Complete newbie seeking advice.

[toshapetriji]

Looking for for some suggestions for equipment for someone starting out.

Budget is around 600 Sterling. I like the look of GOTO as I fear I will need my hand held.

Thanks.

[Astro_Baby]

Its a tough call because there are so many issues involved. Can I be lazy and say read an article of mine to save me having to type it all out again....

So you want to buy a telescope ? - Part 1

In a nutshell before you decide ona scope you need to decide on factors like, where will you use it, how much weight can you shift/want to shift, do you need to transport it or use from back garden, how much time do you have for the hobby etc etc etc

One thing to bear in mind is a lot of this stuff is fgar bigger and heavier than you may imagine looking at pictures - hope the article helps refine your search.

[Arushin]

Hi and welcome,

My advice would be to avoid Goto and spend the extra on aperture and some decent eyepieces. Trust me, Goto is a great idea but I quickly found myself using it less and less. I now only use my Goto mount for its tracking function because of webcam imaging.

The Goto cost will eat into your budget and force you to go for less aperture...you will be "going to" objects that the telescopes limitations won't allow you to see anyway.

Start by learning what's there with the naked eye (Jupiter,Moon etc) and then learn a couple of the major constellations which will guide you towards the Orion Nebular and Andromeda for example. It's not as daunting as it sounds and you will learn lots in a very short time.

I know a couple of guys who have been doing this for years who can't name every constellation, but they sound like astro-physicists when you talk to them. This knowledge comes a bit at a time and is driven by a love of the hobby. The golden rule for me is just to decide what interests you the most at the moment (planets/moon or deep sky) as no scope will be the perfect all-rounder. Look at the Skywatcher range of Relectors and Dobsonians. These are great value for money and you will be amazed at what your budget will buy you especially if you go for a dob as these are essentially a Reflector telescope on a simplified mount. I have a 12" dob and there is not much it won't show me under the right conditions. My 5" F15 Mak on a Goto now only gets used for webcam imaging.

If I was starting out again and based on what I know now , I would be looking at either a 6"-8" reflector or a dob of 8"-12". These should give you good enough views until the inevitable 'aperture fever' strikes and you end up selling body parts to finance your obsession. lol!

I hope some of this helps but it is just IMHO.

[brantuk]

Hi Tosh and welcome to SGL

You have a healthy budget for a very reasonable first scope. Do remember that the more you spend on electronics (goto) the less goes into the optics.

Consider what kind of objects you're mostly interested in - this will have a big influence on the type of mount and scope you eventually go for.

Eg for planetary viewing you may choose a maksutov cassegrain for its long focal length and razor sharp focussing. For deep sky you may prefer a large aperture scope for extra light gathering to weed out elusive objects.

If you're thinking about imaging then the mount will be critical (equatorial is most appropriate) but it may be better to decide on that later when you're into the hobby a bit more.

A bit more of a hint on what you're looking to do will help us advise you a little more specifically.

[toshapetriji]

Thanks to you all.

Some food for thought there. Let me research a little more and please forgive the inevitable basic questions which are bound to follow.

Thanks again.

[brantuk]

No Probs Tosh - ask any questions you like - we were all beginners once and you'll find most people will be keen to help ensure you get the right setup for you without wasting your hard earned dosh

[JamesM]

What ever you decide, take your time. If you can, try and have a look through some kit before hand as it will give you an idea of the logistics of setting gear up, moving this stuff around and more importantly, what you will get to see. A lot of local astro clubs and societies have observation evenings that are free and there are the some local observing groups too that are also great resources for 'real' experience with kit. Without that experience, you'll end up just looking at pictures on boxes which aren't at all helpful.

Clear skies

James

[toshapetriji]

Thanks again for the help .

I have picked out the following scope as a first buy, it seems to be well thought of anyway.

Clicky

I´m looking for something that will suit me for a few years at least and should be upgradeable to the extent that at some time I guess I will want to add GOTO.

Certainly I want to view planets and to the scopes limitations Deep Sky also.

