Advice on 8" Sky Mentor dobsonion

Hi

I'm planning on buying my first telescope and an really excited about
it. I've gone to two local stores (I live in Toronto, Canada) and they
advised me to get a big dobsonion telescope, since they're not too
pricey, and good for beginners. The people at the stores told me I'd be
able to see pretty much everything in the night sky with an 8" dobsonion
given good conditions. Is this true?

After looking at the prices of the telescopes, I am thinking about
getting a '8" f/6 Sky Mentor dobsonion' , but I'd like a bit of advice
from someone who has used this kind of telescope before buying. Is it a
good quality telescope? Also, I know you have to push the telescope with
your hands to aim it, so how do you find specific objects in the sky?

Also, what other advice can you give me about dobsonions in general?
What should I look for in a good quality telescope? Are there any good
astronomy websites related to dobsonion telescopes I should look at?

I know thats a lot of questions, but any info would be much appreciated!

Thanks a lot!
Alex

Look at Orion's 8" Goto Dob

www.telecope.com

I LOVE my 8" reflector on EQ mount. (Skyview Pro 9)

Chris



"Alex A" wrote in message
. cable.rogers.com...
Hi

I'm planning on buying my first telescope and an really excited about
it. I've gone to two local stores (I live in Toronto, Canada) and they
advised me to get a big dobsonion telescope, since they're not too
pricey, and good for beginners. The people at the stores told me I'd be
able to see pretty much everything in the night sky with an 8" dobsonion
given good conditions. Is this true?

After looking at the prices of the telescopes, I am thinking about
getting a '8" f/6 Sky Mentor dobsonion' , but I'd like a bit of advice
from someone who has used this kind of telescope before buying. Is it a
good quality telescope? Also, I know you have to push the telescope with
your hands to aim it, so how do you find specific objects in the sky?

Also, what other advice can you give me about dobsonions in general?
What should I look for in a good quality telescope? Are there any good
astronomy websites related to dobsonion telescopes I should look at?

I know thats a lot of questions, but any info would be much appreciated!

Thanks a lot!
Alex

"Alex A" wrote in message
. cable.rogers.com...
Hi

Snippage for brevity here
The people at the stores told me I'd be
able to see pretty much everything in the night sky with an 8" dobsonion
given good conditions. Is this true?

8" of aperture is considered the minumum for deep sky observing in average
conditions (suburban, not too much light pollution). I'd say the people at
the stores are steering you in the right direction.

After looking at the prices of the telescopes, I am thinking about
getting a '8" f/6 Sky Mentor dobsonion' , but I'd like a bit of advice
from someone who has used this kind of telescope before buying. Is it a
good quality telescope? Also, I know you have to push the telescope with
your hands to aim it, so how do you find specific objects in the sky?

They usually come with a finder scope or reflex sight. You can locate most
objects with the chart and then the finder scope. You can "star hop" with
practice from a known star nearby the object you're looking for. A telrad
sight is helpful, because it projects a known diameter ring(s) onto its
viewing area, so you can measure angular distance and more easily locate
objects. (sounds complicated, but you'll pick it up, don't worry).
I have never seen, and am not familiar with the brand you describe.

Also, what other advice can you give me about dobsonions in general?

They work best when collimated.
They are relatively low maintenance.
They offer the most aperture for the dollar.
Aperture and mirror figure are most important.
Go to www.cloudynights.com and see what kind of reviews they have for
various dobsonians.
If at all possible try to borrow the scope to do a star test.
Here's how you do it:
http://aberrator.astronomy.net/html/...r-testing.html
If you can't borrow one, you'll have to rely on telescope reviews, like
those found on cloudynights.com, or Ed Ting's site:
http://www.scopereviews.com/

What should I look for in a good quality telescope? Are there any good
astronomy websites related to dobsonion telescopes I should look at?
It should move well--not jerky. Smooth as butter in both elevation and
azimuth (compass direction). If it is sticky, don't buy it. Buy one that's
not sticky.
Sticky scopes are fixable, but you shouldn't be fixing your scope--you're a
newbie. You should be looking through it at the wonders of the sky. ;-)

I have tried SCTs to 8", APOs to 4", 10" Eq Newts, and so on.
I love my big dob. Love it. Absolutely love it. Did I say I love my dob?

