Which Telescope?

Hi all,

I'm looking for a little advice. I'm currently obsessed with the night
skies, the origin of our Universe, and everything going on in our
Solar System - but I want to experience some of it first hand. To that
end, I'd like to purchase a telescope.

I've had a look at a few telescopes, but there is a huge range in
price, and I have no idea if I'll be able to do what I want to do (see
what I want to see) within my budget.

I don't know what kind of magnification I'd need to be able to see
much, and therefore don't know how much I need to spend to be able to
do so (have a look at Mars, see Saturn's rings, anything else that's
interesting and visible from the earth).

Any suggestions? For instance, would I be able to see much with the
"Meade EQ114 Equatorial Reflector"? It's a cheap entry-level
'scope...or would I need to spend a bit more?

My budget would probably be £200...enough?

Would a second-hand scope be a good idea?

Thanks in advance,

DSt.

"DSt" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi all,

I'm looking for a little advice. I'm currently obsessed with the night
skies, the origin of our Universe, and everything going on in our
Solar System - but I want to experience some of it first hand. To that
end, I'd like to purchase a telescope.

I've had a look at a few telescopes, but there is a huge range in
price, and I have no idea if I'll be able to do what I want to do (see
what I want to see) within my budget.

I don't know what kind of magnification I'd need to be able to see
much, and therefore don't know how much I need to spend to be able to
do so (have a look at Mars, see Saturn's rings, anything else that's
interesting and visible from the earth).

Any suggestions? For instance, would I be able to see much with the
"Meade EQ114 Equatorial Reflector"? It's a cheap entry-level
'scope...or would I need to spend a bit more?

My budget would probably be £200...enough?

Would a second-hand scope be a good idea?

Thanks in advance,

DSt.
_____________________


Hi DSt,

The best thing you could do is resist the temptation to buy a scope
immediately, and track down your local Astronomical Society.

Contact them, go along to their meetings and observing events, and find out
the answers to all the questiosn you asked. Once you have had the
opportunity to observe through various instruments, and talk to experienced
astronomers, you will be in a much better position to know what sort of
scope is right for you.

Once you know what you want, you will then be able to look for one, either
new or used. Second hand is a good way of getting more for your money, and
UK Astro Buy & Sell, is a good place to look.

As a stop gap, a reasonable pair of 10 x 50 binoculars and a copy of "Turn
left at Orion" is a good place to start learning your way around the sky.


Very best wishes and clear, dark skies.

--

Paul B, York, UK.

York Astronomical Society
www.yorkastro.co.uk
Please buy from the YAS web shop and help YAS raise funds

DSt wrote:
Hi all,

I'm looking for a little advice. I'm currently obsessed with the night
skies, the origin of our Universe, and everything going on in our
Solar System - but I want to experience some of it first hand. To that
end, I'd like to purchase a telescope.

I've had a look at a few telescopes, but there is a huge range in
price, and I have no idea if I'll be able to do what I want to do (see
what I want to see) within my budget.

There are quite a few factors to think about (strangely, magnification
isn't particularly one of them). Before you put your hand in your pocket
you'd be advised to peruse some of the FAQ's on buying a first telescope
that are dotted around the web. I'm sure I found Stephen Tonkin's page
very good way back when (now at: http://astunit.com/tutorials/firstscope.htm)

http://findascope.com/ also looks like a reasonable place to start.

The best advice is to learn what decisions to make to identify what you
want first and don't spend *any* money until you're sure.

FoFP

DSt wrote:

Hi all,

I'm looking for a little advice. I'm currently obsessed with the night
skies, the origin of our Universe, and everything going on in our
Solar System - but I want to experience some of it first hand. To that
end, I'd like to purchase a telescope.

I've had a look at a few telescopes, but there is a huge range in
price, and I have no idea if I'll be able to do what I want to do (see
what I want to see) within my budget.

I know, I went through this myself in the last year or so.

I don't know what kind of magnification I'd need to be able to see
much, and therefore don't know how much I need to spend to be able to
do so (have a look at Mars, see Saturn's rings, anything else that's
interesting and visible from the earth).

Hmm, you may need to decide what you want to look at most, as not all
telescopes are good at everything - particularly at the cheap end. Also,
forget about magnification, and look at aperture instead, as that's what
determines how much you can see.

