Newby Hello

[lanne]

Hello everyone
Im reasonably new to Astronomy and would be very appreciative of some advice.

I have an 8" Skywatcher Dob but I find it too big to readily transport it around etc unless at home. Is there another suitable easy to use scope that is similar to this which might in turn make things a bit more doable? I have seen the collapsable type Dobs and wondered if they might be another way to go?

Thanks:thanx:

[Ukastronomer]

Welcome

It is impossible to answer any question without knowing what you want to spend, I could offer any number of setups costing thousands

Also it depends on WHAT you want it for, what you want to view etc.

https://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-equipment/how-to-choose-a-telescope/

I look mainly at the Moon, (in fact it should NOT be referred to as "the Moon" as Moon is a name and therefore I should say "When I view Moon) I use my Refractors, but when viewing Jupiter/Saturn (see we don't say "the Jupiter or the Saturn) I use my SC, I do have a reflector (PROPER terminology REFLECTING telescope), rarely used but would be for Moon.

I am a simple person therefore I prefer my AltAz mounts, quick, simple, SkyTee2 http://www.opticalvision.co.uk/astronomical_telescopes-sky-watcher-mountings/skytee-2_dual-load_alt-azimuth_mount_and_tripod.html.

The 72mm Skywatcher ED seen with the Daystar on the Celestron mount is more often used on a good Camera tripod, weighted

MY advice would be DO NOT spend any more money until you TRY some out at a local club, rather than a pressure environment such as a shop.

[Ukastronomer]

Skywatcher 72mm ED on Gitzo with witght under mount

[Allan_L]

Hi Lanne
:welcome:
Skywatcher collapsible dobs are brilliant (IMHO).
Easy to move, easy to store, easy to setup and start using.
I have had three and found them to hold collimation well, even after transport requiring only minor tweeking.

Where are you located? Perhaps you can see some in action at an observing night near you.

The next question is, Do you want "Go To".

[gaseous]

It is the weight or the size which is the problem? As Allan said, a collapsible dob will probably save you some space, but the weight is still going to be comparable (or more, if you decide to go GOTO). There is a decent amount of weight/volume in the skywatcher dob bases, so if you wanted something more compact you may need to look at some sort of alt/az or eq tripod mount. This may involve a slight reduction in your aperture though - "cost effective" tripod mounts only seem to cater for tubes of 3"-6" aperture - more than this, or with GOTO, and you're starting to look at some hefty dollars compared to your current dob.

[hickny]

If a readily transportable scope is what you are after you might look at Gondwana Telescopes.
Alex makes beautiful telescopes.

Checkout...http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=118937&page=5

I think he has a website but you can PM him via IIS

Alex made my 6" table top dob and helped me build my Tantalus.
He's currently building me 16". I can't wait it is getting very close to finished.

[Ukastronomer]

remember if you go "cheap" goto, most of the money is going on the mount and electronics, you are getting very little scope included in the cost, and the mount capacity will also be limited for future upgrades.

When looking at celestron for example read this

https://www.celestron.com/blogs/knowledgebase/what-are-the-payload-capacities

Which is why I don't buy a "kit", I buy a mount and a tube separate.

[lanne]

Thank you, Im in Victoria, Aust. I will look up a few clubs and also do some homework on the GoTo setuup

[lanne]

Thats some good advice and will be checking all the prices and my budget out in next couple of weeks

[lanne]

16'' sounds wonderful. Will check out the links, many thanks

[lanne]

The weight is my main concern, ie the lifting. So much to read and learn but am very appreciative of all the helpful responses.