I know thats a lot of questions, but any info would be much appreciated!

That will be $4 US. You can pay on your way out. Good luck to you.
You're heading in the right direction. No rush to buy. The sky will wait
for you.

Regards,
Etok




__________________________________________________ _____________________________
Posted Via Uncensored-News.Com - Accounts Starting At $6.95 - http://www.uncensored-news.com
The Worlds Uncensored News Source

Alex
I would suggest that you do as I did and build your own Dob.You get
much more bang for the buck and construction is not that difficult.You
will probably end up with a 12" for what you would pay for the 8".
A good place to find pieces and parts is On Astromart.
If you consider building your own there are lots of people including
myself to help you out.
I agree with the comment about a 8" being minimal for DSO's.Hell I
consider my 10" f/5.6 to be minimal and that is why I built a 13" f/4.5.
Don't forget if you want to view DSO's then don't expect great detail
in planets.On the other hand if you get into photos then a big fast
lighbucket is the way to go IMHO
Arthur


Alex A wrote:
Hi

I'm planning on buying my first telescope and an really excited about
it. I've gone to two local stores (I live in Toronto, Canada) and they
advised me to get a big dobsonion telescope, since they're not too
pricey, and good for beginners. The people at the stores told me I'd be
able to see pretty much everything in the night sky with an 8" dobsonion
given good conditions. Is this true?

After looking at the prices of the telescopes, I am thinking about
getting a '8" f/6 Sky Mentor dobsonion' , but I'd like a bit of advice
from someone who has used this kind of telescope before buying. Is it a
good quality telescope? Also, I know you have to push the telescope with
your hands to aim it, so how do you find specific objects in the sky?

Also, what other advice can you give me about dobsonions in general?
What should I look for in a good quality telescope? Are there any good
astronomy websites related to dobsonion telescopes I should look at?

I know thats a lot of questions, but any info would be much appreciated!

Thanks a lot!
Alex

On Tue, 30 Sep 2003 02:31:04 GMT, Alex A wrote:

Hi

I'm planning on buying my first telescope and an really excited about
it. I've gone to two local stores (I live in Toronto, Canada) and they
advised me to get a big dobsonion telescope, since they're not too
pricey, and good for beginners. The people at the stores told me I'd be
able to see pretty much everything in the night sky with an 8" dobsonion
given good conditions. Is this true?


If its your first scope , the 8 inch dob, and especially this one, is
a great choice .

Dont be sucked by the Orion Intelliscope with optional dsc computer.
The computer is a seriously crippled one with a tiny number of objects
in its database. Use the savings to buy a good star atlas.

On 09/30/03 18:12 +0900, Geoff wrote:

Dont be sucked by the Orion Intelliscope with optional dsc computer.
The computer is a seriously crippled one with a tiny number of objects
in its database. Use the savings to buy a good star atlas.

Eh? From the Orion site:

" The IntelliScope database includes over 14,000 celestial
objects: 837 stars (including double and variable stars), 7,840
NGC objects, 5,386 IC objects, 101 Messier objects, 8 major
planets, 99 user-entered objects, and 12 monthly tours!"

That doesn't sound seriously crippled to me. What am I missing?

trane
--
//------------------------------------------------------------
// Trane Francks Tokyo, Japan
// Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty.
// http://mp3.com/trane_francks/

Hi Arthur

Say I do spend a few months and build a larger telescope (given that
it's not too technically difficult). Wouldn't the quality of a
professionally made dobsonion be better than anything I could make?

