Help !!! Telescope buying for a mobility challenged person

[Astra_Rose]

Hi I wonder if anyone can offer some tips and advice.

I like imaging - I use a DSLR at the moment with a 800mm lens to photograph the moon and the milky way etc

I want to be able to see and learn more so I am looking into a telescope.

I would like to be able to try some imaging using the DSLR that I have and in the future using a web cam so I would like a telescope I can try both at some point.

I have watched a few beginners videos and have seen the https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/skywatcher-explorer-130m-motorized-reflector-telescope.html recommended so had settled for that until I phoned the shop for advice where they recommended https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/celestron-nexstar-102-slt-maksutov-computerised-telescope.html

Now I am a complete beginner with a telescope, I have limited mobility in my arms and back so standing for long periods of time can be painful so I am unable to do this ....I do have help setting it up but I would like to be able if I had to, but with a heavy or bulky scope I would struggle.

I don't want anything that is too complicated hence why a goto was recommended to me but would I then miss out on stuff that I don't know is up there? can you use a goto manually so I could generally just wander round the sky just exploring everything?  Would looking from a bedroom window be out of the question...I would have a limited view but I suffer with coldness, so in the winter months I would be happy on a clear night just gazing out of the window to see what I could see.

I like going out taking pictures of the moon and the milky way so I would like a telescope that is easily put up in a field or at the edge of the road so I can have my camera for photographing those and the telescope for the planets etc. 

Do you guys have any recommendations of what might be a good scope to look at ? my budget is around £350 but at a push possibly up to £500 (I would just wait a bit longer to buy it)  

Thanks in advance for any help given

 

 

[Tomatobro]

 welcome to SGL

The biggest challenge is finding somebody  that has stock but here is my advice

For me the mount is everything. A good scope on a wobbly mount is next to useless

I would stick with your camera equipment and consider a Skywatcher Star adventurer and a decent tripod (if you do not have one already). These are remarkable mounts and are capable of taking long (ish) exposures but do need to be polar aligned.

Later when funds allow something like a SW ED72 can be put on the mount.

Imaging out of a bedroom window has two problems, one is that the floor flexes when you move around and second is the turbulent air rising out of the window and off the roof.

Can you take a laptop with you? If so then Sharpcap software will assist in the Polar alignment and image capture.

Before starting out get hold of a copy of a book  Making Every Photon Count and if possible make contact with an astro club in your area.

[Tomatobro]

Setup something like this

[Tiny Clanger]

Welcome (and by the way, you might want to introduce yourself on the 'welcome' thread too )

I've a few observations and  questions too !

Questions first : do you already have a reasonably sturdy photographic tripod with a removable head which could be put into service for a small 'scope too ? It might be possible to use it and concentrate your expenditure on the other parts of the setup. I guess you are thinking of observing from a seated  position ? If so, that's actually an advantage a tripod not extended to the max is steadier.

Of the 3 main types of telescope you might consider, reflectors, (i.e. newtonians including those with dobsonian mounts) refractors (with lenses like a photo lens) and maksutovs (like  the once popular catadioptric photo lenses, a clever compact  mirror arrangement) , I think you physically would have problems with a reflector , too bulky, too awkward to look through . So I'd cross that whole species off the list.

You are left with refractors and maks . The former are reassuringly telescope-y looking but the cheap ones (achromats) suffer from chromatic aberration, which makes a coloured fringe around bright targets, especially if you use high magnification. You can reduce this by buying a refractor with a really long tube, but the longer the tube, the greater the arc the eyepiece will make as you pivot the instrument to view different parts of the sky, which would involve you moving around a lot. Apochromatic refractors have lenses which deal with the chromatic aberration, but they are comparatively expensive.

Maks have no chromatic aberration, as they use mirrors not lenses.  They do cunning origami on the light path,  so while a 1500mm focal length  refractor would have to be 1500mm long , my 1500mm mak is 35cm long. That means that the eyepiece only describes a small arc, and you don't need to shift a seat so much , or stand up/sit down to keep  your eye to it.

So yes, I'd agree with the 102 maksutov idea, it will weigh under 3kg , so not require a big heavy mount and tripod, and be compact , work very much like a camera lens if you want it to (albeit with no variable aperture or autofocus) . The disadvantages of a mak (I have a 127, which I'd say is a bit too big  for you to easily handle, as well as too expensive for your budget) are a small field of view , the need to give it half an hour or so to cool outside so air currents inside the tube don't wreck your views, and their propensity to attract dew . Oh, and the focusing can be fiddly

I'm not acquainted with go to mounts at all , never bought one, never used one, but as a (non-astro) photographer who might just dabble in widefield landscape astro one day I've read up on them, and  skywatcher az gti, which is small, portable and can be used with any small telescope, or with a camera and lens looks like a good one to consider . It has what skywatcher call 'freedom find' so you can swing the telescope by hand as and when you wish. As it is so versatile and can be bought as a stand alone item I'd suggest it would be a better buy than an all-in-one setup , especially if you have a decent tripod already. The az gti would be a considerable % of your available cash if you bought one new, but second hand might be a solution.

