Mars Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Hello I'm Peter from Devon.I'm a Director of The Mars Society UK and I guess I became interested in space and the stars after watching the Apollo Landings on TV as a kid. Consequently I'm fairly knowledgeable on humans to Mars, but not when it comes to astronomy.I bought a telescope about 9 or 10 years ago ( a 4 inch Newtonian branded Nova) Also I got a star guide and a copy of red shiftClearly I had no idea what I was doing and my experience with this instrument was quite frustrating 90 percent of the time and brilliant on several occasions. I have been thinking about buying a proper telescope for a while I read a number of magazines and started to think about buying a Meade scope with go-to software. However having bought a copy 'sky at night mag' and having read a review on dobsonians they seem to offer very good value for money. Some of these can be seen on ebay for around £100. This seemed like a sensible way to re start skywatching.I met Steve during a recent visit to the camera shop in Exeter. I found his advice very good. More or less we decided to get a Dobsonian then upgrade the mount to an equatorial one when funds permit and add go to if I still cant find my way around the sky by the time I,m ready to upgrade.I'd be interested to hear your views on this strategy and also what you think of the 8 inch Skyliner ( which seems to be a scope made under a few names/prices) Is it OK ? Whats your view.Thanks in advance for your views. RegardsPeter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Hi Peter and welcome to Stargazers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLO Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Hi Peter,Welcome aboard It'd be a good idea if you post the question regarding the Dobsonian/Meade GOTO in the Equipment Discussion section where it will recieve the most attention:http://stargazerslounge.co.uk/index.php?board=24.0We like questions so keep em coming 8) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick.G. Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Peter, welcome aboard.Plenty of advice to be had.Folk,s only to willing to help.Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geppetto Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 Welcome to the forum PeterEnjoy your stay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 Welcome to the forum Peter......Another South West member.. For a good value for money scope you can't beat a Dob....Just depends how far you have to move it to your observing site as they tend to be a bit lumpy..Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz Posted June 9, 2006 Share Posted June 9, 2006 Welcome Pete We'll help you spend your money, no worries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GordonCopestake Posted June 9, 2006 Share Posted June 9, 2006 Welcome Peter,I have read with interest Robert Zubrins books and am also a big fan of Kim Stanley Robinson. I look forward to the day they get around to building Underhill hehe.As for the Dob, i've never heard of Skyliner as a brand, but the idea is a good one. An 8" dob is a good compromise between aperture and portability. If you go for the f6 one you should have no problems. Which EQ mount were you thinking of getting? It needs to be something solid for such a large load. As for ebay, my advice is to steer well clear until you know exactly what you're buying. Stick with buying from reputable dealers or if you must buy second hand use astro buy/sell or a repected forum as a contact point. You'll have a much better chance of dealing with a "decent chap" (or chapess)Welcome again, and good luck in your choice of telescope, choosing is half the fun!Gordon Copestake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinB Posted June 9, 2006 Share Posted June 9, 2006 Welcome to the forum Pete. Dobsonians seem to be the in thing on the forum at the mo. Worth investing a bit extra if you are planning getting a long term scope. There is a current discussion going on here http://stargazerslounge.co.uk/index.php?topic=5273.0Let us know what you decide on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted June 9, 2006 Share Posted June 9, 2006 Peter - welcome to a great, but sometimes frustrating hobby.Skyliner Dobs are imported by Optical Vision Ltd. In 6", 8" and 10" ( they also import Skywatcher, TAL and Intes)Here's the link to the Skyliner Dob Spec. http://www.opticalvision.co.uk/prodtype.asp?PT_ID=21Others with more experience than myself are better placed to give their advice on this Dob. I would think that there is a fair chance that it's the same optics as the Skywatcher Explorer Newtonian - the 8" version I believe a number of forum members own and rate.MD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom.yates Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 HI And welcome to stargazers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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