Best starter scope to see some detail of the planets

[StevieBee1975]

Hi. I have a budget of around £500, and looking for a decent telescope that will allow me to see enough detail of planets such as Jupiter and Saturn, and deep space if I can at this price. Andromeda would be amazing. I've been reviewing scopes for a while and there seems so much detail to wade through that I'm slightly baffled. Any advice would be much appreciated, including any extras that might help. Thanks in advance.

[mikeDnight]

 A 130mm or 150mm Newtonian or Dobsonian will show both lunar & planetary, as well as many brighter deep sky objects, and serious enough to last a lifetime. Another superb scope would be a Skywatcher 127mm Maksutov Cassegrain, which will give wonderful lunar and planetary views, but has a narrower field of view. Some deep sky objects are very large and benefit from a telescope capable of giving a wide field of view.  If you chose a Newtonian or Maksutov Cassegrain you'd also need a mount to attach the telescope to. Dobsonians have a built in mount.  Some scopes come with eyepieces so it would be worth enquiring before purchase. 

[bomberbaz]

This is a very frequently asked question, there really isn't a one size that does all but some come close. @mikeDnight above has already mentioned my preferred option given your budget.

I am a big admirer of this Sky-Watcher Classic 150P Dobsonian | First Light Optics For one it has good reviews for planetary mode. It is perfectly capable of high magnitude (250X) views of the planets, it would even push to x300 with the F7.8 focal ratio but it will capture and do well on many deep sky objects (DSO) such as andromeda, M81/82, most star clusters would be superb and there are many nebula that would give pleasing results although the fainter fuzzies as they are often known would be beyond its reach.

A little more explanation on why this is good might help. Generally longer focal length scopes with a ratio F10 and up are often used for planetary as the targets are brighter and the lower F ratio just works better for these. Lower focal length scopes of F5 and lower are preferred for DSO viewing as it means you have more light hitting the retina of difficult to see things. My option above  ^^ just sit inbetween and will give very a very good return in all areas but won't be best in either. 

What is also good is the low price leaves you with a very nice wedge to buy extras to embellish and improve the scopes performance. I would be looking at a decent zoom eyepiece Hyperflex 7.2mm-21.5mm Eyepiece | First Light Optics, a reasonable 2" eyepiece for larger DSO. PanaView 2" eyepieces | First Light Optics If you are wondering why you need more, if you read the forums it is generally accepted that the 25mm eyepiece provided is ok but the 10mm version is pretty naff.

This clips at the heals of £500 but is definitely as close to all-round as it comes.

[Naughty Neal]

If you have the space and somewhere to keep one then a Dob is the cheapest option to setting up , FLO have a 200mm F5 Dob in the Offers pages for £282 that will leave you the option of getting  three or four decent  EP's as well   .

Edited March 13, 2023 by Naughty Neal

[bomberbaz]

2 minutes ago, Naughty Neal said:

If you have the space and somewhere to keep one then a Dob is the cheapest option to setting up , FLO have a 200mm F5 Dob in the Offers pages for £250 that will leave you the option of getting   three decent  EP's as well.

Can't see the 200 Neil, is it this 150P Sky-Watcher Classic 150P Dobsonian | First Light Optics

Bargain.

[Naughty Neal]

Yes must be the 150mm , I could have sworn there was a 200mm this morning but must have been the UM I saw at £282. Either a 150 or 200 should be a good option, if I had the space I would have opted for a 200.   

Edited March 13, 2023 by Naughty Neal

[bomberbaz]

Ok sorry for spamming this thread here but there is also a Ursa Major 8" scope on offer. It has a great focuser (better than the 150p), better finder and cooling fan for primary  mirror. Another great option. The market is awash with offers!

Just now, Naughty Neal said:

Yes must be the 150mm , I could have sworn there was a 200mm this morning. Either a 150 or 200 should be a good option, if I had the space I would have opted for a 200.   

See this one Neil

Ursa Major 8" f/6 Dobsonian | First Light Optics

[vlaiv]

This one as well:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html

Just be careful.

While both 6" F/8 dobsonian and 8" F/6 dobsonian are excellent all around instruments that will show you plenty - they are large telescopes.

Best to see a few videos on youtube of said scopes to get the idea of how large those instruments are. Check out the specs as well - for weight. They need to be transported - and for example 8" dob can't be transported longer distances in single go. One can wrestle it maybe 15-20 meters in one piece - but if you need to carry it further than that - you'll need to take it apart and carry each piece separately (easily done though - both disassembly and assembly).

