StellaLyra Dobsonian Beginner maybe...

[Pablo3uk]

Hi All,

 

New to the telescope world, but been very interested in astronomy for a long time. I have probably a few questions to start with about a couple of telescopes on the market and accessories required for them, especially as it's quite hard to find a telescope to buy and then all accessories simply listed beneath to make our lives easy (everything seems to be listed separately so unless you are an expert...)! So the two telescopes I have in mind are either the 10" StellaLyra Dobsonian https://www.firstlightoptics.com/stellalyra-telescopes/stellalyra-10-f5-dobsonian.html or the 12" StellaLyra Dobsonian https://www.firstlightoptics.com/stellalyra-telescopes/stellalyra-12-f5-dobsonian.html

 

The main questions I have are as follows:

1) For transporting/carrying do any bags exist that would fit either of these in?

2) I have seen I think a Celestron Dobsonian with a handle fitted on it's side to carry and heard of people retrofitting these to other Dobs. Is this possible/advisable and could this handle simply be retrofitted in the middle of the tube

3) Are there definitive instructions of how to clean the mirrors if/when this is required

4) I've read about collimation - this looks to be already built into these scopes?

5) Are there any apps or fittings whereby you can attach and use your phone to guide you to objects (even if not 100% accurate)?

6) Following on from 5) how easy are these things to manoeuvre and follow once you have found your object and does it get easier with practice?

7) Are there any other accessories that would likely be required for these to get an idea of expenses

😎 I am willing to be patient getting this right, therefore would you see these as a good buy for a beginner? 

 

I'm near Bromley, South East London so may try and get down to the local Astro club to have a look at similar too.

 

Thanks for any replies :)))

 

Paul

 

 

Edited October 7, 2022 by Pablo3uk

[bosun21]

Neither of these two telescopes are telescopes that you put into a bag to carry. They are basically made of two parts. The base itself which gets its name from an American monk named John Dobson, and the telescope tube itself. Where do you intend to use the telescope?, 

The handle on the Celestron tube is to assist with removing/assembling the telescope to its base. A handle can be fitted yourself to other makes, although it is not in the middle due to the heavy mirror.

Cleaning of the mirrors isn’t necessary with normal usage unless it gets heavily soiled by pollen etc. Then it can be cleaned in tepid water with a few drops of soap liquid, pure cotton balls and rinsed with distilled water. I advise watching a video on YouTube showing this.

Collimation is the word which refers to the correct alignment of the mirrors. It isn’t inbuilt as such, but the means and screws etc with which to adjust the collimation is part of the telescope.

If you want to be guided by an app on your phone then you should be looking at the Celestron Starsense explorer range of dobsonians as they have a mount/mirror unit for your phone to enable this.

Once you have found your target, it’s a simple matter of nudging the telescope to keep the target in the field of view. However this becomes more frequent as the magnification increases.

After buying the telescope all that’s needed to start observing the night sky are a couple of eyepieces. Good luck 👍 

[cajen2]

When I have to transport my 8" dob, I do use an Oklop bag to protect the OTA. They do one for a 10" too:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescope-bags-cases-storage/oklop-padded-bag-for-250mm-1200mm-newtonians.html

Afaik there's no bag for the base, but this has a handle and is easy enough to shift.

[NGC 1502]

It would be best if at all possible if you could see your intended purchase at a dealers or a club.  Try it for size and weight. Specifications don’t tell all the story, you might get a bit of a shock when your online purchase is delivered!!

I do realise that may be difficult or impossible according to your location.  An 8” Dob would be safer if buying online. An 8” Dob has to be the best deal going, capable of sustaining a lifetime’s viewing, portable by most folk in reasonable health.

Tring astronomy has a showroom not all that far from you, one of my local clubmates found them very helpful indeed.

Collimation is not the black art some make of it, please don’t let that put you off getting the best value scope in existence.

An excellent upgrade from the stock eyepieces are Starguiders from FLO.  You could buy your 8” Dob from them too, safe in the knowledge that FLO will give top service as well as delivery.

BTW, welcome to SGL👍

 

[Spile]

I would recommend you go and see these or the equivalent sized telescope before you purchase. They may be much bigger and heavier than you realise. Any reflector is going to need collimating eventually but the good news is that it’s not difficult with the right tools. 

