Amateur astronomer looking to buy a new telescope. Help required.

[Chris09 (Chris)]

I've been using an old (very old) tasco 60mm refractor for the last 6 months and I'm looking to upgrade. Totally addicted to astronomy and the images that my current telescope is producing just isn't satisfying anymore.

I've done plenty of research of various telescopes and been into a store to speak with an expert and it just seems like the more I learn the more confused I become! I thought I wanted a cassegrain 127mm but now I've learnt that for photography I might be better off getting a reflector (and in fact the mount makes a huge difference too!)

I basically want to be able to view objects in the solar system with clarity, and also be able to see galaxies/nebula too. I plan on using photography too, so hook it up to my computer somehow (SLR or CCD?)

Any advice would be appreciated.

[chuckywiz (Ben)]

Hey mate,

i went down the path of not enough research and ended up unhappy with my purchase. I originally bought a 10 inch dobsonian. Great telescope but then decided i wanted to do astrophotography. so i then bought a Neq6pro mount and orion awesome autoguider. This is a pretty good setup although extremely heavy and with my poor old back trying to get the scope on the mount etc was killing my back.

I now sill use the NEQ6pro mount and have a skywatcher ED80 with the orion autouider on top. Its so much easier to hande and i find i get the gear out way more often even on work nights.

Recently ive imaged galaxies from my front lawn with street lights i the way etc. so i know its a good setup. but definitely things to consider are weight and portability.

one last note dont buy a nikon Dslr.. they are great cameras but the software support on canons is way better.

Ben

[raymo]

To adequately answer your questions would need an A4 page. To meet all your requirements you need at least an 8" scope,[ an ED 80mm
refractor is good for photography, but just doesn't have the aperture for
observing galaxies and anything but the brightest nebulae]. To mount
that 8" scope requires at least a Skywatcher HEQ5, or equivalent in another brand. Schmitt Cassegrain scopes are slow photographically,
and have a narrower field of view, although a reducer can fix that to
a degree. A fast Newtonian [ f/4 to f/6 ]is a good compromise, having
a wider field of view, and needing shorter exposures than the SCT.
They do suffer from coma, so a coma corrector would be required to produce images with pinpoint stars to the edge of the image.
Should you think that you might go to a 10" or larger equatorially mounted scope later, you would be better served getting a heavier duty mount in the first place. [SW NEQ6 or equivalent].If cost is a
consideration, I would start with a DSLR, even budget models do a great job, and perfect your skills before moving up to a CCD camera; this would let you see if you are committed enough, as CCDs are quite pricey.
raymo

[Alchemy (Clive)]

So many choices, so many potential mistakes to make, ( been there)

See if you can meet up with someone who has already survived the learning curve, and either have a look through their scope, or watch them do some photography.

Imaging equipment can be different from visual, with visual big light buckets are great, with imaging you want stability, and probably sub 1000mm focal length as a starting point.

[ab1963 (Andrew)]

Hi
My first scope is the meade LX90 lnt ,I did my homework and for me it paid off,bought second hand and absolutely love it,I am as green as grass and knew nothing about the game and still know very little but I know enough to understand that a goto scope will be your finest teacher about where things are out there,when you do the basic set up pedantically it is amazingly accurate , have bought used tele vue naglers type 1's and a tv plossl for great prices and having lots of fun,you do not have to mortgage the house to enjoy this hobby but a goto is a must for the first time astronomer,I hope this helps
Regards
Andrew

[Wavytone]

Originally Posted by Chris09

it just seems like the more I learn the more confused I become!

Chris, two things to consider:

1. Rather than spend money now on a scope that may later turn out to be all wrong for you, better to go join a local astro society, visit they observing nights and see and use other people's gear for a bit to see what works for you and what doesn't.

2. Few telescopes suited to photography are optimal for visual use, and vice-versa. Quite possibly you need two very different scopes.

About the best compromise if you want just one scope is a Maksutov-Newtonian, there are some excellent ones around 190mm aperture that are both reasonably fast photographically (f/4 - f/5) and optically quite good for visual wide-fields at medium magnification, though don't expect too much at high magnification for the moon and planets.

[La_Displuke (Luke)]

Originally Posted by ab1963

a goto scope will be your finest teacher.
a goto is a must for a first time astronomer.

I must disagree with both of these points.
I've seen 10 year deep "vets" not know how to point out common objects on too many occasions. In fact i recommend the opposite to people starting out, nothing teaches you the sky like a push too scope. I do use a goto scope as well as a dob so it's not like I'm a dob snob either.

