Telescope suggestions for a beginner please. :)

[Crosslouglas]

Hi everyone, I want to start looking at space, stars etc. I have a budget of $500-$600 AUD maybe a bit more, so I'm looking for a telescope to do that. I just need some suggestions on some good ones please.

Please do not post silly replies because I don't know anything about astronomy and I hate being "trolled".

Thanks in advance,

Shaun.

[mulberry]

Hi Shaun,

Have you looked in the Projects and Articles section? There are two guides which are a really good read to start.

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/projects.html - scroll down to the beginners section.

I am currently considering between a dobsonian and a refractor. I am hoping to try some before I buy.

Cheers,

Susan

[rogerco]

As someone who has brought a bit of gear since I started three or four years ago I can truly say that with that budget your best bet is an eight or ten inch Dobsonian telescope.

It may not be the scope that you will eventually aspire to but it is the one that will show you things and inspire you to keep you going. Just about anything else at that price range will be a visual disappointment. Later on an $699 refractor might be the basis for a start in astro-photography but until you can afford a mount and a camera it will not give you much.

Even once you have maybe got into astro-photography you will still pull out the dob for an easy setup quick look, it will never become a "wish I hadn't bothered with that" investment.

[mattyb217]

Hi Shaun,

I was in your shoes about a year ago & was asking about a good scope for a beginner, a lot of people suggest a Dobsonian. I ended up getting one just the other day an Ozscope 8" for $400 & i am really happy with it. It's so easy to set up & use.

Hope this helps

Cheers,
Matt

[Crosslouglas]

Thank you all for your replies, I will post some links to some of the ones I'm looking at later. Thank you for your mature replies too.

Thanks,

Shaun.

[Crosslouglas]

Here's one link.

http://www.ozscopes.com.au/skywatcher-sw135-reflector-telescope.html

[multiweb]

Get a small refractor ED80 or something like that. No collimation involved, works out of the box. You can stick a DSLR on it if you feel you want to try a little astrophoto, solar or planetary. Light. Cheap. Easy to use. Grab and go. No brainer. If you're not interested it's good resale value. If you want to get further into it all you can get a bigger scope and use it as a guider.

[Crosslouglas]

saw this http://www.ozscopes.com.au/skywatcher-102mm-510mm-az3-refractor-telescope.html

[Crosslouglas]

is this it?
SkyWatcher Black Diamond ED80 OTA Refractor Telescope

SKU# SKY-BDED80-OTA
Be the first to review this product (http://www.ozscopes.com.au/review/product/list/id/171/category/7/#review-form)
In Stock
Our Price:
$1,129.95


http://www.ozscopes.com.au/refractor-telescope-skywatcher-black-diamond-ed80.html

[pluto]

FWIW I love my Skywatcher ED80 though I got it for imaging.
That price is too high, try Andrews they have it for $899: http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm

[rogerco]

I have both these scopes although the ED80 was on an EQ5 and now an EQ6. The ED80 is an entry point into astro photography, but not on those mounts (with the exception of the moon and Jupiter Saturn). The 8" to 10" dobsonian will give a far better visual (non photographic) experience for your limited funds.

As for collimation, don't be put off, it is now difficult to do.

[Crosslouglas]

I'll have to wait longer to get this one.

[Kunama]

I suggest that before you buy an 80mm refractor as your first scope you try one out.

I love refractors and now have 6 of them but I would suggest that you go with an 8" reflector in a dob mount as a first foray into astro.

The difference in what you will see between an 80 and a 200mm scope is enormous.

[brian nordstrom]

:thumbsup: Bang on again Matt , old mate , yes I have a few refractors my self, Shaun and as good as these are it takes time ( and :help: $$$'s ) to appreciate how good they really are , most are on an EQ style mount , hard to use first up ( lots of budding astromoners loose their enthusiasm fast trying to sort out how the hell these blardy thing's work :shrug: ).

