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Old 25-10-2010, 05:22 PM
strawtermelon (Katerina)
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Is this telescope any good?

Im looking to buy my first telescope and Im bamboozled by the information out there..
I want to use it for observational astronomy, although I would also like to try my hand at Astrophotography in the future.
I think I need one that tracks for me? The easier the better really.
I also love the idea of the Go To telescopes..
I want to be able to see comets, galaxies, the moon, planets etc.. and as clearly as possible.
But I don't need anything too pro.. i'm just beginning...

I've found this one.. which i love the look of.. I understand that aperture is the most important factor? and the stability of the stand..

Can anyone tell me if this telescope is any good?.. http://www.meade.com/product_pages/e..._90/etx_90.php
or
http://www.meade.com/product_pages/e...25/etx_125.php

Also, I couldn't find out whether this one tracks for me?

A few details about me, that might help determine the best telescope for me..
*im a perfectionist and very patient, however I do want to sometimes just go to my telescope and have it show me what I want to see.. hence the Goto feature i like the look of.
*Im technically minded, Im an artist and I love gadgets.
*I live away from bright lights in the Dandenong Ranges in Melbournes East..
*I dont drive and I dont live up any flights of stairs, however I dont want anything too cumbersome.
*I would love to be able to use my telescope during the day as well.
*Im not a fan of the look of dobsonian telescopes..

Thanks
Kat

Last edited by strawtermelon; 25-10-2010 at 05:45 PM. Reason: Added Info about me.
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  #2  
Old 25-10-2010, 06:46 PM
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dannat (Daniel)
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yes both of these track for you..they do not have much aperture..i have an etx90 as my travel/camping scope..if i am going somewhere if fits easily.
The etx125 is a much better astro scope - but it is still smallish in terms of todays big mirrors. If you want easy its a pretty decent choice
The $AUS price is pretty high - better to buy secondhand or from the US if you have the nerve for it (no warranty, postage hassles, ?customs duty)

Like you i'm not a fan of dobsonian telescopes - they give great views if well collimated but are big & cumbersome.

The other scope you might consider is the celestron 4se - its between these 2 in size & is a similar unit. available form www.andrewscom.com.au - telescope section
If you want to go bigger aperture to see a lot more objects - bintel (melb store) have a 8" compact dobsonian with GOTO - it will find objects for you for $1100 -its still big though

Andrews.com in the skywatcher section have a 5" mak (like etx125) for 899 with GOTO, another option to consider

With this stuff buying secondhand will save some dollars - have you tried any scopes..it would be good to atleast see some in the flesh before buying
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Old 25-10-2010, 06:50 PM
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Louwai (Bryan)
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Hi there Kat, You seem to have a few different requirements there..... I'll throw my comments in. Some may not be quite right but I'm sure someone will chime in with the correct info.

1) The scope you have linked to is ok. It is GO-TO & it is a tracking scope.
Although I've never seen one in front of me, nor used one, it seems to be a great little scope & easy to use once set up.

2) A down side is it's size. It's only a 5" diameter scope. You will be able to clearly view the Moon & the larger planets, as well as some close objects such as Orion etc, but distant galaxies will be hard to see with this size scope.

3) It looks like the link you gave is the the US site & the price shown is US$. In Australia you can expect to pay somewhere around AU$1400 for this unit. I see a 2nd hand one for sale in Melb for AU$700 on Astrobuy&sell.

4) You noted photography in the future. I'm not into photography myself so can't really comment. Not sure they are not used or not. I haven't seen any of this type of scope used for photos....


Even though you don't like the look, I'd recomend a Dob. For about the same price ($1400 odd) you can get an off-the-shelf GO-TO Dob.



Hope this helps.
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Old 25-10-2010, 07:12 PM
brian nordstrom (As avatar)
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Hi Katerina, the etx 90 is a good scope and has handled the test of time well. Me personally I havn't owned one but I know a lot of people that have over the years and most would not sell them , so that says something.?
Any way whats your favorites in the night sky ?
The etx90 only has 90mm of apateure so will show only the bright deep sky stuff, but there is plenty in reach of a 90mm scope.
What I like and have seen many times is real good views of the planets and especially the moon, these scopes are awsome for this.
Also the goto on these is now bullet proof and easily upgradeable via Meads web site . so go for it .
Thats my 5c worth so go ahead and enjoy,
Brian.
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Old 25-10-2010, 08:20 PM
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acropolite (Phil)
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Kat, if you can, catch up with some local Astronomers in your area and look through their scopes before jumping in.

