First Telescope Advice and Recommendations

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

Sarah with your new budget, the Heritage 130 will be the best bang for buck. I started with a 130mm reflector and what I saw transformed my life. However as with all recommendations, your mileage may vary. There are plenty of videos on Youtube and the link by John is a good read. There is plenty of help available if you need it.

It's not perfect but then none of the packages suggested in this thread are. People spend £2k on telescopes and still modify, adjust or upgrade. For instance a particular SGL member has a handle fetish! 

Please try not to over think too much and good luck with your decision.

 

[johninderby]

Have to agree the Heritage 130 will show the most for your budget and unlikely to need collimation

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html

Otherwise its the ST80 on the AZ3 mount. 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescopes-in-stock/skywatcher-startravel-80-az3.html

 

Edited December 17, 2021 by johninderby

[cajen2]

One more small factor: the dob will need a small but solid table to rest on, which will also need to be carried. The tripod for the ST80 will be adjustable for height, making it easier for you and your daughter to swap over.

I think if it were me in your situation, I'd find the ST80 the more practical solution, even though I'm a dob lover and owner!☺️

[TerraC]

+1 Vote for the 130p on the new budget.  

In my experience I used to have a 150p Dob and I still have an ST102.  Both slightly bigger versions of what you can get in your budget. 

My 150p gave far better views of Moon/Jupiter/Saturn than my ST102 does.  The reason I dont have my 150p anymore?  I have a 200p instead.     Slippery slope - there's always a new telescope on the horizon.

The collapsible 130p design should make it easier to transport and store but check out the measurements first to make sure you are comfortable with it. 

 

[Saggy]

1 hour ago, johninderby said:

So it looks like a choice between the Heritage 130 and an 80mm refractor on a simple AZ mount.

I’ll have a look around for an 80mm refractor and see what is available within the budget and let ypu know what I find.

Thank you so much 🙂 

[Saggy]

1 hour ago, cajen2 said:

Hi again.

It isn't so much the weight of the setup which controls portability (though the 130 dob does come in at a not inconsiderable 6.2kg), it's how awkward it is to carry. A refractor of that size is easy to shove in a bag or backpack and the mount/tripod similarly. With the dob, even with the scope removed, you have an awkward wooden assembly for the base to cart around.

Ah okay, that makes sense. So the skywatcher ST80 would take up less space and apparently comes in at 9kg but I suppose that's two separate parts so more practical. I suppose for the most part if I did go for the dobs, i would want it to remain intact and would mostly just be placed on the back seat of the car or would it be advisable to always remove the scope part if going out somewhere or travelling with it?

I imagine the only situation this is possibly an issue would be the beach viewing option or though this would be the lessor used opportunity of all of them and would still likely head up there in the car for the most part. Just wouldn't be able to walk up there but I possibly wouldn't want to carry either weight for 20+ minutes to get to the darker bit of the beach anyway but my daughter could carry half the ST80 😄

 

[Saggy]

1 hour ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

Sarah with your new budget, the Heritage 130 will be the best bang for buck. I started with a 130mm reflector and what I saw transformed my life. However as with all recommendations, your mileage may vary. There are plenty of videos on Youtube and the link by John is a good read. There is plenty of help available if you need it.

It's not perfect but then none of the packages suggested in this thread are. People spend £2k on telescopes and still modify, adjust or upgrade. For instance a particular SGL member has a handle fetish! 

Please try not to over think too much and good luck with your decision.

 

THank you 🙂

I just wasn't sure if I was heading in the right direction at all and simply didn't want it to be a disappointment so needed the best option lol! I'm feeling a little better that at least I'm going in the right direction with those two options now and feel I can better differentiate between them to be able to make a decision.

I know people could spend thousands but I suppose it's relative and £200 is a lot to me and it has to be justified and well thought out as can't just buy another soon. I will obviously have more than enough time after Christmas to read up and learn so that's great 🙂 

[Saggy]

1 hour ago, cajen2 said:

One more small factor: the dob will need a small but solid table to rest on, which will also need to be carried. The tripod for the ST80 will be adjustable for height, making it easier for you and your daughter to swap over.

I think if it were me in your situation, I'd find the ST80 the more practical solution, even though I'm a dob lover and owner!☺️

THank you, we have sturdy camping tables at hand etc but can see what you mean and will bear that in mind.

My daughter is only an inch or two shorter than me already as I'm a short Bottom and she grows about an inch every month at the moment so she'll be the same height within a couple of months 😄

[Saggy]

1 hour ago, johninderby said:

Have to agree the Heritage 130 will show the most for your budget and unlikely to need collimation

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html

Otherwise its the ST80 on the AZ3 mount. 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescopes-in-stock/skywatcher-startravel-80-az3.html

 

THank you 🙂

I feel less stressy now and beginning to see the differences to be able to choose between them.

