8" DOB a good first scope?

[nephilim]

59 minutes ago, Spile said:

Thinking about either that or a telrad...

@Spile I think that the Telrad is the best finder on the market, so simple to use & so effective, using it combined with the Telrad reticule plug in on Stellarium made my first time navigating the night sky an absolute breeze. 

[Dantooine]

3 hours ago, HollyHound said:

Oh yes, definitely get a right angle finder, otherwise it will be quite uncomfortable 👍

I find a Rigel on its own good to find my way around. 

[HollyHound]

37 minutes ago, Dantooine said:

I find a Rigel on its own good to find my way around. 

I would certainly agree that I normally use the TelRad (very similar to Rigel) more than the RACI optical finder, in a typical session, but as I’m starting to do more “star hopping”, the RACI is getting more use... it’s good to have both options.

[dcobb]

Regarding collimation, I've never done it, but watched / read a bit about it.  Sounds straight forward although one needs a collimator of course.  I've been looking at FLO's website, sorry if this is another silly question but I'm assuming they are UK based?  Anyone know if they have a foothold in the US or ship to the US.  Seems like due to Covid19 everyone and their mother (including me) is wanting a scope, lol

 

Thanks again for all the sound advice!!!

[Dantooine]

37 minutes ago, dcobb said:

Regarding collimation, I've never done it, but watched / read a bit about it.  Sounds straight forward although one needs a collimator of course.  I've been looking at FLO's website, sorry if this is another silly question but I'm assuming they are UK based?  Anyone know if they have a foothold in the US or ship to the US.  Seems like due to Covid19 everyone and their mother (including me) is wanting a scope, lol

 

Thanks again for all the sound advice!!!

Take a look at this..

https://garyseronik.com/no-tools-telescope-collimation/
 

no tools collimating 👍

[John]

3 hours ago, dcobb said:

....  I've been looking at FLO's website, sorry if this is another silly question but I'm assuming they are UK based?  Anyone know if they have a foothold in the US or ship to the US.  Seems like due to Covid19 everyone and their mother (including me) is wanting a scope, lol

 

 

They are a UK based company but they do serve USA based customers.

 

Edited January 2, 2021 by John

[Spile]

I followed Gary Seronik's guide and also this - 

 

[200pman]

Sit it on a water butt base

[Guest]

On 31/12/2020 at 15:50, dcobb said:

Thank you everyone for replying!  Wow, what a great forum 😀.  I hadn't heard of FLO, but I'm guessing based off their pricing they are UK based?  Do they ship to the US?  Their prices are good...

I probably should clarify from my OP that my daughters aren't young at 17 & 19.  I'm certainly the one with the biggest interest in astronomy at this time, however that could change if / when I get a scope, and the point was if my wife or kids ever wanted to use the scope and I happened to be busy or something, could they move it, set it up & take it down the stairs all on their own?  In that respect I think anything bigger than an 8" would be daunting to them.  If it were just me I would probably consider going for the 10" or perhaps bigger but I'd rather get something we could all setup and enjoy.  So the goal is to find something that's not a toy we'd get bored of, not break the bank, and not be too intimidating.

Obviously I keep reading "The best scope is the one you use" and as cliché as it sounds I'm sure there's a lot of truth in it.  The other thing I keep wondering is where I'd store this when not in use, which will be a significant amount of the time...  It may not take up any more space than a chair but a telescope isn't exactly a work of art, and if I kept it in it's box tucked away, then it's even more likely to not get used, which isn't the goal...

Also I certainly get what you guys are saying far as manual DOB mounts may not be conducive to us as a family vs. a mount that will track objects where we can easily take turns and not have to manually keep readjusting.  Of course if cost were not a factor I'd probably go for an 8" SCT on a goto, but at 2-3 times the cost I just can't justify that considering this will be our first scope and I really can't say how much we'll get hooked into it

 

Couple follow up questions for those who have 8" or 10" DOB's:

1. The height of the eyepiece seems a bit low to stand and use, or it seems like one would be hunched over if standing.  Do most of you use a chair or stool when using it for long periods?  or have any of you built under mounts to boost it up a bit?  Sorry if this a silly question, again noob here
2. I believe images from a Newtonian scope are upside down right?  Do any of you use yours for any day time nature observing?  If so is there anything that can be done to correct and upright images?

 

Thanks again everyone for chiming in with your feedback and experiences, very helpful!!!

Ok.....I am going to be "that guy".  Yes the 8 inch dob is probably the almost perfect scope to get.....until you look through a 10 or 12 inch.  My first scope was an Orion Skyline 10 inch....and my only buyers remorse is not buying a 12 inch.  Yes they are physically bigger and heavier then a 8 inch, but there are lifting straps out there that makes lifting them easier.  One thing you will notice is eventually you are going to want to leave this thing set up because dragging it in and out of the house in pieces is eventually going to start to suck.  So you will end up with some sort of cart to move it around and that will negate the size and weight issues.  Something else to bare in mind is dew.  Here in Ohio dew/frost is a real thing and you will need something to keep the dew off your secondary mirror.  So dew shields or dew heaters will be something to consider in your future.  Before you buy anything for to a star party or find a local astronomy club and go look at the dobs they have.  You will definitely see the difference between 8, 10 and 12 inch scopes.  Since you are in the US I will give a shameless plug to Orion.  I use their stuff and have had no issues with any off it.