I do understand this scope will have its limitations.

Will it get me started?

[Mike_F]

An Explorer 200P is a good first choice. It can be upgraded to goto later, as you say. An 8" Newtonian is also plenty for planetary use, and is a reasonably sized aperture for some "faint fuzzies" viewing too. I had a lot of fun with mine.

So, it's all good then, right?

Well, yes, but there are some downsides.

First, adding goto later is an expensive way to do it. If you're sure you want it - i'd save the pennies for a wee while longer and buy it as part of the package.

Secondly, an 8" Newtonian is surprisingly large. Mounted on an EQ5, the eyepiece can get into some pretty inconvenient positions for visual use.

Lastly, if you're at the limit of your budget buying that scope and mount, you're going to be a bit disappointed with the views. The included eyepieces are, well (ahem) shall we put it politely and say "at the affordable end of the spectrum?"

You'll need some more cash for some better EPs, but no need to go mad. Something in the £75-£100 range per EP will work very well on that scope. Try looking at something like the Baader Hyperion range as an example.

Really, really finally - can't agree with what JBM1165 says more. Get yourself along to a club or a meet of some kind and blag a look through some kind person's scope. Your expectations will then be properly set.

Welcome to this wonderful & sometimes maddeningly frustrating hobby!

HTH

Mike.

[brantuk]

Excellent choice - 8" will keep you happy for a long time to come. Best early upgrade I can suggest (appart from the usual ep's, barlows, etc) is a Right Ascension motor (around £75 new or £50-£60 s/h). It's a joy to have the object tracking automatically after the initial effort to find it

[jonathan]

I would look at one of the Celestron Goto SE range - you could probably afford the Celestron 5SE at £619 - although as with anything you would quickly find that there are things you would want to buy on top such as a heated due shield and controller (£75) and a few good eye pieces. For upgrades there will be plenty you can do, a new finder for example, star diagonal, focuser, all of these things can and will improve the telescope, and you can take them off if you decide to sell it for a bigger model such as the 8SE or something else entirely. Consider saving up for the 8SE instead of the smaller SE range as it will be worth it.

The electronics may be expensive but they will serve well to keep you in the hobby and provide that 'grab and go' factor that the newtonians and EQ mounts just don't have. The SE range is also a lot lighter and compact, and should give sharper views than a newtonian due to their construction using mirrors AND lenses. Also the electronics in the SE range have the three star alignment facility which allows you to be set up in about five minutes, probably the fastest method for a beginner that I've come across yet.

[toshapetriji]

Thanks again to you all.

I must say buying a scope is more difficult than you would first think!!

Anyway I am taking in your advice and will take my time over this.

Certainly glad I found this forum before jumping in.

[Mike_F]

I must say buying a scope is more difficult than you would first think!!

Indeed it is, but you've made the right first step by asking questions rather than going in both-feet first.

I think the most fundamental question you need to ask yourself (as it impacts most of the kit decisions you need to make at this point) is:

"Do I want to do purely visual astronomy or astro-photography, or dabble with both and see which I prefer?"

Have you any leanings in either direction yet?

Mike.

[toshapetriji]

Have you any leanings in either direction yet?

Yes Mike, Initially I am happy to be selfish and view for my own pleasure. Well no one is going to learn much from me anyway. I do want the ability to photograph at a later stage though.

What I do want is the chance to to get good views of the planets and reasonable views of Deep Space too. Not much to ask is it?

Itching to get started though I must say after viewing some of the pictures on the forum.

I fear my budget doesn´t match my aspirations though.

Ah well.

Thanks again for all the input, what a great place to find.

[Mike_F]

Ah ok, so there are some Astro-photog ambitions. Here's my take then:

A medium sized SCT/MAK like the 6/8 inch Celestrons already mentioned have the resolving power for planetary use, plus enough aperture for some light DSO work too. Objects like the ring nebula will be very clear in them.

Larger objects like M31 will need wider field tho, which can be achieved through the use of a focal reducer and a longer focal length eyepiece.

