Total Newbie

[Bazooka]

Hi everybody :)

I am a total newbie when it comes to astronomy and the like and have only looked through a handful of telescopes throughout my life. I have always been very interested in the heavens and have decided to look at purchasing my first telescope.

This question has probably been asked many times before by other people new to the game but what is a good telescope to look for with a budget of around $1000.

I walked into a local retailer the other day and came away even more confused with my options. I had no idea there were so many different scopes. What should I look for? I dont even know what questions I should be asking LOL. Would something with a go-to (think thats what you call it) database be in the budget seeing it would make things easier to find.

Are there any clubs or groups on or around the Gold Coast that I can contact to get some hands on?

Any other info that would help me along would be appreciated.

[slice of heaven]

Hi Bazooka
Welcome to the site .
I think I you might get swamped by the dob boys .

Slice

By the way it's astronomy not astrology.Edit your post before it's too late

oops..too late...here they come

[astro_south]

First thing Bazooka - edit the above post to read astronomy!!

Secondly, the astronomy society that covers southern Brisbane and the Gold Coast is the Southern Astronomical Society(SAS). Their website is www.sas.org.au Many of the members live on the coast, so if you hook up with them you should be able get some direct help from them.

Otherwise, welcome the forum, ask as many questions as you like - people here are only too happy to help. We have all been noobes at some stage and the equipment can be daunting.

The advice you will probably hear (and its good advice) - take your time in deciding, get out and try before you buy (if possible), and decide on what you want to do (photography vs visual observation) primarily at the start as this will determine what features you require in your equipment. You seem keen to research and get advice so you are off to a good start

If visual astronomy is your desire, then you can't go past a newtonian scope on a dob base - this will give you the most aperture (light gathering / seeing fainter objects / more resolution) for your money.

I am sure some of the more equipment minded members will give you more details.

cheers

[janoskiss]

A telescope won't help you with astrology. You'd be better off spending that grand on a top quality crystal ball, some tarot cards and a ouija board :lol:

Seriously though, $1000 will get you an awesome 12" Dob, or a very small goto scope, or a 8-10" Dob with push-to. You'd need to buy the scope and the push-to computer separate and put them together yourself. Others on the forums have done that w/o much difficulty and I'm sure they'd be happy to help you with more specific advice.

[frogman]

Welcome and gidday

Ummmm 1000 should get you a 10" DOB with a few standard eyepieces. If your looking for something with a GOTO then your going to need quite a bit more $$$$$$ a PUSHTO for a dob (no gears, push till it beeps) is around the $1000 mark.

Youll be told .... depends on what you want to look at, Planets or DSO's (deep space objects, like nebulas,galaxys ad stuff)........dont worry about it..... if you have a selection of eyepieces with your scope you should get.....something like...... 9mm,15mm,25mm,30mm. These allowed me to get good usage out of my scope and i have seensome magical sights......

Thats my opinion and im sure they will be shot down somewhere, but i am only a relative-newby to the "sport" too.

Anthony

[ving]

hi bazooka!
dont worry bout these clown!
I know what you mean :)
firstly, welcome aboard.
seconly how did you hear about the forum?

and finally... yes a dob is easy to use and you will get a bigger one for your money. you will have to learn your way around the night sky tho.
If you go the other way and get a goto scope you will end up with a much smaller scope and will see less.

by size I am refering to the aperture. the bigger the aperture the more light gathering the scope will do. you will see fainter objects and more detail with a larger scope.

I hope this helps.

most here will sugest either bintel or andrews communications for your purchases. both are good retailers.

[ballaratdragons]

I'm staying out of this one coz I'm not sure what I want myself! I am thinking of Motorising my 12" dob.

Hey Bazooka, there's an idea. Get a big Dob and later on you can change the mount to a motorised Equatorial. (computerised if you can afford it)

[[1ponders]]

:welcome: BazooKa.

Don't worry you'll get plenty of information here :) You might even end up more confused. Fortunately the beauty of this place is that you can keep coming back and asking as many questions as you like until you you feel comfortable and unconfused. That way going back to that shop you'll have a good idea of what you're needing. BTW what was the shop that you visited?

