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Hi from Johnny

Johnny Hormone

By Johnny Hormone
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Johnny Hormone

Johnny Hormone

Posted
Posted

Hi all,

Thought I should say hello to you all from a potential Somerset stargazer, and also gather a little of your infinite wisdom and advice :)

My tale... When I was a lad, about 30 years ago :crybaby:, I had a "Sky at Night" book that I used to love (in the days when Patrick Moore was appearing on Blue Peter with his Xylophone :)). Anyhow, no chance of a telescope back then and so my interest left as I got into my teens, and my only appreciation of the night sky became to gaze in wonderment on the way back home at night - after the pub or work or whatever. That said I have maintained an interest in the "Big Bang" theory, and do enjoy programmes based around the Universe and all it contains.

Years on, and with my little lad (aged 6) having received a "toy" telescope at Christmas, we have had a bit of fun during the clear weather patches in aiming it at the moon, and whilst fighting with a toy, seeing a few craters and the like has been enjoyable for us both. So now I am in a bit of a "what shall I do" frame of mind... and I think the missus is fearing the worst :lol:

I am quite tempted to go and purchase a "better" telescope, something that gives us a clearer view and is more stable, and looking on the internet forums for information something like a Skywatcher Explorer 130PM seems a safe bet - although I would bow to any sound knowledge you care to give as I really know next to nothing - although I do understand the difference in how a refractor and reflector work.

I guess from my lads point of view he would be interested in looking a the moon and seeing planets, whilst I would be more interested in looking "into" space.

So, in short, am I heading in the right direction with it all? Should I give him, and me, some time to see what develops first?

Sorry for my ramblings, but hi to you all and thanks in advance for any advice.. and sorry if I sound a little "daft" in some of the above.

All the best

Johnny

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FLO

FLO

Posted
Posted

Welcome to Stargazers Johnny... :)

BTW: I think it was Rolf Harris on Blue Peter with the Stylophone :)

Sir Patrick was there to with his Xylophone :lol:

I stand corrected :)

I had a Stylophone; mastered the Z Cars theme tune but didn't progress any further :D

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Caz

Caz

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Welcome to Stargazers Johnny... :)

BTW: I think it was Rolf Harris on Blue Peter with the Stylophone :)

Sir Patrick was there to with his Xylophone :lol:

I had a Stylophone; mastered the Z Cars theme tune but didn't progress any further :D

Blimey, you are showing your age... :)

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radioactive

radioactive

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Hello Johnny and welcome to SGL Forums I am very pleased to read your Intro to us all Might I suggest the possibility of your Buying A pair of Binoculars Lidl off some on a fairly regular basis that are really quite excellent for looking into the night sky They tend to cost £9.99 heres their url

http://www.lidl.co.uk/uk/home.nsf/pages/i.home

you could agree to get the regular newsletter from them that will tell you when they have these in again or another thing they do is a telescope that I have heard is very good quality also

As I say its just a thought

anyway here's wishing you a happy new year!

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Andrew*

Andrew*

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ouch! That's the worst time to get into stargazing, when you have to buy 599 forum members a pint!

Welcome to SGL Johnny. Thanks for the great intro. You will find a wealth of information here.

Regarding your scope, I'll have to agree with the 130PM - it's a very popular choice for starters. However, unless you will be wanting to get into astrophotography (rewarding, but time- and money-consuming activity!), and considering that you will want to view deep sky objects (DSOs), I would suggest you spend your money on the biggest aperture you can afford. You can pick up a 6" dobsonian reflector new for the same price as the 130PM, or even better, an 8" second hand. This will give you fantastic views of almost anything. Steve at FLO is our favourite dealer, so if you are going to buy new, he's your man. Check out this 8" dob: http://www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=dobsky200&cat=7

or if you think you need an equatorial mount, consider the next thing up from the 130P - http://www.firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=150eq32&cat=7

Always keep in mind that the scope is only the first purchase. With almost any scope, you will need to upgrade the supplied eyepieces.

HTH and sorry for the huge post!

Andrew

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Johnny Hormone

Johnny Hormone

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thanks for that advice Andrew, it is just the kind of thing I need to know.

My only thought for the 130 was the physical size not being too big for me and my lad to handle (currently I am getting over a broken leg so not too mobile).

That said I guess the 150 can't be that much bigger...??? :?

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geppetto

geppetto

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Johnny

Very sound advise from Andrew there but I think the 150mm scope doesn't come with a motor.

Having a motor is very important in your situation because your young lad might get

fed up with stuff drifting out of the field of view on the non motor mount.

Having said that, you can get a motor for the bigger mount but that is more expense

that you may or may not want.

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Johnny Hormone

Johnny Hormone

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Thats a good point regarding the motor, although it is something that I can add in later on I guess?

Is the EQ3-2 mount on the 150P a much better option than the EQ2 on the 130PM? and if so is that reason enough to go down the 150 route from the outset and save some pennies for the motor system as an add on a little later on?

(gosh, and I thought I had it straight in my tiny mind :))

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