First Telescope with £2K Budget

Hi,

I'm about to purchase a first telescope and have considered the Meade LX90.
I've capped my budget at £2K. I have never done astronomy before and just
want to be able to set up in the garden, find some interesting objects to
view with minimum fuss and maybe take some photos with a compact digit
camera if possible (35mm available if no alternative).

My questions a

1. Is the LX90 a good choice and what other choices in this price range are
worth considering? What kind of viewing experience is achievable regarding
planets, galaxies etc with this power of telescope?
2. Is the LX90's GPS option (£169) worth it, what's the impact of not
having it?
3. Is there any other major component that I need to add to my starter pack
in addition to telescope and tripod?
4. Has anyone successfully mounted a compact digital camera (mines a Cannon
S50) onto a telescope and produced worthwhile results?

Many thanks for your advise and comments

1. Is the LX90 a good choice and what other choices in this price range are
worth considering?

Lots of possibilities, different types and sizes, but the LX-90 is a good one.
If you haven't done so already, I suggest hooking up with your local astronomy
club and getting a look at and through a variety of scopes.

What kind of viewing experience is achievable regarding
planets, galaxies etc with this power of telescope?

You should get good sharp views of the planets, nice views of the various sorts
of DSOs, open clusters and globulars will be nice, various nebulas and galaxies
will be exciting, depending on how dark your local skies are.

2. Is the LX90's GPS option (£169) worth it, what's the impact of not
having it?

From what I understand it just helps orient the scope and maybe provide an
accurate time. It is not needed IMHO when compared to other more useful
accessories.

3. Is there any other major component that I need to add to my starter pack
in addition to telescope and tripod?

a. Either a dew heater or dew shield, maybe both. The corrector plate is
relatively thin and exposed. Dew forms with form on it very readily, fogging
it up and causing various difficulties. This should be standard on SCTs IMHO.

b. Eyepieces. In the US, Meade buyers can purchase a nice set of Plossl
eyepieces for an additional $99. It is a definite bargin and provides a decent
set of eyepieces to allow viewing most any target at an optimal magnification.

4. Has anyone successfully mounted a compact digital camera (mines a Cannon
S50) onto a telescope and produced worthwhile results?

I am sure it has been done. Planets and the moon are pretty straight forward.
Deep Sky Objects get trickier because of the longer exposures required. The
S50 is capable of 15 second exposures, probably get some images of brighter
clusters, I really don't know. For long exposures a Wedge is required so that
the scope can be mounted equatorially, not sure how that is done with the
LX-90.

jon

1. Is the LX90 a good choice and what other choices in this price range are
worth considering?

Lots of possibilities, different types and sizes, but the LX-90 is a good one.
If you haven't done so already, I suggest hooking up with your local astronomy
club and getting a look at and through a variety of scopes.

What kind of viewing experience is achievable regarding
planets, galaxies etc with this power of telescope?

You should get good sharp views of the planets, nice views of the various sorts
of DSOs, open clusters and globulars will be nice, various nebulas and galaxies
will be exciting, depending on how dark your local skies are.

2. Is the LX90's GPS option (£169) worth it, what's the impact of not
having it?

From what I understand it just helps orient the scope and maybe provide an
accurate time. It is not needed IMHO when compared to other more useful
accessories.

3. Is there any other major component that I need to add to my starter pack
in addition to telescope and tripod?

a. Either a dew heater or dew shield, maybe both. The corrector plate is
relatively thin and exposed. Dew forms with form on it very readily, fogging
it up and causing various difficulties. This should be standard on SCTs IMHO.

b. Eyepieces. In the US, Meade buyers can purchase a nice set of Plossl
eyepieces for an additional $99. It is a definite bargin and provides a decent
set of eyepieces to allow viewing most any target at an optimal magnification.

4. Has anyone successfully mounted a compact digital camera (mines a Cannon
S50) onto a telescope and produced worthwhile results?

I am sure it has been done. Planets and the moon are pretty straight forward.
Deep Sky Objects get trickier because of the longer exposures required. The
S50 is capable of 15 second exposures, probably get some images of brighter
clusters, I really don't know. For long exposures a Wedge is required so that
the scope can be mounted equatorially, not sure how that is done with the
LX-90.

jon

I second Jon's comments. I bought an LX90 as my first scope, and am very
glad I did. The downsides to it:
1. The tripod is 20 lbs, the scope and mount are 33 lbs. So depending on
your strength, it my not be terribly portable.
2. Like all SCTs, it does not have a wide field of view. So you'll likely
find planets, the moon, globulars, and DSOs your favorite objects; open
clusters won't be terribly impressive, because you won't see all of them.
3. Will take 30-45 minutes to cool down and get excellent images (though
most 8" scopes will take the similar length of time for this).
Now for the upsides:
1. Most people have found their LX90 to be very reliable.
2. GoTo helps you learn where everything is. The LX90 is pretty accurate,
when aligned properly and calibrated.
3. Lots of support from other amateurs, books, magazines, and the web.
There's a yahoo group on the LX90; superb source of info, both for newcomers
and experienced people.
4. If Meade still has their eyepiece special on... a great deal. Take it.
5. The Meade LPI option ($150 here in the US) is a great way to start on
astrophotography.