Grab a Newtonion reflector on a Dobsonion mount in the 6-8 inch size , it will blow your sox off in what one of these will show :eyepop: , and if this astronomy thing is your buzz , keep it and step up to a nice EQ mounted refractor / Schmitt/ RC / Newt .... on a $2000 German EQ mount ;).
True , but from the mount , there is cameras , filters , eyepieces ...etc , etc etc .

Stick with a nice Dob, ( Newtionion on a Dobsonion mount ) in the 6-8 inch range , brand new .

ps. there are no TROLLS ! here . ( you should not even think there are people like that here Shaun , shame on you ! , they get sorted before their feet even touch the ground around here , us Amateur Astronomers ant dumb ! )

Your price range will get you one of the above , 2-3 eyepieces , and other great starters gear .
And if you like astronomy , cool , keep it , if not just move on , and you will be able to sell it easily for not much loss :) .

Brian

[Logieberra]

ED 80mm for $1,129.95 -- that really is astronomical! They come up often in the classifieds section of this site, used of course, but for around $300.00 they really are hard to beat for a first time refractor :)

[brian nordstrom]

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: yep brand new these great scopes are $699 max if you shop around , even less . A little off track here ( sorry Shaun ) but,,,

,,,, Damn at 2wice that at $2200 you can get a brand new Takahashi FC100D , here in Australia , from an Australian supplier ( 5 year guarantee ) ! ;) .
If I was gonna spend $1100 on an ED80 ( good as they are ) I would save my $$$'s and grab one of these new Tak's , what a great price ! .

I wonder who's gonna be first to get one here in Australia ?

Brian.
.

[Logieberra]

Why stop there? Just get a FSQ and be done with it ;)

[GrahamL]

Roger and others advice is spot on Shaun :) for an instrument for that will keep you going for many years its easily an 8 or 10" dob the 8" is very portable.

while I found my old 80mm refractor great for lunar viewing and planets
it really had little use for deep sky observing.



one of these little finders in addition to what comes with the scope (they don't cost a lot)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH33pXGkNF8
and some simple star maps available free around the web
and you'll be busy for years.

[Crosslouglas]

Well thanks guys, I will have to wait until around mid next year for the more expansive ones when I'm bringing home around $5000 a month. Thanks.

[linkpng]

As others have said: Join your local astronomical club or society (see the BINTEL "Night Sky" newsletter on the web for addresses) and they will tell you (a) to use one of their club scopes, and/or (b) to look for a used 8" Dobsonian for $300 - 400 (local paper, Gumtree or eBay). Dead easy to set up and use, fits easily in your car, nice bright images and nearly always decent optics. Will keep you and the family happy for years!

Details: the Dobsonian mount is cheaper and MUCH easier to use than any other and easy to modify to suit your needs, e.g to make the movement lighter or heavier. Most people can live with the lack of a motor drive. A 10" Dob is much heavier than the 8. A 6" Dob gives noticeable dimmer images. All three will typically have the same 1200 mm focal length. You will find that if an observer has later bought a $2000 refractor, she or he will always keep the Dob, because they like them!

[ManUtdFans]

So what will be the "disadvantages" of Dobsonian over the scopes with tripods with mount/motor drive?

I am confused because I am brand new to telescopes.
eg. SkyWatcher SW135 Reflector Telescope with Motor Drive
$400

Dobsonian:
SkyWatcher 6" Dobsonian Telescope SW580
$379

SkyWatcher Black Diamond 8" Collapsible Dobsonian Telescope
$669

Is the main purpose of the ones has mount/motor drive with tripod for tracking, keep sync with planets/stars?

[linkpng]

Working through the questions in your last post: The "disadvantage" of the Dobsonian is that you need to push ('nudge') it along to follow the sky. At low magnification (wide field) this is not a problem. At high magnification, such as studying a planet at 200x it does become more difficult, but you can train yourself to do it.

The advantages of the Dobsonian are: (i) stability = the mount does not wobble, shake or vibrate. In real life this is VERY important. When you point it at an object it will stay there firmly (FIRMLY). (ii) The Dobsonian mount is cheap, so more money can be spent by the manufacturer on good quality optics. (iii) Dobsonians are very quick to set up, "nice" and very easy to use.

