What telescope/type of telescope should I get?

[IamLost]

So obviously I’m quite new to astronomy and am just totally unsure about what to start with. I want to be able to take some deep space images of things like the Orion Nebula, but also view planets like Saturn and Jupiter. I’m not sure whether or not an apochromatic telescope would be able to get a good view of the planets but they seem to take really nice pictures of Deep space things. Also I have no idea what sort of things i need (essentials) to take photos and observe. Any help would be appreciated and if what I wrote doesn’t make sense, just ask me to clarify. Thanks :)

[mikeDnight]

A small short focal length apochromat can make a great deep sky imaging instrument, and will also give very pleasing views of star fields, clusters and brighter nebulae. For planets, it is often better to use an apo of longer focal length which enables higher magnification views and an increased image scale, which is something difficult to achieve with short focal length scopes. Apochromatic refractors are superb visual instruments for planets but are generally not the usual first choice for planetary imaging, as larger apertures and much longer focal lengths are often preferred.   This doesn't mean however, that you can't effectively image the planet's using a good apochromatic refractor. There was quite a debate a couple of years ago on the Cloudy Nights astronomy forum, where many doubted an apo could perform planetary imaging effectively. That doubt was soon quashed after an imager using a Takahashi FS102 posted images and video footage of Jupiter taken through his telescope. Those images were spectacular! If its an apochromatic refractor you really want, then for Deep sky you would probably get great results with an 80mm F5 apo, but for planets at least a 100mm F7 or higher would be needed.

 

Edited February 1, 2020 by mikeDnight

[Rob Sellent]

Welcome to the forum

For a very good introduction to astrophotography that will serve you well and will save you a lot of money by making sure you don't head off down some dodgy or misinformed lane or an expensive dead end with equipment - it's worth getting a hold of a copy of Making Every Photon Count by Steve Richards.

[Xsubmariner]

Hi and welcome, you can’t go wrong with an APO as Mikednight has already stated.  As a starter I would recommend buying second hand as you are likely to change equipment early on as your hobby develops.  The mount is a critical factor if the imaging bug bites. Your question is very broad, might I suggest you provide some specific information to get more beneficial answers.

Is it mainly for mobile or fixed use, is it visual and imaging and what sort of initial investment are you planning. This hobby can get very expensive, ask my wife.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

For visual, aperture is king, and the same holds for planetary imaging. For DSO imaging, short apochromatic refractor are better, as fast optics allow shorter exposure times, and wider fields of view. A 4" refractor will easily be outperformed by my 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain on all planets, and shows far better views of all compact DSOs. The image below was taken with my Celestron C8. 

By contrast my little APM 80 mm F/6 triplet (apochromatic) is way better for wide-field views and imaging many DSOs, as shown below:

If you first want to go down the visual route, an 8" Dobson is probably the safest choice, for a modest investment. My C8 offers the same aperture, in a more compact package, with a slightly narrower FOV, and at a considerably higher price. 

If you really want to go into imaging, especially in the case of DSOs, you need to think about the mount first. An equatorial mount is a must, and it needs to be robust. 

 

 

 

[Cosmic Geoff]

I agree with  the comments above.

Don't think that one telescope will do everything, because it won't.

Don't expect it to be cheap, because it probably won't be.

Don't expect amazing views of the planets from a small telescope. To see anything that resembles Michael Wilkinson's image of Jupiter above you need to image it with a large telescope and process the data.

[SteveWolves]

I would suggest joining your local astro society as well. Use the resources tab at the top of the page.

[IamLost]

7 hours ago, Xsubmariner said:

Hi and welcome, you can’t go wrong with an APO as Mikednight has already stated.  As a starter I would recommend buying second hand as you are likely to change equipment early on as your hobby develops.  The mount is a critical factor if the imaging bug bites. Your question is very broad, might I suggest you provide some specific information to get more beneficial answers.

Is it mainly for mobile or fixed use, is it visual and imaging and what sort of initial investment are you planning. This hobby can get very expensive, ask my wife.

It’s pretty much only going to be used in one place so I don’t care too much about portability just as long as it isn’t too hard to move about. My budget is about £800 and I’m looking to get a good scope, mount and maybe a small cmos as well (if I can). I’m probably going to mainly try to image nebulae and galaxies, but also planets from time to time, although I doubt I’ll need anything that can see past Saturn clearly. Thanks for the help.

[IamLost]

7 hours ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

For visual, aperture is king, and the same holds for planetary imaging. For DSO imaging, short apochromatic refractor are better, as fast optics allow shorter exposure times, and wider fields of view. A 4" refractor will easily be outperformed by my 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain on all planets, and shows far better views of all compact DSOs. The image below was taken with my Celestron C8. 

