What scope for a novis?

[bcfcciderhead]

The more i look into this hobby the more i like, got a cheap'ish telescope but not to happy with the tripod, difficult to move a bit at a time and to lock into place, always seems to move and never stay where i put it.

Like i said all this is new to me so maybe its me, from what i can make out the Celestron range seem pretty good so i have 3 models in mind, have a budget of around £130 to start of my new hobby.

So its over to you guys to sugest what one i should go for, or of course something else within that price range, the ones i have in mind are-

CELESTRON ASTROMASTER 130EQ

CELESTRON ASTROMASTER 114EQ

CELESTRON ASTROMASTER 130EQ-MD (motor drive)

I added the motor drive one thinking for the little extra i would have the use of "goto" in the future.

[jurassicreps]

well the 130 md would be the best out of those 3 but you could get a dob for the same money

Dobsonians - Skywatcher Skyliner 150P Dobsonian

[Mouse on the Moon]

If you don't like tripods, go for a dobsonian!

Easy to use and the best view for your money of any kind of telescope.

The money goes on the optics rather than a computerised mount.

[Chris H]

As mentioned above a Skywatcher Skyliner 150p would be a better buy £179 from First Light Optics (click the banner at the top of the page).

No tripod, the Dobsonian base is rock solid and takes seconds to set up and you get an extra inch of aperture and in this game size matters.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

6" is a really nice start, and a Dob is good value for money. If you first want to do purely visual work, a Dob is probably the best way to go, and the extra aperture is REALLY nice. However, if you want to do photography in the near future, an EQ mount is preferable. You can always buy a good EQ mount later, and mount the optical tube of the Dob on it. EQ mounts take just a little more time to set up. I set mine up in about 5-10 minutes so that is no real hassle (especially compared to cool-down times).

[bcfcciderhead]

Thanks for all the replys guys realy do help, and after a few mors post's on here look like the skywatcher explorer 130 is leading the race, whats your thoughts on this?

[Astro_Baby]

By the way the motor on that one doesnt give you GoTo - it just allows the scope to track an object once ytou have found it.

[Steve922]

I added the motor drive one thinking for the little extra i would have the use of "goto" in the future.

No you won't. If you decide on a goto in the future, you may as well throw away your current mount as try to add to it - its cheaper to buy the thing complete.

The RA motor will prevent things drifting out of view - especially at higher magnifications, which you'lll use for the moon and planets.

A motor is also pretty much (but not totaly) essential if you're planning on any imaging (photography through the scope.) However, I woulodn't worry about that right now, when you start imaging, you'll need to spend a LOT more money! :-)

Steve

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Imaging is not that expensive if you go for planetary work. That requires a webcam like the SPC900NC, a decent barlow, and a laptop.

[bcfcciderhead]

Thanks guys, but still going with the skywatcher, dont think i'l be doing any photograph work, but thanks for clearing up the misunderstanding i had about the motor .

quite fancy looking at planets, would love to see jupiter and its moons, saturn and its rings and some good views of the moon and its craters and if it will let me some nebula, so is the motor a must for this? or should i spend the extra on some filters and think about a motor later?

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

The motor is very useful for prolonged viewing, for whenever you have found something, it stays within the field of view automatically. This is particularly important for planetary viewing, because you use high magnification, which means you have a very small true field of view.

[Steve922]

so is the motor a must for this

A motor is handy but not essential. How handy? Well, before you buy anything, it would be wise to visit with your local Astronomers who will demonstrate for you. Then you can decide just how handy an RA motor (along with a lot of other useful hands-on information) is.

Google Astronomy clubs - there will be one or two close to you and their member will be really friendly.

Steve

[Speedy]

a dob is more bang for your buck, what scope do you have a the moment?