SO heritage 130 better viewing and ST80 more trasportable and a little more practical perhaps.

I'll have a think and order it after work today.

THanks again

 

[Saggy]

1 hour ago, TerraC said:

+1 Vote for the 130p on the new budget.  

In my experience I used to have a 150p Dob and I still have an ST102.  Both slightly bigger versions of what you can get in your budget. 

My 150p gave far better views of Moon/Jupiter/Saturn than my ST102 does.  The reason I dont have my 150p anymore?  I have a 200p instead.     Slippery slope - there's always a new telescope on the horizon.

The collapsible 130p design should make it easier to transport and store but check out the measurements first to make sure you are comfortable with it. 

 

THank you

Haha I can imagine - my budget started around £80!!

All your experience between similar is very useful to know 🙂

I just assumed the heritage would fit on the back seat or in the boot but will definitely check this is the case before committing to either.

Thanks again 🙂

 

[johninderby]

Welcome to the world of “Price Creep”. 😁😁😁

[johninderby]

This vid will show the size of the Herotage 130.

 

[Saggy]

Oh I wrote another word earlier and it changed it to short bottom which makes no sense but that wasn't intentional 😄

Will assume the site changed it on purpose as you guys like to keep it free of bad language and friendly lol!

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

4 minutes ago, johninderby said:

This vid will show the size of the Herotage 130.

 

Beat me too it. I just copied that link to paste. 😀

and another.

 

Edited December 17, 2021 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[Saggy]

5 minutes ago, johninderby said:

This vid will show the size of the Herotage 130.

 

Thanks, will watch this a bit later as useful to see it next to a person when have a few more spare mins as I'm supposed to working 😄

Also apologies if don't make any sense as typing very fast in between doing the accounts and trying to get as much of month end done as possible and making payments!

THanks

Edited December 17, 2021 by Saggy

[DhamR]

Wondered if the view of a fellow beginner who ended up buying a heritage 150P might help.

I have a 4 yo little monster who wanted a telescope, and I've always wanted one, so was buying a present for us.  My start off budget was similar to where you ended up (I ended up spending more on a computerised mount, but this was extravagance that I didn't need to do).  You're considering the 130P and I bought the 150P (almost identical, just slightly bigger), so thought my views on it might be worthwhile?

Collimation wasn't out by much when I received it, and if you can repair white goods at home, I'd say you can manage the process of collimating the primary in 5/10mins once you've worked out that down is up and left is right.  The main thing you'd need to do I expect is point it at a bright wall, put the collimation "eyepiece in" and adjust three screws (by hand, you don't even need a screwdriver) until things are centred nicely when you look through it.  That should be it, that's all I've had to do, and I've had to do it twice (possibly because I stored the scope on its end on a firm surface after doing it the first time).  I'm sure more expert observers might be more fussy about getting it perfect, but don't think it's going to stop you seeing things if it's not bang on.  Particularly beginner targets like the moon.

I live in what is apparently a Bortle 6 area (i.e. quite light polluted, not far from Birmingham and Dudley).  I've only been out with it 4 or 5 times and I've been blown away by views of the moon (didn't need a moon filter, although it is quite bright so you do lose your night-vision a bit after looking at it, people on here have suggested sunglasses work as an alternative to a moon filter), I've also found the Pleiades (star cluster that fills the eyepiece with bright stars despite everything around it being fairly "empty") and Orion nebula (a greeny grey blurry cloud of distinctive shape, but it's much more than that if you read up on it, and quite stunning to see when all around it are just points of light).  But ultimately I'm learning to navigate the sky and find the things I'm meant to be looking at.

Because it's a Christmas present (I'm "just checking it over in case we need to send it back") I haven't been out early enough to see any planets yet, and I know this isn't these scopes' strong points, but I'm expecting to be able to see a little bit of detail in Jupiter and Saturn, including some rings/bands, but from what I've read and been advised on here, expectations higher than that might be unrealistic, especially when they're low in the sky.

I've put it on a table every time I've used it, which is fine, but you do have to lean over it on occasion to look down the eyepiece, and I think I actually had a better experience with it and me sat on the floor on a yoga mat.  I've had no issues with it needing to cooldown either, again, maybe when I'm more experienced this will matter more, but I really wouldn't worry about that as a factor when buying.

People talk about eyepiece quality etc., but I've had no issue with the two that come packaged with the scope, the wider angle is easier to use, but the 10mm needs lifting and locking out of the focuser to get it to focus.  This is easy to do though, and I don't see me spending money on an upgrade for a good few months, particularly as clear skies are limited at the moment.

Edited December 17, 2021 by DhamR

[SuburbanMak]

12 hours ago, cajen2 said:

Ok, Sarah, chill...!

