advice needed

[davecambo]

hi there my name is dave i live in goulburn nsw. since moving from sydney a year ago i have noticed that the sky is amazing here. everything stands out so much more.

I have recently become interested in the night sky and want to purchase a telescope to see more.

the shops are limited here in goulburn, but i could always drive the hour to canberra if i cant get a decent beginners telescope here, all we have is a camera shop and a dick smith, can i get a decent telescope for around 300 bucks in a shop like that? if so what model can someone suggest to me please? and can they accept a digital camer to photograph something i like?

secondly, can someone provide me with a link or some information on what months are best to view which planets, and any other times are best to view other objects please?

last night with the naked eye i found jupiter, orion, capricorn and aquarius. it was even better looking at the moon through a 14x rifle scope.

I have a program called stellarium on my pc which helped me to find the above. (not the moon that was easy:lol:)

thanks in advance!

dave.

[dannat]

Dave, both Andrews COmmunications & BIntel in sydney will probably be more competitive & they both Post you will find them in the links section here.
How much room do you want the telescope to take up..? most here will recommend a dobsonian mounted reflector about 8"

but i will recommend some binos - you can get a decent pair of 10x50's porro prism for about 150-200 - you could also take them shooting seeing as how you already have a rifle scope

[davecambo]

ok, those are the ones with the bases like someone else quoted "lazy susan" ones right? how hard are they to get level though if they arent on an adjustable tripod stand?

i dont mind how big it is it will be in my backyard shed which is BIG. are you able to suggest a model number that would be best for around the 300 dollar mark?

also, i found this site just now which i think is great for beginners, i will be getting up at 430am to check out mars tomorrow thats for sure!
http://astroblogger.blogspot.com/search/label/weekly%20sky

[[1ponders]]

Welcome Dave.

Big advantage of a Dob....don't need to get them level. You can use them on the side of a cliff if you can fix the base from sliding downhill. ;)

[jjjnettie]

Dobs are great, just plonk and view.
They usually throw in a few eyepieces with the scope too to get you started.

[barx1963]

David
Don't worry about adjusting or leveling the base, this is really only an issue with equatorial mounts, as long as it is on fairly level ground, that is fine.
8" is a great size, not too big, buts lots of light gathering capacity. Don't think you would pick one up for $300 though, try a wanted ad in Icetrade, there are plenty out there!

[davecambo]

awesome thanks guys. just how big is an 8" dob exactly?

[bmitchell82]

google skywatcher, they have all the sizes ect ect. plus they are all pretty much the same, just a difference in a few bits and pieces like if you want to go to astro photography later. i always advise the SW, other wise they are both in the same basket for visual!

[Paddy]

The advice of an 8" dob is spot on,except if you aren't planning to move it much and aren't limited too much by budget, it might be worth looking at something bigger (8" good, 10" better, 12" ...). (although I hear you say $300). I'd also agree that Bintel or Andrews are the way to go.

One cautionary note: I don't know if you've had much experience looking through an astronomical telescope, but many people seem to be unaware that even with a large scope you will not see what is shown in astro images. You will be able to see many deep sky objects, but they will not show colour, as your eye will be using it's night vision rod cells, which only show things in shades of grey. If you're ready for this and take some time, you will be amazed at what you can see in a dark sky nebulae, globular and open clusters, galaxies , but its not like the pictures. And for planets, an 8" scope will show good detail + colour on Jupiter and the rings of saturn the moons of both and tranist etc, but you will still be limited by atmosphere to <300 magnification. You will see lots, but the planets won't seem huge. I only say this because a lot of people seem to get very disappointed with their first scopes if they are expecting colourful nebulae/galaxies and planets looking as big as the moon etc. This forum is littered with threads "what is wrong with my telescope" etc.

It might well be worth going to a star night with the Canberra ( http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/cas/ ) or MacArthur ( http://www.macastro.org.au/home/ ) astro societies. You will get a good idea of what telescopes are what and what you might expect.

If your expectations are realistic, this can be the most absorbing and addictive exploration.