Newbie help please!

[timboo]

Hi all, I'm doing a lot of research at the moment for my firstscope, and have a budget of $2500.

I was thinking, is it worth getting a 'goto' scope, the kind that simply set and forget, or, is it worth getting a larger scope without the goto function? I'd like to do astro photography as well as explore the sky with my 6 sons. I'm thinking star tracking and moving with the object would be handy? Portability is also important i think.

Getting a little confused about the terminology, any time a scope says that it has computerised GOTO, does that mean it will seek items automatically for you through the motorised mount?

I don't want to get bored as I learn - I wonder if the goto function would actually make me lazy in learning the night sky? Would I get more satisfaction in locating the targets myself?

Any thoughts on the Celestron C10-NGT Reflector scope vs Nexstar 8SE. I'm not sold solely on Celestron, but its where i'm leaning too at the moment.

A lot of questions, but any help is greatly appreciated! Cheers, Tim.:)

[Hans Tucker]

Hello Tim...the best advice would be to take that $2500 and put it aside for a while. The next bit of advice is to seek out your local Astronomical Society and attend a public viewing night..go there and take advantage of the opportunity to view through the different scopes and talk to the owners. Don't get hung up on having to learn the terminology...it will come..gradually. Unfortuanetly you appear to be suffering from the same affliction that we all as beginners were confronted with...having the $$$'s and tons of enthusiasm. Don't rush the decision but do take advantage of your local group and don't listen to people who say Refractors are better than Reflectors or are brand pushers because everything has advantages and disadvantages. This is probably not what you want to hear but it my honest advice to you.

[Blue Skies]

Yes, people do get lazy with their gotos and I have actually known people to take a step back down to reacquaint themselves with the sky.

Usually you don't get all that you want in one scope. The scope that might be good to use with your sons may not be the best one to do astrophotography with. And goto scopes are not 'automatic' in the sense you're thinking, you will find you still need to know a few tricks to get them working smoothly.

Hans has already said something that is often repeated here - get yourself down to the local club and try some scopes out before you buy. You'll get a feel for their pros and cons and what you like and don't like. A few more months research may mean a more satisfying buy in the end.

[RobF]

How well do you know the night sky Tim? To get the most from any scope its good if you can already find your way around the main constellations and recognise the brightest stars by name.

I constantly surprised how frequently I hear people yelling out "Is that star Arcturus?" - you'll need to know at least a handful of stars to align a GOTO mount.

In general Dobs are king for visual bang for buck, but you'll eventually need a quality equatorial mount to do serious astrophotography.

The great thing about attending a few night sky meetings is you can also see what different people are doing with their gear and get a feel for what appeals to you most.

[wavelandscott]

This is some great advice!

I too would encourage you go visit a viewing night or two before purchase.

Regards,

[sasup]

I agree with wavelandscott. You will save heaps of money by finding out what it is you want to do with the hobby before buy your kit. The sky can be the limit, when it comes to good scopes and accessory's. An eye piece can cost $800 so it pays to learn a bit first. I am still learning

[Allan_L]

:welcome: Hi Tim,
Welcome to IIS.

I am three years into this hobby and I can tell you we all know what you are going through.

The 8SE is some great kit. And I would highly recommend it for quality optics and performance. The GoTo is great and as long as you know where you are and what the time is, that is all you need to know to get the GoTo working on it. There are several setup methods and some further knowledge will probably lead to more accurate tracking, but it is not difficult.

My first scope was a newtonian on an equatorial mount. This would be better for astrophotography, but I soon found it painful for Observational astronomy. The eyepiece and finder can get into some awkward positions, and then there is the task of Polar Aligning.

I soon moved to an SCT (like the SE8) on a SE8 mount and found more comfortable viewing, but it was not great for photography, mainly because they mount move in Alt/Az (up and down, and side to side) instead of equatorial (following natural movement of the planet around the poles). Although some good results have been achieved by some with this sort of setup.

Goto is great, and you could definitely have difficulty in finding some faint fuzzies without it. Also, if used correctly, you can use it to help you learn the constellations. Admitedly, I am still working on this aspect.

After all this, I must however, recommend what my friends previously have stated. Find you nearest group of observers and arrange to go and look. We are very friendly and welcoming and generally knowledgable.

If you can't find something close in Sydney, come to our Central Coast observing group at the Mangrove Mountain Pony Club. We have a good variety of scopes and a lot of knowledge to share. We have people from Sydney regularly coming up. I would reckon it will be an hours travel well worth taking. Watch the star party forum for details.

Better still, come to IISAC next month (even if only for one or two nights).

I currently have a Celestron CPC1100 (big brother of the SE8 with fork arm mount instead of single arm) and a Celestron SE4 for a more portable grab and Go. I have had three Newtonians, two previous Maks, a C9.25 SCT. I have had equatorial mounts, push to mounts, alt az mounts, and full GPS goto. Yet to experience the joys of a DOB, though this is apparently the scope of recommendation for beginners, for ease of use and big optics bang for buck.

Hope to see you at a observing site soon.

[timboo]

A belated thank you to everyone for their responses - I appreciate the advice.

I've ended up buying a second hand 8" celestron through here for half of what I was planning to spend, so am very pleased with this - and it's a terrific scope. I'm currently researching local groups, there's even one at Linden in the blue Mountains about 10 minutes down the highway, so will hopefully catch up with locals there.

So much to learn!!!

Cheers
Tim