Newbie help, Celestron NexStar 6 SLT or Skywatcher Star Discovery P150i

[XenaGrey]

Hi

I'm new here and new to telescopes and looking for some help deciding between these two telescopes:

Celestron NexStar 6 SLT or 

Skywatcher Star Discovery P150i.

I'm trying to get something fairly easy to use when it comes to both mount and overall weight, which is why I've ruled out a dobsonian for now. It's important for me that I get something that I'll be able to take out and back in by myself so that I don't bother my husband every time I want to use my telescope.

I would like to be able to see some deep sky objects too and not just the moon and planets, and I think a Goto would be good for me.

I do own a 10inch Newtonian already (which was gifted to me) but I'm struggling with it's mount. I was told it's a German equatorial mount but was not shown how to use it. I find it very difficult to move it exactly as I want to when trying to look for objects in the night sky, and it is also extremely heavy and impossible for me to take outside by myself.

I am therefore looking for something a bit more straightforward to begin with that will still provide good views, allow me to transport it myself and be a bit easier to get into.

I narrowed it down to those two telescopes above but am open to ideas. Ideally I'd like to keep it at around £500 - 600.

Any help will be much appreciated. Thanks

[heliumstar]

Get AZ GTi wifi mount + either 127 mak or 5" sct. Both are easy to live with and provide great views. Especially the 127 mak + AZ GTi combo is really good and within your budget. What is left of that 600 add a few Pounds and get Baader zoom and you are sorted with everything.

Edited July 17, 2019 by heliumstar

[Cosmic Geoff]

I have a Nexstar SLT 127mm Mak (5")  and based on my experience with this I suspect that the new 6 SLT is pushing the limits of the mount.  Is the SLT6 a WiFi? Do you really want that or would you prefer the more reliable option of a handset?  The 6" telescope is also available in the form of the 6SE, which is a more sturdy mount but also a lot more expensive. There is also the 6" Nexstar Evolution, which clearly costs more than you are prepared to pay but represents a proper mount for this scope.

The Star Discovery 150p is a 6" Newtonian, but it  is a lightweight budget version.  You get a GoTo mount, but AFAIK this is also a WiFi mount. (If one is being cynical, this saves the makers the cost of supplying a handset).

Neither of your provisional telescopes is awful, but also consider the 127mm Mak, which you can get with various mounts.  The Celestron SLT version has easy to use software and a handset.  I still like my Mak and get it out quite often, despite now having bigger telescopes.  If you get the Mak or one of the SCT designs like the 6 SLT, you have the option of putting it on different mounts at some later date.  With the Star Discovery it is more likely that you'd change the whole outfit IMHO.

I can understand why you don't get on with a large Newtonian on a German equatorial mount - this combination is notoriously user-unfriendly, and after a brief encounter with an 8" example I bought a C8 SE to replace it.

[Geoff Lister]

+1 for the 127mm Mak. This is my Skywatcher Skymax 127, with Synscan GoTo handset, in a portable form. With 2 sets of batteries, and a few eyepieces, the whole lot weighs about 11kg.

My Cosmos 90 has essentially the same mount, but uses WiFi and an App. on my tablet. However, when looking through the eyepiece, I find the "real" buttons on the Synscan handset much easier to use, than the "virtual" ones on the tablet's touchscreen.

I liked the Skymax so much, that I bought a second one for my holiday home in France.

Geoff