Which 1st scope :)

[ribuck]

Gem, also that pic of saturn was taken with the non tracking version of the 200p skyliner, done manually. With the auto track you dont need to worry about tracking.

Also speak to your local dealer before you buy one and they will confirm that webcam planetary imaging is fine.

Rich.

[ribuck]

ahaa, now i see why you are called winged girl...just noticed your display pic...lol.

If you need anymore advice on filters and eyepieces etc, PM me on here and i'll help you out.

Rich.

[Andyfx]

Not sure about the scope but I see you want to get eyepieces too so perhaps check out skies the limit and their TMB's and BST's, I have the BST's and are fab for the money and everyone seems to rate the TMB's.

[Winged_Girl]

Thanks Rich

I think the cheapest i can find it is online, and i trust a webcam is suitable

And will definately get back to you re EP and filters thank you for everything!!

[Winged_Girl]

And thank you andy! will check them out

[Sarah]

Hi Gem

I think an 8" dob would be a great scope. My only concern is that the flextube Auto version seems to be at the top of your budget. you will need a collimator. This will push you over your budget. The flextube is likely to need collimating more frequently than the solid tube but all reflector type scopes need collimating every so often. You may need some sort of light shroud too. We made one for our flextube dob from a camping mat and Velcro.

Obviously the solid tube is a cheaper option, but then the flextube is the one with the tracking option!

It sounds like you have made a good start with binoculars and learning the constellations. This initial decision making process is very difficult, with the wide choice of options available!

Having used a dob and having had an 8" scope, I would recommend this route.

Good luck!

Sarah

[Winged_Girl]

Like a 'blanket' to cover the open area you mean?

If i got the solid 8" tube would i still be able to get some images of the planets? Or is tracking on a scope a must for this? And will i need a collimator straight away? or is it something i could buy in a few weeks giving me time to put cash away each week.

[ribuck]

Yeah a Dob is a great start, My first ever telescope was a 10" dob, and since then i've had 10" sct, a 80mm achromatic refractor, an 8" 200P relfector which i still have and now a 102mm apo refractor, and i have to say, that some of the best views of the planets i ever saw came from my 10" dob.

I think one day i will buy another dob, someting like a 16-20" just to view the planets.

Gem, I promise you that you wont go wrong with the 200p Flex tube, you will get some amazing vews, and on good clear nights you will be able see the division in Saturn's Rings, and the red spot on jupiter.

Like the other have said, keep in mind there are always ancillary costs, such as filter, eyepieces, barlows, and a laser collimator to keep the primary and secondary mirrors in peak performance.

additional shopping list items you need to consider / Thinks to make

1) A good quality Barlow - A must for viewing the planets. You usually get a cheap 2x free with the scope, this will be ok to start with, but youmight want to consider a better quality one or get a 5x barlow as this will greatly increase magnification.

something like the revelation 5x barlow (£38.99)

Accessories @ Modern Astronomy

2) Make a diy shroud - A black sheet with velcro is cheapest option.

3) A cleaning kit

4) If you live in london, a light pollution filter will be essential. Something like the skywatcher filter will be perfect (Approx £20)

Light Pollution Reduction

5) A laser collimator (about £40)

Look at the revelation one.

Accessories @ Modern Astronomy

6) A moon filter - around ND96 would be a good choice (usually £10-20)

[ribuck]

forgot to mention your scope should come with a 10mm & 24/26mm eyepieces to get you going.

You dont need to but the laser collimater straight away, but i would definately get the pollution filter for £20 then at some point soon a good barlow.

Rich.

[Winged_Girl]

Thanks again rich

Will need to sit down and really think about it. I have £450.. i didnt mind stretching that extra £10.. but like i said above i was hoping to stick to a budget of £450 and get most things i need :-/

I really am not able to get everything i would need now. so looks like i will have to save up for another month then

[ribuck]

Speak to the online dealer, sometimes if you sweet talk them you can convince them to throw in a few freebies.

Unfortunately it's a very expensive hobby, i've actually spent more money on this hobby over the years than i did doing my pilot's license, so be warned as it's very addictive and costly hobby.......lol.

In fact some people spend over £40k+ for dream setups.

