Thread: First Telescope
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Old 02-01-2020, 01:46 PM
astro744
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astro744 is offline
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,244
I forgot about GOTO and I think its a great idea for some but I prefer to learn the sky from books, charts and looking up. The problem I see with GOTO is that the telescope finds your objects, you look at them and then move onto the next one (provided your system is properly setup to begin with). You don't learn how to find them yourself by star hoping as you don't need to and even the concept of field of view is not critical although try GOTO with high power/narrow field and you'll get frustrated. I find it amazing how many people think an entire constellation is visible in the telescope through a single eyepiece at one time. Point your finger out at arms length and the width of your fingernail is about what you see at low power.

I like to take my charts out and star hop to objects of interest and I try to memorise where each is. Over time I can find a dozen objects before I would have even gotten my GOTO aligned on some reference stars. I have both GOTO and Push To on separate mounts (GM8/Gemini I and AZ8/Nexus II+moving map on phone/tablet) and do not use either feature other than EQ tracking on the GM8. I have an EQ platform for my Dobs but most of the time don't use it.

The only use I would have for GOTO is to provide tracking for extended viewing of planets and that would be the only reason to include it in a purchase if I were shopping. If you choose GOTO for whatever reason, just don't sacrifice aperture too much in your decision. If you were contemplating 250mm and if this with GOTO is too expensive then get the 200mm with GOTO but definitely no less than 150mm with GOTO. There is a 2.78x brightenss difference between 150mm and 250mm apertures and this is noticeable especially on faint galaxies and yes most of them are faint.

150 to 200 = 1.78x
200 to 250 = 1.56x

I don't want to give you aperture fever though so don't get me wrong as you can have a lifetime of enjoyment with 150mm, 200mm or 250mm. If you like gizmos and gadgets then get the GOTO but it can be frustrating too when the telescope says the object is in the field of view but you don't see it. Its either way off, just outside the field of view or too faint for you to see. If you star hop you'll know if you're in the right area and if you refer to some reference books you'll know if this object should be visible. Sky Safari Pro has all the charts you'll ever need as well as the reference data but remember to use night mode and dim the lights otherwise you'll ruin you night vision each time. I personally do not take my tablet outside at night when I'm observing and prefer printed charts, field guides and a dim red torch.

Whatever you choose enjoy and if it be GOTO, I encourage you to still try and learn the sky and how to navigate around it if you can. If planets are your main interest then anything with tracking is highly recommended (not critical), otherwise complete manual operation is fine but you will need some charts and reference books and learn how to star hop as its a great method for finding things and highly recommended.

For your information I have used Sky Atlas 2000.0 Deluxe for over 35 years and it is still my main atlas. I complement it with Uranometria when I want to go deeper for certain galaxies. The revised version has star names included which the original didn't but otherwise they are both excellent printed charts. The deluxe (black stars on white background with colour DSOs) is best; I have never liked the whites stars on black background field version but that doesn't mean you wont.

I mentioned the Nexus II+moving map on tablet earlier and this is a great Push To option and you can learn the sky this way as there is a cross hair on the screen showing you where the telescope is pointed and you can use Sky Safari to do a tour mode of selected objects. It will show you where to push your telescope to. The Nexus II black box and encoders can be added to just about any DOB mount aftermarket. You just need a tablet or phone. As I said I've got this on one of my mounts but still prefer a fully manual operated Dob/Alt Az and to hunt down the objects by star hopping. Maybe that's just me.

Note to clarify a point; GOTO tracking on an Alt-Az mount such as a DOB is not EQ tracking as neither axis is aligned with the Earth's rotational axis. It is perfectly adequate for visual observing but there is field rotation which is only a problem with long exposure astrophotography.
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