My First Telescope, Sky-Watcher Evostar 90 EQ2 vs. Evostar 102 EQ3 vs. StarTravel 102 EQ1. Technical Specification Questions from a Newbie!

[RJC]

Firstly, hello everyone and Happy New Year to all!
This is my first post and I am new to the world of telescopes so please bear with me. (Please forgive the long post too)...
I have been fascinated by the night sky for most of my life so I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to look to invest in some equipment.
The three scopes I have narrowed it down to are all by Sky-Watcher. Evostar 90 EQ2, Evostar 102 EQ3, and Startravel 102 EQ1.
My main interest initially is going to be observing the moon/planets, but I know I will also want to move onto other aspects of astronomy too, including pretty much everything!

Some questions which would be great to have some help with:

1) Would it make sense to go for the ST102 as this is good for wide field stuff, but can also get decent views of moon/planets with a 6mm eyepiece with a Barlow for example?

2) Is a newbie like me going to notice a massive difference between the Evostar 90 and Evostar 102 in terms of aperture? (Just how much brighter will the 102 be?)

3) The Evostar 102 seems to be a better package all round, I.e. it comes with a 2" star diagonal as oppose to a 1.25" that comes with the 90. It also has the EQ3 mount and a few other upgrades.

4) How much difference is there between the EQ1, EQ2 and EQ3 mounts?

Thanks so much in advance!

Rob

[doublevodka]

Hi @RJC,

First piece of advice here would be the mount is the most important part of your setup, you can have the best OTA (optical tube assembly) in the world, but if the mount is not up to the job you'll not have a great time.

If it has to be one of the 3, then personally, I would say the Evostar 102 on the EQ3-2 as it's a better package and mount, the EQ1 and EQ2 mounts are shaky to put it politely.

However, you seem to want to look at a bit of everything so I'm going to suggest a slight change in direction. The most recommended option for someone starting out is an 8 inch dobsonian and there are a couple of good options available, I'm going to stick to the ones from FLO, the forums sponsor, but others are available.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/stellalyra-telescopes/stellalyra-8-f6-dobsonian.html - A well-equipped setup, fully manual and no shaky mount - £449 new (used ones are also becoming available)

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/celestron-starsense-explorer-series/celestron-starsense-explorer-8-dobsonian.html - Another well-equipped scope, but with the Starsense Explorer system that uses your smartphone to help direct you to objects

Both are 8-inch mirrors, so much more light-gathering power than your options above, and will allow you to see a larger range of targets than your options above, including the planets which are great targets to start with.

Ed Ting probably explains it a little better than I do, so have a watch here, best of luck with whatever you end up purchasing 👍

 

 

[dweller25]

Hello Rob and welcome to SGL.

The ST102 will show a lot of chromatic aberration (false colour) on the planets but as you say it will be good for low power wide field viewing.

The slightly larger Evostar 102 will have slightly more resolution and light gathering than the 90.

The EQ3 mount would be the best choice of the three, an EQ5 would be better for both the 90 and 102 refractors.

A curved ball route for you but worth bearing in mind is the Skywatcher 8” Dobsonian which will outperform the Evo 102 in all areas and will show no false colour.

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

 

Edited January 3 by dweller25

[RJC]

Thanks @dweller25 & @doublevodka!

I'm already learning a lot.

These telescopes look great, I guess the one question would be... How does the portability compare between say the Evostar 102 and one of these 8" Dobsonians?

I guess I will be moving it around fairly often, I live close to the coast and there are some nearby beaches with vast areas of sky so I think these seem like a good place to observe. Up to now, it has been out of my windows / back garden with some binoculars.

[Clarkey]

1 minute ago, RJC said:

How does the portability compare between say the Evostar 102 and one of these 8" Dobsonians?

Welcome to SGL.

One issue with the Dobs is that they are not that portable. Certainly, a refractor is easier to move. As with all these things there is a compromise between size, weight, cost, focal length....... If you want portability and you are looking at planet and the moon, a Mak or smaller SCT may be another option to consider. Just as a slight aside, do consider used equipment. Most astro gear is well looked after and there are often good deals to be had on here (once you have enough posts to access the classified section) and Astro Buy and Sell UK.

I would avoid the beaches for observing as there is going to be a lot of moisture in the air, along with a lot of air turbulence between the sea and land mass. Also, salt and telescopes do not go well together!

[dweller25]

@RJC

For portable planetary performance I would suggest a Maksutov as they are light and short and easy to mount. It’s a 5” scope so you will be able to see the brighter deep sky objects too.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/maksutov/skywatcher-skymax-127-eq3-2.html

And here is a setup that will find and track objects using a smart phone

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/maksutov/sky-watcher-skymax-127-az-gti.html

BUT I would not take them near the beach 😱

What is your budget ?

Edited January 3 by dweller25

[RJC]

Thanks All! Again, some great information here.
So much choice and as mentioned, everything has pros and cons.
Decisions decisions.....

