Very first telescope

[OzStarGazer]

Hello everyone,

I have always been interested in astronomy and also own Starry Night Pro, which up to now has been my only means of exploring the sky.
However I was now thinking of getting a simple telescope for beginners just to get started, and later on I can buy a better one.
Please note, I have a balcony, but not my own backyard, although there is a common area downstairs, but I would like to have some privacy of course. I live near the beach though, and I think it can be really nice to look at the sky from the beach on a nice summer night....
I am not a big or very strong person either, so I would also need something I can easily handle (not too heavy). I don't have my own car and if I want to use it at the beach for example I have to carry it there. (There are some tables at the beach, so a tabletop telescope would be fine too.)

I had a look at some websites and I thought the Celestron Firstscope + Accompanying Kit could be a good choice as a first telescope (without huge expectations of course). Cheap, easy to use, under 2 kg... And apparently you can see quite a few objects with it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XlRSJ3wADs

But the reviews are sort of mixed. Of course it also depends on expectations.

I also want to have a look at second-hand shops and astronomy clubs, but for now what do you think? Also considering the details I mentioned above?

Any particular recommendations? It doesn't matter if it is not the best telescope in the world because if my interest evolves I will definitely upgrade, so it is not that I will be stuck with it for the rest of my life.

Thank you for your advice. :thanx:

[2stroke]

A six inch dob would be the best if your on a real tight budget, I had one and wish i kept it. It was the perfect scope to quickly move about and gave views which were mind blowing of brighter objects, Saturn and Jupiter looked unreal and the moon was great to explore. Go secondhand and put a wanted to buy ad in and you wont go wrong, i sold mine for about $150 and wish i didn't haha. The bigger the better is true but a 6" dob gives a hell of a lot and is just so portable that it really is the best scope for visual, price and weight i have every owned.

[OzStarGazer]

Thank you for your advice. Is there a particular brand you would recommend?

I also just found this, but it is currently out of stock:
http://www.ozscopes.com.au/national-geographic-114-500-compact-telescope.html
It seems to be nice for the price and being so compact, and with a nice aperture (not spectacular, but not bad either).

[gaa_ian]

Hi OzStarGazer & welcome !
Great to hear your decision to get a scope.
Its good you are considering useability as that is one of the key issues.
An 8" Dobsonian is the Standard advice, but you would not want to lug that around without a car.
That said I find my 4" tabletop scope gets more use than all my other scopes put together (yep, got a few !)
This 1st telescope article (http://everythingastronomy.com/astronomy-basics/) I have written may be helpful too you too.
PM me if you want to know more.

[OzStarGazer]

Thank you, Ian! I looked at your article and like the Kson KDB640102 – 102mm Tabletop Dobsonian too. (It should be available soon.) I have also heard nice things about Kson telescopes. :)
Do you know if it also come with a carry bag?

[2stroke]

saxon/gso/skywatcher/orion there all good, an 8" is better but cost alot more and i found the 6" to be my love. Most 6" dob are f8 ect against a 8" is mostly f5, people forget that fact and all say 8". A 6" hold colimation much better and is much more forgiving and easy to collimate over a f5, another fact people forget. To many people jump on the train here without looking at the ticket some days. I found the 6" my favorite visual scope because of collimation/weight/easy of picking up and going, the dam 12" goto truss skywatcher which we got to replace it mostly collects dust, yer it gives unreal views but hell i just can't be bothered lugging the dam thing outside.

[Camelopardalis]

If you need small and light, another option would be the Skywatcher Heritage 5" Dob - gets good reviews pretty much everywhere it's sold. If you're anywhere near a city you'll appreciate the extra aperture but the Heritage is nice and compact compared to the 6 and 8" models.

[OzStarGazer]

Thanks for the new replies!

Yes, I have noticed that the Skywatcher Heritage gets excellent reviews. I watched this video this morning (where the Skywatcher Heritage is his No.1, followed by the Celestron TravelScope):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhicJmr5lyE

I wonder if it would fit into a big backpack? The guy in the video says it has a carry handle, but somehow I prefer to carry heavy stuff on my back. I don't live very far from the beach, but it is still a 10-minute walk.

I would also like to visit a shop as soon as I can now that I have a better idea of what I like because I think it is also important to see it, feel how heavy it feels in your hands etc. before buying a telescope. I am also going to look for astronomy clubs in my area, but I am not sure they will have telescopes for beginners to try out?

Thanks again!

[gaa_ian]

No worries. you will find most scopes don't come with a carry bag. you have to shop around a bit to find a suitable bag. I find the army surplus type canvas bags very good for carrying scopes and accessories like tripods.
I have a little Astroscan 4" travel scope that came with a bag as an accessory (had for over 5yrs). They are a great little travel scope but too pricey for the average entry level user at about $400. The Kson 102 will be available from about the 8th of December now I believe.