Some pages to look at :

first, what I'd suggest if you want to push your budget and get it all as a bundle : https://www.firstlightoptics.com/maksutov/sky-watcher-skymax-102-az-gti.html

Second, if you are happy to buy a non go-to right now, and add a go-to when funds allow https://www.firstlightoptics.com/maksutov/sky-watcher-skymax-102s-az-pronto.html

I'll find a few rather good links I found (when I was researching before I bought mine) to vid.s of the maks and other helpful info.

Heather

Edited August 14, 2021 by Tiny Clanger
mewtonian ? really !

[Tiny Clanger]

Links as promised :

Lots of pictures of the 102 mak on various mounts and other information http://www.waloszek.de/astro_sw_mak102_e.php

A video comparing a 127mm and a 90mm mak ... yes , I know I've suggested you  think about the 102 mak , which lies between these two, but the video will  give you an idea of the size of the things,  and the sort of photos you might be able to get. His channel has many interesting  videos, with plenty of information on photographic use https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxIeAAEpnSk

He also unboxes. reviews and uses a 102mak in a series of videos including this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PprvqT9uM3g  but I don't know if that model was simply rebadged as the skymax 102 or not . Interesting to see the images from it though, and that might lead you to this often quoted page on here :   https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/196278-what-can-i-expect-to-see/

I've answered so far with suggestions based on using your DSLR on bright objects,  essentially thinking of long focal length, low chromatic aberration (CA) instruments as if they were camera lenses. However, if you want to scan round the sky visually , and can put photography to one side , at least to start off with, and want to see deep sky objects for yourself, a shorter focal length refractor might be worth starting with.  It would have C.A. , but that may not be intrusive to you on stars, clusters and nebulae.  Ed Ting suggests an ST80 (short tube 80) , aperture 80mm, typically 400mm focal length so f5 . It doesn't sound that spectacular compared with a camera telephoto lens, but you are getting an 80mm lens at the front to collect photons.

First of two videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdPaKtK_7Zk

A whole kit with an ST80 , mount and tripod https://www.firstlightoptics.com/startravel/skywatcher-startravel-80-az3.html

Grahan (Jenhams astro again)  has a video showing how an ST80 can be used for photography https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWSvIkfTx8k

and what sort of results to expect.

If you have a decent tripod already, an ST80 and an az gti  might be within your budget,  and both are sufficiently popular that you regularly see them for sale second hand on the buy/swap section here ... not that you see them for very long, if decently priced they get snapped up fast .

Heather

 

 

[Alan64]

4 hours ago, Astra_Rose said:

Hi I wonder if anyone can offer some tips and advice.

I like imaging - I use a DSLR at the moment with a 800mm lens to photograph the moon and the milky way etc

I want to be able to see and learn more so I am looking into a telescope.

I would like to be able to try some imaging using the DSLR that I have and in the future using a web cam so I would like a telescope I can try both at some point.

I have watched a few beginners videos and have seen the https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/skywatcher-explorer-130m-motorized-reflector-telescope.html recommended so had settled for that until I phoned the shop for advice where they recommended https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/celestron-nexstar-102-slt-maksutov-computerised-telescope.html

Now I am a complete beginner with a telescope, I have limited mobility in my arms and back so standing for long periods of time can be painful so I am unable to do this ....I do have help setting it up but I would like to be able if I had to, but with a heavy or bulky scope I would struggle.

I don't want anything that is too complicated hence why a goto was recommended to me but would I then miss out on stuff that I don't know is up there? can you use a goto manually so I could generally just wander round the sky just exploring everything?  Would looking from a bedroom window be out of the question...I would have a limited view but I suffer with coldness, so in the winter months I would be happy on a clear night just gazing out of the window to see what I could see.

I like going out taking pictures of the moon and the milky way so I would like a telescope that is easily put up in a field or at the edge of the road so I can have my camera for photographing those and the telescope for the planets etc. 

