Next steps with my daughter

[Carbon Brush]

I think this comment, from a similar thread, is relevant to the discussion. Especially considering the budget.

18 hours ago, Carbon Brush said:

With any scope package your money is shared between the scope, the mount/tripod and the electronics.
The mount/tripod is always the smallest/flinsmiest mount the manufacturer can get away with providing.

As a general rule, the following provide guidance. With the warning that ree advice is worth what you pay.

With a basic dob, the mount cost is low. Almost all your money goes into the glass.

With a long refractor + tripod you risk getting a wobbly mount, which makes high power use difficult.
A short tube scope on the same mount will perform better.

If you spend on goto and mount electronics, how much is left for the glass?
No amount of clever electronics and software will make up for a lens made from old wine bottles.
Sales leaflets describe goto/electronics setup as almost non existent. Not so!

The picture of the two boys and the dob says it all to me.
The scope won't be like a sail in the wind.
No tripod to kick over in the dark.
No long electronics setup or fiddling with cables.

[PeterStudz]

24 minutes ago, Carbon Brush said:

I think this comment, from a similar thread, is relevant to the discussion. Especially considering the budget.

Yes, this is most relevant. And I’d also add that as cost & budget go it’s far cheaper to make/manufacture a stable Dob mount than it is to manufacture a stable tripod + mount.

[doublevodka]

1 hour ago, alfabet said:

I think <=£250.  My aversion to used equipment is my inexperience and the risk of not spotting a lemon.

Definitely join your local Astro club, lots can be found on Facebook, that's how I got back into astronomy and purchased my first got from a club member. Bargains can be had from Facebook marketplace, but it certainly can be like the wild west too. There is a for sale section on this forum, but it won't appear until you've made enough posts on here (25 I think) or sites like https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/index.php where everyone is generally an astronomer and helpful

1 hour ago, alfabet said:

Hmm, goto adds significantly to cost, and I guess technology is moving so fast in that area that things become "last year's tech" and lose value more quickly?  I read about AstroHopper, a smartphone based push-to system which I thought looked fun to try.

Goto does add to costs, absolutely and to an extent anything electronic will devalue, but if you are buying used then someone else has already taken the initial hit. Smartphone apps like Astrohopper will get you in the general area

As for tabletop dobs in the garden, if you have an Ikea nearby - https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/kyrre-stool-birch-60416925/ 3 legged stools like this give decent stability like a tripod even on uneven surfaces, I use 2 with my starblast, on to sit on and one for the dob to sit on

Given an example of used - https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=193136 Skywatcher 130 Dob, pretty much half retail price and an honest ad with plenty of pics, it's really worth a look

Also worth updating your location on your profile, there may even be someone here on the forum nearby willing to help if you do end up looking at used equipment, on a tight budget it really helps you get more for your money 👍

[Artik]

On 06/01/2023 at 13:26, doublevodka said:

Smartphone apps like Astrohopper will get you in the general area

Actually AstroHopper is much more accurate than that! It is designed differently from planetarium apps.

Once you do the quick align on some start or planet in the area of the object you are looking for it would track the movement using the sensors and bring the object to the low power eyepiece view with ease. 

Think of instead doing star-hopping and measuring angles with telrad and multiple short hops it just measures the movement of the phone and guides you to the object.

It would not lead you from Polaris to Orion Nebula, but it would bring you accurately from Mirach to Andromeda or even from Casseopea - depending on quality of the sensors.

So it is much more than "general direction"

[alfabet]

I thought I'd post a quick update, after all your helpful advice.

I actually decided to get some binoculars first, as a next step before buying a telescope.  I now have a pair of Celestron UpClose G2 10x50s, and have been taking advantage of the cold clear nights we've had this last week.

I saw the Orion Nebula and Andromeda galaxy for the first time (knowingly) - amazing. And got a fantastic view of the Pleiades. I tried to find the Beehive Cluster but got lost - went from Castor, past Pollox, then went awry in a sea of stars. All good fun though.

I also discovered that a friend of mine is a keen astronomer, and he's offered to let me look through his fancy telescopes. That should be very helpful.

Lots to learn!

 

[Carbon Brush]

10 minutes ago, alfabet said:

I also discovered that a friend of mine is a keen astronomer, and he's offered to let me look through his fancy telescopes. That should be very helpful.

Presumably local and presumably knowledgeable advice on equipment choices. Excellent!

[Giles_B]

On 06/01/2023 at 11:26, doublevodka said:

Definitely join your local Astro club, lots can be found on Facebook, that's how I got back into astronomy and purchased my first got from a club member. Bargains can be had from Facebook marketplace, but it certainly can be like the wild west too. There is a for sale section on this forum, but it won't appear until you've made enough posts on here (25 I think) or sites like https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/index.php where everyone is generally an astronomer and helpful

Goto does add to costs, absolutely and to an extent anything electronic will devalue, but if you are buying used then someone else has already taken the initial hit. Smartphone apps like Astrohopper will get you in the general area

As for tabletop dobs in the garden, if you have an Ikea nearby - https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/kyrre-stool-birch-60416925/ 3 legged stools like this give decent stability like a tripod even on uneven surfaces, I use 2 with my starblast, on to sit on and one for the dob to sit on

Given an example of used - https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=193136 Skywatcher 130 Dob, pretty much half retail price and an honest ad with plenty of pics, it's really worth a look

Also worth updating your location on your profile, there may even be someone here on the forum nearby willing to help if you do end up looking at used equipment, on a tight budget it really helps you get more for your money 👍

Just to add to the tips for second hand equipment, members of this forum are very helpful if you want to talk potential purchases through and identify any pitfalls. My experience of buying second hand from here and from Astro Buy and Sell is that people are helpful, and equipment is well looked after.

[cajen2]

Any ideas what scope your friend has?

[alfabet]

16 hours ago, cajen2 said:

Any ideas what scope your friend has?

An 8" reflector and an 80mm apochromatic refractor.