I'm torn between getting an 8"-10" Dob, and the Celestron Nexstar 130SLT.

[Parziva1]

Hey y'all, this would be my second scope, I currently own a cheap Celestron Powerseeker and I need to upgrade. I've done some research but I'm really stuck between these two telescopes. I'm fine with the Dob being a bit big, and I know they're great for beginners and gather a ton of light, but they've gone up quite a bit in price. The Apertura AD8 which was around $450- $500 is now $700. The 130SLT on the other hand is around $530 I think. The 130SLT is computerized, so that's a plus. I do later down the road want to get into astrophotography, and I know Dobsonians usually aren't that great for astrophotography. So does anyone have any advice or info that could lead me to get one of these? Thanks!

[dweller25]

Hello @Parziva1 and welcome to SGL.
 

An 8” telescope will show all objects far better than a 5”.

An 8” Dob can be equatorially mounted (with GOTO) at a later date for astrophotography or a small refractor can be put on the EQ mount.

So a progressive approach may give you more options.

Here is my dob on an EQ mount

 

 

Edited May 11, 2022 by dweller25

[v4cascade]

I'm going to assume your Powerseeker is the 127. If it is there's negligible difference between that and the 130 in terms of aperture. What you will be paying for is the features that comes with it. It's like trading in your base honda civic for another honda civic with power windows.  Get the AD8 instead and learn the night skies. Get camera mounts and try it out to see if you actually enjoy it first. Dedicated AP gears can get pricy really quick! 

[Parziva1]

.

Edited May 10, 2022 by Parziva1

[Parziva1]

6 hours ago, v4cascade said:

I'm going to assume your Powerseeker is the 127. If it is there's negligible difference between that and the 130 in terms of aperture. What you will be paying for is the features that comes with it. It's like trading in your base honda civic for another honda civic with power windows.  Get the AD8 instead and learn the night skies. Get camera mounts and try it out to see if you actually enjoy it first. Dedicated AP gears can get pricy really quick! 

I meant I have the cheap $100 Powerseeker 60AZ. Much different. 

[Cosmic Geoff]

The choice depends on how much you value the GoTo function. In turn this depends to a degree on whether you live in an urban area (where the GoTo scores) or im a location with dark skies.

Of course you can see more objects with an 8" ... if you can find them.  But even a 130mm will show you plenty.

If you want to do astro-imaging, you should aim for a small scope on an equatorial GoTo mount.  An 8" Newtonian on a (massive) equatorial GoTo mount is not ideal for a beginner in astrophotography. 

If you get the 130 SLT you can dabble with astrophotography and EEVA (q.v.) - at least enough to let you see the potential.  I tried EEVA with a 4" reftactor on a SLT mount and was astonished at the results - the results onscreen surpassed what was visible visually with a 8" scope at a darker site.

[Carbon Brush]

Another bit to throw into the confusion.

The sort of goto mount you are thinking about can be an effort to set up.
Depending on the model, you may need to tell it the time/date every power up.
The mount has to be levelled carefully and pointed north.
After power up there is the effort of aligning on stars.
Just how much of this you have to do depends on the mount and the extras, so look carefully.
Some are less clever/automated than others.
Sales literature often portrays goto as - take outside, power on, view.
Reality can be quite different.

I have used 8" reflectors on dob and EQ non driven mounts. It has not been a big issue.
I have also used them on goto mounts.

Astrophotography can start out as holding a smartphone to the eyepiece.
But it can easily escalate to better camera, better mount, guiding setup, even better camera, then better scope, then better mount again, then hours and hours processing images on the computer.......
It can become something akin to filling a 5 gallon bucket with $100 bills!

If you buy an 8" dob, the views, compared to a 60mm basic frac, will blow your mind.
As you become more familiar with the sky, hopping between objects becomes easier.
If you get tired of hunting objects, an EQ5 size goto mount will take the tube for visual and (limited) photo use.

There aren't any easy yes/no answers - sorry.
But keep asking the questions.

David.

