Which telescope for a starter

[jwhitaker23]

I'm looking to purchase a telescope for astrophotography and also moon/planet viewing. I have a limited budget so was looking for some advice. I've narrowed it down to a Helios D114, F910mm and a Celestron 130EQ (2016 model) - images of both attached. Does anyone have any advice on either of these and which is the best for my requirements?

[Elp]

20 minutes ago, jwhitaker23 said:

I'm looking to purchase a telescope for astrophotography and also moon/planet viewing. I have a limited budget so was looking for some advice

A few contradicting things here. What do you want to image, doing it well isn't necessarily cheap. Many people recommend a heritage dobsonian as a first scope. If you haven't looked at it already have a look at FLOs scope guide:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes.html

Having been there and done that, I would avoid these "kit" scopes like the plague, that mount and tripod will be no good for visual and especially imaging as it will wobble with the slightest touch or breeze. The larger and/or heavier the scope the worse the effect. A dobsonian scope usually has a sturdier mount, and is also on the ground so won't vibrate as much as long as theres no local vibration (including footsteps around hard surfaces). Every person will recommend something different, maybe best if you can try some scopes local to you via an astro society or meeting.

[Stu1smartcookie]

Hi ... im sure many will comment on your question . I would point out that , depending on how limiting your budget is , generally budget and astrophotography do not mix well . Having said that , why not choose a star tracker and a dslr camera? it will be a fairly gentle way into the hobby and a wide angle lens will be quite forgiving with polar alignement if its not perfect . 

One thing you will need is a stable mount . In astrophotography a mount is the most important thing to consider . 

 

Edited May 24, 2023 by Stu1smartcookie

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi @jwhitaker23 and welcome to SGL. 

Question... what do you intend to view/image? - reason I ask is that no 'scope does everything. I have four, [2x refractors and 2x catadioptrics... ie 1x Maksutov & 1x SCT], as per my signature.

Personally I think the Celestron Astromaster 130EQ maybe the better option. It has a bigger aperture to gather more photons. I am not a great lover EQ mounts. For astro-imaging you will need to upgrade the supplied mount. The mounted OTA will also need to be balanced and polar aligned. By the time you have added a camera, T-ring, filters, etc., it is going to add more weight and more balancing. Then you will have master what is known as the 'meridian-flip'.

BTW... the last image in your post has been poorly set up... it is tail-end heavy!

Edited May 24, 2023 by RT65CB-SWL

[ONIKKINEN]

Hi,

Sorry to tell you that the Astromaster 130 is absolutely not a scope you want to do astrophotography (of any type) with.

The mirrors in these are highly spherical so will provide soft and detailless lunar/planetary images. For deep sky you would need a tracking mount which will cost 5x the scope at least so i am assuming out of budget. The mount under the astromaster 130 is a crime and will provide no stability for imaging or viewing. Overall you should expect a frustrating experience with it.

I have no personal experience with the other option, but since it is a longer focal ratio scope i would be inclined to believe that it provides better sharpness for lunar/planetary even with a spherical primary (if it has one, no idea). The mount is still junk though and youll have to fight it to get anything done.

I am not saying you should give up, but its time for a reality check and to think this through. What kind of imaging are you after? If you have a tight budget you should be extremely cautious of wrong purchases which i think these are.

[Albir phil]

Good advise.A star tracker and DSLR would be a good start it is so easy to jump in for aperture at the beginning.you will get good results with a DSLR and tracker and this will encourage you more and you will learn as you use it.good Luke.

[AstroMuni]

21 hours ago, jwhitaker23 said:

I'm looking to purchase a telescope for astrophotography and also moon/planet viewing. I have a limited budget so was looking for some advice.

I have used the Celestron 130EQ for astrophotography (see my signature line) but as @ONIKKINEN has mentioned, the mount is not suited for that and I upgraded to the HEQ5 pro. The scope is more suited for deep sky objects than planets - you would need something with a longer focal length like an SCT or Mak for planetary.

Edited May 25, 2023 by AstroMuni

[Guest]

The first thing you need to do is visit some folks that do AP.  Check out their toys and yes as the how much does it cost question.  Unfortunately AP is a very deep rabbit hole and definitely not budget friendly.