If you want to concentrate more on the solar system, then a refractor
would be better, and with a motorised mount really (like the Meade ETX
80), otherwise you'll be chasing objects a lot.

However, you may find the best viewing for planets is limited, and you
often find they are low on the horizon, obscured by trees and houses
etc. You've missed the best viewing of Saturn now, the rings are closing
up, and will be edge on in 2010, after which they'll open up again -
beware though, they are on a 15 year cycle. Of course there are other
planets.

You may find some of the deep sky objects easier to watch at first, as
they appear annually, and change very little. The Orion Nebula, Perseus
Double Cluster, and Andromeda galaxy, all make fine objects to find at
first. For these a large reflector will be ideal, and a Dobsonian
mounted one will offer the best value for money.

Any suggestions? For instance, would I be able to see much with the
"Meade EQ114 Equatorial Reflector"? It's a cheap entry-level
'scope...or would I need to spend a bit more?

114mm is OK, but you will find that 150mm is better. I started with a
TAL-1 114mm, and soon realised it wasn't quite enough, albeit a very
fine scope for the money.

My budget would probably be £200...enough?

Yup, you should be able to get the SkyWatcher 150mm Dobsonian for less
than that. Indeed, Sherwoods have them for £160.00.

http://www.sherwoods-photo.com/sky_w...atcher_fs.html

I got the Helios 150mm Dob (which is identical, they just changed the
name), and it's superb. I use an Antares 32mm eyepiece on it, and get
lovely views of the objects I mentioned above.

Having tried one or two different types of scope now, I really think I
should have just bunged all the money into a better Dobsonian (like the
200mm), but I have that and a 105mm Maksutov as well, which is good for
the planets, but isn't a high quality model, so I don't use it much.
Overall the two cost about £300 together.

Would a second-hand scope be a good idea?

Possibly, just watch those cheap ones being sold on eBay though.

This might be a good place to start:

http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/

Finally, get a copy of 'Turn Left At Orion' (Amazon), it's a superb
book, and it shows you objects that you can find with a modest
telescope, along with pictures of what you're actually likely to see.

--
Andy Hewitt
http://web.mac.com/andrewhewitt1/

In uk.sci.astronomy message 1i5ezr5.1e23wr21kcmkvbN%wildrover.andy@goog
lemail.com, Wed, 3 Oct 2007 16:06:47, Andy Hewitt wildrover.andy@googl
email.com posted:

You've missed the best viewing of Saturn now, the rings are closing
up, and will be edge on in 2010, after which they'll open up again -
beware though, they are on a 15 year cycle.

30-year, really, if one regards the two sides of the rings as distinct.

--
(c) John Stockton, Surrey, UK. Turnpike v6.05 MIME.
Web URL:http://www.merlyn.demon.co.uk/ - FAQish topics, acronyms, & links.
Proper = 4-line sig. separator as above, a line exactly "-- " (SonOfRFC1036)
Do not Mail News to me. Before a reply, quote with "" or " " (SonOfRFC1036)

Dr J R Stockton wrote:

In uk.sci.astronomy message 1i5ezr5.1e23wr21kcmkvbN%wildrover.andy@goog
lemail.com, Wed, 3 Oct 2007 16:06:47, Andy Hewitt wildrover.andy@googl
email.com posted:

You've missed the best viewing of Saturn now, the rings are closing
up, and will be edge on in 2010, after which they'll open up again -
beware though, they are on a 15 year cycle.

30-year, really, if one regards the two sides of the rings as distinct.

Good point.

--
Andy Hewitt
http://web.mac.com/andrewhewitt1/

DSt wrote in news:1191412286.546429.37270
@o80g2000hse.googlegroups.com:

My budget would probably be œ200...enough?

Definitely enough to dip your toe in the water.

As someone picking up the hobby again 30 years after being a teenage
astronomer, last year I bought a very 4.5 decent inch reflector - Orion
Starblast - new for 140 quid, and (at the same time) a cheap Bresser
Skylux refractor second-hand for 25 pounds (they sell them in Lidl at
Christmas time for 50-70 quid, and often come up on eBay in the months
after Christmas).

Both telescopes had their good points - the refractor, despite being
cheap as anything, gave excellent views of the moon and the planets; the
tripod proved to be far better than I expected, and even allowed me to
motorise it, allowing me to experiment with some novice photography.