It's not too difficult, honestly.

Inches or cm? Well, the Americans have never trusted the nasty foreign metric system and so still often use inches to measure aperture (yes, the diameter of the scope), focal length, etc. For some reason, inches are still commonly used for reflectors, though many manufacturers now use cm. A rough rule of thumb is 25cm = 1 inch, so 150cm is about 6". Generally, a wider aperture will allow in more light, which is why people who want to see distant galaxies, nebulae, etc often choose Dobsonian reflectors.

Refractors are preferred by astro photographers and people who want to concentrate on planets.

Both types of scope can be used for these different targets, of course.

So the answer to your search depends on what kind of things you'd like to observe. I got the Heritage Flextube dob because it's portable enough to store, carry to and from the garden and will catch more light than any affordable refractor.

If you want something to carry around when travelling, a smallish refractor like the ST80 (or smaller) is better.

Oh and 90 degree diagonals are often preferred for astronomy, where the scope is often nearly vertical. The 45 degree ones are handy for daylight use but can lead to odd positions when stargazing!

Note to experts: I'm trying to keep it simple and as jargon-free as possible, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

Small thing but I think you mean "mm" where you have "cm" above.  150cm, now that would be quite a starter 'scope  

 

[cajen2]

It does look like you might be leaning towards the 130/150p options, Sarah, which pleases me as I'm convinced the views will be better. Don't worry about putting it into the car: the scope comes off the mount really easily.

Personally, I've upgraded the eyepieces for a huge visual improvement, but that's something that can easily wait till later.

[cajen2]

3 minutes ago, SuburbanMak said:

Small thing but I think you mean "mm" where you have "cm" above.  150cm, now that would be quite a starter 'scope  

 

Haha, you saw this before I did and corrected it!

Yes, a 150cm scope would be great, if not exactly portable!

[Saggy]

3 hours ago, Saggy said:

Thanks, will watch this a bit later as useful to see it next to a person when have a few more spare mins as I'm supposed to working 😄

Also apologies if don't make any sense as typing very fast in between doing the accounts and trying to get as much of month end done as possible and making payments!

THanks

Yeah it does look rather neat and smooth lol! Does it come in a strong box you can keep it in?

Thanks 🐵

[Saggy]

2 hours ago, DhamR said:

Wondered if the view of a fellow beginner who ended up buying a heritage 150P might help.

I have a 4 yo little monster who wanted a telescope, and I've always wanted one, so was buying a present for us.  My start off budget was similar to where you ended up (I ended up spending more on a computerised mount, but this was extravagance that I didn't need to do).  You're considering the 130P and I bought the 150P (almost identical, just slightly bigger), so thought my views on it might be worthwhile?

Collimation wasn't out by much when I received it, and if you can repair white goods at home, I'd say you can manage the process of collimating the primary in 5/10mins once you've worked out that down is up and left is right.  The main thing you'd need to do I expect is point it at a bright wall, put the collimation "eyepiece in" and adjust three screws (by hand, you don't even need a screwdriver) until things are centred nicely when you look through it.  That should be it, that's all I've had to do, and I've had to do it twice (possibly because I stored the scope on its end on a firm surface after doing it the first time).  I'm sure more expert observers might be more fussy about getting it perfect, but don't think it's going to stop you seeing things if it's not bang on.  Particularly beginner targets like the moon.

I live in what is apparently a Bortle 6 area (i.e. quite light polluted, not far from Birmingham and Dudley).  I've only been out with it 4 or 5 times and I've been blown away by views of the moon (didn't need a moon filter, although it is quite bright so you do lose your night-vision a bit after looking at it, people on here have suggested sunglasses work as an alternative to a moon filter), I've also found the Pleiades (star cluster that fills the eyepiece with bright stars despite everything around it being fairly "empty") and Orion nebula (a greeny grey blurry cloud of distinctive shape, but it's much more than that if you read up on it, and quite stunning to see when all around it are just points of light).  But ultimately I'm learning to navigate the sky and find the things I'm meant to be looking at.

Because it's a Christmas present (I'm "just checking it over in case we need to send it back") I haven't been out early enough to see any planets yet, and I know this isn't these scopes' strong points, but I'm expecting to be able to see a little bit of detail in Jupiter and Saturn, including some rings/bands, but from what I've read and been advised on here, expectations higher than that might be unrealistic, especially when they're low in the sky.

I've put it on a table every time I've used it, which is fine, but you do have to lean over it on occasion to look down the eyepiece, and I think I actually had a better experience with it and me sat on the floor on a yoga mat.  I've had no issues with it needing to cooldown either, again, maybe when I'm more experienced this will matter more, but I really wouldn't worry about that as a factor when buying.

