Any cop ? - Scope Ive been recommended - Bresser

[GasGiant]

Hi folks

So Ive been recommended this scope ( and a couple of others, a dobsonian and a reflector )  This seems to fit the bill as it were. There simply is just too much to learn and choose from as a newb its overwhelming !! Yes, fools rush in ! 

https://www.telescopehouse.com/Telescopes/Bresser-Messier-AR-102L-1350-EXOS-1-EQ4.html

Are Bresser a decent brand ? From what I have gathered so far they are.  Does anyone have any experiences with this or similar scope and mount ?  Is it easy at a later stage to add the Go-To motors and are they reliable ? 

I dont want to spend a great deal incase I get bored or dont get the time. As an introduction, is this a good scope ? 

I have a general interest in everything out there so not fixated on anyone thing in particular 

Thank you

Carl 

[Mandy D]

Are you familiar with using an equatorial mount? If not, you are going to have a steep learning curve. I would recommend an alt-az for begining as they require no setting up, just mount the telescope, point it and observe. Also, that has quite a long focal length, which makes it tough on the mount and with that focal ratio faint stuff will be very dim and field of view quite narrow. You might want to consider something shorter, like this:

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/bresser-messier-ar-1021000-hexafoc-optical-tube-assembly.html. £301.00

Ideally, put it on a Skytee 2 mount and sturdy tripod:

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/ovl-skytee-2-dual-load-az-mount-with-tripod.html £369.00

OK, so that takes you about £100 over the price of the kit you have proposed. But, I think you would find it more enjoyable to use, at least initially. The Bresser scopes are pretty good. With these achromatic refractors you are always going to get some achromatic aberration (colour fringing) on bright objects. Whether you find it a nuisance or not is more of a personal thing. Personally, I like the clean views through a reflector and am happy with the marginally lower contrast and very slight loss of sharpness.

I'm sure others will be along shortly with more advice and suggestions, but I don't think, for general observing this setup will serve you badly. It will be great on the Moon and do OK on planets and allow some hint of galaxies and nebulae to be seen.

Longer focal lengths are better for planets and can be great for the Moon, so if those are your targets, go for your original choice, but keep in mind the wobble and additional difficulty in pointing the longer focal length. Personally, I don't have an issue with the latter. The downside on planets of this one is they will be dimmer, but Venus, Jupiter and Satrurn are quite bright.

The 1000 mm Bresser I've suggested will give you a wider field of view, so could be a bit better for extended objects, such as Andromeda and nebulae. It's definitely going to be easier to manage, thanks to it's shorter focal length. For high magnifications, you will need shorter focal length eyepieces with this, which are not as nice to use.

[Mr Spock]

A f13 102mm will be great for planets and double stars, but is a bit limited in other areas.

Quite often an 8" Dobsonian is recommended for starters. With good reason - it's a lot of aperture for little money. As long as you learn how to collimate the image quality will far outstrip a 102mm achromat. £449 will get you one of these https://www.firstlightoptics.com/stellalyra-telescopes/stellalyra-8-f6-dobsonian.html Enough money left over for some decent eyepieces.
Less well featured but only £369 is this one https://www.firstlightoptics.com/ursa-major-telescopes/ursa-major-8-f6-dobsonian.html

[GasGiant]

Thank you so  much for the advise

Ok, how about this ?

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescopes-in-stock/stellalyra-10-f5-dobsonian.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw38SoBhB6EiwA8EQVLjzd32TX7r-CKJQYPTFUxEodD4ZeLq_nbnURiaZhLBmMWaiAQASe5xoC8icQAvD_BwE

The 10 Inch version. 10 is better than 8, right 🙂 

The reason I may get a dob is that even though it is a big unit, I have a spot I can keep it safe and dry. A more trad scope with tripod etc may prove more cumbersome. 

[Carbon Brush]

As someone who has owned 8", 10" and 12" reflectors, may I suggest an 8" for a first scope?
It is much easier to handle and will provide mind blowing views.
In the UK, you are going to be more limited by sky clarity and light pollution than light gathering ability.

Keep asking the questions😃

[bosun21]

Both the 8” and 10” dobsonian scopes are a good choice. I personally would get myself the 8” and spend the difference upgrading the eyepieces that are supplied with the scope. The 8” is a considerable size as well and don’t just judge it by photographs. If down the road you decide you want to go bigger then you can buy the 12”.

[Mr Spock]

Excellent scope. Should be easy to move from a shed. I manage to move my 12" about easily enough, and with a bad back...
 

12" in shed

Comparison to 60mm, 100mm, 8" and 12"

If you can imagine the 10" being 2" narrower and a foot shorter 

[GasGiant]

8 minutes ago, Carbon Brush said:

As someone who has owned 8", 10" and 12" reflectors, may I suggest an 8" for a first scope?
It is much easier to handle and will provide mind blowing views.
In the UK, you are going to be more limited by sky clarity and light pollution than light gathering ability.

Keep asking the questions😃

Im lucky, I live in a village with zero street lighting 🙂  However, Im only 22 miles from London town as the crow flies.  I wonder how much light pollution will affect my views from that distance. 

[GasGiant]

15 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

Both the 8” and 10” dobsonian scopes are a good choice. I personally would get myself the 8” and spend the difference upgrading the eyepieces that are supplied with the scope. The 8” is a considerable size as well and don’t just judge it by photographs. If down the road you decide you want to go bigger then you can buy the 12”.

Ok, folks. If I bough the 8" what addons would you get for it please ?

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/stellalyra/stellalyra-8-f6-dobsonian.html

 

EDIT> just noticed this is OOS 😞 

Edited September 25, 2023 by GasGiant

[bosun21]

2 minutes ago, GasGiant said:

Ok, folks. If I bough the 8" what addons would you get for it please ?

