First telescope

[Gonariu]

On 9/17/2024 at 2:49 AM, Alan64 said:

I recently got a 80/400 achromat,

Hi, as I told you a few days ago I also have an achromatic 80/400, the Konus Vista 80. I tried to use it in these years at X16 with a 25 mm Plossl eyepiece that is supplied with the Nexstar 8 SE but on M44 it gives a curved field of view that ruins the vision, however looking at the landscapes the thing is acceptable. What type of eyepiece do you use to use your 80/400 at low magnifications? With an old 17 mm Plossl that was supplied with the Konusuper 120 at X24 there is no this problem and the Pleiades are seen entirely in the field of view. It is true that both the Vista and the 25 mm Plossl are at an economic level so I can expect up to a certain point.

[Chandra]

On 27/09/2024 at 20:22, Alan64 said:

An 80mm refractive aperture, with a versatile focal-length, should be the minimum for those first starting out; 114mm in a Newtonian, 100mm or 102mm in a Maksutov with the longest focal-length possible.

Well, I don't think it's necessary to establish "minimums"...

There was a great amateur astronomer in Spain called José Luis Comellas, he was a professor of History in Seville, he died a little over three years ago. His work and observations, collected in multiple publications, began systematically with a 75mm (barely 3") Polarex-Unitron doublet, with which he described a first catalogue of 1200 double stars, among many other Messier objects (above all). One of his first works as an amateur, "Guide to the Firmament" (1st edition 1979), is an absolute reference for a whole generation of amateur astronomers who grew up with his teachings (the book, updated, is still on sale and is already in its 9th edition).

It is true that the 80s were different times, then an 75mm refractor was already a medium tube. The advantage is that the LP was much less than today. But in the end, what a case like that of the character mentioned above shows us is that it is not so much the aperture that matters but the will, the perseverance and the desire. Most of us, at least among those I know, and I have also read about many fellows here, started with a 60mm achromatic. I don't think we were wasting our time. Is it a limited aperture? Yes, but sometimes not all budgets allow for a generous spending to begin with... and maybe it's not even necessary. Perhaps it's best to start "from the bottom" and, as you learn to observe and navigate the night sky, discover what you like best and then improve your equipment over time.

[Alan64]

On 29/09/2024 at 01:36, Gonariu said:

Hi, as I told you a few days ago I also have an achromatic 80/400, the Konus Vista 80. I tried to use it in these years at X16 with a 25 mm Plossl eyepiece that is supplied with the Nexstar 8 SE but on M44 it gives a curved field of view that ruins the vision, however looking at the landscapes the thing is acceptable. What type of eyepiece do you use to use your 80/400 at low magnifications? With an old 17 mm Plossl that was supplied with the Konusuper 120 at X24 there is no this problem and the Pleiades are seen entirely in the field of view. It is true that both the Vista and the 25 mm Plossl are at an economic level so I can expect up to a certain point.

I have a GSO 32mm Plossl, and as my lowest-power eyepiece for all of my telescopes.  However, I have yet to observe through my own 80/400, as I must first renovate the focusser, then blacken and flock the OTA and doublet, throughout.