Dobsonian Telescopes

[Tiny Clanger]

2 hours ago, John said:

To be honest, you might get more out of the scope / observing with a little planning and having some targets / locations in mind when you star using the scope.

Telescopes present a surprisingly small "window" of the sky in the eyepiece even at low magnifications. Apart from seeing quite a few more stars, you might not find anything more interesting to observe by just scanning around.

Binoculars are probably better for that.

 

 

 

I agree completely with this  : I've been (repeatedly) unable to perceive faint fuzzies even  when I know I have been looking directly in the right place with my  150mm dob , (cough, Leo Trio, only ever managed one and a suspicion, never all 3) it can take persistence, averted vision , and swapping between eyepieces to  eventually see what is in an area.

You don't mention your location , if you are by , around or near street lights, what you can have pop out obviously against a truly dark sky will be far less . For random scanning,  or even for learning your way  around the sky, binoculars would be a good purchase. There's a whole section on here devoted to  binocular astronomy, it is not a poor relation , but an alternative approach.

[Goldfinger]

4 hours ago, Piero said:

My advice is that an adjustable chair improves comfort, and therefore the observing experience, in any small to medium size dobson. That's for dobsons with focal length between about 1 and 2m. After that, a ladder is generally needed.

The uncomfortable alternative is that you lie on your knees and / or bend your back and neck to reach the right altitude..

With my 12" F6, I use a three steps ladder: 1st step is when standing when the telescope points at the zenith, whereas the other two steps are for sitting when the telescope points at low altitudes. In between, I stand. 

With my 16" F4, I stand when pointing at high altitudes and sit on the three steps ladder otherwise.

All of this is going to change after completing my adjustable chair which is based on a Catsperch chair style. With this I will observe sitting all the time.

If you have some basic skills, you can build your own. Look up: "Denver observing chair". Berlebach also makes some adjustable chairs, but they seem quite flexible to me... There are also some metal chairs like the Starbound, and its US and EU clones. Some observers use chairs for ironing clothes.. 

There is a quite large range of options.

Since I'm a relative newcomer to astronomy and purchasing my first telescope I need to find out if this hobby is suitable for me before I purchase an adjustable chair as some of those are pricey. For the time being, I'm going to purchase some thick seat cushions and use those to adjust my height as needed.

[Goldfinger]

2 minutes ago, Tiny Clanger said:

I agree completely with this  : I've been (repeatedly) unable to perceive faint fuzzies even  when I know I have been looking directly in the right place with my  150mm dob , (cough, Leo Trio, only ever managed one and a suspicion, never all 3) it can take persistence, averted vision , and swapping between eyepieces to  eventually see what is in an area.

You don't mention your location , if you are by , around or near street lights, what you can have pop out obviously against a truly dark sky will be far less . For random scanning,  or even for learning your way  around the sky, binoculars would be a good purchase. There's a whole section on here devoted to  binocular astronomy, it is not a poor relation , but an alternative approach.

I never thought of that. What is the highest power binoculars you can purchase?

[Tiny Clanger]

5 minutes ago, Goldfinger said:

That's a good point and that will come later. I've never owned a telescope before..much less one this big. I need to spend some time getting familiar with it and have no idea how long that might take.

After that, I could form a plan depending on what and where everything is located using my Stellarium app. I'd love to see if I can find the planets.

The planets ,all but Uranus, Neptune (and, if you insist,  Pluto) can be seen with no optical apparatus but your eyes ... mind you, you have to be up around 3am for Jupiter & Saturn at the mo !

Head here https://binocularsky.com/ download (or sign up for) the monthly newsletter , read up  a bit on recommended binos and supports, find out what is possible for under £100 . That's less than the cost of a mid range telescope eyepiece.

 

[Nyctimene]

1 hour ago, Goldfinger said:

I like the 10 inch Dobsonian for two reasons. Price and aperture. I live downtown in a major light polluted city. I hope the larger diameter aperture might overcome some of that.

In your situation - newbie, no special interests in specific types of celestial objects; and living in a light polluted area - , I'd suggest that you start with a smaller scope. A big scope in a major light polluted city is (to quote Kriege/Berry, Dob makers) "like driving a Ferrari in the city". The larger aperture may overcome some of the problems, but you will still be restricted to solar system objects, double stars, star clusters etc., and low contrast will always be somewhat disappointing. For viewing galaxies, galactic nebulas, Milky Way features, you have to take the scope to dark sky areas. A small to moderate size scope (4" to 6-8") is much better for "learning the ropes", and will show you much more under a dark sky (Bortle 4/SQM-L 21+ quality). Objects are easier to find due to the larger field of view. The 5.1" Skywatcher and it's 6" brother get excellent reviews; they can serve as travel scopes or grab-and-go scopes later; or have at least a good resale value. The problem of seat height is a minor one, and easily to overcome.

(Btw, I'm also an early morning observer; after a couple of hours sleep I'm refreshed;  most of the lights are down, and the atmosphere is more stable with better seeing - a good way to start the day! )😉

Enjoy the journey, and keep asking!

Stephan

Edited May 31, 2021 by Nyctimene

[Tiny Clanger]

52 minutes ago, Goldfinger said:

I never thought of that. What is the highest power binoculars you can purchase?

Do not confuse 'high power' with 'good', that's a fiction perpetrated by the sellers of cheap 'scopes to exaggerate claims in adverts.