You'll find basically two groups of people offering suggestions here, Dobbers and Non-dobbers. You'll find those with Dobs to be the best bunch of friendly visual observers to be found anywhere. Unfortunately they tend to be a bit biased :P :lol: Probably rightly so but biased anyway. :) Then there are us Non-dobbers or more correctly known as GO TOers and trackers (which strangely enough contains some Dobbers as well (I think they all secretly want tracking shhh) who are never biased, just modest and just as friendly. BTW Dob stand for Dobsonian, like frogmans photo above.

For $1000 the Dobbies have got you pinned. A good aperture scope, 8" to 10", with some decent eyepieces will certainly see you on your way to exploring the wonders of the night skies. If you want GO TO then a small (about 4") good quality GO TO will cost you around $900 and then rapidly increase in price. You can get cheaper ones but the quality will disappoint you more often than not. Unfortunately $900 doesn't leave you much to get eyepieces with.

Think about what you would like to do. Whether you want to be able to find objects in the sky by tracking them down off a star chart, or whether you want to just press a couple of buttons to find that object. Both ways can help you learn the night sky. Dobsonians and other non goto scopes basically make you learn your way around and you tend to pick up a lot of additional astronomical info in learning that way. Goto I've found tends to let you just soak up names and numbers and if you find you're really interested, then you will go looking for that other info anyway. But if you're not interested you can still enjoy scooting around the sky looking at "stuff". Have a think about what you would like to do, contact SAS and see when they are having a viewing night. Have a look at, and try some different scopes.


You'll find it said somewhere on this site that the best scope for you is the one you use. If you get one you don't enjoy using then you've really missed out on a great hobby.

Good luck

[RAJAH235]

First up, WELCOME Bazooka.:welcome: It has all been posted, so I will not repeat it except for, BEFORE YOU BUY, contact the SAS,as Paul & Andrew have said, & look thru some/all of their t'scopes, check out all that is avail., then think what you want to do in "Astrology". Save for a while & then decide.
If I may add, do not skimp on Eyepieces. You'll pay a "few" more dollars for the higher quality ones, but the views you will get will be tons better than thru a cheaper E/Pc.
Whatever T'scope you decide on, you have chosen a fascinating hobby. It will keep you in awe for years.
HTH. :D :thumbsup: L.

[Bazooka]

LOL i didnt even realise I had typed astrology. D'oh. Well I am only new HAHA.

Thanks heaps for all the great info guys. I will get in contact with SAS and see what they have to offer.

Seems most of you recommend the Dobsonian. I did not see any in the shop I visited (Star Optics). I was shown Sky Watcher and Meade scopes. How do these stack up? The Sky Watcher scopes looked similar to the one Frogman posted and around the same price.

From what I understand I could purchase something like this and then maybe buy a motorised goto mount later if I wanted? How much would a compatible mount be?

Is there much more to a scope if I required photography? Sounds like a great option but unsure how different a scope would be to just visual observation?

What about other accessories like eyepieces and other things that I am sure exist but I dont know of them or dont know what you call them? What sort of other things should I be looking for to compliment my scope?

Thanks again :)

[Striker]

Yes you can transform your dob into something you can use for astrophotography but I suggest you wait a while and the cost factor goes up quickly......

I recommend you get a 8" Dob then consider a EQ mount to put your Dob(Newt) on later down the track.....once you have learnt the sky.

Just remember if your thinking to go larger then a 8" dob you would need a EQ6 mount....which will costs around $1400

8" dob you could get away with a EQ5 costing $499.

Their is other cost and factors related to astrophotgraphy but these are question you can ask at a later date...

Enjoy....

P.S Chris at star optics is a great bloke....

[Starkler]

The skywatcher dobs are more expensive and optically inferior to the Guan Sheng dobs as sold by Bintel, Andrews and a few others.
The reason Dobsonians are recommended are that they simple and intuitive to use, have a stable solid mount and provide the best bang for the buck. Aperture does count.

Good solid EQ mounts are very expensive! Any scope in your price range on an eq mount will be shaky at high magnifications and just be a source of frustration. Photography ? forget it!
Why pay for a wobbly eq mount on an aluminium tripod when with a dob the money goes into the important part - the optics :)

This is your first scope so I would recommend forgetting about astrophotography for the time being and get some visual observing experience under your belt first.

