Help choosing a good telescope for begginers

[scotty_le_b]

I'm new to this site but I have been doing astroomy for a few months now and have learned the constelations and used binoculars but I am totally new to telescopes. I was hopng someone could explain the types of telescopes and those numbers that you see when looking to buy telescopes. Also would it be better to have a computerised one and what other equipment would I need? So basically could someone take me through the process of buying my first telescope:) and explain the confusing stuff?

[nicnac]

GOTO are great if you cant be bothered learning your sky

are you talking about the "f" number? (F5 ect)

other equipment, decent EPs and a good barlow can be handy and a collimation tool

[nicnac]

a link to a similar thread

http://stargazerslounge.com/beginners-help-advice/137068-any-advice-newcomer-please.html

[nightfisher]

right scott, first you need to decide if you want to observe or do imaging, be warned imaging can be very costly!

there is 3 main types of scope...refractor, reflector and maksutov. If you choose visual observing a good scope would be a dobsonian refrlector, 150mm or even better 200mm.

[rowan46]

The first thing you need to decide is what do you wish to see planets, dso's or both. next you need to decide how portable does it need to be for your needs. a bigger scope gives better views but if you can't lift it or it needs to go in the car the biggest may not be best for you. the next thing to decide is budget. this will determine whether to buy new or 2nd hand some people would never consider 2nd hand as they like the security of a guarantee or don't want to wait for however long it takes for that ideal used scope to come up for sale others like someone one else to take the hit of depreciation and don't consider a lack of guarantee a problem as most astronomers look after their gear. come back with your thoughts on what you want to see, what sort of location you are at. How much you want to spend etc and I guarantee the suggestions will come in thick and fast for you. And perhaps most importantly welcome to sgl

[scotty_le_b]

Right so thanks for all the replies. They have been realy helpful

I want to be able to see planets but also DSO's

I live in the country and I have got plenty space

Portability is not a huge problem, it wouldn't need to fit in the car

My budget, I would't want to spend anything more than £600 and £200 would be the bottom end but anything cheaper than that would be a bonus. Budget=£200-£600

I hope that is everything but please tell me if I have forgot anything

[scotty_le_b]

Oh sorry I forgot to mention that at the moment I just want to observe, although in a few years I might consider photography. Would that be a problem eg. if I bought a telescope now could I use it for photography later? :S

[rowan46]

imaging and visual have different priorities. imaging is primarily about the mount, it needs to be absolutely steady, good tracking and capable of guiding. visual work requires as large an apparture as you can get. most purely visual people get dobsonian mounts. as more of the money is spent on the optics.

Here is the quandary if you buy a big scope now and expect to use it for photography you are going to need a very big and expensive mount to put it on later. Most imagers use 2 set ups for this reason. the heq5 mount is considered the minimum mount for astrophotography, but there is no way you will be able to use a big reflector on it to image.

My tuppence worth is get yourself a 150p dob for now Dobsonians - Skywatcher Skyliner 150P Dobsonian and put the money saved towards saving for an eq6 mount.

Its not the best visual scope out there bigger would be better but its small enough so you don't have to buy another scope later on when you get your eq6. or you could blow your whole budget now on a Dobsonians - Skywatcher Skyliner 250PX Dobsonian and then save from scratch for an imaging set up this book is a great book for those who wish to to do imaging of deep sky objects

Books - Making Every Photon Count - Steve Richards

I hope this post helps

[scotty_le_b]

Thaks for that it was a big help. I think I will stick to observing rather than photography. Sorry if this is a stupid question but what do you mean by 150p dob, eq6 mount and heq5 mount? I am a little confused:icon_confused:

[rowan46]

sorry my fault, they are all models of scopes and mounts. If you want to do purely visual i would recommend the Dobsonians - Skywatcher Skyliner 250PX Dobsonian

the dob bit refers to the mount its a simple mdf base it sound awful but because the mount is so cheap it means all of your money goes into the glass which after all is what you're looking through. at that ptice it will leave you a little cash left for any extra bits you will want. the dob requires a little practice but you soon get the hang of it. I have seen dob users viewing their targets whilst those with goto electronics are still trying to get their mount aligned. I forgot to warn you the 250p scope is a big beast so make sure you have somewhere to keep it

[scotty_le_b]

Ah i see. Probably another stupid question but do you put that telescope you recommended on something like a stand???

[rowan46]

no you don't need to. just put the scope on the dob base stick an eyepiece on and you're good to go. you may need to get the mirrors in alignment (collimation) there are plent of tutorials on it and its not as difficult as it sounds.

[Geo]

I just bought the 250px dob Scotty, and it's a gorgeous big beast. Much like you I want to get into photography eventually, so I'm saving for a mount. I've only had a shot twice and struggled with the tracking a bit. Rowan's words are encouraging about the dobsonian mount. I was gonna go get a mount this week but after reading this thread I may just stick with the dob mount and get better with it. At least until I can afford a really good mount for photography.So yeah Scotty I'd recommend it. I done a whole bunch of research and this is the scope that kept being recommended to me. I'm really pleased with it. Here's it is..

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[scotty_le_b]

Okay thanks. Have you used it and if so was it easy to use?

[Geo]

I saw Saturn on my first go and tracked it for around an hour. That's me hooked! One thing I would say is that the finderscope you get with it isn't too great, I have bought Telrad finder which makes it a lot easier for me to line up objects with. It just sticks onto the end of your scope where suits you best. It's definitely the best add-on I've bought so far .

[scotty_le_b]

I was looking at the photo and it looked like if u had it at a high angle then to look through it you would need to lie on the ground:L Which probably isn't the case but could you explain that?

[Geo]

No not at all, even when the scope is completely vertical I only have to bend slightly to see through the eyepiece. I'm 5'11/6 ft. Unless you are a giant you should be okay. I'm only about a week ahead of you in knowledge Scotty. I'm still very much at the beginning of my astronomy adventure but it's one I'm delighted to be on.

[stardad]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

This type of scope only swivels forward from where its upright to the left as you are looking not the right. The base (the round bit at the bottom with the curved arms goes 360 degree's around to give you the movement. You'd be standing to the side you are looking at or in some case's bent over the scope to see. A very good tool for observing from.

[rowan46]

hi scotty the tube is a newtonian reflector which means the eyepiece is located at the top of the scope and at the side the bit you see in the pic at the top is the finder scope the eyepiece bit is located round the back out of sight of the pic

[scotty_le_b]

Okay. That one looks quite good so now I suppose I will have to buy one then I will finally be able to get a closer look at the sky which I have been looking forward to for a while now.

I would just like to thank everyone for their help.

[dmahon]

If you want to observe everything, the biggest Skywatcher Dobsonian you feel comfortable spending money on will be the best for you. Be aware that DSO (deep space objects) do not look anywhere near as impressive as the photographs taken of them.

You need something different for imaging, and unfortunately more expensive.

[rowan46]

If you want to observe everything, the biggest Skywatcher Dobsonian you feel comfortable spending money on will be the best for you. Be aware that DSO (deep space objects) do not look anywhere near as impressive as the photographs taken of them.

You need something different for imaging, and unfortunately more expensive.

Its a good point about dso's and i forgot to mention it. even in a very big scope you won't see the detail and colour that the images give

[nicnac]

as a starter telescope I dont think I would go higher than a 250,you could be suprised at how big these things can be, if it starts to become a chore to set up, the telescope may get very little use after a while