 
 

[Boki Aristarh]

Visual and astrophotography astronomy are two different hobbies... 😀 and I mean in practice and in money needed.

I think you should go in DOB direction, and after that to consider photography.

Old astro rule: "There is no substitute for aperture!"

ENJOY!

[v4cascade]

14 hours ago, Parziva1 said:

I meant I have the cheap $100 Powerseeker 60AZ. Much different. 

Yes, that is very different! 

As another member said there is no right or wrong answer. There are pros and cons to both. The 130 is compact and easily maneuverable but the 8" aperture is hard to ignore. Why not both!  

[Knighty2112]

19 minutes ago, v4cascade said:

Yes, that is very different! 

As another member said there is no right or wrong answer. There are pros and cons to both. The 130 is compact and easily maneuverable but the 8" aperture is hard to ignore. Why not both!  

I have a 10” newtonian (not a dob) however I rarely use as it is a PITA to lug out and set up, so mostly use one of my 3 (soon to be 4) ‘fracs or my C8 SCT on either a manual mount or goto mount. Also as I live in an urban area when I do get the 10” newt out I don’t see much more than what my C8 SCT can show me anyway, so another reason it rarely gets used at home. If I were at a dark sky site then the 10” newt would trump, but for urban skies the 10” is wasted really, so gathers dust mostly in a spare room. So you may find that the scope that is easier/ quicker to set up and running is normally the one that you will use the majority of the time. You are right there is no wrong answer really, as each scope has its own merits, but in reality if a scope is a pain to set up then it normally ends up not been used much, and just gathers dust where it is stored. If like most of us you stick at astronomy you’ll probably end up trying quite a few different scopes over time, and eventually work out which one suits your needs for ease of set up versus the views you get from it. Sometimes there’s a trade off on certain things here, hence why you may eventually end up owning numerous scopes that can cover quite a lot of bases for you observation wise. 

[bosun21]

I’m another one in the 8” Dobsonian camp. You will learn the night sky much quicker by star hopping around the constellations and asterisms. As has been already said the go to mount definitely isn’t a power and view arrangement. It takes a bit of work to get up and running. When I got my Dobsonian I was really impressed with the views it was giving and before too long I could duck and dive around the night sky. I wish you luck in whichever direction you go.

[Olli]

As they say, the best scope is the one that you’ll use the most.  I do agree with everyone that dobs are great for the views especially the 8” though they can sometimes be a pain to lug around if you have a lot of stairs  and store if you don’t have enough space. If you are set on go to then the 130slt would be a good choice. If it is available to you there is also a skywatcher 130p with the az gti mount which is about £400, not sure how much it is $ though. 

[Parziva1]

4 hours ago, Knighty2112 said:

I have a 10” newtonian (not a dob) however I rarely use as it is a PITA to lug out and set up, so mostly use one of my 3 (soon to be 4) ‘fracs or my C8 SCT on either a manual mount or goto mount. Also as I live in an urban area when I do get the 10” newt out I don’t see much more than what my C8 SCT can show me anyway, so another reason it rarely gets used at home. If I were at a dark sky site then the 10” newt would trump, but for urban skies the 10” is wasted really, so gathers dust mostly in a spare room. So you may find that the scope that is easier/ quicker to set up and running is normally the one that you will use the majority of the time. You are right there is no wrong answer really, as each scope has its own merits, but in reality if a scope is a pain to set up then it normally ends up not been used much, and just gathers dust where it is stored. If like most of us you stick at astronomy you’ll probably end up trying quite a few different scopes over time, and eventually work out which one suits your needs for ease of set up versus the views you get from it. Sometimes there’s a trade off on certain things here, hence why you may eventually end up owning numerous scopes that can cover quite a lot of bases for you observation wise. 

Dude! I love your profile pic. I'm a HUGE Rush fan! Also thanks!

