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What are your reccomendations for deep space and general viewing?


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6 minutes ago, Gfamily said:

Hi @gamermole   - a couple of suggestions -

* have a look on gostargazing.co.uk to see if there are any Astro Societies near you or any Astro Events where people are likely to have telescopes with them. This should give you a chance to have a look through a range of 'scopes, as that will help you get an idea of what you want to look at, and thus, what telescope will do best for you. 

* similarly, I don't know if you're one for camping, but if you are I would thoroughly recommend going to a Star Party before you get yourself a telescope.  Again, people are likely to have a range of telescopes, and if you ask, they will mostly be happy for you to have a look through them (assuming they're not using them for imaging). You don't need to own your own scope to go, and there should be a good variety to consider. 

The only downside of Star Parties is that they are usually located in places with skies that are significantly darker than average, so you need to be aware that smaller scopes may well not perform so well at home. 

The first telescope that I was generally happy with was a Synscan 127 Mak, and if I want to look at the planets or close up on the Moon, that's the one I go for; however, I get far more joy from my little 72mm Refractor for looking at open clusters and galactic nebulae - the wider field of view helps to find the targets in the first place, but not only that, it helps to put them into context. 

Both of these go on my AZ-GTi mount - which is very reliable and easy to use - a particularly neat feature is its ability to track targets even if you haven't completed an alignment - if you can find it and get it centred by eye, then you can select "Point and Track" and it will keep it in the field of view for hours. 

can i ask as im a beginner, just how hard is the az gti mount to caliberate and setup and also im guessing its controlled using an app on your phone? how innituative is the app and can it also be controlled using a hand controller

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7 minutes ago, Zermelo said:

I understand that you want to make the best possible decision on your first buy. I spent ages analysing all the options before I bought mine.

But there's only so far that you can go without diving in somewhere. There will always be different opinions, even on apparently objective criteria, and your view may turn out to be different, once you've tried for yourself.

In my case, I started with a Star Discovery 150i, which you mention, and I've been very happy with it. I learned a bit about the sky, and observing, and then I bought another OTA (optical tube assembly - i.e. the scope minus a mount or tripod) - the Skymax 127. I can use that on the same mount, and it has given me more options. Then I got a 102mm refractor, and I use that on the same mount too.

I think that whichever you buy out of the three that you've mentioned will give you pleasure, allow you to see a good range of objects, and help you to learn. When you (or your wallet) is ready to buy again, you will have a better idea where you want to go next.

yeah i guess theres only so much advice i can take before i have to bite the bullet, im just in the learning phase and im enjoying learning about the whole setup and terminologies. im definately going to be getting the sky watcher 127 i reckon.

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35 minutes ago, gamermole said:

can i ask as im a beginner, just how hard is the az gti mount to caliberate and setup and also im guessing its controlled using an app on your phone? how innituative is the app and can it also be controlled using a hand controller

It's the easiest mount I've had to set up and align.

Yes, it works off your phone or tablet, and it uses your device's GPS to get your location and time. 

There are two easy options for aligning... 

Level and North - to do this you need to know the direction to your local North - i.e. towards the Pole Star (it doesn't need to be exact). Set the mount so the telescope is pointing North and is horizontal. You then choose two stars, and it will go to the first one selected (because it knows where you are, it knows where it should be relative to North). Very likely you'll need to make a minor adjustment to get it centred - it will then go the second star (which should be very close to centred). A final adjustment and confirm it's centred and the GOTO should then be good.

Bright Stars - Without needing to know where North is, you just need to know where some of the brightest stars or Planets are. Select one you are definite about, and their second choice. You then need to manually move it to get the first star centred, confirm and it'll go to the second star for final alignment as above. 

You can download the app beforehand and there's an emulation mode to try it out. 