In this video for example - you can see it split and carried as well as size of 8" version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj9TnVu_vAA

 

[Stu]

There is also a Bresser 8” dob in there at £380 which has some nice features

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/offers/offer_bresser-messier-8-dobsonian-telescope_359285.html

[Second Time Around]

On 13/03/2023 at 22:43, Stu said:

There is also a Bresser 8” dob in there at £380 which has some nice features

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/offers/offer_bresser-messier-8-dobsonian-telescope_359285.html

This is the one that I'd choose because it has a better, smoother mount.  In fact I'd choose this even at full price. So this return is a bargain.  Additionally, the tube rings make it easier to carry. 

Indeed, I find I can carry one size bigger tube with a Bresser than a Skywatcher or GSO.  The latter make a lot of scopes that are rebadged. 

However, there's no difference with carrying the bases.  Here you'd exceed your budget unless you can find a used Orion Optics UK Dobsonian that have both tubes and a very compact mount made of aluminium 

You can easily upgrade almost anything on a Dobsonian, but the mount is more difficult and expensive to upgrade unless you make your own.

Edited March 15, 2023 by Second Time Around

[Guest]

So i am going to come at this from a different angle and I will say this.  Dont spend a dime at this time.  Find a astro club and go look at some scopes.  Getting some hands on time with the different types is invaluable.  Figure out what you like and what you dont like.  If what you like is outside your budget, save up for it and buy what you want the first time.  I will refrain from recommending a ten inch dob lol.  

[jetstream]

14 minutes ago, Stu said:

There is also a Bresser 8” dob in there at £380 which has some nice features

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/offers/offer_bresser-messier-8-dobsonian-telescope_359285.html

 

7 minutes ago, Second Time Around said:

This is the one that I'd choose because it has a better, smoother mount.  Additionally, the tube rings make it easier to carry.  This would be the case even at full price. So this return is a bargain.

+1

I sure like the look of the Bresser dobs, great bearings and should balance well. Ive heard the optics are good too and with a good focuser.

[bomberbaz]

32 minutes ago, Mike Q said:

So i am going to come at this from a different angle and I will say this.  Dont spend a dime at this time.  Find a astro club and go look at some scopes.  Getting some hands on time with the different types is invaluable.  Figure out what you like and what you dont like.  If what you like is outside your budget, save up for it and buy what you want the first time.  I will refrain from recommending a ten inch dob lol.  

Yeah despite my previous posts, a very lot to be said. It's basically try before you buy.

[PeterC65]

My first scope a couple of years ago with the same budget as you was the Skymax 127 on an AZ GOTO mount. It's a good compromise scope and I find the GOTO very helpful, both for finding targets and for keeping them in the field of view (tracking). This scope is sometimes regarded as a planetary scope on account of its relatively narrow filed of view, and it is great for looking at the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn, but it does a good job with many DSOs too.

My advice though would be to look through someone else's scope first, as this hobby can be quite underwhelming initially. You will see much less than you probably expect, nothing like the astrophotography images you see posted. Andromeda for example has always been a big disappointment to me visually, and it's only since I bought a camera that I can actually see it. Having said that, Jupiter and Saturn are always a delight, as are the craters of the Moon, and there are a bunch of DSOs that are great to observe visually (M42, M45, star clusters), just not the galaxies so much.

 

[bosun21]

9 hours ago, vlaiv said:

One can wrestle it maybe 15-20 meters in one piece - but if you need to carry it further than that

I just use a sack barrow to wheel my 12” about easily enough fully assembled.

[Ratlet]

42 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

I just use a sack barrow to wheel my 12” about easily enough fully assembled.

Depending on where you are storing the scope, a sack barrow (with the flip out toe plate) basically makes it grab and go.  I use one for a 10" dob I keep up the shed and the setup is less time for the dob than the 130pds (5" Newtonian) on a tripod.

I'm going to make no offer on what to buy, everyone has covered pretty much everything.  Do not be put off by a smaller aperture.  You'll get great views on planets and DSO from a 5 or 6" Newtonian.

If you are deciding between goto or manual you can easily find things using setting circles and and digital inclinometer.  Both work well although goto has the added benefit of tracking.

[StevieBee1975]

Thanks, everyone, thats fantastic advice. And very much appreciated 

[Spile]

I am going to echo the advice of others here and recommend a Dobsonian. There have been a number of good refurbished and used ones posted on here.