Rural noob with great views

[Killa (Shannon)]

Hi all, Im a noob, yes, another one. .. lol
I've been trying to read the beginners stuff on here but it really goes over my head,
I've been using the national geographic table top telescope which has been fantastic as far as I can tell, I've been able to see Jupiter and it's moons, a few clusters and nebulae,

I really want to upgrade to 8 inch dobson,I like the stablity the table top one gives me, I'm a bit nervous about the purchase though. Where do I store it? I keep the table top one in the cupboard but this new one is too big for that, and I'd like to purchase filters too perhaps just the small kit with the blue and red filters along with a couple of extra eye pieces. .

If I store the telescope inside should I cover it with material? So dirt and dust doesnt get everywhere?

And do you think I'd get $800 worth of viewing from it? Can we put a price on viewing ability?

So far the pleiades are great viewing on the table top, I adore the nebula in orion. I'd like to see more hence the upgrade.

What do you seasoned viewers think?

[gaseous (Patrick)]

Originally Posted by Killa

Hi all, Im a noob, yes, another one. .. lol
I've been trying to read the beginners stuff on here but it really goes over my head,
I've been using the national geographic table top telescope which has been fantastic as far as I can tell, I've been able to see Jupiter and it's moons, a few clusters and nebulae,

I really want to upgrade to 8 inch dobson,I like the stablity the table top one gives me, I'm a bit nervous about the purchase though. Where do I store it? I keep the table top one in the cupboard but this new one is too big for that, and I'd like to purchase filters too perhaps just the small kit with the blue and red filters along with a couple of extra eye pieces. .

If I store the telescope inside should I cover it with material? So dirt and dust doesnt get everywhere?

And do you think I'd get $800 worth of viewing from it? Can we put a price on viewing ability?

So far the pleiades are great viewing on the table top, I adore the nebula in orion. I'd like to see more hence the upgrade.

What do you seasoned viewers think?

Hi Shannon, and welcome. As someone who is (in my own mind at least) gradually approaching the end of my noobiness, I can attest to the fact that an 8" dob would be a great investment, having a goto 8" myself. If you're thinking $800 for the scope alone, I'd say you could probably shop around and get a better deal - somewhere between $500-$600 would be a more reasonable price for an 8" non go-to dob. As for storage, yeah you'd need either a deep cupboard or a dedicated corner of a room. They normally come with a solid cap for the lower part of the tube and a soft dust cap for the upper portion (assuming it's a collapsible dob- the solid tube versions will just have the solid cap I think) however you could certainly drape a sheet over it to keep more dust out, and I've heard some people use old sleeping bags.
Regarding eyepieces/filters, I've found I don't tend to use the coloured filters much, as I personally prefer not to have the artificial colour. A decent neutral density or polarizing filter is not a bad investment as it can take the glare off the moon/brighter planets to help show a bit more detail. If you wanted to get a bit more contrast with your nebula viewing you can get an OIII or similar narrow passband filter which will make a significant difference, although good quality filters can give the bank balance a right bollocking.
Best to ask your local purveyor of fine telescopes regarding eyepieces, but in the short term, probably run with the standard 10mm and 25mm which should come with the scope. You'll probably want a 4-6mm at some point and/or a barlow to get a bit more magnification, but I'd imagine the upgrade from table top to 8" scope will keep you quite pleased in the short term. A 30mm or 42mm 2" eyepiece can also provide great low-power widefield views for reasonably low cost. It'll depend a bit on what you want to see and how much you want to spend, but there are a myriad of different eyepieces to choose from. I bought a Baader MkIII zoom eyepiece, and while it was pricey compared to entry-level plossls, the views are great and you get multiple magnifications - it's my most used eyepiece. Anyway, take your time, ask plenty of questions, and enjoy - an 8" scope should serve you well (until you get aperture fever)...

[Wavytone]

Hi Shannon, welcome to IIS...

Buy the biggest aperture scope you can afford. At your stage, aperture is king. As for eyepieces three are enough - low, medium and high power, say 25, 12 and 6mm, budget plossl ones work quite well.

DO...

- bring it inside after use, this will help the dew to evaporate and if the scope has bits made of MDF or wood or even cardboard, this will extend the life of these.

- cover it with a fabric cover of some sort that "breathes" but keeps dust out - cotton sheet or pillow case is fine.

- put a shower cap over an open tube is good to keep dust out..

- park or store the optical tube so that the mirrors are either vertical (tube horizontal) or

- if you must store the tube vertically, do this with the primary mirror at the top facing down - this ensures dust will not settle on it - but secure it so it can't fall over.

- consider putting a loose-fitting cotton sock or similar over the secondary to keep dust off it.

Everything you can do to stop grime collecting on the mirrors will extend the life of the coatings on them. While they can be cleaned, this (and grime) are the main things that will shorten the life of the coatings. Ultimately they can be re-coated too but that is costly.

[sil (Steve)]

Originally Posted by Killa

And do you think I'd get $800 worth of viewing from it?

This is up to you, a scope that never gets used is worthless. If you dont have somewhere convenient to store it, if its too large to handle getting it out and dragging it back in then you may not use it so often. Only you can answer this.

[Sol-Skysailor (Sol)]

Hi,

IMHO:

‘worth’ is a personal thing –but I’ll say this, as for me. Say you sell it on at half price in 4 yrs time, so it’s $100 a year, i.e. $2 a wk.

It’s worth it to ‘experience’ it. The inverse is, if you half die and have ‘never’ experienced it.

Relatedly (for some people who say ‘I can’t afford a pair of binoculars’), $1 a day means $365 in a year. How much do you spend on coffee a day? Soft drinks?

Storage. It’s a beautiful thing! It’s welcome anywhere in my world. Just keep away from areas like the kitchen with floating droplets of oil etc and close it right up when vacuuming.

Nervous is great, means something worthy is about to happen :-)

Cheers
Sol

[batema (Mark)]

There is an 8 inch collapsible dob for sale on telescopes section here. Good choice but if you can afford the 10 inch go that.

Mark

[steve.garner (Stephen)]

Hi, I too got a Nat Geo tabletop dob as it was going for redivulously cheap at Aldi. I decided to buy an 8" collapsible dob and the views are on another level compared to the small one. I have since upgraded to a 10" full tube dob and although the views are better there's not an amazing amount of difference.
For beginning the 8" dob is just great and not too large ( esp. in collapsible form ). Not having a goto mount forces you to learn the sky which is invaluable and gives you a buzz when you find what you are looking for.
Also the longer you look at stuff the more you see.
I too am coming out of my noobness and have found this hobby so rewarding.
I used the free software stellarium to help learn what's out there.
All the best
Steve