Help: Need opinions on which telescope to buy

[AppleGecko]

Hey all,

Im new to astrononmy, but i know the basics. I would like to buy a telelscope soon, but am not sure which type or where to get one, preferebly under $400.00 AUD. I am looking on andrewscom.com at the moment at a Guan Sheng GS-580 6" Limited 150mm x 1200mm Dobsonian ($299.00 AUD)

Help would be greatly appreciated:help:

Thankyou in advance,

Brent (AppleGecko)

[GeoffW1]

Hi Brent,

You will know that the contest is between a reflector and a refractor. You get more aperture (and you see fainter objects) for your money in a dob reflector, but this will require you to become more intimate with your scope and learn to collimate (align) the thing. You must do this for good seeing or your money is wasted.

Generally these scopes are bulkier and it can become a problem if you want to transport them to someplace with darker skies.

There is a huge range of quality and cost in refractors, and some can be collimated, others not. The scopes which have no such adjustment may be quite OK even so, if you spend a few dollars more.

If you buy one of these refractor scopes it will probably be easy to transport but not quite as acute. For dark skies this will possibly not be a bother, but in light polluted locations it will be a different story.

The next thing is to mention that the scope is truly only half the story. You can buy a $900 eyepiece that will make a stunning improvement to the view in a $500 telescope. I have seen this, and it was a revelation. You would not be advised to do this as a regular practice tho (wrong priority).

You can also fit a $50 eyepiece to a $900 telescope and lose half the viewing quality you might have had for the money.

So we are getting to the basic questions....

are you in an urban area?

do you anticipate visiting dark sky sites with your scope or not?

do you wish to set the scope up and just get on with it, or are you amenable to some adjusting and aligning first?

I would say:

- if you are not in an urban location, and you really do not want to fiddle around with the scope before viewing, buy something like this

http://www.tasco.com.au/Products/tabid/59/CategoryID/4/List/0/Level/a/ProductID/128/Default.aspx

However if either of the answers above is no, get something like the scope you mentioned above, excellent value, but remember the eyepieces in your budget.

Cheers

[Batfink]

Hi,
I too am new, and have been using 20x90 bins, but would also like to buy a dob, exactly the same as above, GSO 6" dob $299.

GeoffW1 you have now got me thinking about the SW102, so any thoughts or comments about these two would be great.

Thanks
Peter.

[AppleGecko]

Dear Geoff

Thankyou for your advice. The telescope u advised looks great, but can it see planets and how much is it.

Thanks, Brent

[rmcpb]

Brent,

I'm a bit biased in this subject but would advise saving a bit more till you can afford an 8" dob and either a laser collimator or a cheshire eyepiece for collimating. I still use my 8" scope far more than the 13", its easier to cart around and set up and I'm lazy. It cools quickly, gives great views of the moon and planets and can handle DSOs as well (much better than the 6" on the DSOs).

Great all rounder and many people spend their entire astronomical life on one of these.

Cheers

[erick]

If you can pounce on this one, you will be a happy camper!

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=44974

[AppleGecko]

Dear Eric and Rob

Eric, The telescope you showed me seemed a bit out of my price, but very cheap for its sort.

And Rob, i understand about saving a little more so i can get the 8'' and either of the eyepieces, but i am trying to keep under a budget, and is the 8'' alot better than a 6''

eg. can u tell the difference between the 2 while viewing, what can you view with an 8"

Thankyou Eric and Rob

[Starkler]

At the $400 level you really only have one choice of a telescope type that will be properly serviceable, and thats a 6 or 8 inch dob.

Anything else and you will be seriously compromising quality and stability of the mount.

[GeoffW1]

Hi Brent,

Yes that sort of scope can certainly observe planets because they are bright objects (at least the nearer ones are) and this will not challenge the more restricted aperture it has. Bear in mind that the optics of a refractor in this price range are not top-class but are still adequate. The same applies to the mount which is a wobbly AZ3, but will give much greater portability.
Andrews has the short-tube SW102 on sale for $399

http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm

Now Starkler's point about the wobbly AZ3 mount is a very good one. It takes forever to settle down and focussing is very very difficult because you cannot touch it without causing the image to leap around everywhere. I overcame that on mine by fitting an electric focusser drive, but that will cost you another $105.

So to sum up:

- OK for planetary viewing and can see fainter objects if you have dark skies
- restricted viewing in urban skies but still plenty to look at eg double stars
- frustrating to focus because of flimsy mount

So it is suitable as a starter scope for a budget, with reservations.

Now with the dob as you know you get more aperture for the money, and a more robust mount which will enable you to focus more easily. However you must collimate these scopes, and the gear for that will cost about $90-140 extra.

There are some of these here in IIS For Sale listings from time to time. Currently new 150mm dobs under $400 are

http://astronomyalive.com.au/Telescopes%20-%20Astronomy.html

http://www.myastroshop.com.au/products/details.asp?id=MAS-063

http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-content-section-10-guansheng.htm

The last being the best price, $299. To sum up

- better on faint objects
- easier to focus
- must be collimated regularly
- not as portable

Hope this assists

Cheers

[dannat]

comparing the two, a 6" dob will gather a lot more light and show a lot more than the 4" refractor (not a +$1000).. it is just as portable i think..the 6" dob mount reflector is really quite small

[AppleGecko]

Geoff

Your advice been really helpfull

I'm on the edge of buying a telescope but really do not want to rush it

I have found a few that seem appropriate

1 on Ice in space- http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=44974

1 on Andrews(though its 6")- http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm (already mentioned)

the one you sent me skywatcher Terrestrial- http://www.tasco.com.au/Products/tabid/59/CategoryID/4/List/0/Level/a/ProductID/128/Default.aspx

Im really keen on the one on IIS since, it seems less money than other 8 inch dobs

And my conditions are
: I live in a neighbourhood, an hour drive to the city approx
: I know that everytime i see the stars or full moon, i want to get a telescope out
:I may not buy a new lense or such upgrade for a while
: Im not a real fan of standing there and alligning for a long period
: If my family are going some where (maybe a dark sky as you suggested) i would surely take my telescope

Any suggestions Geoff please do not hesitate to tell

Thankyou so much

Brent

[GeoffW1]

Hi,

I would have to agree with Erick, that one here on IIS seems the closest to ideal. I made an effort to keep under $400 the ones I was referring to, but if you can go to the little extra money I believe you will not be disappointed. It will not have the portability problems a solid tube dob has.

Reviews of the 12" model here

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/41-531-0-0-1-0.html

http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=1920

Cheers

[Chippy]

I agree with Starkler. 6" or 8" dob is the way to go. 8" if you can swing the extra moula, but 6" will do nicely. Both will easily outperform a $400 refractor / mount combo IMO.