Yes, you can get a handset to control it (extra £££), but I reckon the app on the device is easier. If using it at home, you may find that your phone jumps back to your home wifi, so you need to reconnect to the Synscan wifi when you go back out - but it keeps tracking even when not connected, so it's not a problem. 

Forgot to say - there's also the Point and Track option - so with this, if you're looking at (say) the Moon during the day when no stars are available, you can manually point at it, and select "Point and Track" and it will track without any other alignment needed. 

You can also use the App alongside the Plus or Pro versions of Sky Safari or the Plus version of Stellarium on your phone.  I use Sky Safari 6 Plus, which is relatively cheap (but often goes half price on Google Play, so if you're happy to wait, it's better value) 

Edited by Gfamily
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23 minutes ago, Gfamily said:

It's the easiest mount I've had to set up and align.

Yes, it works off your phone or tablet, and it uses your device's GPS to get your location and time. 

There are two easy options for aligning... 

Level and North - to do this you need to know the direction to your local North - i.e. towards the Pole Star (it doesn't need to be exact). Set the mount so the telescope is pointing North and is horizontal. You then choose two stars, and it will go to the first one selected (because it knows where you are, it knows where it should be relative to North). Very likely you'll need to make a minor adjustment to get it centred - it will then go the second star (which should be very close to centred). A final adjustment and confirm it's centred and the GOTO should then be good.

Bright Stars - Without needing to know where North is, you just need to know where some of the brightest stars or Planets are. Select one you are definite about, and their second choice. You then need to manually move it to get the first star centred, confirm and it'll go to the second star for final alignment as above. 

You can download the app beforehand and there's an emulation mode to try it out. 

Yes, you can get a handset to control it (extra £££), but I reckon the app on the device is easier. If using it at home, you may find that your phone jumps back to your home wifi, so you need to reconnect to the Synscan wifi when you go back out - but it keeps tracking even when not connected, so it's not a problem. 

Forgot to say - there's also the Point and Track option - so with this, if you're looking at (say) the Moon during the day when no stars are available, you can manually point at it, and select "Point and Track" and it will track without any other alignment needed. 

You can also use the App alongside the Plus or Pro versions of Sky Safari or the Plus version of Stellarium on your phone.  I use Sky Safari 6 Plus, which is relatively cheap (but often goes half price on Google Play, so if you're happy to wait, it's better value) 

Thank you so much for all that info, I've just bought the scope and should be with me in 2 days. 

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5 hours ago, SuburbanMak said:

@gamermole your dilemma is a fun problem to have and the "which bit of gear is best to buy" question occupies huge swathes of this forum :) 

As @Beardy30 mentioned above, the AZGTi is a super little mount & actually down the road you can pick up a used ST80 for around £100 or something like the sharper Evostar ED72 for £200 ish if you keep your eyes peeled on the classifieds. 

Don't know if you saw this post which is a good summary of what the StarTravel 102 is good & less good at:   

 

 

Upgrade to the eq mount and you can add a very high quality refractor for Astro Photography at some point so it’s a very versatile mount - although you may want to upgrade to a steel tripod at some point 

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Once read that that the best all round and easiest scope was an 80mm refractor. And I tend to agree. BUT they do everything pretty good and do not not excel in any one field alone. A 10" reflector collects more light, an 8" SCT give a greater focal length and so greater potential magnifications. An 80mm refractor is the classic "Jack of all trades, master of none".

The AzGT is a nice small mount, but I wouldn't put a 125 SCT/Mak on it. A small (60-80mm) refractor yes.

Set up is fairly straight forward. Except for centering the alignment stars. You use a phone/tablet and when looking through the eyepiece you have no idea where your fingers are on the touch screen to move the mount. As they say "Been there, done that". Also best set up is Synscan to align, and Skysafari to goto targets. Skysafari Plus is more then adaquate. Think it has about 3 million stars in it, how many do you want???

