New begineer scope purchase

[BarneyMaroon (Tony)]

I was after some expert feedback on a first-scope. Would like to be able to see moons of jupiter and rings of saturn etc and some galaxies/clusters.

I am thinking of sky-watcher star discovery 150p. There is a vid on youtube from September 2015, but it does not seem to be available at online stores here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhhs65AWdCk. Does it have a different name in Australia?

My optimisation problem as I see it:

I have kids so wanted a tracking scope (so not a dob). I hate the idea of finding a planet, then having a kid lose it so I have to locate it again for the next kid (etc!). The minimum would be a single axis motor. Happy to learn how to polar align. I am a beginner and a goto would be useful as well. Can't find to many online complaints (only one) about the skywatcher tracking software so that seems to be OK.

Would like to be able to take it camping or a bit out of town (Brisbane).

The 150 aperture seems to be big enough to see the rings of Saturn which is a pretty important feature for kids (and me)

There is a
STAR DISCOVERY 150 x 750mm on andrews.com.au (OK dealer?) with a
computerised photo REFLECTOR! I presume it is an older version of the 150p. I have no idea what a "photo" reflector is.

My second option would be to buy a synscan goto EQ5 mount ($1100), and then buy a 150 telescope for that. This might give me capacity to go up to a bigger aperture. (8 inch?)

Would appreciate your thoughts.

Options at the moment:
sky-watcher star discovery 150p (If I can find in Australia - any ideas?)

STAR DISCOVERY 150 x 750mm from Andrews.com.au - is it the same under a different name?

EQ5 mount with a single axis motor Guess about $800.
Add a scope - probably a 150mm Newtownian. Not sure if this is upgradable bit by bit to goto?

EQ5 mount with full goto. $1100 + options of scope and expandable, and upgradable.

[Somnium (Aidan)]

Welcome to the boards Tony. I think that if you are planning to use the scope visually and not for astrophotography then I wouldn't get the eq5. You don't want the extra hassle of polar alignment. The alt az set up makes things a lot quicker. If you are keen to look at Saturn then you might want to invest in a Barlow lens and a decent eye piece

[rustigsmed (Russell)]

these appear to be $1400 new a bit more than your $1100 option.

great pointing and tracking, easy to use and view through. equatorial mounts are a pain for visual especially with a Newtonian.

8" aperture gives great views of the planets and deep sky.

http://www.skywatcher.com/product.php?cat=6&id=64

http://www.bintel.com.au/Telescopes/...oductview.aspx

My suggestion if you can afford the extra $.

Cheers & welcome to IIS!

Russ

[mobbie (Andreas)]

Welcom Tony,

Personal experience with Kids I went a 10" dob scope and have had no problems with the kids moving etc. Yes I have to do small adjustments every now and again due to the earth rotation but it's actually suprisingly simple.

We see the rings of saturn etc without any issue and this is in a melbourne suburb with some light noise.

Personally I spent the extra money going bigger rather than goto to be able to see more.

[BarneyMaroon (Tony)]

Originally Posted by Somnium

Welcome to the boards Tony. I think that if you are planning to use the scope visually and not for astrophotography then I wouldn't get the eq5. You don't want the extra hassle of polar alignment. The alt az set up makes things a lot quicker. If you are keen to look at Saturn then you might want to invest in a Barlow lens and a decent eye piece

Thanks.

Is this an OK Barlow?
We sell the Guan Sheng 1.25" 2x Barlow lens for $39.

What is a decent eyepiece?

[BarneyMaroon (Tony)]

Originally Posted by mobbie

Welcom Tony,

Personal experience with Kids I went a 10" dob scope and have had no problems with the kids moving etc. Yes I have to do small adjustments every now and again due to the earth rotation but it's actually suprisingly simple.

We see the rings of saturn etc without any issue and this is in a melbourne suburb with some light noise.

Personally I spent the extra money going bigger rather than goto to be able to see more.

Thanks for the tip. I have not see one in the flesh, but I thought a 10'' dob was getting pretty large. There are lots of trees where I live so I need a portable (for the park or car camping).