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/stellalyra/stellalyra-8-f6-dobsonian.html

Bobs knobs for the secondary mirror holder. Stronger springs for the primary mirror cell. Upgrade the supplied eyepieces. Personally I fitted a dew shield on mine. Basically these are tweaks to the scope and not really additional equipment apart from the dew shield. You can use it as it is when delivered and do the things I mentioned at your leisure. I would upgrade the eyepieces pronto though to attain the best views you can.

[GasGiant]

@Mr Spock

Do you have any issues with scopes in a shed. I mean with condensation or whatever ? do you wrap them in a blanket while stored or just leave em ? 

[Mr Spock]

36 minutes ago, GasGiant said:

Do you have any issues with scopes in a shed. I mean with condensation or whatever ? do you wrap them in a blanket while stored or just leave em ?

No, my shed is dry. The only issue I've had is detritus from insects falling on to everything. Mostly I think that's due to the ivy growing up the outside of the shed. I'm getting rid of that at the moment.

[Carbon Brush]

I would add a low cost collimation tool. Maybe you won't make much use of it.
Alternatively is there a nearby person who could show you collimation?
Once learned it is quite easy and not often required.

Then use the scope and see how you get on.
Stick with low magnification (longer FL eyepiece) until you gain confidence.
Sometimes the supplied short FL eyepeices are not that good.
Finder scopes are a personal choice. Straight, 90deg, RACI, red dot. See how you get on.
Dew shields can be cut up gym mats.
A hair dryer will get rid of dew until you get a feel for the issues.
A cheap garden furniture cover will keep the dust off when stored in the house/shed/garage.
You may get the impression I am a bit of a miser😁

After a bit of use you will have a much better idea of a wish list.

HTH, David.

[Richard N]

3 hours ago, GasGiant said:

@Mr Spock

Do you have any issues with scopes in a shed. I mean with condensation or whatever ? do you wrap them in a blanket while stored or just leave em ? 

When I got my latest scope I had to sleep with it in the shed for a while. That wasn’t related to condensation though. 

[Spile]

First of all I think going for a Dobsonian is the right direction of travel. If you’re getting something larger than 8” I’d go and see one first as the size and weight may come as a surprise. Don’t worry about extras until you have started using your telescope and developed your skills. Allow time for this. The exception would be a copy of Turn Left at Orion and maybe a collimation cap. Finally, my blog has a number of resources and tips you may find useful.

[GasGiant]

Just purchased the 10 "   😀 

[ollypenrice]

14 minutes ago, GasGiant said:

Just purchased the 10 "   😀 

That's a serious scope and a good choice.

You now need to be able to navigate the sky. There are free PC planetaria like Carte du Ciel and Stellarium but I don't ever use screens outside, not even under red acetate sheeting, because good dark adaptation is vital. You can print paper charts from the planetaria at different scales.

I'd suggest that you familiarize yourself with a rendition of your present night sky and then go outside and try to pick out the bright stars shown on the planetarium. It's easy for experienced observers to forget how tricky this is for a beginner. You can look for fainter stars and brighter non-stellar objects using binoculars, too. Learning your way around is both essential and rewarding.

Olly

[Stu1smartcookie]

5 hours ago, GasGiant said:

Just purchased the 10 "   😀 

Well done , and congratulations on your purchase . The Dob is as near to an "all rounder scope " as there can be . It will show a plethora of objects , and you can view planets such as Jupiter and Saturn in nice detail . 

BTW , you initially asked if Bresser were a decent brand ... well they certainly are . 

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by Stu1smartcookie

[Mr Spock]

1 hour ago, ollypenrice said:

There are free PC planetaria like Carte du Ciel and Stellarium but I don't ever use screens outside, not even under red acetate sheeting, because good dark adaptation is vital.

Agreed. I use Cartes du Ciel and print charts out from it.

[Mr Spock]

1 hour ago, GasGiant said:

Just purchased the 10 "   

Congratulations, that's a serious scope 👍

As suggested you'll need some collimations tools. You can use either a Cheshire or laser - I use both!. I find the Cheshire works great in daylight and the laser at night.

[GasGiant]

Cheers folks for all the advice.

 

Going back to the storage. I had a cunning plan of making a tall box for it to stay out in the garden, all sealed ( apart from vents) and what not. I thought a run of slabs from the front to plop it on would work too. If its there and easy to get to I will be more inclined to use it !  I suppose I will have to paint it in some way, enough to please the misses 🙂 

[bwj]

There are lots of examples of the type of storage you're talking about in the DIY Observatories forum here, or in the Observatory gorum on Cloudy Nights.

[GasGiant]

Well, its here. 

Now to figure out the collimation and line the eye piece up then hope for some clear sky

[GasGiant]

That was easier than expected.

It was near bob on through the Cheshire tool, just a few tweaks.  I fixed a point in the distance on a neighbours chimney and in one of the vent hole lives a big spider 🤣😂 

Things ive noted so far.

Everything went together well and the overall feel of the stuff is nice quality.

 

1) The tightening screws throw the collimation out.  Is this something I have to learn to live with ?  I just ever so slightly nipped them up. 

2) The metal bearing attached to the scope in the mount has some play in it on both sides.  If youre fixing on a target this makes it a little tricky.  They included a felt strip on one side of the cutout. I think it could do with it all the way around the scope mount just to cinch it up. Its an easy fix.

 

Apart from that, lovely kit. I cant wait to see some stuff !! 

 

Carl 

Edited September 29, 2023 by GasGiant

[Stu1smartcookie]

22 minutes ago, GasGiant said:

The tightening screws throw the collimation out.  Is this something I have to learn to live with ? 

I'm afraid so ... but dont worry too much .