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oh no another newbie


just looking

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Hello everyone

another newbie Cheryl from sheffield.

I Have always been interested in whats out there but only ever looked through my eyes.

well today is my birthday and being middle aged

and not really wanting anything,

my family has given me money for my birthday.

so I am going to buy what I Have always wanted,

A Telescope.

looking at getting one for the novice and idiot proof.lol

so any suggestions will be appreciated

as to which and the best for me.

Not bothered about looking for men on the moon

but as long as I can see more than I Can see now.

and being middle aged eyesight failing trust me its not that far.

we go camping with the caravan so we get out of the city

and out to the country side,so hopefully be able to see more

and clearer skys.

so can you help a newbie novice just starting out as which telescope to buy Please.

(my only wish before I Leave this planet

is to see the Northern Lights.)

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Delighted you have joined Cheryl, as for the new scope if you are interested in seeing faint things a basic newtonian 150mm is best to start with and Skywatcher range are good if you have a budget as these scopes are not huge and pretty portable. Then you need to decide what mount to get Equatorial with or without GOTO or a Dob. A scope kit comes with mount and eyepieces for the newbie. Bins are an essential purchase too. Look in the beginners section as many ask the same question.

Telescopes @ Modern Astronomy

Telescopes

Both Bern and Steve above proprieters give great advice for the newcommer of what to get depending on your interests - deep space, lunar/planetary, imaging. Plenty of others here will point you in the right direction.

JohnH.

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hi and welcome to the forum, do you have a budget in mind cos the choices are endless i started with Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 130P SupaTrak AUTO its a great little scope with fantastic views of the moon, or for a little more money you can get Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 150P EQ3-2 i myself have never used one of these but reviews that i have read say there a great starter scope.

paul

just seen this on the for sale section http://stargazerslounge.com/sale/106372-sw-explorer-200p.html

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Thank you Everyone for the warm Welcome

some one is selling this and its near me and in my price range.

any good?

I Know I Am Not expecting one like you lot have.lol

but to see the creaters on the moon and planets maybe.

Or do I Just keep saving, Trouble is I Know if the money is there I Will spend it

or go on food/shopping

TASCO MODEL 302003 TELESCOPE

D=76mm F=700m with coated optics.

Comes flat packed, with full assembly and operating instructions.

Apart from a few tiny handling scratches, it is absolutely pristine.

Only used twice then packed away in a box and left in a cupboard.

Comes with all original lenses which are housed in an Antler carry bag.

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Hallo and welcome, im new here too, but I can certainly recommend the Skywatcher range of scopes! I have the 200P which is what quite a few people call the ideal starter scope even if if is quite large to lug about! Whatever you choose have fun and keep checking here for hints and tips!

Doc

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thanks guys

Im busy reading and trying to take in all the info on this forum.

oh and some fab pic's on here too.

there's a lot and I dont think I Will ever be able to understand.lol

and trying to find out what and which telescope to buy with my measily small budget:(

you all know what its like,and how exciting it is knowing you are soon going into the deep dark beyond.

but at the moment can only see it with your eyes

thats on a clear evening if you are lucky.

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Hi Cheryl and welcome to the group. :)

The best advice I can offer is to not get anything till you know what you are after and a budget is set. Don't want to put you off but you'll not get much for under £100 these days.

Stick to well known brands like SkyWatcher, Celestron, Meade etc and aim for the biggest aperture within budget. Best value for money will be a Newtonian - manual telescope. They come on two basic types of mount (Alt Azimuth or Equatorial) of which I recommend the EQ.

If you can save a little more you should be able to get a 130P - this will have a Parabolic mirror and typically two eye pieces and possibly a barlow lens. Look in the for sale section here - most of us keep our kit in superb condition and there are bargains to be had.

Also - try to get to see some scopes first - a local astro society will help there and you'll get a nice intro and some views through different types of equipment. Here's a link: Sheffield Astronomical Society

Any further questions - ask away in the beginners help sections - someone will allways answer you. Hope that helps and good luck with the hobby :icon_scratch:

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Thank you Everyone

Think I will do that Brantuk

I Suppose I Can wait a couple of more weeks and save another £100 I Guess ;o(

I Have waited all these years and the moon will still be there.

But you know what its like. I Want to see the Moon NOW LOL.

Thanks Talitha for the welcome,

someone aready suggested binoculars on my local forum

but I Think my arms will ache holding them up all the time

Hi Si W.

Welcome to you too. ;o)

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Hi Cheryl,

A warm welcome from me to the forum. Brantuck is spot on with his advice and I would definitely recommend a local astro society to help you get started whilst you're saving just a little bit more. Many clubs have observation evenings where you can go along and look through different types of scopes. It maybe the case that because it's now summer, Sheffield's schedule for public observations maybe at an end (...shorter nights with the sky only getting really dark after midnight!) However, by still linking up with a club, somebody there might be generous enough to offer you the opportunity to view the skies with them when they next set up for their own observing. Alternatively, somebody at the club might know of a local observing group and help you make contact with them (...some of them might even be members here shhhhhhhhhh :))

Let us all know how you get on and remember, the stars aren't going anywhere. Mind you Saturn and Jupiter do like to move about a bit and they will be something else for you to look forward too!

Clear skies

James

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Hi Cheryl,

A very warm welcome to SGL, learning takes time and as Brantuk has said, if you can hold of making any purchase for a couple of weeks or more, you will be that little bit wiser, especially if you read as much as you can, the forum members will also only be to pleased to help where they can, enjoy the forum.

John.

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Hi Cheryl from me as well - I'm another girl who started the hobby late (well I started young but boys, kids, marriage etc got in the way :) ). Came back to it a few years ago though.

Scope choice - oooh its a hard one. Stick with a decent brand like Skywatcher, Celestron, Meade etc. Some good gear can be had these days for relatively small amounts of cash cpmapred to years ago. The Skywatcher 130 is a great little scope though that lots of folk start with.

Have a word with Steve at First Light Optics cos he's a good guy and wont fluff you with sales pitch and will be able to advise better.

Some stuff you need to thing about though......

Where will you use the scope ? If its your own garden then what sort of light pollution do you have - if its really bad because your in a city then you may need to think about transport. If its a transport job then you need to think about physical size and lugging the scope about.

Big binos might be a choice - you can mount them on a tripod and if you have a decent camera tripod that might well do (you can get a little gizmo to attach them to the top of the tripod - Steve will advise).

You might be like me though and want a scope because - well you just want one :icon_scratch:

Do let us know how you get on and theres always pleanty of advice and help on tap here :mad:

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