[[1ponders]]

I'll leave the Skywatcher/GS comparison to those that use them. If you have a stroll through the site you'll see which are prefered

There are a number of Meade owners here and the majority of us love them. The Meade LX series (55, 75, 90, 200) are all great scopes though they are "slower" than newtonians at f/10 while the Newts run at from about f/4 up to about f/6 (being probably the most common). For the same size aperture and object will appear brighter in an f/4 than an f/10, but it won't have as much contrast. Most Deep Sky Objects are view more clearly at the faster rates where as planetary and lunar viewing likes a bit of contrast, from f/10 - 12 and much slower, even down to f/30 & 40.

The meades run at between f/10 and (I think) f/12 or 13 (ETXs)So they are a good all round scope. I can pull galaxies no problem with my 8" (certainly not as clearly as an f/4 8" newt) and it excells on planets. The cheapest meade with goto is a Maksukov-Cassegrain ( The other type is the SCT or Schmidt Cassegrain telescope) and is the ETX90 for around $900. An excellent little scope but don't expect stunning views of galaxies though it does a pretty fair job on the brighter DSOs. Your next level are the LX 55s (if they are still available) and the LX75, both mounted on equatorial mounts. Then the LX90 and LX200 both fork mounted. These all have goto and tracking capabilities.

If you want to look at astrophotography then you can do basic planetary photography with a webcam and a tracking mount, some here are brave enough to try it with non tracking mounts and get reasonable results, but they hair is starting to get a bit patchy now. :P You can do afocal photography with just about any telescope by holding the camera up to the eyepiece and taking an image. But that's pretty muck confined to the moon, jupiter, saturn and venus. If youwant to get serious then start thinking about a second mortgage on your house. :P Well maybe not that expensive if you want just basic gear but easily that much if you want to get really serious. Minimum looking at starting around $5000 - $8000 for a setup that you will be able to get good shots but certainly not like the hubble. though amateur astronomers love to push the envelope and they're images are improving out of site over the last few years using pretty basic equipment. Good quality though, you can't get away from that.

Before you go looking for eyepieces, decide what you want to do. Theat will determine what telescope to get. Then work out eyepieces. Different eyepieces work differently/better in different f/ratio and aperture scopes.

Being a meade owner I can't help you much with the newt stuff but I hope its clarified a couple of things
Clear Skies

[Starkler]

I dont beleive f-ratio has anything to do with visual brightness or contrast for that matter. Visual brightness is governed by aperture, magnification and light loss from optical components.

Contrast is governed by many factors such as smoothness of optical surfaces, quality of lens coating, shielding of extraneous light sources etc.

[Bazooka]

Ok lets forget the photography for now. That can wait a while :)

Looks like a nice Dob unit seems to be the go. What Dob scope is the pick of the bunch? Starkler writes that the Sky Watcher is inferior to others. How many other brands are out there and which one is better? Is there much difference between them?

This might open a can of worms.

[astro_south]

Bazooka

from your earlier reply you seem to indicate that we haven't been as clear as we could have been. A Dobsonian is not a brand name, it is a design, and refers to the simple alt-az mount as shown in Frogman's picture. What you saw in Star Optics that resembled Frogman's scope is infact a "Skywatcher" Dobsonian. It is important to diferentiate between the designs (both optics and mounts) and the brands (Meade, Skywatcher, Celestron, GS). In terms of mounts there are dobsonian, equatorial(GEM), and fork types generally available in amateur equipment. All these mounts can be motorised to track and have goto, though some are harder than others. Optical designs commonly available include refractors (glass lense at the front that refract the light) and reflectors which include newtonian (Newt), Schmidt Cassegrain (SCT), and Maksutov-Cassegrains. All these designs differ and have advantages and dissadvantages over each other.

Do some research on the web and perhaps purchase one of the current astronomy magazines from your local newsagents. They contain photos in adverts and this will help you recognise what people are talking about.

[Striker]

GSO dobs are by far the best value for money and peformance....

Meaning Guen Sheng Dobsonians........

Did you get my PM Bazooka...

[Starkler]

The only dobs I have seen under $1000 are the Sky watchers, Saxons and Guan Sheng. There might be a Bushnell model but I personally wouldnt touch anything from that brand.