In terms of budget, I am in two minds:
The first is to buy something cheap, maybe around £200 to get me going and accept that I will want/need to upgrade the equipment in some time as I develop.
The second train of thought is that I should buy something substantial and robust/diverse enough that it will last for a decent amount of time before feeling the need to upgrade, or at least pick up something else to accompany my first purchase.

Again, any advice on this would be much appreciated.
I'd be interested to hear from some of you who have been in this position and learn from your experiences.

Thanks!

Edited January 3 by RJC

[dweller25]

Very wise @RJC 👍

Capable, portable, within budget and will allow you to dip your toe in the water…..

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html
 

 

Edited January 3 by dweller25

[RJC]

@dweller25 Wow, this could be the one. Thanks

[M40]

Welcome to the site RJC. Just to muddy the water have you looked these....

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az-gti-wifi/sky-watcher-skyhawk-1145ps-az-gte.html

All the best

[Cosmic Geoff]

I have the Startravel f5 102mm.  It has significant chromatic aberration, and I made little use of it till I found it worked well for EVAA (q.v.)

I would not recommend the EQ1 or EQ2 mounts - too wobbly.

[LaurenceT]

I have a Startravel 102 as my "grab and go " scope kept under cover in the kitchen! I can be outside in the garden within a couple of minutes for some quick observing. As @Cosmic Geoff points out there can be significant fringing around the bright moon which may be off putting to some but I can just about bear it, but it still shows the moons surface features beautifully. Personally I wouldn't really bother too much with planets with this scope other than enabling you to say "ooh look, Jupiter", the features may not be as pleasantly observable as other scopes. The ST102 is very nice for general widefield viewing of the night sky.

I see people are suggesting Dobsonians, I have one and it's very nice but it's quite heavy and bulky and not always easy to set up. You also have to do something called collimation which as a beginner I regarded as a dark art and if it had been my first scope it would have put me off, but it's a fine instrument nonetheless.

As pointed out you will need a tripod and mount. As an avid photographer I already had a selection of tripods available and with the Startravel 102 I use a lightweight carbon fibre tripod. They are not cheap and not entirely free of vibration. I also have one of these which are very popular:

Sky-Watcher Stainless Steel 1.75" Tripod with 3/8" thread | First Light Optics

The mount I have used and still possess is this one:

Sky-Watcher AZ5 Deluxe Alt-Azimuth Astronomy Mount | First Light Optics

also popular.

You will also need an eyepiece, the Startravel 102 comes with 2 of them in the package.

[Astronomist]

If I were in your situation I think I would go for the previously reccomended 8" stellalyra dob, which comes with 2 decent eyepieces. Collimation is really not as difficult as it sounds. An 8" Dob is a scope that could, with few upgrades, last you a lifetime, as long as you don't contract aperture fever or a desire to do astrophotography. However if portability is a major concern there are clearly better options to explore, as outlined in previous posts.

Avoid the EQ1 and 2 mounts at all costs!

[Adam J]

9 hours ago, RJC said:

Firstly, hello everyone and Happy New Year to all!
This is my first post and I am new to the world of telescopes so please bear with me. (Please forgive the long post too)...
I have been fascinated by the night sky for most of my life so I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to look to invest in some equipment.
The three scopes I have narrowed it down to are all by Sky-Watcher. Evostar 90 EQ2, Evostar 102 EQ3, and Startravel 102 EQ1.
My main interest initially is going to be observing the moon/planets, but I know I will also want to move onto other aspects of astronomy too, including pretty much everything!

Some questions which would be great to have some help with:

1) Would it make sense to go for the ST102 as this is good for wide field stuff, but can also get decent views of moon/planets with a 6mm eyepiece with a Barlow for example?

2) Is a newbie like me going to notice a massive difference between the Evostar 90 and Evostar 102 in terms of aperture? (Just how much brighter will the 102 be?)

3) The Evostar 102 seems to be a better package all round, I.e. it comes with a 2" star diagonal as oppose to a 1.25" that comes with the 90. It also has the EQ3 mount and a few other upgrades.

4) How much difference is there between the EQ1, EQ2 and EQ3 mounts?

Thanks so much in advance!

Rob

How about this and buy am separate mount for it?

 

Adam 

[Tiny Clanger]

21 minutes ago, Adam J said:

How about this and buy am separate mount for it?

 

Adam 

They can't see the sell/swap area until they have been a member for a month and made 25 posts.

[RJC]

Thanks all!

really appreciate the support.

I think I have decided on the Heritage as a starting point with the addition of a BST StarGuider 8mm eyepiece and possibly a Barlow.

I’ll let you know how I get on.

Very much looking forward to being able to access the buy/sell area.
Not sure if replies count or if it is down to new thread posts… Hopefully I’ll get there soon.

Thanks again for all of the advice!

Rob