Planets on a budget

[Arushin]

Hi everyone,

I have just started hauling myself out into the garden again after a long break.

Being a beginner, I have almost no clue as to what I am doing.

I already have a Meade 12" lightbridge which is fantastic for deep sky, but I am looking for something more portable that will give me some nice planetary detail. There is the catch... I need the solution to be as cheap as possible (I will probably need to sell a kidney or something). I do not want to have to sell the Lightbridge.

Do any of you fine people have any ideas?

[GazOC]

Homepage - Celestron C100ED OTA

Maksutov - Skywatcher Skymax 127 SupaTrak

How about these 2? You'll need to factor in a mount for the Celestron though.

[dweller25]

Reflectors give the best performance/cost ratio.

The Skywatcher 6" F/8 Newtonian would be an excellent choice.....

Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 150PL OTA

The optics in these scopes are excellent and at F/8 it's very easy to get precise collimation - essential for the planets. You would need a EQ5/CG5 type mount to hold it.

This would be a very capable cost effective setup.

HTH

[Astro_Baby]

TAL 100RS - longish refractor if you just want a planetary scope - come up from time to time complete with mount for about £120-200 but you could buy mine for about £10,000 its that good I wont sell it

[russ]

Three excellent suggestions, although in this instance i'll give my vote to the Explorer 150PL. A simply superb planetary scope for a tight budget, shame it's not the bargain it was early last year with the price doubling over night last spring.

[Arushin]

Hi everyone.

Thanks to all of you for taking the time to reply to my post. Your fantastic advice is very appreciated! This has definately helped me narrow the choice down. Despite the clear Skywatcher being the clearly prefered choice, I think I am going to have to consider the size of the ota and the cost of providing a mount as I am limited in both cash and storage. The Skymax 127 looks like the more sensible option for me at the moment. I need to also consider that I would love to have crack at imaging with a webcam.

Thanks again to all of you.

[hemihaggis]

are you not right in the head ??

if your skint and have nowhere to store it ...doohhh ...you have a 12 " dob to look at the planets .....jeezzzz

[Arushin]

Lol. Thanks for that!

I did say that I was a novice... I have been informed by someone with a lot more experience than me that I would probably be better off with something with a longer focal length and a go-to mount for planets. I would have expected a 12" mirror to do the job, but as I am observing from by back garden I am plagued by a couple of street lamps which do not help. Another part of the problem is portability. I have some great areas nearby where I can get away from some of the light pollution but the Dob is not exactly easy to transport but I do not want to get rid of it.

[GazOC]

You don't need GOTO for planetary observations, the main ones are pretty unmissable even for a beginner.

[Arushin]

I suppose that if I will be using a webcam for imaging you are spot on about the go-to. That way I can spend the extra on the optics. Thanks for the wake up call.

[Astro_Baby]

GoTo is probably a no-no for planets as its not really needed BUT tracking is a real boon because those things to tend to motor pretty fast.

[Moonshane]

I'd agree that you should be able to get really nice views of planets with your existing scope. buy or make a light shroud if you don't have one and ensure your collimation is sound.

a wider field eyepiece of good quality will help (maybe a TMB Burgess Planetary or Radian) will be good - see what I have below and I get good images usually at around 200x - often above. I live near light polluted areas between Manchester and Stockport really.

planets can actually be observed well even when there's still some light left from the day - some say this is actually the best time to view them, so LP is not really an issue for them in my experience.

go for it - you'd be better buying a couple of good wide eyepieces than a new scope. Mine is not motorised either and it's fine.

[brantuk]

Hi Arushin - I know what you mean about being a beginner and not knowing what to do next. You've got a terrific scope in that Lightbridge there which is more than capable of showing anything of interest.

The shroud idea is a very good one for your light polluted garden - it'll make a big difference. Also a light pollution filter shouldn't cost more than £20. These two alone will help enormously.

The best thing you can do is join a local astro society. You'll find lots of help and practical guidance from members and you'll get group observing sessions where people will show you how to find objects.

Another really good idea is to attend a Star Party if poss. Invaluable for a beginner. At my first one two years ago I nearly lost control of my telescope because so many eager people were showing me how to align and use it - too funny!

Stellarium of course is a must for a beginner. Also - get one of the monthly astronomy mags from WH Smiths. Astronomy Now or Sky at Night have a regular map of the night sky showing whats up this month and how to find it.

A cheap accessory is a "Wixey" electronic angle guage for your scope - it will give you the altitude of your tube so you only need to sweep the azimuth (use a compass) to find an object. It's magnetic so no screwdrivers needed to attach it.

Hope I've given you some ideas and pointers there and lots of luck with the hobby