The Guan Sheng is the pick of the bunch and it also happens to be the cheapest size for size :)

[[1ponders]]

You are right there Geoff. I should have been more specific.

Bazooka, when you are looking through two telescopes with the same aperture diameter, one is f/5 and the other is f/10 (ie the focal length of the f/5 is half as long as the f/10 )and you use the same eyepiece in each one, the f/5 will appear brighter and have a wider field of view because its magnification will half that of the f/10. If you use an eyepiece that is of the same contruction type in the f/5 that brings it up to the same magnification as the f/10 then the images will be pretty much the same through the central part of the feild of view.

Hope that clarifies it a bit. :cool2:

[Bazooka]

Yes I did get confused in thinking the Dob was a brand as noone said otherwise. After doing some searching I found out the truth. These f/* numbers where confusing also and I had no idea what they meant but I did find some easy to read articles that explained that too.

After searching some more and taking your recommendations I am looking at either a Guan Sheng or Bintel. Anyone care to do a comparison on these 2 or maybe throw another in the mix? What do you think? Also are there any local suppliers of these in S/E Qld or do I have to order from Sydney?

I will continue to look around in the meantime.

Oh, one thing I noticed is that Andrews Communications lists 2 types of 10" and 12" Guan Sheng scopes. Whats the difference?

[astro_south]

The 10" and 12" refer to the aperture of the scope - diameter of the light gathering source - in the case of the Newt it is the diameter of the primary mirror (at the bottom of the tube). The bigger this number the more light gathering ability the optics have, and the brighter objects will appear, and hence the deeper into space you can see. The trade off (and there is always something) is that a 12" mirror is heavier than a 10" mirror and the tube of the 12" your looking at will be longer than the 10" and may not fit your transport to a darker site - something to consider!

[slice of heaven]

Bazooka there is 2 types of 12s. 1 has a cooling fan (for faster cooling of the main mirror) and a crayford type focuser. The other has no fan and a rack and pinion focuser. I think there is still an option on plate glass/BK7 for the main mirror.
Not sure about the 10s.
Bintel and Andrews dobs are both gs.
I have to add that there are issues with the gs mount. As the mount is flexy and the alt/az movement leaves alot to be desired.
They can be altered easily depending on what you can put up with.
I think bintel supply the scope with 2 gs eps. Andrews supply a lesser standard of eps. Bintel DO collimate the scope prior to delivery which I think is important for a noobie.
As for size, an 8" can be mounted on an eq mount easier than the 10 or 12. But the large ap of a 10 or 12 will give better views.
Keep thinking and keep asking

Slice

[janoskiss]

Bazooka, you're not the only one getting confused... Andrew, the two types of 12 and 10" Dobs Bazooka is asking about are pyrex vs non-pyrex mirror and Crayford vs rack-and-peanut focuser.

Pyrex mirror will distort less with changing temperatures and Crayford focuser is smoother, making fine adjustments easier and less likely to nudge the scope off target at high magnifications.

I'd be inclined to say that the 10" deluxe from Andrews for $699 with the Crayford is your best choice under $1000. And you'll have $300 left over to spend on accessories.

and BTW, the Bintel Dobs are GS Dobs with a Bintel sticker. Bintel customers will tell you they get better support, so you might want to talk to Bintel too, even if their advertised prices are a little higher than Andrews'.

[slice of heaven]

Janos
How long have gs supplied pyrex mirrors?

Slice

[ballaratdragons]

They don't. GS only have Optical Grade Plate Glass and 'BK7' Glass. 'BK7' being superior to Optical Grade Plate Glass. There is nothing wrong with the 'Optical Grade'. It all to do with cooling and in Australia they both work as good as each other. We don't use our scopes in temeratures of minus 10.

[Striker]

Andy,

Make sure what ever you decide......that the primary mirror has been center spotted......Being new to this I dont think you would like to attempt taking the primary out to DIY.

From my understanding.....all of Bintels are spotted but you pay extra for this and 1 of the larger aperture dob's from Andrews are spotted aswell...I think the 12".