By contrast my little APM 80 mm F/6 triplet (apochromatic) is way better for wide-field views and imaging many DSOs, as shown below:

If you first want to go down the visual route, an 8" Dobson is probably the safest choice, for a modest investment. My C8 offers the same aperture, in a more compact package, with a slightly narrower FOV, and at a considerably higher price. 

If you really want to go into imaging, especially in the case of DSOs, you need to think about the mount first. An equatorial mount is a must, and it needs to be robust. 

 

 

 

In terms of mounts, do you reckon a skywatcher eq5 would be decent to start with? I know it’s not the best but It’s somewhere to start.

[IamLost]

1 hour ago, SteveWolves said:

I would suggest joining your local astro society as well. Use the resources tab at the top of the page.

I will thanks

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

9 hours ago, IamLost said:

In terms of mounts, do you reckon a skywatcher eq5 would be decent to start with? I know it’s not the best but It’s somewhere to start.

The EQ-5 is a clone of the Vixen GP mount I have had for over 24 years (so it's doing something right 😉). The Vixen original is considered more stable, but I have done a lot of deep sky imaging with a humble EQ3-2 (including the two shown here). The Jupiter image was taken with the Vixen GP mount. The EQ-5 should suffice, although an HEQ-5 is often considered a minimum requirement. 

[Waldemar]

20 hours ago, Rob Sellent said:

Welcome to the forum

For a very good introduction to astrophotography that will serve you well and will save you a lot of money by making sure you don't head off down some dodgy or misinformed lane or an expensive dead end with equipment - it's worth getting a hold of a copy of Making Every Photon Count by Steve Richards.

 

12 hours ago, SteveWolves said:

I would suggest joining your local astro society as well. Use the resources tab at the top of the page.

These are both very good advices. learn to walk before you try to run....

[IamLost]

11 hours ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

The EQ-5 is a clone of the Vixen GP mount I have had for over 24 years (so it's doing something right 😉). The Vixen original is considered more stable, but I have done a lot of deep sky imaging with a humble EQ3-2 (including the two shown here). The Jupiter image was taken with the Vixen GP mount. The EQ-5 should suffice, although an HEQ-5 is often considered a minimum requirement. 

Ok I will probably get one of those two mounts then. Do you know any good starting APO refractors that I could consider?  I don’t want to waste any money on something that won’t fit the mount or is too expensive. 

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

22 minutes ago, IamLost said:

Ok I will probably get one of those two mounts then. Do you know any good starting APO refractors that I could consider?  I don’t want to waste any money on something that won’t fit the mount or is too expensive. 

The Sky-Watcher 80ED has a very high reputation. My APM 80mm F/6 triplet was also fairly cheap when I bought it, but they have gone up in price since then. The same scope is sold under a variety of brand names. Both the 80ED and the 80 mm triplet scopes are capable for imaging DSOs and for visual on wide field objects. The will show quite a bit of lunar and planetary detail, but are definitely not as good in that area as larger aperture instruments. 

[fiestazetecmk2]

Hi.

My advice would be to go to local astro club.look through as many as possible.

[IamLost]

4 hours ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

The Sky-Watcher 80ED has a very high reputation. My APM 80mm F/6 triplet was also fairly cheap when I bought it, but they have gone up in price since then. The same scope is sold under a variety of brand names. Both the 80ED and the 80 mm triplet scopes are capable for imaging DSOs and for visual on wide field objects. The will show quite a bit of lunar and planetary detail, but are definitely not as good in that area as larger aperture instruments. 

Thanks for all the help. I think I’ll probably be getting the 80ED and might get a reflector for planets in the future. One last thing: what extras should I get to attach a canon camera to an 80ED? Also do I need any of them field Flatteners or should I not bother for now. Thanks

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

6 minutes ago, IamLost said:

Thanks for all the help. I think I’ll probably be getting the 80ED and might get a reflector for planets in the future. One last thing: what extras should I get to attach a canon camera to an 80ED? Also do I need any of them field Flatteners or should I not bother for now. Thanks

A focal reducer (which also acts as flattener) is often used. It comes with a T2 thread on the camera side, so all you need to attach a camera is the appropriate T2 adapter. 

[IamLost]

8 minutes ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

A focal reducer (which also acts as flattener) is often used. It comes with a T2 thread on the camera side, so all you need to attach a camera is the appropriate T2 adapter. 

Are all T2 adapters the same, or does it have to be from skywatcher?

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

1 minute ago, IamLost said:

Are all T2 adapters the same, or does it have to be from skywatcher?

T2 is a standard thread, so any T2 adapter will work. 

[IamLost]

4 minutes ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

T2 is a standard thread, so any T2 adapter will work. 

Oh ok I didn’t know that. Once again thanks for everything, you’ve been really helpful