IMO the two scopes you have listed are too small. 8 Inches or 20mm is regarded as a good compromise between light gathering power and portability. A 200mm scope will have 5 times the light gathering power of the 90mm scope. Both Meade and Celestron make good Goto scopes in 200mm sizes and they are often available second hand at good prices.

Brian's suggestions of a goto dob is also a good one, dob's aren't unattractive in the dark.

I wouldn't aim at any less than 200mm if you want to see anything much in the way of deep sky objects.

If you want something for daytime use buy some good quality binoculars, they will be useful for widefield use at night and are an excellent way to start exploring the night sky.
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  #6  
Old 26-10-2010, 06:31 AM
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OneOfOne (Trevor)
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I noticed you are in Melbourne. MPAS have their public viewing nights at The Briars on the first Friday of the month, you could come along and have a look through some scopes and ask a few questions. A bit of a trot from the Dandenongs though, but we have had people come from Ringwood and further just for viewing.
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Old 26-10-2010, 12:43 PM
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Louwai (Bryan)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OneOfOne View Post
I noticed you are in Melbourne. MPAS have their public viewing nights at The Briars on the first Friday of the month, you could come along and have a look through some scopes and ask a few questions. A bit of a trot from the Dandenongs though, but we have had people come from Ringwood and further just for viewing.

Come on Trev, it's not that far.......... It only used to take me 40mins from my place at Rowville to the MPAS site. & that was before the EastLink was built.....
Top suggestion too. There are always lots of different scopes at the MPAS public nights.
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Old 26-10-2010, 05:27 PM
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Max Vondel (Peter)
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Chosing a first scope

As another note Brian Nolan has written some informative articles on choosing a first telescope in the Projects & Articles section here at the IIS site......
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Old 26-10-2010, 10:39 PM
brian nordstrom (As avatar)
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Angry Dark

Ouch just come in from a good look at Jupiter with my ed80 an stubbed a toe on the last trip ion ,, Oh yea in the dark Dobsonions are still ugly and so is my top step ouch!
True words Achro prop.
Brian.
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  #10  
Old 27-10-2010, 12:53 PM
Rob_K
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I'm a bit with Daniel (first reply) on this, and also with the people advising you to go to a club meet to assess various designs. Big dobsonian-mounted telescopes may be the go for established observers ("bang-for-buck"), but for anyone who comes along and says hey, this astronomy stuff sounds interesting, I'd like to get into it, then big dobs can be the hobby-killer. For a start, they're massive. How do I know? Well any non-astronomy person who comes into my house and sees my little 4.5" reflector sitting in the corner instantly says, "Wow, look at the size of that thing, it's huge!!". I then have to explain, no, it's very small!

People do of course handle big dobs easily, but the point is that they require effort. Not just set-up, dismantling and storage, but the big mirrors need to be very accurately collimated (ie optics precisely aligned) before every use, and they need time to cool down. If you want to do some observing, allow an hour or more before getting your eye to the eyepiece. Beginners need something that they can just take outside and observe with.

There are a number of success stories on IIS about people who have taken the plunge with a big first scope, but this has to be tempered with the huge number of 'pristine condition, barely used' big dobs that come up for sale on IIS and other used astro equipment sites. Find out if astronomy's the hobby for you before going big.

The smaller Mak Cass telescopes like you were describing are good first scopes because they require little work or effort to use. The downside is the high cost. 5" is a perfectly good aperture to see an abundance of deep sky objects, including galaxies, nebulae, globular & open clusters. A member of our local club has a Meade 5" Mak Cass and it gives some brilliant views. However, be warned that you won't see objects as they're portrayed in long exposure astrophotography (neither will you in a 14" or 18" dob), and also remember that observing takes practise. First up you mightn't be able to discern objects that later on are an absolute snap to see. The mind needs training. This applies whatever the aperture, as fainter and fainter objects come within reach.

Other options might be a small refractor (80-102mm, achromatic), or a small reflector (114-130mm), both cheaper options. Collimation for the latter is not demanding as it is less important than for big mirrors. I check mine about once a year, and it's only required a tweak twice in 5 years despite some rougher than usual handling. Cool down time is negligible, takes less time than dark adaptation of your eyes!

Good luck in whatever your choice - just don't buy a plastic telescope! Go brand names.

Cheers -
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