Recommendations for a first telescope

[DucckMcAleer]

Hi there i know this has been asked a thousand times but i am looking for a more recent answer

what telescope(s) would you recommend for me

i am new to astronomy but would really like to see deep space and not just things like the moon, =i would at least like to be able to see the international space station,

would anyone have any recommendations?

p.s im not looking to spend a load of money

thanks a load for any responses

[JamesM]

Hi, Forget looking at the Space Station, it is moving to fast to track when you remember that you'll be looking through a scope into an eyepiece that will need a lot of magnification - everything moves pretty fast! I was once observing in a field with some chums when the ISS came over twice during that evening/morning and still only one of us managed to get just a glimpse of it in the eyepiece.

Coming back to the scope, you really need to first decide on a budget that you are prepared to spend. My personal view would be around £200 minimum and the eyepieces that come with that scope will be ok but not great. Will you need to transporting it anywhere (wanting a dark site or avoiding a neighbour's bright security light) or will be a case of just picking it up and setting up in your garden. All scopes will show you the moon as it is bright, large and easy to find but do you want to see planets or would you prefer deep sky objects like galaxies. I know it sounds a bit like 'chicken and the egg' but there many scopes out there and wouldn't want you to buy something that didn't help meet your expectations.

James

[brantuk]

To see dso's at entry level I'd recommend a Skywatcher 150P on Equatorial mount which unfortunately have gone up to £250 new since the vat rises. The 130P is probably a bit limiting being smaller, but you can still get a 150P on a dobson mount for about £180(ish).

If you had a look at second hand scopes you may get it on EQ for about 2/3rds the new price, maybe even with a right ascension tracking motor which would be very useful. Hope that helps

[rowan46]

couldn't recommend anything better for the price , welcome to sgl

[DucckMcAleer]

Thanks a lot for the replies, i will look into your recommendations,

as for mobility it will not need to be moved anywhere but have seen the dobson's and they seem very large

[brantuk]

If you think the 6" dob is large you should see the 12" or the 14"/16" lol. Believe me the 6" dob is a very nice tidy little scope and very manageable.

[pvaz]

Dobs are not large unless you buy a large one.

A dob with the same aperture as any other scope is usually smaller or lighter. An 8" refractor weight's more and costs 1500£++ while an 8" dob can be bought for 250ish. A SCT/Mak is indeed more compact but usually heavier.

The fact is that reflectors (dobs in particular) are the cheapest scope to build so most who want a very large scope, and don't have a few thousands to spend, buy a dob. That's why most amateurs have small refractors, medium Maks/SCTs or large dobs.

[Manok101]

If you want a dob, try for a 4.5 inch if you can possibly swing it. Excellent beginner scope, I'll warn you though, finding DSO's can be tricky if you don't have the dark skies to do it in.

[umadog]

Welcome.

I echo what Manok101 says: dark skies matter. To get the best views of DSOs you may need to travel away from city lights. That said, with dark skies you'll see a good deal with a 4.5" Dob. Just don't expect Hubble views and color: DSOs will look faint and fuzzy.