[ballaratdragons]

Yep, the GS 12" from Andrews is centre spotted.(well, the Deluxe is, I don't know about the standard model)

[janoskiss]

Sorry for the wrong info then. This is getting more and more confusing. When I got my 8" there were two models and the only difference between them was the glass the mirror was made out of. I thought we had a lengthy thread on this already, about whether a pyrex mirror is essential for a 12" or would the cheaper glass in the "limited" edition GSO Dobs be ok. :confuse2:

But maybe that explains why my mirror is all chipped and crappy looking around the edges. Its made from crappy glass. :(

Edit: had a quick search of the archives. Majority concensus says no pyrex in GSOs. It's just that my brain is too small to retain the amount of info on the forums without jumbling some of it up.

[ballaratdragons]

Steve, the Plate glass in GS scopes is good quality. GS don't use Pyrex because it is too damn dear and it would defeat the idea of affordable scopes. The BK7 is almost as good as Pyrex. We don't necessarily need Pyrex in Oz anyway.

[Bazooka]

Wow that was a confusing read. So let me try to get this straight. The Bintel and Andrews are the same Guan Sheng items, right? The 2 different part numbers shown on the Andrews sight for both the 10" and 12" Dob scopes is one is a plate glass lens where as the other more expensive is for a BK7 lens? This would explain the 'BK7' in the part number. Obviously the BK7 is a better option so I suppose I should look more towards this.
Are the focusers different or not? Quite confused here. And is there an option of a cooling fan or not? So much conflicting information????

Also what is centre spotted?

[mick pinner]

Buy an SCT, you will get all you need without having to upgrade to this and that at a later stage, they might be more expensive to begin with but every time you sell something to upgrade you lose money. ln my opinion save your money and buy a scope that you will be happy with for a longer period of time, in the meantime a good pair of binoculars will allow you to see some interesting stuff and learn the night sky.

[slice of heaven]

Confusing? no , we haven't started yet.
The main difference in the type of glass used in the mirrors is how quickly the mirror cools and how much distortion of the mirror surface is created while it is cooling. Theres more than 3 types but we'll stick with these.
Plate glass,BK7 and pyrex.
Pyrex cools quicker and you have less distortion.
Plate glass cools slower and distorts the most while doing so.
BK7 is in between.
Once there cooled and if your not standing in a snowfield it doesn't matter.
A mirror made of BK7 with a fan to reduce cooling times means your mirror will reach equilibrium with the outside temp quicker and your viewing session starts sooner.
Or put your scope with aplate glass mirror outside earlier as it takes longer to cool.
The reflective coating is on the front of the mirror, not behind the glass ,as per a normal mirror. Light doesn't travel through the glass so there is no difference in reflective quality.
As for cooling fans, you can fit a cooling fan from a computer to cool your mirror if your handy enough.

Slice

[slice of heaven]

The 2 types of focusers available on the gs are either a rack and pinion or a crayford style focuser.
Of the 2 gs focusers the crayford is the better option.
The gs rack and pinion it seems is a poorly designed one.
I haven't seen one but consensus here is their not worthwhile.

Slice

[slice of heaven]

To collimate (line up your optics) a centre spotted mirror makes this task a lot easier. It's a spot fitted to the centre of the main mirror so you know for sure your main mirror is angled perfectly.
It can be done yourself but if it's done before hand thats one less worry for you.

Slice

[slice of heaven]

Mick Pinner has brought up the choice of scopes and it is a good idea to check them out at a local group to understand what each are capable of.
A basic dob is the cheapest (inch of aperture per $) and simplest to set up and use. They are a good starting point.

Slice

[janoskiss]

Sorry about that. Largely my fault. Don't despair. In the past year or so, there has been an explosion in choice and affordability of good quality, medium-to-large aperture scopes, so this is a great time to join the hobby. There are some fantastic scopes out there to suit your budget. There are also some real duds to be found in some camera shops and "Australiana" type shops and elsewhere.

[janoskiss]

Staying within the Local Group (http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/gclusters/localg.html) is probably a good idea. ;)

PS. Sorry, couldn't resist. :D

[ballaratdragons]

Yes, the Bintel and Andrews scopes are the same scope. Unless you are in a cold location it won't really matter which glass you use.

Yes, the Focusers are different. The rack and Pinion standard version is a simple design and is prone to wobbles etc. The Crayford has smoother action, a clutch type device, a lock to hold focus and is better quality.