[Guest]

The ten imch will be about 4 feet long and roughly 12 inches around.  They make bags everyday for carrying them, buy it will definitely fill up a back seat in a hurry. 

[bosun21]

16 hours ago, Mike Q said:

The ten imch will be about 4 feet long and roughly 12 inches around.  They make bags everyday for carrying them, buy it will definitely fill up a back seat in a hurry. 

He was talking about putting the whole telescope in a bag, base included.

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

He was talking about putting the whole telescope in a bag, base included.

For some reason part 2 of my post didnt go through. 

[Mr Spock]

The 12" is big, very big. Also heavy. I can just move mine from the shed to the patio. It wouldn't fit in my car even if I could get it there!

[Moon-Monkey]

Ok so I won’t touch on bags and collimation as others already have above what I will say however is this .. if you live in a really light polluted area a 10/12” is going to make that light pollution far more obvious through the eyepiece I live in a Bortle 4 area and I’ve personally found the best fit for me is the Stella 8” and even that I can observe a visible difference between an 8&10” here I would advise to and try a impulse size instrument where you intend on observing from before you purchase 

[JOC]

After taking advice on SGL I purchased an 8" Skywatcher 200P with a 1200mm focal length.  I have been very happy with what I see through it and can just about move it around unassisted,  Mine is a folding version with telescopic bars to extend it and it takes up about the space of a dining chair in its folded form on its stand.  NB.  stairs greatly complicate the movement of large telescopes.

[TheThing]

19 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

The 12" is big, very big. Also heavy. I can just move mine from the shed to the patio. It wouldn't fit in my car even if I could get it there!

Sorry, just wanted to say that that is one mighty fine looking scope!  Not in the market for one and have never considered a dob  but I might be tempted now!

[Zermelo]

On 08/10/2022 at 15:55, Mr Spock said:

The 12" is big, very big. Also heavy. I can just move mine from the shed to the patio. It wouldn't fit in my car even if I could get it there!

 

I see you've been rather less successful hiding that beast in your living room than @Stu was with his Tak.

 

[Pixies]

here's a good video from the lovely Mr Ting, which shows the standard various dob sizes:

 

[Pablo3uk]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Much appreciated. I'm curious if to narrow it down to between a StellaLyra 10" Dob or a Skywatcher 10" Dob , what gives the best bang for your buck. I keep reading how good the supplied lenses/optics are with the Lyra and that the Skywatcher is supplied with "average" accessories. Would anybody be able to comment on that.

Regarding the bag - I was thinking only for the tube (bag in one hand, mount in the other to counter balance whilst walking) :)))))

Mr Spock - what are your thoughts are the standard accessories with the StellaLyra?

Just spotted this versus a brand new StellaLyra: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204115278123?hash=item2f8637f92b:g:cqIAAOSw2eNjQuml&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoI6WyMKBIXOSAxcQrszqGRaNXXJO9v1Lv1r6V88NClZtckdYo%2FqE45jVevIubsKOmwOgog4fxTCMDg8HWDkcxr4dZC5d2gkf1Ax00n9anxeei3UzbLv%2BC9qtVvfEzqq%2B38GUd4hvy58RRoDpL9%2FVLNHPftFNIKVK6shpvCLNEMxFoP%2B06SxQlnbc4ZBqhk%2BEqhlT6k%2FvNMqL7iwLnEtAxAY%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR8zQq6r4YA

 

Thanks

Edited October 10, 2022 by Pablo3uk

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Pablo3uk said:

Thanks for all the replies guys. Much appreciated. I'm curious if to narrow it down to between a StellaLyra 10" Dob or a Skywatcher 10" Dob , what gives the best bang for your buck. I keep reading how good the supplied lenses/optics are with the Lyra and that the Skywatcher is supplied with "average" accessories. Would anybody be able to comment on that.

Regarding the bag - I was thinking only for the tube (bag in one hand, mount in the other to counter balance whilst walking) :)))))

Mr Spock - what are your thoughts are the standard accessories with the StellaLyra?

