New and haven't a clue....

[MoonRats]

We are looking to get a telescope for the first time. We were looking at this one: Jessops Astronomical Telescope 1100-102 - Jessops

But they have none in stock at our local shop and you can't get home delivery. So we're asking for help from people who actually know what they're talking about.

We are looking to spend around £100 and want a telescope that we can see the stars and planets with. As good a telescope as you can get for that kind of money (I know it's not a lot compared to some, but we're just starting and are also buying a digital SLR camera soon so only have a bit left for this.

Which one would you recommend? From where? We live near Blackpool.

Also could you take pictures through the telescope?

Thank you in advance.

[rawhead]

I think this would be a better bet than the Jessops scope:

Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 130

I would also keep an eye out for a 2nd hand Tal-1 on ebay. They come along quite often...

Cheers

[nightfisher]

I think this would be a better bet than the Jessops scope:

Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 130

I would also keep an eye out for a 2nd hand Tal-1 on ebay. They come along quite often...

Cheers

yep i second that suggestion

[Greg]

How about a good pair of binoculars. (Sorry to throw one in the works..)

It's how I started..Along with a good book such as Turn Left at Orion..

You can get a craking pair of 10x50's or some 15x70's

Celestron - Celestron Skymaster 15x70

I have a pair of these and mount them on a tripod.. Sit in my deckchair and enjoy.... Fantastic views..

Greg

[MoonRats]

Thank you so much for answering.

That one looks good, excuse my silly newbie questions but.....

Reading the specs of it, I haven't a clue what it all actually means.

Could you see planets, stars with this one and not just the moon?

And also how hard is it to take pictures through them, do you need any special equipment?

We're going to have a look on ebay in a minute, see if there are any good ones going.

[MoonRats]

How about a good pair of binoculars. (Sorry to throw one in the works..)

It's how I started..Along with a good book such as Turn Left at Orion..

You can get a craking pair of 10x50's or some 15x70's

Celestron - Celestron Skymaster 15x70

I have a pair of these and mount them on a tripod.. Sit in my deckchair and enjoy.... Fantastic views..

Greg

That's OK I like all feedback. We already have a pair of binoculars that we can see the moon pretty good with, but are now looking to see some more

Plus reading around this forum and knowing what you can see makes you want to even more

[Hypernova]

I reckon that the Explorer 130 would be a great starter 'scope and one that is indefinitely better than anything that can be picked up from a high street camera shop.

If pay a bit more you can get a telescope of equal size but on a sturdy and simple to use dobsonian mount which may be more intuitive for a beginner than and equatorial mount.

Dobsonians - Skywatcher Heritage 130p Flextube

[Mikea]

The 130P is a great scope and there is actually a TAl 1 on eBay!

I wouldn't worry about imaging just yet - that's another big step - get used to the kit and what you can see with your eyes first. Good luck!!

[umadog]

Imaging through a telescope is so different that it's basically become a different hobby to visual observing. It's also rather expensive. I would agree that binoculars are a good idea. If you go for anything over 10x you will definitely want a tripod for them. Binos are easy to take to darker skies and with them you will get glimpses of plenty of galaxies and nebulae.

I can't comment on the Jessop's scope, but at that price it's unlikely to be terribly good. The quoted maximum magnification is rather optimistic but not outlandish. Looking at it, I wouldn't recommend it. Nonetheless, with such a telescope you ought to be able to see Saturn's rings, Jupiter's moons and bands across the surface. You'll see the brighter galaxies and other deep space objects. I would agree with others that for a 100 quid budget a second hand scope would be far better value. If you're prepared to save up a little more and/or stretch your budget then I'd certainly go for this:

Orion SkyQuest XT6 Classic - SCS Astro

That will be a far, far, better scope then the Jessop's. It will gather well over twice as much light, which will make a big difference at the eyepiece.

[Astro_Baby]

Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 130

Is probably the best scope you can afford. The 130 is the scope an awful lot of us start with and will be a good all round scope for the beginner. It will show decent enough views of almost anything and probably the best views you will get for the cash.