Alex

C3PO wrote:
Alex
I would suggest that you do as I did and build your own Dob.You get
much more bang for the buck and construction is not that difficult.You
will probably end up with a 12" for what you would pay for the 8".
A good place to find pieces and parts is On Astromart.
If you consider building your own there are lots of people including
myself to help you out.
I agree with the comment about a 8" being minimal for DSO's.Hell I
consider my 10" f/5.6 to be minimal and that is why I built a 13" f/4.5.
Don't forget if you want to view DSO's then don't expect great detail
in planets.On the other hand if you get into photos then a big fast
lighbucket is the way to go IMHO
Arthur


Alex A wrote:

Hi

I'm planning on buying my first telescope and an really excited about
it. I've gone to two local stores (I live in Toronto, Canada) and they
advised me to get a big dobsonion telescope, since they're not too
pricey, and good for beginners. The people at the stores told me I'd
be able to see pretty much everything in the night sky with an 8"
dobsonion given good conditions. Is this true?

After looking at the prices of the telescopes, I am thinking about
getting a '8" f/6 Sky Mentor dobsonion' , but I'd like a bit of advice
from someone who has used this kind of telescope before buying. Is it
a good quality telescope? Also, I know you have to push the telescope
with your hands to aim it, so how do you find specific objects in the
sky?

Also, what other advice can you give me about dobsonions in general?
What should I look for in a good quality telescope? Are there any good
astronomy websites related to dobsonion telescopes I should look at?

I know thats a lot of questions, but any info would be much appreciated!

Thanks a lot!
Alex

Dont be sucked by the Orion Intelliscope with optional dsc computer.
The computer is a seriously crippled one with a tiny number of objects
in its database. Use the savings to buy a good star atlas.

There is a data base of 14,000 objects. Hardly tiny. Here is the list of the
included objects:

""The IntelliScope database includes over 14,000 celestial objects: 837 stars
(including double and variable stars), 7,840 NGC objects, 5,386 IC objects, 101
Messier objects, 8 major planets, 99 user-entered objects, and 12 monthly
tours!

This is a huge data base and should keep an observer occupied for a long long
time.""

Regarding the various options. I think an 8 or 10 inch DOB is a good choice.
Lots to see and intuitive to use, certainly the most bang for the buck.

With a DOB one big issue is whether you will enjoy searching the sky to find
new objects or if you will become frustrated with the effort required. I enjoy
searching and "discovering" new objects, putting them into my personal database
that passes for a brain and then slowly assembling the big picture. I like to
stand under the stars and just point my finger at various gems and jewels that
hidden in the treasure map of the night sky.

Regarding building your own. If your goal is to look at the stars and enjoy
the night sky, building a scope will be a detour and take some real time. And
given the low cost of the 8 and 10 inch Asian DOBs, it is not clear to me that
one really saves much, if any money. Probably if one grinds ones own mirrors,
there is a savings.

I think that purchasing the Sky Mentor 8 inch F6 Dob could provide you with
many hours of pleasure and learning. Similar scopes have provided me with
great fun and enjoyment over the years.

If you are the sort of person who appreciates elegent simplicity over masterful
complexity, then a Dob is likely a good choice for you.

jon

"C3PO" wrote in message
...
Alex
I would suggest that you do as I did and build your own Dob.You get
much more bang for the buck

Arthur

Could you supply a component list with prices and vendors? I would like to
build my own just for better quality, but can't get anywhere near the price
of the complete scope.

thanks,
jon

On 30 Sep 2003 13:46:15 GMT, (Jon Isaacs) wrote:

Dont be sucked by the Orion Intelliscope with optional dsc computer.
The computer is a seriously crippled one with a tiny number of objects
in its database. Use the savings to buy a good star atlas.

There is a data base of 14,000 objects. Hardly tiny. Here is the list of the
included objects:

""The IntelliScope database includes over 14,000 celestial objects: 837 stars
(including double and variable stars), 7,840 NGC objects, 5,386 IC objects, 101
Messier objects, 8 major planets, 99 user-entered objects, and 12 monthly
tours!

The one I read about had a database of only 200 objects !
There was much discussion about this on the yahoo group "xt
telescopes".