Just spotted this versus a brand new StellaLyra: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204115278123?hash=item2f8637f92b:g:cqIAAOSw2eNjQuml&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoI6WyMKBIXOSAxcQrszqGRaNXXJO9v1Lv1r6V88NClZtckdYo%2FqE45jVevIubsKOmwOgog4fxTCMDg8HWDkcxr4dZC5d2gkf1Ax00n9anxeei3UzbLv%2BC9qtVvfEzqq%2B38GUd4hvy58RRoDpL9%2FVLNHPftFNIKVK6shpvCLNEMxFoP%2B06SxQlnbc4ZBqhk%2BEqhlT6k%2FvNMqL7iwLnEtAxAY%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR8zQq6r4YA

 

Thanks

One draw back to the skywatcher and this is just a personal observation, but they seem to glow in the dark because they are white.  It could just be me but that is something that always bugged me. 

[cajen2]

5 hours ago, Pablo3uk said:

Thanks for all the replies guys. Much appreciated. I'm curious if to narrow it down to between a StellaLyra 10" Dob or a Skywatcher 10" Dob , what gives the best bang for your buck. I keep reading how good the supplied lenses/optics are with the Lyra and that the Skywatcher is supplied with "average" accessories. Would anybody be able to comment on that.

Regarding the bag - I was thinking only for the tube (bag in one hand, mount in the other to counter balance whilst walking) :)))))

Mr Spock - what are your thoughts are the standard accessories with the StellaLyra?

Just spotted this versus a brand new StellaLyra: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204115278123?hash=item2f8637f92b:g:cqIAAOSw2eNjQuml&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoI6WyMKBIXOSAxcQrszqGRaNXXJO9v1Lv1r6V88NClZtckdYo%2FqE45jVevIubsKOmwOgog4fxTCMDg8HWDkcxr4dZC5d2gkf1Ax00n9anxeei3UzbLv%2BC9qtVvfEzqq%2B38GUd4hvy58RRoDpL9%2FVLNHPftFNIKVK6shpvCLNEMxFoP%2B06SxQlnbc4ZBqhk%2BEqhlT6k%2FvNMqL7iwLnEtAxAY%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR8zQq6r4YA

 

Thanks

I went through precisely the same decision 11 months ago and opted for the StellaLyra (8"). I'm so glad I did. Apparently, there's not much to choose between that and the SW optically, but I've looked  through a couple of SWs at star parties and the difference in design and build quality is huge. The SL has butter-smooth bearings in both alt and az (a lazy-Susan), a nice RACI finder to save my poor back, adjustable alt bearings to get balance and even a cooling fan. All told, for not much extra cash, I'm delighted with my SL.

[cajen2]

Oh, and about the bag, my Oklop is for the right size scope (8") but doesn't quite fit unless I take off the alt bearings, which is a pain. It may be worth getting the bag for the next size up to obviate this.

Edited October 10, 2022 by cajen2

[Guest]

1 hour ago, cajen2 said:

I went through precisely the same decision 11 months ago and opted for the StellaLyra (8"). I'm so glad I did. Apparently, there's not much to choose between that and the SW optically, but I've looked  through a couple of SWs at star parties and the difference in design and build quality is huge. The SL has butter-smooth bearings in both alt and az (a lazy-Susan), a nice RACI finder to save my poor back, adjustable alt bearings to get balance and even a cooling fan. All told, for not much extra cash, I'm delighted with my SL.

What he said.... I couldnt agree more. 

[PeterStudz]

2 hours ago, Mike Q said:

One draw back to the skywatcher and this is just a personal observation, but they seem to glow in the dark because they are white.  It could just be me but that is something that always bugged me. 

Colour is a personal thing and I do think that the StellaLyra offers better value for money but the one thing I don’t like is the all black look. There are a few reasons for this, some a little tongue in cheek.

1. The only time I’m in black is for funerals. All black doesn’t make me feel happy 🙁.

2. Being able to see the thing in the dark is an advantage. Eg I like using the eyepiece holder. Not being able to see it is a sure fire way for dropping eyepieces onto the ground. 

3. I enjoy white light solar and have a solar filter for my Skywatcher 8” Dob. The black parts, including a section of my DIY base (I wish I’d painted that white 😀) got so hot during the summer that if touched would hurt my hands - you could almost fry an egg on it! It can’t be good to have an all black OTA out in strong sunshine.