Do you guys have any recommendations of what might be a good scope to look at ? my budget is around £350 but at a push possibly up to £500 (I would just wait a bit longer to buy it)  

Thanks in advance for any help given

I am so very happy to have the honour of replying to you here, as I think it's wonderful what you're trying to achieve.  You do want a motorised mount for taking images and videos.  There's no question about that, although it is possible to do such without a motor, and as I have done.  An alt-azimuth mount is easier to use, over the EQ-2 equatorial mount that comes with the Sky-Watcher kit, but the only motorised alt-azimuth mounts are those like the Celestron SLT, which are computerised go-to mounts.  They are more costly, and have a learning-curve.  The SLT, however, does not allow for manual motions, by hand.  The Sky-Watcher EQ-2 does, but an equatorial has learning-curve as well.  An EQ-2 mount-head may arrive needing adjustment, and before attaching a motor-drive.  The go-to alt-azimuths usually do not require adjusting upon arrival.  RVO suggested well, in your case, and per your budget. 

There is this go-to alt-azimuth...

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/alt-azimuth-astronomy-mounts/sky-watcher-az-gti-wifi-alt-az-mount-tripod.html

That one features "Freedom Find", which will allow you to use the mount manually.  It is wi-fi enabled, to control the mount with a "smartphone".  You can bypass using a "smartphone" by purchasing a hand-controller separately.  

You then attach the telescope of your choice.  Then, there is this, with that same mount, but with a 130mm f/5 Newtonian...

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/sky-watcher-explorer-130ps-az-gti.html

Keep in mind that reflectors, Newtonians, and Maksutovs, require collimating, aligning, at times; a Maksutov, the least often.

Then, there is this go-to kit, but without being able to control it manually, like the SLT...

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/az-goto/skywatcher-explorer-130p-synscan-az-goto.html

[Cosmic Geoff]

You should look at your requirements, and the kit necessary to achieve them, and any special difficulties you may encounter, with great care.

Deep sky widefield imaging: you could try this with your existing camera equipment + a sky-tracking mount or GoTo equatorial mount.

Deep sky narrow field imaging: - a suitable telescope + DSLR + a tracking equatorial mount (a substantial GoTo mount is strongly preferred.)

Planetary imaging - a telescope of as large an aperture as you can afford or handle + a planetary video camera + a suitable tracking mount (motorised equatorial, GoTO equatorial or GoTo alt-azimuth will all work), Stability of the mount is less critical than for other imaging applications.

Visual observing, including looking around the sky visually without GoTo: The choice of possible scopes is wide and a matter of personal preference, budget, ability to handle etc. Some people prefer the simple approach. 🙂    Note that any object you may wish to observe will be in a GoTO mount's database, and if it isn't (e.g. a nova or comet) you can find it if you have the object's RA and Declination to be entered with the handset.  Note also that all-manual mounts may be fitted with manual slow-motion controls, while GoTo mounts are intended to be used in GoTo mode only, and even if the GoTo has 'Freedom Find' or releasable clutches, no manual slow-motion will be available to you. You can usually move the Goto mount around via the handset without setting the GoTo, but TBF it is usually less bother to just use the GoTo system as intended.

Astro Rose - Of the telescopes you cite, the Explorer 130m would be suitable for visual use and some basic planetary imaging (with planetary camera), and the Nexstar 102 SLT would be suitable for visual viewing (under GoTo only), and some basic planetary imaging. The alt-azimuth mount will restrict its usefulness for any small-deep-space object imaging.

[Tiny Clanger]

6 hours ago, Astra_Rose said:

Now I am a complete beginner with a telescope, I have limited mobility in my arms and back so standing for long periods of time can be painful so I am unable to do this ....I do have help setting it up but I would like to be able if I had to, but with a heavy or bulky scope I would struggle.

I don't want anything that is too complicated       ...

and

6 hours ago, Astra_Rose said:

I like going out taking pictures of the moon and the milky way so I would like a telescope that is easily put up in a field or at the edge of the road so I can have my camera for photographing those and the telescope for the planets etc. 

 

are key phrases to my mind. OP is asking for something compact,  light, portable and easily set up, as well  as within a budget of around £350 .

6 hours ago, Astra_Rose said:

  Would looking from a bedroom window be out of the question...I would have a limited view but I suffer with coldness, so in the winter months I would be happy on a clear night just gazing out of the window to see what I could see.

Observing through an open window isn't going to give you the greatest views, but I have a good friend who has R.A. and suffers badly in cold weather who does exactly that, poking a refractor out of a south facing bedroom window in winter ! Not optimal,  but some observing  is better than no observing. Not sure you'd find it easy to use a go to mount or take photos from in there though.

Heather