/sky-watcher-star-discovery-150p.html

6" shows way more than 4" and if you like goto then you can keep that too. But if you want a wow over the 4se, then 8" reflector is what you need.

Alan

[Shibby]

As has been said, there is no telescope that's perfect for both imaging and visual. But the best all-rounder is a Newtonian reflector. I would recommend the Skywatcher 150-PDS, which performs well visually for DSOs and is suitable for DSO astrophotography if you add the coma corrector. A setup I used for several years.

[Astro Imp]

As has been often said visual and astro photography are two entirely different branches of the hobby and trying to do both with one rig will be an exercise in frustration, you will end up with something that does neither well.

Take notice of @ollypenrice he's a man who knows. 

The suggestion of an 8" Dob for visual is great advice, you'll see loads. As for AP I leave others to advise.