Rich.

[Winged_Girl]

haha i know i would never go that far!! Unless i get a lottery win

[NickK]

I agree it's expensive - however there are only certain things you need immediately (scope with collimator, possibly without the collimator if the scope retains it's collimation during delivery) the rest can follow later. Light pollution would limit your viewing however it may be that your light pollution isn't heavy enough to prevent some DSO such as Orion from being seen.

Cleaning within the first month would only be a problem if the mirror was hit with bird droppings. Just don't use any household cloths or cleaning products on it as they will destroy the mirrors!

The first month will shoot past and you'll then find yourself understanding more about what's needed.

[Winged_Girl]

Thank you Nick!

When i finally decide on the scope will be back asking all the Qs about looking after it

But TBH now im thinking i may just go for a SW 200P dob, the solid tube then have fun with a webcam for the next few months trying to perfect some planetary images.. Silly maybe? who knows. but i would much prefer to stick to my budget and still have some left for all the other bits i am going to definately be needing.. Wish me luck peeps!

[ronin]

Sorry to say this and upset the Dob fraternity but a Dobsonian is not for astrophotography.

If that is what you want to do then do so by all means but imaging of any sort and dobsonians do not go together.

If you ever go on the SGL Imaging day they cover equitorial mounts and Alt/Az mounts for imaging. Note the mount that is missing?

[ribuck]

Ronin, i have to disagree here, whilst i agree GEM are the proper route for imaging, lots of people use dobs for imaging the planets. A dob that has tracking is more than capable of planetary imaging.

[Winged_Girl]

Dont mean to start a fight lol. But after thinking about it all and the whole cost issues that are involved right now i think a Dob would be great for me and the kids.. Iv seen the results a Dob and webcam can achieve with albeit a lot of work and patience, i think I will be more than happy with the results

BUT thank you so much for all your advice that you have given me it is truly appreciated

x

[NickK]

Astro photography is a game of patience.. hours on exposures, hours tinkering to get the shot right. I'm just starting and it's surprising.

Kids usually want some immediate feedback. Hence going visual with a dob on it's basic stand, letting them get an interest and then look at AP (beyond webcam) later.

GOTO takes a while to set up, to get polar aligned, to get star aligned then.. you can get to see an object or three. However you've probably lost their attention. I can't really comment on the kid's attention span however I know it can take 30 minutes or more when you first attempt to use it.. now I'm down to about 10 minutes to Polar align then do a 3 star alignment (I still need to look up the stars in stellarium!).

A dob will give them more wow factor (more aperture) and if you and the kids plan with stellarium then the achievement of finding a DSO is boosted.

The core problem is this:

* Visual works on having the scope with the mount second or even third prioritiy. Dobs are a good starting point.

* DSO AP works with mount first priority then the scope. Starting point here is spending your budget on the EQ mount and then using the DSLR with a secondhand 300mm lens for example, adding the scope later.. and yes Alt-Az mounts are bad for AP as they have to move two axis hence it's not normally advisable to try AP with an Alt-Az mount.

Lunar/Planet AP can be done with webcams and it works. With a dob it will be manual and you will have to learn how to track the planets as they move during the observation session if you don't have GOTO.

Only downside of a dob is the weight as they tend to be larger but I agree with the suggestion to try and get along to a local astronomy society then look through the scopes etc.

Stellarium: www.stellarium.org it's free, works on windows/mac/etc and highly regarded.

[MorningMajor]

Hi Gem

I took these of Saturn the other night with the 127SLT and a Philips SPC880 Webcam - first attempt but shows what's possible - and obvious room for improvement - I hope!

[ribuck]

NickK, you need to be careful not confuse things for Winged Girl, as she is only interested in imaging the planets and not Dso imaging, as she will be doing Visual only of the DSO.

So mentioning EQ mount polar alignment just confuses things. With regards to imaging the planets with a web cam and a Tracking Dob scope, i want to stress a few things here :-

1) The telescope she is looking at is the tracking version, i.e. it has the motors to track the planets, so she will not have to manually track the object.