The Orion proved to be perfect for just pointing and looking, and I have
spend many pleasant evenings in the garden with it. Being on a Dob
mount, it is small and portable, which means it tends to get thrown in
the car when I go and visit friends who I think will enjoy it.

More recently, I've picked up an 8" scope - another impulse ebay
purchase - for 150 pounds, but I haven't had the chance to spend any
time with it yet; collecting it 3 days before I went on holiday for a
fortnight, I barely had the time (and clear skies) to check it out
before leaving. But it proved to be a sound purchase, and just shows
what you can get for your money, these days.

Having said all that, I would say that Paul, and others, who suggest you
wait and find a local astronomy group are 100% correct - this is
absolutely sound advice, and worth doing. I didn't have the patience to
wait, and I could have easily come a cropper with my purchasing choices
- fortunately, I didn't. Having said that, every purchase - even the
Lidl scope - was preceded by a few hours in front of Google, working out
what others thought of the scope, and what could be done with it.

Paul's recomendation of "Turn left at Orion" is also spot on.

--
Chris
Minstrel's Hall of Filk - http://www.filklore.com/
Filklore Music Store - http://www.filklore.co.uk/
To contact me, please use form at http://www.filklore.com/contact.phtml

On Oct 3, 12:51 pm, DSt wrote:
Hi all,

I'm looking for a little advice. I'm currently obsessed with the night
skies, the origin of our Universe, and everything going on in our
Solar System - but I want to experience some of it first hand. To that
end, I'd like to purchase a telescope.

It might also be worth finding your local astronomical society. Most
welcome new keen members and as well as lectures some have nights
where you can use the societies telescopes or even borrow surplus kit.
Observers these days are in fairly short supply and some groups like a
minimum of 2 people at isolated premises.

At the very least you will get a chance to look through a few other
telescopes before making your choice, and you may well find someone
local who can help you if you decide to buy a secondhand one. Prices
are often lowest in February after the novelty of Xmas presents has
worn off and the reality of cold clear winters nights begins to bite.

I've had a look at a few telescopes, but there is a huge range in
price, and I have no idea if I'll be able to do what I want to do (see
what I want to see) within my budget.

I don't know what kind of magnification I'd need to be able to see
much, and therefore don't know how much I need to spend to be able to
do so (have a look at Mars, see Saturn's rings, anything else that's
interesting and visible from the earth).

Any suggestions? For instance, would I be able to see much with the
"Meade EQ114 Equatorial Reflector"? It's a cheap entry-level
'scope...or would I need to spend a bit more?

My budget would probably be £200...enough?

It is a bit tight. The usual advice for a samll reflector is 6" and
3-4" for a refractor. David Knisely's telescope FAQ although US
biassed is worth a look at (as are the webpages of TelescopeHouse and
David Hinds).

http://www.astronomytoday.com/astronomy/tbfaq.html

You might well be better off saving up for a bit longer and joining a
club to get access to scopes without initially having to buy one
outright. Astrofest in London is worth a visit (also in Feb) to see
most of the gear on display.

Would a second-hand scope be a good idea?

It might well be. The savings are worthwhile if you know what to look
for. Most of mine over the years have been second hand preferring to
buy more aperture over a mint cosmetic finish.

Regards,
Martin Brown

DSt wrote:


Any suggestions?

http://astunit.com/tutorials/firstscope.htm
http://astunit.com/tutorials/evaluating.htm

Best,
Stephen

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"DSt" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi all,

I'm looking for a little advice. ...

I'd recommend that you get hold of a copy of Philips Startgazing With a
Telescope from WH Smith (say). It contains a lot of practical advice and
background information. It doesn't contain anything that you can't get for
free from the links provided already, plus numerous other internet
resources, but it's handy to have it all (well, perhaps not all) in one
place. It costs £7.99.


Also, I'd advise you to try to find out what you will actually see using the
models in your price range. You'll see some wonderful images in mags an in
this NG, but don't expect the same results when observing directly. Don't
let that put you off though; just get the right expectations and you won't
be disappointed. I woke up just before 4 this morning and peaked out of the
window straight at Venus, Saturn and a thin crescent moon. I then spent a
couple of hours pointing my little scope here there and everywhere. It was
great fun (yawn).



Pete K