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... not another numpty noob?

tipper

By tipper
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tipper

tipper

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... afraid so!!

Hello all :) got a birthday coming up in just over a week and the wife suggested I might like a telescope for my birthday! (seeing as I have a bit of an obsession with looking at the nights sky) What a blooming good idea I thought! ... this is a week later and seeing as every telescope I've thought OOooo that would be good .. I keep being drawn to a thread on this site ... then usually a comment or two from somebody saying "stop being a moron, get the biggest dob you can afford" ;)

As you have probably guessed by now I'm looking for a bit of advice as I don't want to waste money on something I'll hardly use. Light pollution really isn't a problem where I live in a wee cottage in rural Perthshire, with the naked eye the sky is stunning most nights (weather permitting!) from my back garden. I also frequently zip up the A9 into the highlands.

I'm currently considering a "Skywatcher Skymax 102 SynScan AZ GOTO" (I really can't stretch any further £££)

My Logic for this is in typical newbie fashion I'm looking for a little bit of everything! The idea of connecting up a webcam and grabbing some (probably out of focus, tiny and foggy) images of the moon, Jupiter and Saturn Is REALLY appealing to me. Also the GOTO feature (to me) sounds a bit gimmicky ... but I kind of like that! To be able to set the scope up in my garden when we have some friends over for tea and give them a wee look at a few planets after desert would be cool wouldn't it! I have a mate with a reasonably big reflector (which sits proudly in his conservatory) but when ever I've asked to have a look he always tells me he can't be bothered setting it up etc. I also like the idea of taking this scope up North with me and using it in daylight with a smaller tripod .. or even taking the whole lot with me on a clear night. Size IS a critical factor as we stay in a small cottage and there is a velux window in our attic where not in use a little scope would look awesome sitting! .. I also drive a fiat 500 so taking it with me places (which i'm really keen on doing) means it has to be quite small!

To be perfectly honest with you other than the moon with my own two eyes I've never seen a planet, moon, star, galaxy etc. through a telescope! So I'm probably going to blown away with whatever I get! I honestly don't know what to expect from this little telescope but I like the idea of the high magnification from a small package ... if I get to see the slightest detail on Jupitor (i.e. small amount of banding .. not just red disk) and the rings around Saturn I'll be pretty excited. I can often make out the Orion nebula and the Andromeda Galaxy with the naked eye so I'm hoping to see a little more detail here .. and possibly spot a few more interesting things, even if only disk shaped smudges ... the knowledge of what some of these smudges are (something the GOTO will be good for) will be awesome enough for me! Then I can look at some hubble images when I come in doors and think "wow I just saw that"! Time is also factor here ... I work most days .. inc weekends so to start with something that will give me some reasonable results with minimal input is really appealing and will probably more likely keep my interest going for a year or two where I could see me investing in something bigger out in a shed or something!

Let me know your thoughts. (oh and sorry! .. I don't usually talk this much! I'm just kinda excited right now!)

cheers x :)

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KevG

KevG

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My first scope was a S/W Mak 102, it’s a very good scope with excellent optics, great for Lunar & planetary viewing, plus I don’t think you can do better with regards portability. Sounds like you have realistic expectations, so I do not think you will be disappointed, but you have the most important thing already…dark skies.

Good Luck & Welcome aboard

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tipper

tipper

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Thanks for the warm welcome Astro x been spending hours reading through literally hundreds of posts! ... including my own where I've just realised in my frantic rambling I misspelled Jupiter! *doh. Lots of clever and helpful people on here can see me sticking around! ... You never know some of it might rub off on me!

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tipper

tipper

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Cheers Kev! Aye we're pretty lucky where we stay, I've often sat out in the garden just looking at the stars in awe ... don't know why I didn't consider a telescope earlier! I stumbled upon the 102 mak when looking at the meade 80 etx. I also considered a Celestron NexStar 90SLT .. but for the same price the 102 seems to offer more bang for buck? I am slightly concerned that I will find the "goto" a little pointless after a short while and wish i'd gone for the 127 without the goto (but with SupaTrak) ... but given the dark skys we have coupled with it being less portable I keep being drawn back to the 102!

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JamesM

JamesM

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Hi Tipper and welcome to the forum.