The option of a cooling fan depends on the size scope you get. I don't think all the sizes have this option but you can make one if you want one. I think It only comes on the 12" Deluxe.

But, the 12" Deluxe has the works. BK7 glass, cooling fan, Crayford Focuser, centre spotted mirror and the inside of the tube is already painted Matt Black (important).

I cannot say for sure if the GS 10" Deluxe has ALL the features but you could ring them and ask. The price difference between the Standard and the BK7 CRF version is only $50 on the 10" so I would guess it doesn't have ALL the trimmings.(just a guess though).

If you get a mirror that is not centre spotted and you want to do it yourself 'BEWARE!!' The mirror surfaces cannot be touched. AT ALL! The Aluminium surface is only .003248mm (5 light-waves) thick and the protective coating on most mirrors is only .000162mm (1/4 light-wave) thick. If you touch it and leave a finger-print do not try to rub it off. The coating WILL get damaged. When the time comes to clean your mirrors (not often luckily) we can guide you through the process.

Now that I have cleared some of the confusion, I will confuse you more. Save up heaps and get an SCT with Go-To. :P

[Bazooka]

After my last post I found this page that explained everything.

http://www.bintel.com.au/BT302.html

Whats a SCT? They sound expensive.

[ballaratdragons]

Yes they are!!! An SCT is a 'Shmitt-Cassegrain' telescope. Although working on a similar principal to a reflector it is different.

It would take me about 500 words to explain the difference. Maybe someone else may have a very simple explanation??

[[1ponders]]

Check out this page Bazookz. It will help explain a few concepts and what to look for. http://www.atscope.com.au/visual.html

[syzygy]

Also check out this one for a short description of SCTs.
http://www.telescopes-astronomy.com.au/telescopes056.htm

Regards,
Chris

[Bazooka]

Ok so as a comparison what sort/brand of SCT scope would one be looking at for a first timer?

[Striker]

Meade LX90 with GOTO at $3000 is a popular choice.


http://www.telescopesales.co.uk/mlx90.htm

[[1ponders]]

While there are a few brands the two most popular brands are made by Meade and Celestron. There are others that are cheaper and others more expensive.

I've only used Meades and Celestrons so I can't give you a full comparison and I have no intention of starting the age old meade/celestron debate. That has been done to death on other forums so if you're interested in that check some of the American astronomy forums.

I personally like the Meades. An 8" meade LX200 start around $4000 and go up from there. The LX90 is more reasonably priced at around $3000 and the LXD-75 (equitorial mount the other two are fork mounts) around $3000. Celestron make smaller models than 8", the Nextar range, the N5i (5") starting around $2500 going up to the N11 at $7000. Needless to say its a bit more than your $1000 you are looking to spend.

As I posted before Meade also have an ETX range of Maksukov-Cassegrains starting at around $900 but it only has a 90 mm aperture. All the above come standard with goto and tracking. Some are more suited to astrophotography than others.

The ETX's are extremely light and portable, 8" (meade OTA(Optical Tube Assembly) and fork assembly, only, no tripod) moderately heavy at about 13kg but still easily portable. 10" and 12" are starting to get heavy but they are still designed to be portable, but I'd hate to have to regularly lift a 12" or 14" onto a tripod.

Hope that's helped

[Bazooka]

Just when I thought I had my mind made up!

Now what would a Meade ETX-105AT being in the same price range as a Deluxe 12" GS Dob give me? Although it has tracking and all that am I going to be able to see as much/more as the larger GS with same/better quality?

This is so confusing, I wish it were easier to choose :(

I am still thinking I should stick to the Dob. From what I understand this could be upgraded in the future with a better mount and maybe go-to or push-to. Im sure it has more than I need right now.

[ving]

yeah go for it. you might be discouraged by the view in a smaller scope :)

[janoskiss]

Make sure you know how large a 12" Dob is, and that you're comfortable with its size! It is not what most people would call "portable". You might want to go with with the 10" or the 8".

Goto SCTs are way too expensive to my mind. You just get so much more aperture per dollar with dobs. (Ad in AS&T from Andrews has 10" Dob "Deluxe" for $649. That's 4 times the light gathering power of the ETX-105 which costs twice that (nearly triple if you buy from ebay ripper offers). But of course, the dob's no good if you don't know what to point it at...)