Big binoculars, just like big 'scopes need big. steady, heavy mounts.  Read some of the pages in the link I gave you, all the information is there.

[Tiny Clanger]

7 minutes ago, Nyctimene said:

In your situation - newbie, no special interests in specific types of celestial objects; and living in a light polluted area - , I'd suggest that you start with a smaller scope. A big scope in a major light polluted city is (to quote Kriege/Berry, Dob makers) "like driving a Ferrari in the city". The larger aperture may overcome some of the problems, but you will still be restricted to solar system objects, double stars, star clusters etc., and low contrast will always be somewhat disappointing. For viewing galaxies, galactic nebulas, Milky Way features, you have to take the scope to dark sky areas. A small to moderate size scope (4" to 6-8") is much better for "learning the ropes", and will show you much more under a dark sky (Bortle 4/SQM-L 21+ quality). Objects are easier to find due to the larger field of view. The 5.1" Skywatcher and it's 6" brother get excellent reviews; they can serve as travel scopes or grab-and-go scopes later; or have at least a good resale value. The problem of seat height is a minor one, and easily to overcome.

(Btw, I'm also an early morning observer; after a couple of hours sleep I'm refreshed; the most lights are down, and the atmosphere is more stable with better seeing - a good way to start the day! 😉

Enjoy the journey, and keep asking!

Stephan

Yep, that missing bit of info about the OP's location changes things greatly (as I suspected it might, which was why I asked !)

Having bought one a few months ago, I'd suggest a decent alternative for wide field, low power sky sweeping might be a short tube 80mm 'scope , with a 32mm  EP in it's 400mm focal length, mine might as well be half a pair of 12x80 binos .

OP would do well to search out Ed Ting's you tube review for the ST80 .

[Goldfinger]

Hello Everyone

Thanks for all the replies. You've all been a big help.

I just wanted to let you know I purchased a Celestron Nexstar 6SE telescope  with lots of accessories like lenses, filters and other misc things. I got a great deal on the package so I pulled the trigger. 

Originally I was looking to purchase a Dobsonian Skywatcher Telescope but for a couple hundred dollars more, I got a go-to scope with lots of accessories. 

Only time will tell if I made the right decision as I live in a high light pollution city. 

Am hoping for the best. Thanks again to everyone.😊

[Gonariu]

I think yours is a very good buy, a Schmidt - Cassegrain is a good all-rounder instrument both for the Moon and planets and for the deep sky, in the city for the first there is no problem. In particular, the 6 ”Nextar SE is not heavy, it can be moved easily; the school where I teach in Nuoro bought it a few years ago and I happened to use it for the open day in January last year.

[200pman]

My 200p skyliner.great scopes great value.great veiws.nothing else to say really.

[Goldfinger]

3 hours ago, 200pman said:

My 200p skyliner.great scopes great value.great veiws.nothing else to say really.

Looks like a great telescope and I'm glad you're happy with it. Originally I wanted a Dobsonian Skywatcher Telescope as well but when I started adding cost of the accessories to go with it, it would have cost me more than the Nexstar 6SE package. So I pulled the trigger on the Celestron 6SE.

I'm also an oldie but goodie and won't have to worry about hauling such a large scope up to the roof each time I want to use it.

[200pman]

Im 64 years young.dont have any issues using it.

[Goldfinger]

2 hours ago, 200pman said:

Im 64 years young.dont have any issues using it.

Come back in ten years and give your opinion.😉

[Louis D]

On 31/05/2021 at 07:58, Goldfinger said:

I never thought of that. What is the highest power binoculars you can purchase?

Perhaps not the highest power, but often thought of as among the nicest large binoculars, the Fujinon LB150 Series – 25×150 MT-SX Binoculars:

APM in Germany sells all sorts of giant binoculars including several variants of this Fujinon if that sort of thing interests you.

If you like looking at pictures of giant binos of the past and present, here's a page full of them at Oberwerk.

[Alan64]

On 31/05/2021 at 07:58, Goldfinger said:

What is the highest power binoculars you can purchase?

They should still be available for purchase...

http://www.jimsmobile.com/buy_rb.htm

A user's showcasing of the largest model, and from 2017...

https://astromart.com/forums/astronomy-equipment/astro-binoculars/jmi-rb-16-16-inch-binoculars-61146

Per the 50x-per-inch maxim for reflector telescopes, 800x, which would require two 2.3mm eyepieces.

Edited June 5, 2021 by Alan64

[Goldfinger]

OMG 😳😳😳 I didn't realize binoculars could get so big. I'm so used to seeing the field binoculars that are used by bird watchers or fans at sporting events.

Those are huge and no doubt have a huge price tag as well.

[Alan64]

48 minutes ago, Goldfinger said:

OMG 😳😳😳 I didn't realize binoculars could get so big. I'm so used to seeing the field binoculars that are used by bird watchers or fans at sporting events.

Those are huge and no doubt have a huge price tag as well.

Yes, they "threw me for a loop" when I first laid eyes upon them.

[Louis D]

53 minutes ago, Goldfinger said:

OMG 😳😳😳 I didn't realize binoculars could get so big. I'm so used to seeing the field binoculars that are used by bird watchers or fans at sporting events.

Those are huge and no doubt have a huge price tag as well.

You asked.

[200pman]

17 hours ago, Goldfinger said:

Come back in ten years and give your opinion.😉

I may not be around in 10 years.but i will use it as long as possible.

Have no intention of changing from my 200p.