Where to begin!

[Mrs.P]

It is my O/H 50th birthday next week and i want to surprise him by buying a telescope. He has always had an interest in star gazing and is very good with planet and stars but i don't know where to start.

I have read a bit and see that a skywatcher skymax is a good first starter scope, thoughts please?

I know i should probably just get him a voucher and let him choose one himself but i would like to surprise him.

Could anyone give advice on what to buy with a budget of about £400.....

many thanks

[Dave Moulton]

Hi Mrs P,

Sounds as if hubby can find his way around the sky and if so will soon outgrow a starter scope. Buying a telescope always ends up a compromise to some degree advice would always be to buy the best that you can afford.

If the interest is general ie : Planets, Lunar, and Deep sky objects then to cover them all, a Newtonian Reflector would fit the bill.

Unless the Stargazing interest moves towards Astrophotography then a Dobsonian Reflector would give you the best light grasp for your money. They do not have any complex elecronics you just point at what you want to look at and nudge thescope as needed to track the target See link below. The smaller 8" version is £270 I think.

Dobsonians - Skywatcher Skyliner 250PX Dobsonian

Regards,

Dave Moulton

[pvaz]

This skymax is a decent option:

Maksutov - Skywatcher Skymax 127 SynScan AZ GOTO

It haves goto (find things for you), tracking (keeps the objects in view) and is very portable. It will require an external power pack. It will be a bit limited on faint objects as it lacks aperture. As Dave said, you can get a 8" dobsodian (250% more light gathering) for less. But the dob is purelly manual and much bigger.

Another equivalent option to the skymax, also with GOTO system, would be this:

Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 130P SynScan AZ GOTO

Which leaves some budget left for some accessories such as this:

Eyepiece Sets - Celestron Eyeopener Eyepiece and Filter Kit

(haves everything a beginner may need to experiment and find out what he likes)

[TheThing]

The Skymaz is an absolutley terrific scope and I'm sure you O/H will be overjoyed at the generous gift. Try and get him as large a size as you can afford - 127mm is a good bet.

Also, get him a copy of Turn Left at Orion and a moon filter and he'll be ready for anything. If in coubt have a word with the chaps at First Light Optics (click the banner at the head of the page). They will certainly help you out with advice.