If you are new to telescopes (like all of us when we started!) go to a field night of a local society and see and feel for yourself.

You mention the 6" Dobsonian. Yes, a good instrument; nothing wrong with it, but you will see more objects, see them definitely brighter and a bit sharper in an 8" for little extra expense.

The collapsible 8" Dobsonian is also interesting, but I am not familiar with the sliding mechanism. Ask people for advice. Please note that in all telescopes it is important to have the relative position of the objective (lens or mirror) and the eyepiece exactly right. Adjusting this is called 'collimation'. I would be a bit worried that the "sliding out mechanism" may not be as stable and accurate as a rigid tube. However, it would be nice if the company has solved that problem. It is best to ask users for their opinion.

The SW135 you mention for $400 is a fairly heavy tube on a fairly light weight "EQ2" mounting in the text (but the photo shows a skinny EQ1 mounting). I think it will much less steady than a Dobsonian mount. Also, equatorial mounts are a bit more fiddly to set up and move. You have to loosen and then re-set clutches when moving to another object. In the dark, nothing is easy. Make sure the motor drive is included for this price or it will be an expensive extra. These cheap motor drives may also be fiddly. Try to find someone who has one. The optical tube of the SW135 (note the diameter is only 130 mm, not 135) is not known to me. Not sure if it is a straight Newtonian or a more complex short Newtonian plus a built in Barlow lens. Cheap versions of the last complex type do not have a good reputation.

Note that an 8" scope will gather 2.4x more light than a 130 mm scope (if both have a central obstruction).

At this point I would suggest you really need to go and see some astronomer near you. If that is not possible (if you live to far out in the desert) then you can't go wrong with an 8" Dob, although a 6" will also give you much pleasure. If you buy a used one, you can always later sell it for not much less than you paid for it. All the best.

[ManUtdFans]

Thanks Alfred.
For Dobs, you mean mount? It has the base attached to the tube so is that mount.

To make it sturdy, we need a sturdy table or trolley, right? Is it hard to find?

I would prefer "traditional" scope with tripod, it looks need a bit of investment to get a good scope with sturdy tripod and mount.

[mulberry]

Could I ask as well....

Is there a big difference between an 8" dob and a 10" dob? Apart from size and weight of course....

Cheers,

Suz

[linkpng]

Shaun, If you are in Sydney, there is an 8" with a few extra goodies on the IceTrade Classifieds for $300. Worth looking into.

[Crosslouglas]

I'm in near Brisbane.

[sn1987a]

My first scope was a refractor. I bought it at a garage sale for $1.:)

[RobF]

Double the weight, 1/3 as big again roughly, 50% more light gathering power, tighter field of view. I think most people would recommend 10 over 8, but ONLY:

- if you can lift without worry
- fits in your car if you have to travel to a dark sky site

You might be a little surprised when you see a 10" or 12" "in the flesh"

[LightningNZ]

Having lugged a bunch of these around over the years and not being built like StongmanMike, I appreciate a scope that's not a chore to take to dark sites and set up.

Even a 6" Dobsonian style reflector will show you an amazing amount compared to binoculars (which are must frankly for learning your way around the sky).

A darker sky will generally trump a larger telescope most of the time for how impressive objects look - especially nebulae. So if the only you can fit a scope in your car is to get a slightly smaller one don't let that concern you.

Hope this helps,
Cam

[glenc]

Shaun
I suggest a 10" Dobsonian because it fits on the backseat of a car and it shows deep sky objects reasonably well. It will cost $600 new.

[Irish stargazer]

For your budget, an 8" Dobsonian, basic laser collimator and one decent wide angle eyepiece to compliment those supplied would set you up nicely and give you years of fun.
My Dob is the cheapest scope I have, gives the best views and is the most often used. Sets up in minutes and great to take out to a dark site (nebulae,clusters) or just in the surburban backyard for the moon and planets, double stars etc.. Looks great in the living room too;)