[Guest]

The age old question....how big to go.  It really comes down to how easily you can move it around.  I started with a 10 inch and I have no issues pulling it out and setting up, but it sits on a cart in my garage so it is always ready to go.  The reality is for me, I didn't go big enough.  I should have gone all in and got a 14 or 16.  I guess what I am saying is if you have a way to easily move it....don't be afraid to go big, maybe even bigger then what you are thinking 

[beka]

Hi Parziva1,

I have some experience with the 130 SLT, and have mixed feelings about this scope. The mount is not very robust so it is troublesome to use above a magnification of about 100X.  To get that you would need a 6.5mm eyepiece which should be a decent quality to be able to use comfortably. Secondly, collimation is critical. I don't have any collimation tools so I have just tried on a defocused star, and I feel that I never got it to be optimal. As a wide field scope and with lower magnifications, it is good on things like open clusters but it will not be ideal for planets. For astrophotography, you will not be able to use it with a DSLR as it will not reach focus without a barlow (a 2X will make it f10 and probably unusable on its mount) . If you have a mirrorless though it might be a decent option to get started. Hope this helps you decide.

Best

Edited May 31, 2022 by beka
typo

[Dan_Paris]

From my experience,  assuming that your sky is dark enough, a dob equipped with a Quickfinder or Telrad, together with a Pocket Sky Atlas, is as efficient as GOTO for visual. You can locate almost anything in the sky very quickly (and no worries about flat battery).

Edited June 1, 2022 by Dan_Paris

[maw lod qan]

I would have to agree with all those who said "if you go dob go big!"

Mine is an 8" ota which I first though was big. Now I wish I had gone 10" or twelve.

 

[jetstream]

On 10/05/2022 at 12:06, Parziva1 said:

So does anyone have any advice or info that could lead me to get one of these? Thanks!

Im curious how dark your skies are- contrary to some beliefs aperture can make a nice difference in lighter skies on certain objects and massive ones in darker skies.

If it were me there would no question about the decision- the 8" dob (or bigger) would be the first choice.  It might be possible to add encoders down the road to have push to capability. If this is desired maybe a Bresser style dob would be easier to add the encoders and I like the bearing system on them better than other styles.  I wonder if Explore Scientific has this style of dob? Yes just looked it up, same thing but shows not available.

If I were buying a dob this one would be at the top of the list, maybe @johninderby can add some thoughts on these dobs?

Edited June 2, 2022 by jetstream
add picture

[Rallemikken]

On 10/05/2022 at 19:06, Parziva1 said:

I know Dobsonians usually aren't that great for astrophotography

True.  But as suggested earlier here, you can put the tube on an equatorial mount later. If so, bigger is NOT better. The weight of the tube of an 8" or 10" will need a massive mount. I'd go for the SW 150 Classic dob, the same focal lenght as most 8 and 10", and the tube alone is light enough to ride on a HEQ5 when you have consolidated your savings. Actually, it looks a lot like the 150 PL OTA, a scope that is very good at planetary and narrow deep-sky AP with some mods.

In AP, the mount sets the boundaries. Both on tracking, payload and durability. Anyway, I'd be hesitant to spend much money on a integrated solution like the Celestron.

[Alkaid]

GOTO mounts can be appealing at first, but my experience is that they take time and care to set up and often the targets are not centred after a slew.  Sometimes they are outside of the view, but close.  I don't think they are worth the hassle.

The 8" scope will deliver far better views (brighter and more detailed resolution), is quick and easy to use, does not need power, will not cause annoyance due to not pointing correctly,  plus it will be easy to sell on when you're done with it.   You can even get a tracking platform (although these can add a bit of cost) for tracking at high power, or if you decide to get a beefy enough mount like an HEQ5 or EQ6 (not cheap, but future proof) you could even mount the tube on that and have the tracking and GOTO functions.   Encoders as previously mentioned are also good for push-to.

Get the 8", trust me.

[cajen2]

Why not have the best of both worlds? The new Celestron Starsense range of dobs will give the aperture you want with a reliable and accurate push-to system

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/celestron-starsense-explorer-series/cel_starsense_exp_8_dob.html