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retepdogs

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retepdogs

retepdogs

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Hi, Sort of new to Astronomy although over the last three years promised myself that I would get a scope. After looking at prices and what is available I gave up. I still am not sure what scope to buy; there are so many options. I would like something that is good all rounder, planetary and deep sky, possible a Newtonian on a equitorial that can be upgraded later to a motorised version. The Skywatcher range seem to have a good reputation. Anyone had collimation problems with Newtonians?:)

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oldfruit

oldfruit

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Hi and welcome to SGL. A newtonian scope on an eq mount would be an excellent choice as you can easily add motor drives at a later date.

An idea of your budget would help folks here to better assist you with advice as to what is within your price range. :)

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Astro_Baby

Astro_Baby

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HI and welcome from me too :)

All Newtonians (and that includes Dobsonians scopes whcih are just Newtonians ona different mount) require collimation, its sssssscary at first but its not really that hard.

Actually all scopes require sollimation its just that refractors and SCTs seldom need it whereas its a routine thing with a Newtonian scope.

Anyway you will find a lot of help on here so welcome from me :)

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JamesM

JamesM

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Hi and welcome to the forum.

There is no one scope that does it all, if there was we would all have it! The nearest to an all rounder would probably be the newtonian scope be it on an equatorial mount or within an alt-azimuth mount as seen with dobsonians. I'm starting from that direction because they are also the cheapest scopes to buy per inch of aperture. Cassegrains/variants are great too but you pay a premium for their design which makes them very portable, particularly with the larger apertures. Refractors can also be expensive due to production of the glass objective lenses which can also help ensure the length of the tube is kept to a minimum, which is desired in imaging.

In terms of manufacturers, Skywatcher are well respected and produce what they say on the tin. They are very popular and easy to work on be it collimation or any modifications. If you start with them for both mount and scope you will receive very good value for money and should you need to resale later because you want to increment upwards in aperture, as a known make, these scopes will always sell. Please don't buy any scopes off of ebay, argos or those traders you sometimes see in shopping malls advertising scopes that can give x500 magnification - you'll be wasting your time and hard earned cash.

Clear skies but please feel free to ask more questions.

James

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demoneye

demoneye

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Hi,

I bought a secondhand skywatcher 250. Its big but the views especially with a 2" eye piece are really astounding. I had a 130p before that which to be honest wasnt all that much different, you get used to the image size, If I had a choice I'd go for a 6" - 8" reflector so it is easy to move, set up and look after.

I'm looking for a 100mm refractor to see what its like in comparison to the big dob.

By the way, if you seek high magnification, you'll need to learn to move the scope slightly while viewing as everything moves past the field of view very quickly! A tracking system would be a nice luxury.

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Astro Imp

Astro Imp

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Hi,

Welcome to the lounge.

As shepsboss said above have a good look astrobaby's website. As well as the article about choosing a scope there are also good articles on colimating a Newtonian and simple polar alignment which you will probably find helpful.

Clear skies.

Alan.

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todd8137

todd8137

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hi and welcome i took the plunge with a skywatcher skliner 300p dob mount a was gonna get the 8 inch but new a upgrade would soon be on the way so a got the 12" collimation ermmmm,scarry stuff or so a thought the screws looked liked devils to me for ages but today a tried it out after about 3 hours 2 headache tablets 6 coffees its done its no big deal astrobabys guide it top draw and helped me 100%

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G2EWS

G2EWS

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Hi Retepdogs,

From one newbie to another hi!

Hi and welcome. I too am very new and have not yet made my purchase. Someone pointed me to www.astro-baby.com So you want to buy a telescope? -Part 1. I found it very useful.

Hi shepsboss,

Now that is a fantastic site. I am so beginning to get it with the 'So you want to buy a telescope'

Brilliant.

Regards

Chris

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Ewok

Ewok

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Hi Retepdogs,

I'm collimating my scope for the first time this weekend ( working nights all week this week ). Bit nervouse but with the aid of Baby_Astros guide I'm sure I'll be fine. GULP!!

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Moonshane

Moonshane

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I think there are two things that you need to decide when getting a scope for the first time. budget and whether you want to do astro-photography (AP).

budget is self explanatory - decide how much you have to spend now. then with maybe 75% of that budget, buy the best scope you can get for the money and use the rest for accessories such as maybe another eyepiece(s) and Telrad. You can download sky maps for free and make a red torch and a dew shield for pennies.

your budget will determine whether or not you can do AP. if it's only a few hundred pounds then you are unlikely to be able to do AP of anything other than webcam imaging of moon and planets and even then maybe not yet.

if you have more of a budget then others will advise - I'm not an imager but the mount is the key issue with AP.

if you don't want to do AP then aperture is usually more important for general use. the most cost effective way to get aperture is with a dobsonian mount. for visual an equatorial mount is good but not necessary and uses a lot of your budget.

unless your choice is AP (and this is an expensive route) I'd always recommend an 8" dobsonian. like the Skywatcher 200P (FLO sell these - see link at top of page). collimation for visual is relatively easy and you'll get better with time.

as SGL6 is so close if you can possibly attend that or a shop with a good range, this will allow you to see some scopes in the flesh - some can be surprisingly large.

good luck with your choices.

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