buying 1st telescope

penno (John) · #1 18-04-2009, 07:58 PM

Hi all I am new to site and was hoping you guys could steer me in the right direction as to buying my 1st telescope. I have been looking at a
celestron astromaster 130EQ
is this any good for looking at jupiter and saturn, and what detail will I see.
Also I have been looking at
Saxon F15012EQ3

Which one of these two is the better buy.?

Inmykombi (Geoff) · #2 18-04-2009, 10:52 PM

I would go with the largest aperture. In this case it would be the 150mm.

The price difference from what I see is minimal as well.

Just be aware that Newtonians on EQ mounts can get a bit " fiddly" when you are not used to them.

But that would be my choice. Just persevere with the EQ mount and enjoy the 6 inch aperture.
Also an EQ mount is a little easier to track the Earth's motion than a dobsonian mount is.
But you will need to roughly point the axis of the EQ mount to the South Celestial Pole to make tracking a bit easier.

150 mm is my choice.

Enjoy.

Geoffro.

saturn c (Leo) · #3 18-04-2009, 11:34 PM

hi and welcome.

starlooker (Duc) · #4 19-04-2009, 06:39 AM

Those two seem awfully pricey for a first scope.

I am also in the hunt for a first scope, but I am aiming for something < $200 to play around with.

Robert9 (Robert) · #5 19-04-2009, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by starlooker

Those two seem awfully pricey for a first scope.

I am also in the hunt for a first scope, but I am aiming for something < $200 to play around with.

A cheapie scope from a department store is more likely to discourage than encourage the hobby and will probably end up unused in a dusty corner of the back shed.
Robert

Chippy (Nick) · #6 20-04-2009, 12:29 AM

Personally I'd start with a 6 inch (or 8") DOB. Nice and easy to setup and play around with. EQ mounts can be great, but they are a little more fiddly. Dob mounts are typically very stable and are simple to operate. Lack of tracking capability is the main drawback with a dob mount, but I wouldn't let that deter you.

Lismore Bloke (Paul) · #7 20-04-2009, 04:20 PM

A 8" dob is a good choice (10" even better). Both can be moved about or fitted into an average car for transport to dark skies without too much effort. Both are simple to operate (important when working in the dark!) Good aperture for deep sky objects. Later on both will fit on an EQ6 mount for photography.