People talk about eyepiece quality etc., but I've had no issue with the two that come packaged with the scope, the wider angle is easier to use, but the 10mm needs lifting and locking out of the focuser to get it to focus.  This is easy to do though, and I don't see me spending money on an upgrade for a good few months, particularly as clear skies are limited at the moment.

Thank you that's really great and the collimation sounds easy. I always actually prefer manual to computerised anyway so not an issue. Do you need to be out early to see planets? I figured the later the better 😄

I'm good with the floor too!

[Saggy]

2 hours ago, cajen2 said:

It does look like you might be leaning towards the 130/150p options, Sarah, which pleases me as I'm convinced the views will be better. Don't worry about putting it into the car: the scope comes off the mount really easily.

Personally, I've upgraded the eyepieces for a huge visual improvement, but that's something that can easily wait till later.

I'm still a little undecided to be honest but feeling definitely one of the two and can order tonight so a bit relieved compared to yesterday so thanks to you all. I can see in the video it will sit on the seat 🙂

THe heritage seems small enough - is the ST80 smaller when packed up? It's just the shops were saying the ST80 would be better on planets and things but it could have been that I had already mentioned not wanting to collimate so would have steered me in that direction anyway.

Can anyone tell me what precisely would be the kind of difference we're looking at between the two in viewing both the moon and planets and then the more deeper space objects. I'm assuming that the heritage dobs can see a little further afield/deeper than the ST80 but what about clarity of images etc?

I could just go by which would be easier to wrap - which would be the dobs 😄

I'm assuming both can be upgraded to some extent but yes that can be left to later - much later lol!!!

 

[DhamR]

It depends.  Unlike the stars, which only "move" relative to us because we rotate too (simplified, because we also tilt as per the seasons, and travel around the sun), the planets have their own orbits to be getting on with.  As such it changes year-by-year month-by-month where and when each appears in the sky.  At the moment we have Venus Saturn and Jupiter all visible shortly after sunset, but they disappear soon after i.e. before my daughter goes to bed. 

There's tonnes of night sky apps out there, they'll tell you what's in the sky now, and most have a "fast forward or rewind" time option so you can see how things move.

[DhamR]

17 minutes ago, Saggy said:

I'm still a little undecided to be honest but feeling definitely one of the two and can order tonight so a bit relieved compared to yesterday so thanks to you all. I can see in the video it will sit on the seat 🙂

THe heritage seems small enough - is the ST80 smaller when packed up? It's just the shops were saying the ST80 would be better on planets and things but it could have been that I had already mentioned not wanting to collimate so would have steered me in that direction anyway.

Can anyone tell me what precisely would be the kind of difference we're looking at between the two in viewing both the moon and planets and then the more deeper space objects. I'm assuming that the heritage dobs can see a little further afield/deeper than the ST80 but what about clarity of images etc?

I could just go by which would be easier to wrap - which would be the dobs 😄

I'm assuming both can be upgraded to some extent but yes that can be left to later - much later lol!!!

 

The ST80 and its tripod would collapse to a long thin thing.  Whereas the Heritages are a little cubiod, they take up more floor space (when the ST80s tripod isn't open) but will tuck away in their box rather than stand up like an umbrella.

When I was looking at them, the main differences that made my mind up are:

1) Dobs capture more light so see dimmer things

2) Refractors (like the ST80) are made using lenses which bend light like a prism does, so you see purple fringes and green fringes on high-contrast things (i.e. bright moon vs dark sky behing). Dobs don't do this, as mirrors don't work like prisms.

Edited December 17, 2021 by DhamR

[Saggy]

21 minutes ago, DhamR said:

It depends.  Unlike the stars, which only "move" relative to us because we rotate too (simplified, because we also tilt as per the seasons, and travel around the sun), the planets have their own orbits to be getting on with.  As such it changes year-by-year month-by-month where and when each appears in the sky.  At the moment we have Venus Saturn and Jupiter all visible shortly after sunset, but they disappear soon after i.e. before my daughter goes to bed. 

There's tonnes of night sky apps out there, they'll tell you what's in the sky now, and most have a "fast forward or rewind" time option so you can see how things move.

The answer to that was pretty blinking obvious when you stop to think about it huh 🤣

I'm just not stopping lol!! Now I feel really dumb - honestly not my normal self - slap head - ahem!

I just spoke to Rother valley optics to check was in stock as they said to do this and thought I'd better check this before they close and I order and they said deffo the heritage 130 of those two as well so I suppose that's the one 🤗

My gosh, I'm so relived as this has been a major headache this week that I was just going round in circles with so phew!! 

THanks to you all.

Unless I should consider the  heritage 150 🤣🤣🤣

Ignore that last bit...........

 

 

Edited December 17, 2021 by Saggy