On the other hand, resale value of Meade GOTO SCTs seems very good. So if you get one of these overpriced electronic marvels, and later decide all you want is aperture, you can probably get 75+% of your money back by selling it on ebay (or here). The GSO Dobs are aggressively priced to begin with, and don't have a well-known brand name on the tube, so will probably not hold their value that well.

Always happy to contribute to the confusion! :P

[[1ponders]]

As janoskiss has said, the Dobs have a much greater light gathering power per buck so you can, for want of a better word, see "deeper", see dimmer objects, nebula and galaxies will appear brighter for less money.

The beauty of the goto is as long as you know a couple of stars and know where you are (Lat/long) you can press a couple of buttons and the scope will slew to where you want it to. You can get something similar with an Argo Navis or similar for a dob except you push/pull it to where you want to go and the computer tells you when your there (I think that's right. Those with dobs will correct me if I'm not)

The big thing is not to rush into getting something for the sake of getting started. Its a lot of money to spend so its important to feel confident that you are getting a scope to suit your needs. I really recommend that if you can go to a star party or viewing night somewhere and try a couple of scopes out. That will help to settle your mind.

Remember also what janoskiss said. Check the size of scopes to, 12" dobs are bigger than they sound. Especially if you want to go to another viewing site and waht to fit it in the car. :(

Good luck
Paul
Proud Meade owner :P :lol2:

[Bazooka]

Thanks once again. I will stick to the Dob's me thinks. Although before I do hand over any cash I would like to check out a viewing night or some gathering to check out what is available. Although I am itching to get my first scope I can hold out a little longer to make sure I am completely comfortable with my choice. As for the size of a 12" it really doesnt matter. If I need to take it somewhere it will quite easily fit in my van which I use to run deliveries with.

Are there cases or boxes available to transport something like a 12" as I am sure they would have to be transported with care. Suppose I could easily make something up for the job.

[iceman]

I just use 2 of the foam inserts that came with the scope, and lay the OTA in those, and the base just sits beside.

You just need to make sure it doesn't roll around and get knocked by anything else.. pack it in snug.

[astro_south]

Bazooka

Have you contacted SAS yet?

Although it is not exactly in your neighbourhood, some of us on the forum are getting together out at Glenore Grove (3/4 hour west of Brisbane) this Friday night. I am sure you would be welcome to come along (send a private message to mhodson just to confirm) and check out some scopes. Unfortunately there won't be any GS dobs AFAIK, but I can confirm there will be 12.5" truss dob and there is most likely to be a 10" Meade SCT, and an 80mm ED refractor. There could also be a 6" f5 newt that will give you a sense of what can be seen with different apertures. We will also have a 6 day old moon to contend with, but still should be able to pull out the odd galaxy or two :)

[rmcpb]

Baz,

Have a look at this discussion http://www.iceinspace.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1533

I made some comments there and the same holds true for you. If you have a $1k budget get the 8" with the essential extras and enjoy your initial viewing.

When you are more experienced tracking, photography and an eyepiece collection will come soon enough.

Cheers

[Bazooka]

Thanks for that Andrew.
I sent mhodson a PM.

[Striker]

I will be their.....I'm sure Mark will be happy to have you....

[Comet Hunter]

Not much more I can add Bazooka, but just make sure you dont rush into it, make sure you know what you want to use the scope for and what scope will answer those needs...most of the stars aren't going anywhere too soon (might get the odd supernova or something here and there though....:whistle: :D )

Andrew, if the 10" SCT you're refering to is mine, it wont be coming out...I'll be travelling straight from work, then depending on the night, travelling straight back to work.... :eyepop::whistle: :cool::lol:

[Bazooka]

Andrew your exactly right. As much as I am itching to get my first scope I do not want to rush out and buy something i am not going to be happy with. I have done a lot more searching around and talking to others about it. I have gatherered a huge amount of information over the last few days and have to thank everyone here for the excellent (yet some times confusing :P) info. Now I am just taking time to absorb it all. Unfortunately I cannot make it to Marks on Friday but would still like to get together with someone or a few of you guys to familiarise myself with what is on offer.

Thanks to all :D

[iceman]

Great decision.. there's no rush, the stars aren't going anywhere and you'll be pleased when you know that you've made an informed decision.