Finally thinking about buying my first telescope.

[pitts11]

I stumbled upon this forum a lot when doing some research, so I decided to join and take a look around. Lot's of helpful information here. Anyways, after a few months of reading and a few sessions of using binoculars, I think I'm ready to get a telescope. I believe I understand the basics of telescopes, so I don't think I'm completely lost. I'm caught between a Dobsonian or a Mak-Cass scope; Dobsonian for its large aperture and suggestions of it being the beginner's telescope (and I have a car that can lug one of these around), and the Mak-Cass for good planetary viewing and portability. I just can never figure out which type would be the best (Dobsonian? Mak-Cass? Something else?). I've got a nice budget, so I'm not going to be cheap about my selection (but I won't go overboard either). I would love something that would allow me to see a lot of DSO's once I get a little better of finding things in the sky. I'm sure that many telescopes can show you the same planet or nebula, but I'm concerned with kicking myself in the future for not making the right decision. I think there's a star party in the next week or so, and I'll definitely be going to that to get some more info. Anyway, I hope to learn a lot from this site.

[brantuk]

Hi Pitts and welcome to the group.

Unfortunately there's no such thing as the "ideal" scope due to the wide range of types and purposes. A large aperture dob will give good dso viewing whereas a schmitt or mak cassegrain will be nice and sharp on planets - but as you say - you'll be able to see both in either, and a lot depends on the optics and eyepiece quality anyway. Did you think about newts or refractors?

You may also want to consider if you require auto tracking, goto, or manual setting circles. If you ever want to take pics then an equatorial tracking mount would be better than alt/az, and in both cases the quality of mount will also be a prime consideration.

A star party is a great place to get advice and "have a go" before buying. If you can hint at what your budget might be it would be easier to recommend some models to look at.

Cheers

[Chris H]

Hi and welcome. For DSO's aperture rules and a dob certainly falls into the more aperture for your money category. You can get an 8, 10 or 12 inch scope for quite a cheap price that will give you wonderful views of DSO's they will also provide good views of the planets. I have spent the last month or so viewing Mars and the views have been great through my 10 inch dob. I don't know much about Mak-Cass' except that they take a long time to cool and would probably need to be kept in an unheated shed outside so it could be ready for use more quickly, a dob also need cooling but they don't take aslong whilst a refractor does not suffer from cooling issues and they can be taken straight outside from a warm car or house and used immediately. IMO as a dob snob I would recommend an 8 inch Skywatcher dob available from First light Optics (other atsronomy shops are available) for £265 and a couple of good eyepieces and you would be very happy.

[dweller25]

DSO's need a lot of aperture - my 8" (in light polluted skies) does not give impressive views of DSO's although it's excellent on the planets.

I think you may be looking at 12" upwards.

HTH

[Wobbly Bob]

A Dob is NOT a beginners scope, they are good for beginners as they are so easy to set up and start observing. As the main purpose of a Dob is to collect all those Photons that have been traveling through space for many light years, then the bigger the mirror the better. The only question I would have IS, selecting the right eyepiece's and filters for the best view.

[pvaz]

Since DSOs is a requirement then you need the largest Dob you can carry/use!

That's the quick answer!

[pvaz]

Don't forget a large dob is usually a fast scope (focal ratio F/5 or lower). This will require decent Eyepieces for satisfying views, so save some of the budget or at least be aware that at a later time you'll feel the need to upgrade EPs.

Still it's better to try what you get out of the box so you'll know what you need before you waste a lot of money on needless accessories.

[pitts11]

Wow, lots of good responses. Thanks. I've got a $1000 budget for a telescope. A Dob sounds like what I'm looking for. I have also thought about taking a few pictures, but as I look into astrophotography, the price just keeps going up. I might save that for the future as I learn a little more about telescopes. I don't think I would mind nudging the scope every so often, and would probably get a good equatorial mount later on. I'll also be looking more into eyepieces. This decision will not be rushed, as I'll spend quite a lot of time seeing what others use and what they think.

[Chris H]

Johnkirkpatrick please start a new thread.

[pvaz]

Throwing photography into the equation kind of changes things.

Then I would suggest something like this:

Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 200P HEQ5 Syntrek

or the same with GOTO

Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 200P HEQ5 PRO

That will get you a very good aperture to start with (visually I mean, more then enough for imaging) and a mount with proven results in astro imaging. If you go with the syntrek you'll still have enough for 2/3 good EPs.

Still, I would advise you to learn your way around the sky before adding all the problems of astro imaging to the mix. Get the gear capable of both things in order to save money later, but take your time, it's a lot of stuff to learn.

[brantuk]

Yeah - there is a correlation between astrophotography and budget - it's exponential lol.

If you go for the dob - get one with auto tracking at least or you'll be pushing it round every few mins. You'll still have to position it on your object but if set up properly it'll track quite accurately for a good while. Take a look at the skywatcher dobs - you'd get a nice 10 inch one for your budget and have enough left for a power pack, laser collimator, and a couple of half decent eyepieces. I'd suggest the SkyWatcher Skyliner 250P FlexTube Auto - I can vouch for it as I have the 300P model and love it to bits:

SkyWatcher Skyliner 250P FlexTube Auto Dobsonian Telescope

It won't be terribly hot for photography though - solar object will come out fine but an equatorial mount is pretty essential for dso's.

[jimhaleysscomet]

Beware of comparing different apereture / make scopes (big dob vs small mak).

Apereture wins big on performance (followed by focal length). The only drawback is cost and portability (weight can become an issue). A 10" scope of any type will almost always trounce a 4" scope of any type even on planets.