2) Becuase she is imaging planets and only taking video captures with a web cam for 1-2 mins at a time, then Field De-Rotation does not come into play on the planets for those time spans, therefore she does not need to have a German equtorial Mount.

3) GOTO has nothing to do with tracking end of story. Goto simply uses a hand controller / Astronomy application's database to put an object in your field of view. If a mount has tracking capability (i.e. Motors) it will track an Object. People need to stop confusing Goto with Tracking.

Imaging planets on a "Tracking" Dobson, is no different to Imaging the planets on a fork mounted SCT like most of meade's range of telescopes, their mount type is still Alt/Az based and works in exactly the same with with the exception of the Goto bit which has no link to tracking at all.

Sorry to have to jumpin like this, but I thinks it's very important not to confuse people who are new to the hobby by giving them the wrong information. We need to give them the correct advice so they can choose a Telescope best suited to their needs.

[Winged_Girl]

OH now im so confused

I had decided to give up on the imagin side of things and go for purely visual as everything i was hoping to do takes me way way over my budget. i literally have £450 to spend, thats for a scope and anything else i will need to include to start out then every few months maybe pick up another piece i may need.

Then i was hoping to get a webcam to have fun trying my hardest to get a nice shot because isnt that the joys of a hobby?? Spending time trying to get something perfect?

the goto/tracking scopes are very appealing and will make life easy i know, but isnt astronomy all about learning things for yourself? finding all the wonders of the sky and feeling proud that you managed to find something or finally capture a cracking image?

I dont know... Just feel like now i dont know what i want again lol.

[Orion_the_Hunter]

Some great advice on this thread, but also some confusion is being caused by people talking about DSO imaging.

Gem, to clear things up, I have recently got a http://stargazerslounge.com/equipment-reviews/132996-skywatcher-skyliner-200p-8-dob.html <There is my 'write up' of it. (non tracking, solid tube).

This scope will allow you to take good pics of Moon and Planets using a webcam (or search SGL for 'afocal').

It will not enable you to photograph DSO (galaxies, nenulae etc).

It will, however give you decent views of loads of stuff - DSOs, double stars, clusters, Planets and moon.

It's so intuitive, easy and great fun to use. Finding and tracking things manually for observation is straightforward. You and your kid(s) will really enjoy using this.

A very happy 8" Dob user.

[Winged_Girl]

Some great advice on this thread, but also some confusion is being caused by people talking about DSO imaging.

Gem, to clear things up, I have recently got a http://stargazerslounge.com/equipment-reviews/132996-skywatcher-skyliner-200p-8-dob.html <There is my 'write up' of it. (non tracking, solid tube).

This scope will allow you to take good pics of Moon and Planets using a webcam (or search SGL for 'afocal').

It will not enable you to photograph DSO (galaxies, nenulae etc).

It will, however give you decent views of loads of stuff - DSOs, double stars, clusters, Planets and moon.

It's so intuitive, easy and great fun to use. Finding and tracking things manually for observation is straightforward. You and your kid(s) will really enjoy using this.

A very happy 8" Dob user.

I just literally was sent this review and read it thanks it was a great review and definately pushing towards the dob

Feel like WW3 is kicking off here tho lol

[smudgeball]

Hi

I seriously considered the 127 SLT.

The lure of that extra aperture meant I got the 6SE but looking at those cracking images by SIM, there's not much in it.

I've done a couple of images recently (never really wanted to do any DSO so it's planets for me)

This was last Tuesday night.

If I'm not touring the sky, I just do a "Solar Align" on the planet I want to view and that way it will track (sorry ) after that.

Alt / Az tracking is fine for planetary viewing and if you use a webcam then you should be ok.

If I can use registax, anyone can !

Hope you don't get too confused, I know I went round in circles before deciding......but as they always say...."the best telescope is the one you will use !! "

Good Luck

Regards

Neil

[Winged_Girl]

Nice Image Neil

Thanks for your input

At the moment i am just working out the financial side of things.. If i do go for a goto/tracker it will take me £100 over my budget for all the other bits i will need.. and TBH i havent got that extra £100!

All i have available is £450 for everything. and going for a dob seems like the best for me and my kids

Price wise this will be able to get us everything we will need right from the start

But again thank you every comment counts