Newbie questions

[dmahon]

What's the average length of time people keep their first telescope for? Which leads on to: Am I better off buying something second hand and then moving it on later - if so, where is the best place to buy second hand and what (as a fraction of the new RRP) should I expect to pay for astronomy gear in excellent condition?

Assuming I was buying new, what % of my budget should I spend on a scope and what percentage should I spend on eyepieces?

Should I get 1.25" or 2" eyepieces (is there much difference, if so is that at high or low magnifications, or both)?

For now I've ordered some binoculars, but the £200 off Celestron CPC products until the end of the month is tempting.

[dmahon]

Oh - and would I be better with 2 EPs and a Barlow or 4EPs?

[Rui]

When people start this bobby but find out that they don't have so much interest on it, then the 1st scope just sits in a corner os the garage gathering dust.

When they keep their interest in Astronomy, then after sometime they move to a bigger scope or eventually buy a second one (I have 3.).

Now the kind of telescope will depend on personal preferences.

Now telescopes come but eyepieces may stay. That is GOOD EP's!

So, no matter what's your 1st telescope, you should remember that if a telescope should have good quality mirror and lenses, so does the eypieces..

You did well buying a pair of binoculars to start with. They're important to get to know thw sky. A second hand telescope can be a good compromise between your budget and a bigger scope. That is with the same budget you can buy a certain new telescope or a bigger 2nd hand one. You choose.

Regards

[Arushin]

Hello and welcome...

In my opinion, the easiest way to answer your questions would be to find out exactly what your main interest is. Deep sky or planets/moon etc. as it's not a case of 'One scope sees all'.

Some scopes are better suited to Deep sky and others may be great for planets but may only pick out the brightest of deep sky objects. If you are buying new then you should be able to buy a scope that will be supplied with one or two eyepeices to start you off, although it is often a good idea to upgrade the ones supplied with better quality ones at some later date. I have a wide selection of eyepieces but still frequently use both my 2x & 3x Barlows as I find this far more versatile than just having a lot of different eyepieces.

As for the second-hand market, if you stick to the reputable sources of used equipment (this forums buy & sell section or 'U.K. astro buy & sell') you will fnd that pretty much everything being sold is in extremely good condition or as described. All astronomers I have met are proud of their equipment and tend to look after it. As for whether you buy new or used is up to you. I bought my 12" Dob new and my Mak 127 second hand... both are excellent. Decide what you want to spend and then have a look at FLO (the sponsors site). I would agree with most of this forums users and say get as much "bang for your bucks" as you can. Personally, I would avoid Go-To mounts at this stage if you have a serious interest in learning the sky and spend the money on aperture. I learned loads by finding objects for myself withthe Dob. I only use my GoTo for webcam imaging of planets. For pure observaion it's always the 12" Dob. Check out the Skywatcher Newtonian or Dobsonian ranges as I don't recall seeing a bad review of any of these scopes.

I hope some of this helps.

[dmahon]

Thanks for the advice so far.

What about "2 and 1.25" eye pieces? What's the difference (apart from size and weight - and presumably, cost).

[John]

Thanks for the advice so far.

What about "2 and 1.25" eye pieces? What's the difference (apart from size and weight - and presumably, cost).

2" eyepieces allow a wider field of view. 1.25" ones are fine for medium to higher power - a 2" is nice for low power, wide field views for large objects such as the Andromeda Galaxy (M31).

[Damnit]

I was in a similar position a couple of weeks back mate ... I decided to go as large as I thought usable and manoeuvrable/storable in the house without braking the bank.

Once I got it the Skywatcher 150/750P is about that ... I am very very pleased with it although the 10mm eyepiece does not seem to be all that, and I am already looking at getting more eyepieces.

Budget on eyepieces at this price I am starting to realise should probably be at least 1/3 to 1/2 the price of the scope :/

I wrote a review of the scope here if you are interested in my initial thoughts and reasons behind this purchase ...

[Capricorn]

Suppose it all depends on what you first get and what your expectations are.

I first bought a small ETX70. Simple small aperture and mediocre optics. Still have it. Bought as I wasn't sure how much I would actually use a scope.

I am not greatly interested in seeing the furthest DSO's and the thing does what it is supposed to do. It is also very easy to use, with or without the goto. The old saying your best scope is the one you use the most comes to mind.

It may be the lowest spec scope I have but is easy to transport and easy to set up and easy to use. So it gets used. Setting up the Megrex 90 on an HEQ5 takes ages. I can have been observing through the ETX for 30-40 minutes before I would ever get near the Megrez.

I am of the belief that when you start this you actually have an idea what you really want. Then you ask here and get diverted.:D

[dmahon]

My idea of what I wanted was:

Something that is quick to set up and get using each night

Something that gives good views

Something that I could, if I decide to later, use for photography

I was thinking of a CPC800:

1) GoTo Alt-Azimuth

2) 8" and decent optics

3) Fastar compatable, wedgeable

And I need to buy it relatively soon, or my wife will spend all our money on a new house.

[gedmac]

[quote name=dmahon;15066

And I need to buy it relatively soon' date=' or my wife will spend all our money on a new house.

dont they all?