New member with questions

[YouCanCallMeKM]

First of all I would like to say hello to everyone...Hello!

Now that that's out of the way, I got a couple simple questions which I'm hoping to be answered. But first a little background info. I'm into astronomy for about a year now, but never really took it serious or to the "next" step. I got an Orbitor telescope (don't know the model) but its all black except the tripod stand that came with it. It's got a K9mm piece, K25mm piece, 3x Barlow lens, and a viewfinder or whatever it's called. I'm not that familiar with such terms when it comes to telescopes so I'm sorry. I'd say this thing is only great for viewing the moon. I like the K25mm piece because I get to see the whole moon in view, and the picture is very good after adjusting the sharpness. Now this is where my questions come in. I want to go bigger. I want to be able to view planets like Saturn and Jupiter, and such. What would be the best recommended telescope for said purpose. I know I'm just a beginner, but I would like to settle down for something nice on the low-med side for now. Top priorities for the telescope would have to be one that can see neighbouring planets/moon, could track planets, and one of those GPS things to find other things in space if possible, but not an "must have" accessory. Unless the tracker and GPS are the same thing, then yea lol..

Just remember I am not familiar with any kind of telescope lingo, or the differences between this and that and what not, so try to keep it simple and clean if you can. or if you got time and are willing, you can go ahead and explain the more detailed info.

Looking forward to all the reply's, and hello once again:icon_salut:

[Nexus 6]

Hi KM, what sort of price are you thinking off for your scope?

Alan

[brantuk]

Hi KM and welcome to SGL

It's good that you give us an idea of what you want to see because there are scopes that are particularly good for viewing planets.

However they range in price from around £140 for a very basic model, to several thousands of pounds. They also demand a range of accessories depending on the type of scope. These too vary widely in price.

So as Alan says above, some indication of total budget would help us to help you

[sixela]

What you have now is probably a reflector. If it's a 114mm reflector, the first thing I'do do is start observing planets with that scope (with the 9mm Kellner).

As far as recommendations for an upgrade, yes, we'd need a budget.

By the way, you meant "GoTo", not "GPS". The GPS scopes are simply GoTo scopes where you don't have to punch in your longitude/latitude/time/timezone to get them to know how the sky moves and more or less where they're pointing to if they're level and pointed North.

[rowan46]

A few basic terms for you to get you started. when this thread kicks in people will throw these terms at you.

1 dobsonian (dob) this is a reflecting telescope on a very simple base rather than a tripod. they do not have tracking unless they are the more expensive type.

pro's simple set up and cheapest way to get lots of apparture which is what you need for dso's (deep space objects)

cons. can be more difficult for planetary observing especially at higher powers

2 reflecting telescope (newt) uses a mirror rather than a lens to collect light.

pro's gives more apparture for your money

cons requires a little more maintenance to keep the mirrors aligned (collimation)

2 Refracting telescope (frac) uses a lens as the main light collector

pros' gives good contrast on planets clear views on dso's (probably the best all round scopes.)

cons cheaper ones give false colour or colour fringing. good ones which do not have colour problems are very expensive especially at larger apparture.

3 catadioptric (cats) a mixture of lens and mirror

pro's more portable at larger apparture

cons more expensive per inch of apparture than newts not as good at contrast as a good frac. less wide field of view.

types of mount

dobsonian a simple base usually made of mdf

pros cheap easy to set up

cons are not suitable for photograhy. don't track unless you get an expensive one

alt/azimuth a tripod that moves in 2 axis up/ down left right

pro's cheap most portable

cons not suitable for photography like the dob not the best at planets as it does not track. (however most of the cheaper go to mounts are an alt/azimuth the computer does the tracking)

german equatorial moumt (gem) essentially an alt /azimuth mount mounted on an adjustable plane it is designed to be pointed at the north celestial pole thereby making it easier to follow the apparent motion of the stars as the earth rotates.

pros.the best mount for photography easier to use for planets and at higher magnification.

cons longer set up times (needs to be aligned to celestial poles) more complicated for beginners. heavy

p

[rowan46]

the above post isnt exhaustive and there are some provisos which other people will point out but i hope this will start you on your way

[rowan46]

this is probably the cheapest tracking telescope that does everything. its not the best at anything bit it does most things well it will not find the object for you though you need go to for that Skywatcher Explorer 130P SupaTrak AUTO

[YouCanCallMeKM]

Great posts so far. The price range I would like, would have to be somewhere around $500.

[rowan46]

that sort of price opens up your options a lot. here is a few factors you will need to consider.

Where will you be viewing from? eg back yard or travelling to somewhere darker.

will you want to photograph? for this your mount is the most important factor it needs to be steady and to track.

I said in previous posts about photography that certain mounts were not suitable for it. with certain provisos. that is for moon and planetary photograhy there is an inexpensive form of photography using a webcam. If you only wish to take photo's of these objects it opens up your options as to mount and scope as it is certainly possible to image moon and planets with even the cheaper go to scopes, tracking scopes and even dobs.

The general rule for visual astronomy is that apparture is the most important and the best advice is to get some knowledge of thje sky and visual observing before trying photography. This is why most new observers are steered towards dobs on these forums. they are easy to set up and because the mounts are so cheap all your money is spent on the optics visually they give the most bang for your buck. planets are a little more difficult to keep in the field of view at high powers but as a general purpose visual scope most people seem to think these are best.

The advantage of go to scopes is that once you have learned how to operate them if your viewing time is limited its easier to find your targets so more time is spent looking at what you want. the problem with these is that unless you have an expensive mount you won't be able to have anything but a small scope.

I see from your price range that you said dollars I assume this means you're in the us there are some good manufacturers for entry level or medium scopes and prices seem a little keener over there.

most of the celestron nexstar range will handle planets adequately, meade scopes are highly rated. but for dobsonian scopes skywatcher /synta or orion seem to be best value for money sorry If i can't be more help but I have little idea of us prices and models

[Demonperformer]

Welcome to the forum, KM.

Are there any astronomy societies near where you live? If there are, try to get along to an observing evening, check out what scopes members have and try to get a look through them. That way you will be able to relate comments to what you have actually seen.

HTH

[brantuk]

Hi KM - for around $500 you should be able to source a nice little 6" reflector which would give you a great start to the hobby. It should have a parabolic mirror, be on an equatorial mount, and you should have enough budget left for a right ascension motor and field battery.

Look for reliable makes like Skywatcher, Meade, Celestron, etc, and buy from a reputable telescope dealer rather than high street store or unknown website.

If you can find a local astronomy society, they will recommend good sources for proper instruments in your area.

General guidlines - look for the largest aperture within budget, and ensure the mount and tripod is solid and stable. Refractors are considerably more expensive per aperture inch, and optical quality is probably more important than electronics in this price range.

Hope that helps