Quote:
Originally Posted by Startrek
Paul,
I think a full size dobsonian 6” or 8” would be to difficult to lug around in cars and up and down stairs etc.. plus you have a restricted view of the night sky from your yard so that will prompt you to drive to other better locations in your area.
A more portable visual telescope sounds like the way to go.
The Skywatcher 130mm 5” Virtuoso table top Goto reflector telescope will get you started in the hobby and ticks most or your boxes ( it’s not suitable for AP) but you mentioned that AP is something you would consider in the future. By the way , the Celestron Nexstar series of Goto telescopes are primarily for visual only , you can do a of bit planetary imaging but not deep sky imaging with these. If your serious about getting into AP and expanding in AP in the future I wouldn’t consider on of these telescopes, you need an EQ mount for sure. So if you purchased the Evolution you need another telescope dedicated for future AP that has an EQ ( equatorial) mount
The Skywatcher Virtuoso is a great little package for visual and totally portable
It has 130mm aperture, 650mm focal length so f5 focal ratio , powerful enough to see plenty of DSO objects , planets and moon
The telescope is Goto on an Az mount , had dual encoders so it doesn’t forget it’s position in the night sky , is wifi compatible and can be run off battery or mains , so great for jumping in the car and finding some good remote viewing locations
I think they are around $600 plus add some nice quality eye pieces, say 10mm , 20mm and 32mm Plössl or Superview , a few moon and planet filters and total cost would be around $1000 to $1200.
They are very popular and like most Astro gear these days you have to order and wait but you never know , Bintel or Oz scopes may have one in stock
That’s my recommendation based on your location and intentions in the immediate future to get you started with visual astronomy in the hobby with ease and portability
Al the best with your journey
Cheers
Martin
|
Paul,
I forgot to tell you about Stellarium
Download Stellarium which is a fantastic planetarium ( it’s free ) and it gives you a roadmap of the night sky 24/7 and will show you how all celestial objects move across out night sky. You can change it’s clock back or forward to see what’s coming up weeks later. Very user friendly and can be used a Goto for telescope control ( Ive been using it for 4 years to co tell my telescopes in AP )
It has many useful tools for visual as well , like ocular fields of view etc..,
Attached is a quick procedure for Stellarium I put together a while back
All the best
Cheers
Martin