If I got a StellaLyra I would seriously consider painting it white!

[Guest]

16 minutes ago, PeterStudz said:

Colour is a personal thing and I do think that the StellaLyra offers better value for money but the one thing I don’t like is the all black look. There are a few reasons for this, some a little tongue in cheek.

1. The only time I’m in black is for funerals. All black doesn’t make me feel happy 🙁.

2. Being able to see the thing in the dark is an advantage. Eg I like using the eyepiece holder. Not being able to see it is a sure fire way for dropping eyepieces onto the ground. 

3. I enjoy white light solar and have a solar filter for my Skywatcher 8” Dob. The black parts, including a section of my DIY base (I wish I’d painted that white 😀) got so hot during the summer that if touched would hurt my hands - you could almost fry an egg on it! It can’t be good to have an all black OTA out in strong sunshine.

If I got a StellaLyra I would seriously consider painting it white!

It definitely is a personal choice.  I guess if i did solar observation i would consider a white one.  

[JOC]

On 10/10/2022 at 17:18, Pablo3uk said:

bag in one hand, mount in the other to counter balance whilst walking

You'll be lucky.  It will take you both hands to shift each piece IME.   Dobsonian mounts are the very essence of unweildy even with handles on them! 

On 10/10/2022 at 17:18, Pablo3uk said:

Skywatcher is supplied with "average" accessories. Would anybody be able to comment on that.

I've still got the two EP's that came with my Skywatcher.  I still find them useful and quite useable esp. if I want to reset the telescope to basic setup to test something.  I don't think they are exactly poor - when you are a beginner you probably won't even notice the difference optically.

[Mandy D]

On 10/10/2022 at 17:18, Pablo3uk said:

Thanks for all the replies guys. Much appreciated. I'm curious if to narrow it down to between a StellaLyra 10" Dob or a Skywatcher 10" Dob , what gives the best bang for your buck. I keep reading how good the supplied lenses/optics are with the Lyra and that the Skywatcher is supplied with "average" accessories. Would anybody be able to comment on that.

Regarding the bag - I was thinking only for the tube (bag in one hand, mount in the other to counter balance whilst walking) :)))))

Mr Spock - what are your thoughts are the standard accessories with the StellaLyra?

Just spotted this versus a brand new StellaLyra: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204115278123?hash=item2f8637f92b:g:cqIAAOSw2eNjQuml&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoI6WyMKBIXOSAxcQrszqGRaNXXJO9v1Lv1r6V88NClZtckdYo%2FqE45jVevIubsKOmwOgog4fxTCMDg8HWDkcxr4dZC5d2gkf1Ax00n9anxeei3UzbLv%2BC9qtVvfEzqq%2B38GUd4hvy58RRoDpL9%2FVLNHPftFNIKVK6shpvCLNEMxFoP%2B06SxQlnbc4ZBqhk%2BEqhlT6k%2FvNMqL7iwLnEtAxAY%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR8zQq6r4YA

 

Thanks

Regarding the Skywatcher eyepieces I find the 25 mm is OK, but the 10 mm I would like to throw in the bin. It is definitely worth considering better eyepieces to get the best out of the Skywatcher for visual use, but I tend to have a camera on mine most of the time.

Carrying the scope mounted on it's base is definitely possible. I do it all the time with my 200P for about 50 yards at a time. The 250PX is not that much bigger: In fact, the base is the same diameter and just has the uprights further apart for the larger tube. I've carried my 250PX fully assembled many times, so tube in a bag in one hand and base in the other is feasible. My Oklop bag for my RC6 has carrying handles and shoulder straps and is much easier to carry with the shoulder straps, so make sure you get one with shoulder straps. I find carrying the base by the handle is OK, but watch out for it banging your leg!

[wookie1965]

On 08/10/2022 at 16:55, Mr Spock said:

The 12" is big, very big. Also heavy. I can just move mine from the shed to the patio. It wouldn't fit in my car even if I could get it there!

Nice scope I would love one of those but put a setting circle on the bottom and a wixey that would be ideal for me. 

Edited October 11, 2022 by wookie1965