First scope

[Mj3]

Hi all,

I've been learning and observing the sky for a while now using binoculars.

I would now like to add a telescope into the mix. From the research I've done so far different types of scopes are used for different types of objects.

I feel the objects I would like to observe most are the brighter things as I suffer from light pollution quite badly.

These would include the moon, planets, double stars and nebulae such as the ring, the dumbell, etc.

Galaxies don't really appeal to me as they are always going to be grey blobs with not much detail unless I throw a lot of money at it.

My budget is £500.

For this amount I've seen a skywatcher skymax 127 with an az gti mount, I'm thinking with bad light pollution a goto mount would be an advantage.

The downside is on double stars, where  a refractor seems to win over due to no central obstruction?

Then there is the Dob which wins on aperture? Do I really need a lot of aperture for the objects I would like to observe?

I would like to hear any views on which type of telescope would be suited to my needs.

Thanks in advance .

[heliumstar]

I too had 500 budget when I started. Half year later and 3500 spent I will offer my 'experience'

Either go for what you are looking for (127 mak with az gti mount) or go second hand 80ed on the same mount. In any case don't search for perfection since it's not there. What you get stick with it for some time. Buy used for stuff you are not sure about because it will not sting as much if you decide to pass it on.

For eyepices when you extend your budget later ( and you will ), I find Baader zoom excellent with my 102 mak. For a refractor go with BST Starguiders for starters. For the usual 80ed it would be something like 18mm, 8mm and 5mm or stick with zoom eyepiece and just add some high power 5mm BST or 6mm Baader ortho. 32mm Plossl is a given for both.

 

[lenscap]

1 hour ago, Mj3 said:

These would include the moon, planets, double stars and nebulae such as the ring, the dumbell, etc.

You will also be able to see lots of open clusters and the brighter globular clusters even in LP skies.

GoTo or not GoTo;  that is the question.

I would spend the money on aperture and get a 200p manual dob.

This will leave some money for accessories like maybe a right-angle finder & a couple of extra eyepieces.

You will find an 8" newt is pretty good on doubles too.

Since you already know your way around the sky & will be hunting the brighter targets rather than dim fuzzies I think you will be fine without GoTo. 

[JOC]

If you are lucky you might be able to find  Goto 200P SW Dobsonian - I did once see one go second-hand for <£500

[dweller25]

Goto - with a budget of £500 most of it will go on the mount not the optics so you will be compromising what you see

I would suggest an 8” Dobsonian which is very capable and excellent value for money.

The icing on the cake is that if you still want goto you can easily mount the dobsonian tube on an equatorial mount at a later date....

[Cosmic Geoff]

Do not under-estimate the difficulty of finding fainter objects in light polluted skies without a GoTo.  I have never managed to find M81 or M82 with my manual 203mm Newtonian. 

With a smaller instrument you will still get enough nice views of various objects to keep you occupied for at least a year or two. 

Refractors are supposed to be slightly better for resolution, aperture for aperture, according to some commentators, but quality of seeing, quality of main optics, quality of eyepieces and comfort of observing position could have equal or greater effect.  It seems the better quality refractors are the apochromatics which are also wincingly expensive.

[Galen Gilmore]

+1 for the dob.

It is usually the standard when people don't know exactly what they want, since it can do a bit of everything. It is also very upgradable in many ways if you need something else.

[Floater]

8 hours ago, heliumstar said:

I too had 500 budget when I started. Half year later and 3500 spent I will offer my 'experience'

Either go for what you are looking for (127 mak with az gti mount) or go second hand 80ed on the same mount. In any case don't search for perfection since it's not there. What you get stick with it for some time. Buy used for stuff you are not sure about because it will not sting as much if you decide to pass it on.

For eyepices when you extend your budget later ( and you will ), I find Baader zoom excellent with my 102 mak. For a refractor go with BST Starguiders for starters. For the usual 80ed it would be something like 18mm, 8mm and 5mm or stick with zoom eyepiece and just add some high power 5mm BST or 6mm Baader ortho. 32mm Plossl is a given for both.

 

+1 for above.

As for go-to, yes you’ll know where the fuzzy is and that you’re looking at it, but what will you see? Unless you have a rather serious - and, therefore, rather expensive - setup, you will be underwhelmed. 

The advice above is sound, as is the advice about a 200 reflector. 

Enjoy your decision-making; the weighing up of pros and cons. Most of us have done that and of those who continue most have come to realise that astronomy is a broad church. But although there ain’t no ‘one size fits all’, it’s a trip finding out what fits best.

Also, you should factor in the used market, especially on trusted platforms like SGL. It can make the curve less scary ... ?

Have fun. ?

[bish]

I would go for the dob.  Finding DSOs is the rewarding part for me, as they rarely look like much in the ep when you have a LP problem. I find it more hassle to align the goto on my mak than use the telrad on my dob to find things.  I'm not very patient though and like to just get going straight away.

[Mj3]

Thanks for all the replies.

I'm a little surprised at the majority saying a dob would be best suited for my needs, I'm still new so I don't know which one would be best, I'm just going off my own research, I guess I may have to alter my search to include a dob.

 

[bish]

1 hour ago, Mj3 said:

Thanks for all the replies.

I'm a little surprised at the majority saying a dob would be best suited for my needs, I'm still new so I don't know which one would be best, I'm just going off my own research, I guess I may have to alter my search to include a dob.

 

Deciding on kit can drive you mad. Everybody is different. Go with your gut feeling then make the most of what you have. Sometimes the more opinions you ask the harder it is to decide.

[xboxdevil]

I think a lot of us on here have been through this quandary at one time or another and it's a really difficult one.

In part because there are so many options and in part because you are unsure which option is going to best suit your preference. Over time your preferences may evolve too so this can be a bit of a moving target. You will also find that your mood and energy levels may also play a part any given time.

For me the main the considerations are usually along the lines of:

What targets I want to look at (or maybe image in your case)

Ease of set up for what I want to achieve 

......Yours might be different of course.

If I’m tired and don’t want to faff then I’ll go for a DOB,  just take it outside and wait for it to cool down. You might need to tweak the collimation but you can practice this beforehand. If you don’t know your way around the sky then the moon and brighter planets are still very easy to find but you’ll need to plan a bit to find other targets (can be both frustrating and rewarding).  Many people on this forum have managed some very decent planetary images with the right camera and software.

Next easiest setup for me would be the Alt/Az GOTO mount with scope eg skymax 127. I have a cpc800 which is a bit bigger but will likely be a similar setup - slightly more setup needed to level mount and do a star alignment and you’ll need power but targets are easily found via the keypad menu, so less planning / time spent finding objects. Planetary imaging will be easier albeit with less resolution (linearly proportional to diameter) and I’ve seen some good attempts at smaller DSO imaging.

The hardest setup for me is an EQ mount plus scope - I find it a bit more fiddly putting it together and polar aligning but it’s all relative and probably not that hard when you’ve done it a few times. Very capable setup that will give the best DSO imaging capability.

Best bet would be to go and visit someone locally and see what’s involved with any setup and what the view is like through the eyepiece, might be worth a shout out to see if anyone is nearby.

Good luck with whatever you decide and don’t forget to check out the for sale section here and astrobuysell as you can get more kit for your money when it’s been lovingly looked after by someone else first.

 

Steve