Noob needs advice

[labr@t]

I am thinking of starting astronomy as a new hobby and have zero knowledge at the moment other than a few things I have read over the last couple of weeks on this site and the net in general.

I have an old pair of bins 7x50 but I've had them since I was 8 or 9! so they have 25 years old still seem fairly good condition to me.

I am looking to get a scope which scope is recommend for a novice I can spend up to £250 possibly £300 if it really required.I keep reading about eye pieces and mounts are these required as well as the scope? or are they extra addons to get in the future? So much to take in and learn.

My garden as a nice south facing view onto fields so should be minimal light pollution.

[astropete]

hi labr@t re your scope.

this may sound stupid but what do you want from your scope?

for the newcommer i would recommend the sky watcher 127mm auto track (see my avi pic) its compact and with a 5" main objective the sights seen through it are crisp, and clean (no rainbow rings around bright objects), its an auto guide so you will have to set it up every time you use it, and you can only opperate the scope via its keypad. mine came with 3 eyepieces 20mm 25mm 6mm one 2x barlow and a guide to the nights sky. at a cost of £250+ its within your range. this is my choice, others will differ and will have better advice, but dont jump into buying one because the lable says this that and the other, do look around, and when you do find a scope you want to buy, return to this forum and again ask for advice about the scope, wishing you all the best for your new hobby its a great one to have.

[Doc]

If you are only interested in Visual astronomy I would suggest to a complete beginner a dobsonian telescope. These are very easy to set up and you get alot more aperture for your money as there is no electronics involved. Downside is you need to find objects yourself with the aid of maps or a lap top.

If you are interested in taking photos then you need a EQ mount, this tends to be a little more expensive as alot of electronics are involve but then on most scopes you have Go-To which will enable you to find objects via the handset that comes with the scope. The learning curve might be a bit harder as it has to me polar aligned to work fully.

[Bizibilder]

Looks like your budget will get you to a 150mm Newtonian or 200mm Dobsonian. Generally telescopes come with eyepieces and a mount (NOT an "OTA" which is an "optical tube assembly" ie the telescope without a mount!). You will need a bit of budget for extras like books/sky maps etc, a torch (with a red lens) and some warm clothes! You may need to make yourself a "place" to put the telescope - flat and reasonably solid ground.

[pvaz]

This list of videos on youtube is great for begginers

There are also some nice primers in our primers section.

If you want a quick explanation here it is:

Telescopes

Alone, they only gather the light in one point, they don't really magnify anything (much). There are 3 major designs: Reflectors, Refractors and Catadioptric. The Reflector type is great and cheaper to make so you should get one of those, since it will provide the largest light gathering capability for your money.

Eyepieces

After the telescope gathers the light it goes through the Eyepiece where it is actually magnified. You'll need 2 or 3 to change magnifications.

Mount

It's the thing that holds your telescope and allows you to point it. I only used dobsodian mounts. There are also equatorial, alt-az mounts... they can come with goto or not.

The videos show this in more detail.

[pvaz]

I forgot to say: most scopes come with mount, 2 eyepieces and a finderscope (low mag "mini" telescope that helps you point your telescope to what you want to observer).

You can easily get a good scope with your budget. But take the time to watch the videos/read the primers and ask more question as you go along. It's better to learn what your options are before you actually spend the money!

[Dazraz]

If you are only interested in Visual astronomy I would suggest to a complete beginner a dobsonian telescope. These are very easy to set up and you get alot more aperture for your money as there is no electronics involved. Downside is you need to find objects yourself with the aid of maps or a lap top.

If you are interested in taking photos then you need a EQ mount, this tends to be a little more expensive as alot of electronics are involve but then on most scopes you have Go-To which will enable you to find objects via the handset that comes with the scope. The learning curve might be a bit harder as it has to me polar aligned to work fully.

As a beginner myself i have to agree with Doc and i went for Dobsonian 8" telescope and have not looked back..........

[Aldebaran5]

Hi Labr@t and welcome, also if you buy a scope with electrics do you have a place to plug in.

Keith.

[labr@t]

Wow thanks quick replies

Yes I got electric outside , I will take a look at those videos posted above and read a bit more before I take the plunge and part with some cash. Any good books you can recommend to get me going in right direction?

[Doc]

Turn left at Orion.

For a beginner one of the best.

[labr@t]

those videos where great and from what I have seen Perhaps after I get used to using some bins I will get a scope.

Skywatcher Skyliner 150P Dobsonian

Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian

Skywatcher Explorer 150P EQ3-2

those 3 seem to the most mentioned on the post I have read, I will do more research before i buy.

[astropete]

re books

you could try (2010) year book of astronomy, its a bit to late for the 2009 book. the book is a soft back and gives details of each months viewing plus some tutorials, and at the back there are refference tables to set your scope to, theres also a few sky charts.