Its a tricky call for you in deciding what gear to go for. Any kit that has a bit of everything can also mean that it isn't particularly good at any one of those things either. That's not a criticism but a reality. Take GOTO for instance, sure it can take you around the sky and point you in the right direction which is great , especially if you have limited time to learn the sky, BUT if that provision comes out of the same budget which is also being used to purchase aperture, which is what you'll need when you get to where GOTO's pointing, then some might argue that the costs defeat the benefit. I'm not for one moment arguing against GOTO - I have it and its great, but it is a balancing act.

I was going to suggest an 8" dob in providing you with that 'aperture' and its from this size that you really start to resolve detail, you move from seeing an object to perhaps 'looking' at it. Then I read about your available storage space/car and thought my idea is to big. Of course the biggest factor is always budget and given that's it's a birthday present - we have to show restraint!:)

One virtue is your dark sky which will provide the best opportunity for you to see as much as you are going to when the GOTO's done its job. One piece of advice and that is as convenient as it might be to observe out the Velux, the thermals from your roof will almost guarantee that you will never see a stable image. In fact, your design of scope needs to be outside and allowed to cool for at least 30 minutes to ensure that the air inside the closed tube is equal to the ambient temperature outside it. These thermals though small will show up when you start to increase magnification, which will be a shame with such great skies that you have. The glass at the entrance to the tube will also be a frost or dew magnet, if you can either buy a dew shield for it or make one your self. All it is, is a tube that slips over the front and protrudes about 6"-8" and can be made out of a bit of old camping mat or foam - anything that is moisture proof so cardboard etc wouldn't work. The other advantage is that it protects the front from any stray light thus maintaining contrast in the image.

Overall I think you've done the right thing - I just wanted to share my thoughts with you as you invited comments so that you feel you're making the right choice, for the budget and the other factors I think you'll do fine. Just let me know when the party starts!!!:):D:D

Clear skies for its arrival

James

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tipper

tipper

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Welcome aboard.

Dave...

Hi Dave, cheers for the welcome, I couldn't help notice the equipment list on your sig. I take it you started with the 70mm then stepped up to the 102? What sort of an improvement did you find? Also I noticed the camera on the list of items ... have you got any examples of anything snapped through the 102? Also what are your thoughts on the scope?

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tipper

tipper

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hi and welcome, the skymax will do as a starter scope, but with its small aperture you might find you outgrow it sonner than later

This is something I am slightly concerned about ... esp. regarding the photography side of things. Don't get me wrong i'm not expecting good results ... however it's the sort of thing I can see myself playing about with for many hours experimenting ... I have seen some what I would consider phenomenal results from somebody with a skymax 127 and a webcam (modded for LE) and I fear I would never get anywhere close to those results and wish it'd scrapped the GOTO for the simpler "skyscan" motorised mount on a 127? It might well be that the reason for the good photos I saw where purely down to the mount and that all i would ever get with a cheap mount would be fuzzy dots?

Has anybody got much experience with the GOTO? Are the amount of items in the sky that you will actually see with a 102 SO limited (i.e. 10 or something) that I'd be better getting a bigger scope and learning how to find the 10 or so items actually visible? I am very keen on some sort of a tracking scope to allow me to dabble with image capture (once again I don't expect much at all from this exercise .. possibly a little detail on Jupiter and Saturn's rings etc.) I was sort of hoping that the darkness of the sky where I live would make up for some of the difference between the 102 and 127? The size of the 102 is Very appealing to me over the somewhat bigger heavier 127 - But I would make the sacrifice if the difference was big enough and the GOTO wasn't going to offer me more than what 30 mins with a star chart and a bit of patience would without it?

I'm pretty sure a MAK is the best choice for my needs i.e. a bit of terrestrial, a compact package, enough magnification for reasonable views of the planets etc. But please share your thoughts ... I am a total noob after all!

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tipper

tipper

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RE: JBM1165;1661459

Thanks James! some brilliant tips / advice there! esp. regarding the dew sheild, cooling periods etc. I wasn't planning on using the scope out the velux!! I was meaning purley from an interior design basis :) .. (and possible a little terrestrial viewing over the hills out the back of my house?)

Here's hoping for clear skys! ... or at least a decision at some point this week so I have a chance of getting something by my birthday! (although i'm not gonna rush it just for that!)

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