First telescope -> GS-600

[davidpretorius]

First thread for me


Looking to get into astronomy. Have a 5 year daughter who is loving looking at the heavens. Have read lots of threads and have a great chat with the guys at Andrews COmmunications in Sydney.

Two choices i believe:
1. a 76mm skywatcher for around that $249 or

2. Guan Sheng GS-600 starting at $699.00. add filters and lenses etc and freight and it is just shy of $1000.

Want to look at the heavens, not terrestrial and pick up planets, the odd galaxy etc.

Maybe even add a camera or computer link to the telescope etc

Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks

David Pretorius

[JohnH]

Difficult to compare those two as they are very different, with a 5 year old manual tracking is going to be a problem, for ease of use and an intorduction to the sky you might consider a small goto system like the Meade ETX90, Celestron Nextstar or similar, these are < $1000 now. General advice is do not get a cheap, unstable mount it will put you and your daughter off. The GS-600 is on an EQ3 and might serve you better if you want to do more than planets/moon visual observing.

[ballaratdragons]

Hi David and Welcome!!!

If you are going to go into Astrophotography of Deep Space stuff you will need a mount with tracking capabilities.

If you want to look at Deep Space but only photograph planets and moon you would get away with using a Dob to keep the cost down. That way you can get a bigger scope for less dollars.

Astronomy is a very enjoyable hobby for kids unless they use poor equipment. Then they lose interest quickly.

Do you live in a fairly dark site? If you do, a smallish GoTo may be the answer.

[asimov]

G'day david & welcome to the forum mate!

Out of those 2 choice's, I would have to say the gs-600 would be the one to go for. It's of fairly short focal length = nice wide views, but also harder to collimate the optics. I think the tripod it sits on could be a bit rickety. I recommend some collimating tools as well if you go for the gs-600.

Suggestions from other forum members more knowledgeable than me in this area may be needed though. :thumbsup:

[asimov]

David... >http://www.geckooptical.com/cgi-bin/gecko/index.cgi?catid=2&subcatid=12

[iceman]

Hi David!

:welcome: to the forum? How did you hear about us?

Where abouts do you live? It would be a good idea to try and attend a local star party for a nearby astro club, or if you live near any of the forum members here, i'm sure you'd be more than welcome to attend a viewing night with them.

That way you can get to see how big or small these scopes are, whether you think you'll want or need tracking etc.

[acropolite]

David Wrote The dob would be the go, but given the above statement neither would really be suitable. The Skywatcher (or something similar, but in 80mm and with better optics), may be the best option as it can always be used for widefield or a guidescope if Camera/computer operation is your future aim.

[davidpretorius]

lots of peole talk about dobs, i assume that is the mount???. i like the gs600 as it seems to be able to do the most things

[davidpretorius]

to answer iceman, i think i searched under google or ninemsn and the website came highly recommended. i agree, it is very good.


I am based in launceston tasmania, but we have a shack on the east coast, where there are no lights whatsoever.

[asimov]

If you must get the GS-600..seriously think about a heavier mount for it, like an EQ5.....Not sure if Andrews sell just the OTA (optical tube assembly)though.

[asimov]

How'd you go David?

[davidpretorius]

very happy, as i feel i am getting there in making a decision. asimov mentions the heavy duty eq5 mount, but where would a dob fit in here, is it better, more stable, easier to set up?


thanks everyone for your help.

dave p

[rmcpb]

With dobs you just plonk them down and start observing. They are a completely manual mount but very simple. My youngest son has been jumping around the sky using mine since he was just 5 years old, he's a real pro now at 6 and a half :) The beauty is that theya re very simple to use and you are really paying for the optics not the optics and a fancy mount.

However, if astrophotography is important them a scope on a good GEM is a better choice although you can get a dob then buy a heavy GEM later when the budget allows and use the scope as either a dob or an equatorial mounted model for photography.

[ving]

the gs-600 would be the pick of the 2 i guess :) as you will see more than with the smaller scope. if you arent taking pics tho then a 8" dob woud be even better.
however it seems you are going down the astropic road so the 600 woud be a good choice, but as already said see about upgrading the mount as the eq3 would be ok for viewing but not for pics :)

[davidpretorius]

thanks all again. I am now certain that I will be very happy purchasing from Andrew:

-------------------------------------
Guan Sheng GS-880-BK7-CRF
$699.00 AUD

250mm x 1250mm reflector with 2" Crayford style focuser on a dobsonian mount.
-------------------------------------
$75 freight to tasmania, some lenses, filters and i will be away for just under $1000.

A solid trolley, chair & a very excited 5 year old daughter (she already wants to keep the star chart i got given near her bed at night) will all add up to a great investment.

I can just see it now:

" My wife will just shake her head knowingly at my silly grin that will adorn my face for years to come. Her patience will be legendary as I come running up from the driveway to share what I have just seen. And I am sure that she will ride out those embarassing moments she will no doubt feel when every time I will be introduced to someone at some posh cocktail party when I will blurt out 'Nice to meet you, I have a new telescope!' "

Great feedback from all, I really appreciate it. I will keep everyone up to date on how the adventure goes.

[asimov]

It's a far-cry from a 8" GS on an EQ but hey, ENJOY your new scope mate! Your daughter will fall over in awe when she see's the size of it!!:eyepop: :thumbsup:

[davidpretorius]

thanks asimov, in the future, i can buy a heavy duty eq5 mount for the 10" and basically get the best of both worlds. Would that be correct?

[asimov]

No, IMHO an EQ6 minimum.

[davidpretorius]

thanks again, for the newbie, what is IMHO?


EQ6, i will search for some prices for for future budget

By the way, that 12" monster is a beauty that is in the buy / sell forum!

[asimov]

Thanks David.. IMHO "in my humble opinion" Not sure...EQ 6 approx. $1400-$1600

[Iddon]

I think there is a Meade ETX90 on e-bay at the moment for less than $1000. And the Sirius chap also had a second hand one for a similar price ($900 ??)