[glend (Glen)]

Originally Posted by raymo

To adequately answer your questions would need an A4 page. To meet all your requirements you need at least an 8" scope,[ an ED 80mm
refractor is good for photography, but just doesn't have the aperture for
observing galaxies and anything but the brightest nebulae]. To mount
that 8" scope requires at least a Skywatcher HEQ5, or equivalent in another brand. Schmitt Cassegrain scopes are slow photographically,
and have a narrower field of view, although a reducer can fix that to
a degree. A fast Newtonian [ f/4 to f/6 ]is a good compromise, having
a wider field of view, and needing shorter exposures than the SCT.
They do suffer from coma, so a coma corrector would be required to produce images with pinpoint stars to the edge of the image.
Should you think that you might go to a 10" or larger equatorially mounted scope later, you would be better served getting a heavier duty mount in the first place. [SW NEQ6 or equivalent].If cost is a
consideration, I would start with a DSLR, even budget models do a great job, and perfect your skills before moving up to a CCD camera; this would let you see if you are committed enough, as CCDs are quite pricey.
raymo

I agree with Raymo on all those comments. There is a learning curve but if you make informed buying decisions along the way it will cost you less.

[ab1963 (Andrew)]

Hi tony
I can talk on your level I knew nothing about astronomy at Christmas,didnt even know where Jupiter was in the sky and that's the truth,now I have quite a good understanding thanks to my lx90 that cost me $1000 bucks second hand,since then have bought a few t1 tv ep's at great prices and getting out as often as I can because I am enjoying it,when you or if you want to go into the finer side of astronomy like mortgaging your house further down the track that because you really smitten all well and good ,I might even go down that road,but before we can run we must be able to walk and you only have to look at all the expensive equipment up for grabs out there that tells you mistakes can be awful expensive,I am giving you green as grass advice how I have managed to get so much out of this hobby spending relatively little money,I hope everything goes well for you because it's a great thing
Andrew

[Camelopardalis (Dunk)]

I've also have a (very) old 60mm Tasco telescope...was my first scope as a teenager, but it's a metal tube Japanese made 1968 model and the optics are fine. The included eyepieces are garbage, so maybe try something a little more recent with it? If yours is similar, they're not a bad little scope.

Picking the right scope is never simple. No single scope does everything well, so most of us end up with more than one.

+1 for meeting up with a local astro society or group...there are a bunch of them in the Sydney area, but also check the Events/meetings section as there are sometimes meetups of IIS members in or around Sydney too (usually outside, because of the light pollution...).

It's good to meet other astro folk and talk to them and get to see what they're into, you get to see the size and shape of kit, and you get to explore ideas of your own. It's important to think about what you want to see and achieve first and tackle that, as there's always more kit you can buy later

[raymo]

I have to agree with Luke. Learning the sky is part of the joy of
astronomy. A Go To scope will teach you almost nothing [except how to
use a Go To scope.] To illustrate this, try finding any catalogued
object that is not an obvious naked eye target with a non computerised
scope.
raymo

[ab1963 (Andrew)]

The meade is a very nice goto scope that is incredibly accurate when you set it up right and came with some gso super plossls , I was advised by a iis member to get decent ep's ,bought used tv's one explore scientific and when I did wow what a difference and there is allways someone selling good optics second hand,The difference is chalk and cheese

[OzStarGazer]

Originally Posted by raymo

I have to agree with Luke. Learning the sky is part of the joy of
astronomy. A Go To scope will teach you almost nothing [except how to
use a Go To scope.] To illustrate this, try finding any catalogued
object that is not an obvious naked eye target with a non computerised
scope.
raymo

I agree too. It like using the automatic spell checker.

[julianh72 (Julian)]

Originally Posted by OzStarGazer

I agree too. It's like using the automatic spell checker.

(Fixed it for you!)

I use a Go-To Telescope, even though I know my way around the southern skies reasonably well. I also use an Automatic Spell Checker, even though my grasp of the English language is pretty good.

I find both to be very useful tools!

[OzStarGazer]

Originally Posted by julianh72

(Fixed it for you!)

I use a Go-To Telescope, even though I know my way around the southern skies reasonably well. I also use an Automatic Spell Checker, even though my grasp of the English language is pretty good.

I find both to be very useful tools!

Ah, I am pretty sure the 's was there. It doesn't even make sense without the 's...
I have it on too by the way because I type really fast (really fast!). I also type fast when I am not in a hurry. I don't know, I just have nimble fingers (maybe because I also play the piano). Those fingers are little demons sometimes (not always good!).
I assume you have both a normal and a go-to telescope. That's OK. I think the danger is for beginners because if they only use a go-to scope they won't learn much and if one night they don't have it it might be problematic for them to find what they are looking for. Once you know the sky reasonably well it is OK I think. I am still a beginner of course, but I am now usually finding my way around the limited part of the sky in front of my balcony (although unfortunately I haven't seen many stars this year...) I usually use Starry Night. I would like to learn more now though. It starts to be boring in front of my balcony with a small telescope. I am not losing interest, but I really need more now. The lunar eclipses would have been right in front of my balcony, but of course I didn't see a single one because of the weather...