For visual the Alt/Az version is easiest, just won't do AP, without a couple of bits - Eq wedge, which isn't actually that costly for the mount (think ~£60). At least that way you have both options. Your decision. I have the Alt/Az one and the Eq wedge to convert. But may buy the full Eq version if I decide AP is worth half serious bit of playtime.

The mount needs a half decent Li rechargeable battery, and a couple of cables. Putting the battery in a reasonable place is still something I haven't really sorted - only had it about 4 years, still working on that aspect. One day..... as they say.

What do you means by "deepsky". M31 is deep sky and a small refractor will do that. Will also do M33 and assorted others. The clusters at the end of Leo has lots of galaxies, but they are all small dots/discs almost immaterial of the scope used. Was said here I think that with a bigger scope you see more small disks, but they are still just small disks. "More" is a bit ambiguous in its meaning.

 

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Hi there after quite a few hrs we searching an reading a very good reference byCharles Braken deep sky rage would be < 750 focal length for good range of Nebulae Ans Galaxies but offset with wider field of view.  Astrobackyard has good chunk of info

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4 hours ago, DSviewer said:

Hi problem you have is the focal length as you say the majority if not all Wi-Fi scopes are around 1000+ you could just get say M31 in with but if u want wider field you need < 750 SKYMAX-102 (AZ-GO2)

i have purchased the skymax 127 now, yeah i know the FOV is very small with this scope but i will see how i do with it, no doubt i will get another scope further down the line if i get the bug. the mount ive bought seems pretty decent so i guess i will just keep using the same mount for either scope.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 26/01/2023 at 14:31, DSviewer said:

Hi problem you have is the focal length as you say the majority if not all Wi-Fi scopes are around 1000+ you could just get say M31 in with but if u want wider field you need < 750 SKYMAX-102 (AZ-GO2)

The Skymax 102 has a focal length of 1300mm. Not wide field by any means.

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On 25/01/2023 at 00:00, gamermole said:

Hello all, i am looking at buying my first ever telescope and was considdering buying the Skywatcher Skymax 127 AZ-GTi WiFi Telescope

 

as can be found here

 

Upon mentioning this scope on here ive been informed that due to the scopes small focal length it will struggle when it comes to viewing larger objects. i want a scope that can fit the full moon aswell as full deep space nebula, aswell as being able to provide decent views of the planets. preferable one with a similar mount too

 

Any help guys? or is the scope i was looking at decent enough?

 

Edited by Astro74
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  • 6 months later...
4 minutes ago, gamermole said:

Hello again all. i have bought the skywatcher 127 and have been enjoying it for some time now. im wondering tho is is possible to buy a dslr camera attachment to allow me to photo through the skymax 127?

Yes you need a T2 nosepiece (1.25" or 2" to suit your focuser) and and the right bayonet adapter for your camera. They simly screw together, one end goes in the focuser, the other attaches to your camera.

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9 minutes ago, Mandy D said:

Yes you need a T2 nosepiece (1.25" or 2" to suit your focuser) and and the right bayonet adapter for your camera. They simly screw together, one end goes in the focuser, the other attaches to your camera.

And just out of curiousity, would you recommend doing this or buying an actual telescope camera that connects to a laptop?

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5 minutes ago, gamermole said:

And just out of curiousity, would you recommend doing this or buying an actual telescope camera that connects to a laptop?

It is exactly what I do. Whether it is the right thing for you is another matter and will depend on what you want to image and what level of convenience you desire. I use a DSLR as it is so convenient. I can be outside, set up and imaging inside two minutes. I also have a ZWO ASI 178MM and it barely gets used at present as I do not have a laptop or suitable computer I can put outside.

For planetary, lunar, solar and general widefield star imaging the DSLR works brilliantly. For galaxies, faint fuzzies and the like you are better with a proper astro camera on a tracking mount.

If you already have the DSLR it is a no-brainer as the extra bits needed cost under £50. You might want a remote, too, unless you are going to use the camera self-timer to avoid vibration.

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