However, they're Alt-Az mounted which makes them fantastic for visual but largely rules them out for photography.

As such, I'd suggest an alternative in something like the Skywatcher Skymax 150 Pro on an EQ5. You've then got a great general purpose OTA along the lines that others have suggested, but on the EQ mount you'll need for photography. Being a physically smaller OTA , you also won't have any of the awkward eyepiece viewing position problems a largish Newt like the 200P can cause. (And to all that say "pah - just rotate the OTA in the rings.." the 200P will need recollimating after rotating if mine was anything to go by.)

The Skymax might be a touch outside your budget if you decide to go for GOTO straight away, but should be about on the money if you're prepared to wait for it / upgrade later.

HTH.

Mike.

*EDIT* Emphasised some points that were a little hard to get across typing on an iPhone on the train..

[Davidv]

Astro_Baby is dead right. The first thing to consider is the size and weight of the scope and where it will be stored and how easy it will be to get it out and use it. If you can, go to a star party so you can see for yourself what to expect of different scopes. Personally, I like the look of the Skywatcher 8" as its F5 focal ratio means you can get lower powers out of it as well as high powers which you can't get with an 8" SCT or Maksutov. Good luck. Dave.

[toshapetriji]

Yes good advice. I am trying to fix a meet with the local Stargazer club and hopefully get a look at the kit people are using.

I am at the moment quite comfortable with the idea of the EXPLORER-200P but may have to push the boat out a little further and go for the GOTO option.

I don´t want to find out later that I missed out on something.

I guess you guys are often thinking I want just a little bit more but budget is important for me at the moment so something to suit for a couple of years will be fine.

I am checking all the suggestions though and keep them coming it is all useful to me.. Stay tuned for developments.

Thanks everyone.

[jonathan]

Its a tough call because there are so many issues involved. Can I be lazy and say read an article of mine to save me having to type it all out again....

So you want to buy a telescope ? - Part 1

I found this to be a very interesting read, so much so in fact that I read it from start to finish and hardly blinked once!

[Davidv]

Hi Tosh, Re my post yesterday: Sorry, I meant to say the Explorer 200p you were referring to. The other thing about going to a star party is you can see what a GOTO looks and sounds like when it's whizzing around finding things!

Dave

[toshapetriji]

yes Dave I quite understand and thanks.

The impulsive part of me wants to buy soon but thanks to the advice here I going to wait a little longer and take my time.

I really don´t want to end up with an ornament for the garage.

[brantuk]

While you're deciding on a scope - you can get started observing and learning the sky right away for under twenty quid (less if you have a pair of binocs).

If you don't - Liddl do some nice 10x50 binocs for £13.99 (Rockwell I think is the brand). With them and a copy of Sky at Night magazine you'll have a guide to this months interesting viewing.

You'll be able to learn the constellations, split a few doubles, see some nice globulars, observe Jupiter and 4 of it's moons, and get some great views of the moon. Even the Orion Nebula is within reach of average binocs

[andrew63]

Goto is a very popular, I recently bought a cheap meade etx90 goto to test the water. I find goto is great but a lot of the time i don't bother and use manual by releasing the forks. This i find is important for a quick view sometimes or not having to rely on batteries or ac. i'm thinking of getting a larger celestron se goto but not to sure how easy they are to use manually when you don't want to set everything up. Andrew

[toshapetriji]

I have Nikon 10 x 50 Bins for the time being so I´m not without a view.

Just itching for a better view, my time will come. I have made contact with the local Stargazers and will be going along to the next meet for a looksee.

[Astro_Baby]

JUst bear in mind that a 200P on an EQ mount is a pretty solid sized bit of kit. Thats not to put you off - far from it - the 200/HEQ5 combo gives a really good balance betwen power/portability/price plus the set-up has almost endless upgrade possibilities as you go forward and enough power immediately to give you pretty decenbt views of almost anything.

It is however (for me at least) the very upper limit in the portability stakes. If you make the tube much bigger you need a bigger mount like the EQ6 (more money, more weight).