Quote:
Originally Posted by Steffen
Hi Matt, I reckon first order of business should be joining your friend's astronomy club. Observing with mates increases the joy of the hobby ten-fold (unless you end up being an imager – reclusive curmudgeons those...  )
Once you get out under the stars with a bunch of likeminded people you will gain a much better perspective of sizes, views, weights, setup times, cost, etc. I wouldn't rush into any purchases before sampling a good variety of scopes. At those astro club gatherings (formal or informal) people will almost invariably be happy to share their scopes with eager newcomers (a big part of amateur astronomy is equipment pride), so don't be shy to ask.
Cheers
Steffen. |
Thanks Steffen. I have joined the club as a member, although waiting on my membership card for a few weeks now. I have attended two astronomy nights and have been lucky enough to quiz some of the telescope owners about their dobsonians (2 x 16" telescopes), Celestron and Meade Schmidt Cassegrains. I have been researching for a few months now and narrowed my field to there telescopes - Meade LX200 8" ACF, Celestron 9.25" CPC and the Orion Skyquest XX16g. Weighing up the options and have seen the Celestron and Meade varieties and spoken to Bintel about the Orion Skyquest XX16g. It is an interesting telescope from goto, disassembly options to weight considerations.
I plan to make sure I have checked things out and whether options will fit in my car and storage at my house!