You will need a dew shield and likely a dew heater. Comes with living in
England.

Buy an issue of Astronomy Now, and find one (or more!) astronomy clubs
nearby in the clubs listing section. Attend a star party so you can
freeload views from various kinds of scopes. We're all quite happy to share
and deliver our opinions.

I second Jon's comments. I bought an LX90 as my first scope, and am very
glad I did. The downsides to it:
1. The tripod is 20 lbs, the scope and mount are 33 lbs. So depending on
your strength, it my not be terribly portable.
2. Like all SCTs, it does not have a wide field of view. So you'll likely
find planets, the moon, globulars, and DSOs your favorite objects; open
clusters won't be terribly impressive, because you won't see all of them.
3. Will take 30-45 minutes to cool down and get excellent images (though
most 8" scopes will take the similar length of time for this).
Now for the upsides:
1. Most people have found their LX90 to be very reliable.
2. GoTo helps you learn where everything is. The LX90 is pretty accurate,
when aligned properly and calibrated.
3. Lots of support from other amateurs, books, magazines, and the web.
There's a yahoo group on the LX90; superb source of info, both for newcomers
and experienced people.
4. If Meade still has their eyepiece special on... a great deal. Take it.
5. The Meade LPI option ($150 here in the US) is a great way to start on
astrophotography.

You will need a dew shield and likely a dew heater. Comes with living in
England.

Buy an issue of Astronomy Now, and find one (or more!) astronomy clubs
nearby in the clubs listing section. Attend a star party so you can
freeload views from various kinds of scopes. We're all quite happy to share
and deliver our opinions.

Many thanks to everyone for their comments and advise. I will certainly try
and hook up with some locals and benefit from their experience.

Regards,

Phil

"David Feindel" wrote in message
...
I second Jon's comments. I bought an LX90 as my first scope, and am very
glad I did. The downsides to it:
1. The tripod is 20 lbs, the scope and mount are 33 lbs. So depending on
your strength, it my not be terribly portable.
2. Like all SCTs, it does not have a wide field of view. So you'll
likely
find planets, the moon, globulars, and DSOs your favorite objects; open
clusters won't be terribly impressive, because you won't see all of them.
3. Will take 30-45 minutes to cool down and get excellent images (though
most 8" scopes will take the similar length of time for this).
Now for the upsides:
1. Most people have found their LX90 to be very reliable.
2. GoTo helps you learn where everything is. The LX90 is pretty
accurate,
when aligned properly and calibrated.
3. Lots of support from other amateurs, books, magazines, and the web.
There's a yahoo group on the LX90; superb source of info, both for
newcomers
and experienced people.
4. If Meade still has their eyepiece special on... a great deal. Take
it.
5. The Meade LPI option ($150 here in the US) is a great way to start on
astrophotography.

You will need a dew shield and likely a dew heater. Comes with living in
England.

Buy an issue of Astronomy Now, and find one (or more!) astronomy clubs
nearby in the clubs listing section. Attend a star party so you can
freeload views from various kinds of scopes. We're all quite happy to
share
and deliver our opinions.

Many thanks to everyone for their comments and advise. I will certainly try
and hook up with some locals and benefit from their experience.

Regards,

Phil

"David Feindel" wrote in message
...
I second Jon's comments. I bought an LX90 as my first scope, and am very
glad I did. The downsides to it:
1. The tripod is 20 lbs, the scope and mount are 33 lbs. So depending on
your strength, it my not be terribly portable.
2. Like all SCTs, it does not have a wide field of view. So you'll
likely
find planets, the moon, globulars, and DSOs your favorite objects; open
clusters won't be terribly impressive, because you won't see all of them.
3. Will take 30-45 minutes to cool down and get excellent images (though
most 8" scopes will take the similar length of time for this).
Now for the upsides:
1. Most people have found their LX90 to be very reliable.
2. GoTo helps you learn where everything is. The LX90 is pretty
accurate,
when aligned properly and calibrated.
3. Lots of support from other amateurs, books, magazines, and the web.
There's a yahoo group on the LX90; superb source of info, both for
newcomers
and experienced people.
4. If Meade still has their eyepiece special on... a great deal. Take
it.
5. The Meade LPI option ($150 here in the US) is a great way to start on
astrophotography.

You will need a dew shield and likely a dew heater. Comes with living in
England.

Buy an issue of Astronomy Now, and find one (or more!) astronomy clubs
nearby in the clubs listing section. Attend a star party so you can
freeload views from various kinds of scopes. We're all quite happy to
share
and deliver our opinions.