Forget about photography with a telescope as a beginner, it's complicated and expensive as a general rule and you would need no end of gear, time and effort.

If imaging with a scope is where you want to go it would be well worth getting a copy of 'making every photon count' which would give you an idea as to the relative complexity of imaging. On a budget of £100ish I think it's out of the budget to consider photography with a scope.

I did a review of a slightly different version of the scope above which would give you an idea about what you could see. The review is here

Review of the Sky-Watcher 130PM

You could also take a look at an article I wrote for beginners which would help you understand the basic issues.......the article is here

So you want to buy a telescope ? - Part 1

Hope that of some help.

[Chris H]

This may not be what you want to hear but I'd say don't buy anything, especially not a scope like the one you mentioned from the well known camera shop. You say you have binoculars already for the time being stick with them you can see a whole lot more with them than just the moon, M31 for example the Andromeda galaxy is a great target for bins and when you know where to look and with dark skies you can see all the Messier objects with a pair of 10 x 50's. Stick with us on this forum, post as many questions as you like and do your homework, in that time save up a few more quid and when you are ready to move up to a scope you will be well prepared about what you wish to view and the type of scope that would best suit your requirements.

[umadog]

Chris makes a good point.

Certainly make sure you understand what all the specs mean before committing to anything. Ask here if you're unsure.

[TheThing]

Couple of people have missed the point here in that the original poster area has bins and is looking for a scope. Let's try and keep on track with helping with the query.

The SW 130 is an excellent beginners scope, far better than the Jessops scope I'm afraid. I started with the 130 not knowing anything about the specs, but it showed me Saturn, Orion, the moon etc.

Supplement you scope with a copy of Turn Left at Orion, which you can borrow from your local library, and the Sky and Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas and you'll be well away.

M31 is not a very clear object to find if you have any light pollution, with either bins or a scope!

Keep us posted on what you decide on.

[Ian123]

I reckon that the Explorer 130 would be a great starter 'scope and one that is indefinitely better than anything that can be picked up from a high street camera shop.

If pay a bit more you can get a telescope of equal size but on a sturdy and simple to use dobsonian mount which may be more intuitive for a beginner than and equatorial mount.

Dobsonians - Skywatcher Heritage 130p Flextube

Although i'm relatively new myself i would also suggest this scope as the Skywatcher is on a equatorial mount which i think might be a little tricky first time round, dont want you quitting before you have even started, ian. Good luck and enjoy.

[tuc]

Hi Moonrats,

You sound really enthusiastic about getting a telescope and I hope you enjoy whichever one you end up buying.

After you`ve become familiar with the telescope and find you still have the photography bug, you can try taking some low-tech pictures of the moon afocally: Just set the camera lens to infinity and hold it up to the lens that`s placed in the telescope drawtube. You then focus with the telescope focus knobs. It`s fun and the pictures aren`t half bad.

[brantuk]

Hi Moonrats and welcome to SGL

You will easilly be able to connect the dslr (using a T-ring) to a new 130P. A second hand (possibly older) model might not have the thread required on the focusser tube.

But if you are trying to photograph planets then a webcam is going to be more suitable. You would use it to capture as many short exposures as possible, then stack the best ones to obtain as much detail as you can. Planets are very bright.

You would use a dslr for longer exposures on deep sky objects whose light is faint and needs lengthy exposures to be gathered. I'm talking about a difference of hundredths of a second, as opposed to several minutes exposure time.

Hope that helps

[Staffy]

I've had a Skywatcher 130 for 18 months now. It's a great starter scope. It's given me the moon and planets as well as a number of planetary nebula, and all in a reasonably light polluted sky.

I tried attaching a DSLR onto it but to get it into the focussing range you have to use the 2x barlow lens that comes with the scope. It makes it all a bit unwieldy. It's not really made for imaging but I have had many hours of enjoyment out of this scope.