new telescope help needed

[kesom]

hi, well i used to do some star gazin when i was younger and have decided to buy myself a telescope:)

i'll have £300 to spend and am hoping to get something portable (not essential but a bonus) that i can get a clear image of the moon and mainly the planets and ferther if possible

i've looked at the meade etx-60 and 90 but not too sure what to get to be honest

any advice or help would be gratefully appreciated

thanks for lookin K

[Taff]

Hi' my mate use to have a etx 60 but on a cold night it use to mist up easy.The batts' don't last for long so it is best to use the mains.But i did see nice views of open and globular clusters' nice views with some of the planets' and great views of the moon.Mark

[kesom]

cheer's mark,the etx_60 looks handy for movin about and this would be better for me as i have some massive tree's in my garden

i'm livin in south birmingham and i think i'm close to some good viewin spots so it'd be handy for movin it around but not essential

thanks for lookin in

ken

[Taff]

Hi' For around £300 you can have a 6'' reflector which will give you nice views of the sky.Mark

[John]

Hi Ken,

I think there are better options than the Meade ETX's for £300 to be honest. The 60mm in particular will be very limited due to it's small aperture - for that sort of outlay you deserve a better view of the heavens !.

I would suggest something like this:

Maksutov - Skywatcher Skymax 127 SynScan AZ GOTO

It's a little over your budget but it's 127mm aperture mirror will show far more than either the 60 or 90mm ETX's will. There is a version which tracks but does not have the GOTO facility which is around £280.

[kesom]

thanks john,i have seen that one and i'm not too worried about havin the GOTO function on it

i've seen this one,how would you rate it compared to the skymax Skywatcher - Skywatcher Explorer 150P EQ3-2

thanks for lookin

ken

[John]

thanks john,i have seen that one and i'm not too worried about havin the GOTO function on it

i've seen this one,how would you rate it compared to the skymax Skywatcher - Skywatcher Explorer 150P EQ3-2

thanks for lookin

ken

The Explorer 150P is a great scope as well Ken - a bit more light gathering and capable of wider angle views because it's focal length is shorter than the 127mm Maksutov design.

The Equatorial mounts are very good but do take some getting used to - worth it if you are ever going to be interested in taking photos though the scope as the EQ mounts are definately best for that.

As you are finding out there are quite a lot of options available for £300 these days

[Brendan of Borg]

I agree to the upgrade from a Meade! I have the ETX 60, yes it's great that it goes in a rucksack and a goto function but, the aperture will limit you and your DSO's may be just a bit too fuzzy for your liking!!

[kesom]

thanks everyone for the advice

because i do have the time to search by eye for what i want to view and the fact that i live on the outskirts of the city and LP aint that bad i think i'm gonna go with this 150mm Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 150PL EQ3-2

i know i'll need a torch and starmap and wonder if there's anything i've missed out

thanks again for lookin in K

[robhal9000]

Hi,

An adjustable chair (Cheap ironing chair or proper observers chair) is better than standing and depending on how well the EPs with the scope barlow possibly a 5 or 6mm EP, Moon filter.

Possibly a cheshire for collimation of the mirrors.

If you find it hard to use the finderscope, a 1x Telrad or Quikfinder can help with star hopping.

Download Stellarium and/or check out TriAtlas for some maps. Nightwatch is a good book with large constellation star maps, with objects of interest marked, and is spiral bound.

Virtual Moon Atlas is freeware.

Welcome to the money pit.

[Skuzmak]

Hi kesom, I'm a newby at this as well, recently picked up a dobsinian reflector (Orion xt10), it's been really rewarding so far, not too portable. Really, but it certainly feels like I've gotten my moneys worth . Was totally amazed (and still am) at seeing saturns rings, and the incredible detail on the moon.

[Jake Bullit]

I am selling one of these if you`re interested:

Omni XLT Series - Celestron Omni XLT 150

Bought of FLO about 12 months ago very good condition,drop me a line if you`re interested.

It`s similar to the SW and will be a good bit cheaper ,with the money you save you could get some nice extras.