[OzStarGazer]

:thanx:, I have found a bag in my closet that could suit a small telescope. I bought it on holiday in Ecuador and has all those typically South American embroideries on it, but the size should be OK. I also put about 6-7 kilos in it just to see how they feel and it was not that bad. The beach is of course fantastic for astronomy when there are no clouds, but I could possibly also just go downstairs, although I think my neighbours would think I am weird (watching the stars with a telescope in our common yard... :rofl:). The balcony is also OK for quick viewing.
I do hope the local science centre has a lot of telescopes I can examine a bit closer. I hope to be able to pay them a visit within a couple of weeks.
The AstroScope looks pretty... I wonder if its original design is also the reason for its price?

[Allan_L]

Just a thought...
The idea of astronomy on the beach is great, and when I started I thought this too, but I decided against this so far...
Just take care that wind-born sand and/or salt spray might damage the optics.

Hopefully there is a group locally who have a safe dark site, and someone who can help to get you there.
:welcome:

[OzStarGazer]

Hi, thank you, you are right. Sand can damage lenses. But it is a major beach and there are also tables on the grass in front of the beach as well as a promenade. :) So if I buy a table-top telescope I can use the table. I think with the Skywatcher Heritage I could also just use the promenade as it can be used on the ground (this is actually a plus when there are no tables available). The only problem is... hopefully nobody would want to steal it from me if it is dark and there is nobody else around... :question: I don't think so though. I took photos very early in the morning with an expensive camera and had no problems...

[OzStarGazer]

By the way, would the telescopes that have been mentioned in this thread be good for photography? For example to take photos of the moon? I have a Nikon D5100. Thanks!

[CJ]

I don't think actually attaching a camera to the Heritage is a practical proposition. The Heritage's helical focuser means you have to rotate the focuser to achieve focus, which, assuming you have the camera mechanically fixed in some way to the focuser, means you have to rotate the camera too, possibly including cables etc.
Maybe someone else has managed it.
Cheers.

[OzStarGazer]

Hi. Do I actually have to attach it? Can't I just take a picture of what I see? I don't know, I have seen photos of the moon and the sky on the net where people say they have taken them with their mobile phone and their telescope?

[CJ]

No, you don't have to attach the camera. I was just pointing it out case you were contemplating it. :thumbsup:

Have a read of this article in the How To section. It's very informative.

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-201-0-0-1-0.html

Cheers

[sn1987a]

or make this ithingy :D

[OzStarGazer]

Thanks, Chris and Barry!

[CJ]

Hi Barry, nice ithingy!
The Heritage does not have the almost ubiquitous rack and pinion focuser.
Unless you leave the EP loose in the focuser so the ithingy is free to dangle, you're going to be rotating the focuser plus clamped EP AND ithingy.
Maybe it doesn't need to be clamped. I've not tried it.
Cheers

[sn1987a]

Just a suggestion I focus eyepiece first, then lock it, then attach ithingy. You could dummy lock that helical focuser with some tape, then add ithingy. :shrug:

[CJ]

I reckon the extra armature provided by the camera mount length would improve the fine focusing control. I'll give that a go when my mount arrives.
Cheers Barry :thumbsup:

Ozstargazer, I hope all that was useful food for thought :)

[OzStarGazer]

Very useful, thanks!

[OzStarGazer]

Hello,

Does any of you know the diameter of the basis of the Heritage? It seems to be pretty huge.

Thanks!

[Poita]

I'd seriously consider this scope from the calssifieds.
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=113914

[OzStarGazer]

Thanks, but I am not a wiz at electronics, so I wouldn't be able to fix the problem. :(

[CJ]

Th circular part of the base is 320mm diameter but each of the feet on the triangular lower part project a further 31mm.

[OzStarGazer]

Thanks. I bought a new bag today because it was cheap and very nice, but it was the last one so I didn't have time to check. It was clear that it was long enough, but I am afraid the basis would not quite fit in (only because of the feet...), so I will take it back...

[OzStarGazer]

I have just bought the SkyWatcher Heritage 130p! :D

[christofunk]

Congrats on the scope!

I'm new to all this and think the same scope would be great for me. Just wondering about where you purchased it from? Any aussie places carrying it? Best prices?

Cheers!

Let me know how you like it.

[OzStarGazer]

Hi,

Thanks, yes, I like it so far, although I had it only for 4-5 days and it has been cloudy and windy, so... not much viewing... :( But one morning I did have the chance to look and I liked what I saw. I could see stars that I could not see with naked eye for example and constellations were clearly discernable. :) I am waiting to watch the moon more closely one of these days.

It is easy to set up and portable, so you can go with it wherever you want (even without a car). And if you buy a bigger and more powerful telescope later on, this will still be your portable one.

I bought it from OzHut:
http://www.ozhut.com.au/skywatcher-heritage-5-dobsonian-telescope.html

I was happy with their service. They answered emails promptly and the parcel also arrived really quick.

Good luck!