|
I also have an AstroMaster 130 which is a useless first scope to learn from. Optically its great once you buy decent eyepieces, the included eyepieces are poor (pretty much all Brand name scope come with low grade eyepieces.
Go for a dob. Talk to the Bintel guys. Maybe a motorised AltAZ mount would be useful but even a tabletop dob would be a great start. A solid stable mount is a must (avoid EQ or GOTO mounts for now, something you can save for later if you need). The 100mm Orion SkyScanner is a great little scope. Good optics, eyepieces are good too, but better ones do improve the view. It's an easy scope to learn star hopping with. At the stage forget about what you might want in the future, buy a good scope for your current needs and budget. When you want more you'll get a second scope, there is no "one scope does all" option really. And dont get hung up on having a "large" scope, they are never large enough. Good quality optics rule, so speak to Bintel about a scope for your budget, maybe also find out what eyepiece upgrades will suit it best
|