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

Tony
Take it from me, if you are looking to do visual astronomy, and it sounds like you are, the very last thing you should consider is a newtonian reflector on any type of EQ mount. If you are looking for a way to get your kids less interested in astronomy, that is a good place to start!
The main issue is that the eyepiece is going to end up in all sorts of odd positions. I have found myself kneeling on the grass craning my neck trying to look up into an eyepiece.
If go to is really important, then a simple go to dob is a much better option. Orion do a 6" go which Bintel sells for under $700 and the 8" go to is about $1200 I think. Both much cheaper than the option you are considering and very portable and easy to setup.
On other matters, for planets, go to is simply not necessary unless you are very keen on Neptune or Uranus, and they are underwhelming visually anyway. The big 3 of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are all bright naked eye objects that a simple red dot finder will help you locate in no time.

Cheers
Malcolm

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

Oh and on portability. I have recently acquired a HEQ5 mount and a 6" RC scope for imaging. Setting up a 8" or 10" dob is much simpler as it only takes 2 trips to the backyard (one for base, one for the scope, assuming it is a solid tube) while the EQ setup takes 3 for the tripod, then the head then the scope. Also a dob can be easily repositioned and if it is a go to it is a simple 2 star alignment and you are good to go. Reposition the EQ and you have to do a fresh polar alignment and then do your 2 star alignment.

And on the Orion Go To dobs, I believe they are designed so the bases can be pulled apart for car transport.

Malcolm

[BarneyMaroon (Tony)]

Originally Posted by barx1963

Tony
Take it from me, if you are looking to do visual astronomy, and it sounds like you are, the very last thing you should consider is a newtonian reflector on any type of EQ mount. If you are looking for a way to get your kids less interested in astronomy, that is a good place to start!
The main issue is that the eyepiece is going to end up in all sorts of odd positions. I have found myself kneeling on the grass craning my neck trying to look up into an eyepiece.
If go to is really important, then a simple go to dob is a much better option. Orion do a 6" go which Bintel sells for under $700 and the 8" go to is about $1200 I think. Both much cheaper than the option you are considering and very portable and easy to setup.
On other matters, for planets, go to is simply not necessary unless you are very keen on Neptune or Uranus, and they are underwhelming visually anyway. The big 3 of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are all bright naked eye objects that a simple red dot finder will help you locate in no time.

Cheers
Malcolm

Thanks. Will look into this option with great interest. I hadn't thought about the over the shoulder problem (aren't all stars at 45 degrees above the horizon in the south??) I presume the altaz mount is still OK with the Newtonian.

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

Originally Posted by BarneyMaroon

Thanks. Will look into this option with great interest. I hadn't thought about the over the shoulder problem (aren't all stars at 45 degrees above the horizon in the south??) I presume the altaz mount is still OK with the Newtonian.

Alt az mounts, whether a dob or other are the best way to mount a newtonian for visual use. For imaging EQ is the way to go.
If mounting a refractor or a SCT, or any scope that has a rear eyepiece, EQ mounts can work fine, the only issue with long refractors is the eyepiece can end up quite low.
However, as a Newt is usually the least expensive way to get aperture, the combo of an Alt Az or dob mount and a newt is often the best compromise.
The dob style mount is simply a way to mount larger scopes economically.

Malcolm

[Somnium (Aidan)]

Originally Posted by BarneyMaroon

Thanks.

Is this an OK Barlow?
We sell the Guan Sheng 1.25" 2x Barlow lens for $39.

What is a decent eyepiece?

GSO make good gear that is inexpensive. obviously you can get better stuff, i have this GSO barlow actually and it does a really good job.

[BarneyMaroon (Tony)]

Thanks everyone for you comments. Glad I asked as I have learned a lot. I am actually a keen photographer and would love to have a crack at it - but want to keep it simple to start with.

The EQ mount idea is gone - I'll get one in 10 years with a 250mm aperture scope.
If I had clear horizons from home i'd get an 8 inch goto Dob - but am very restricted by trees and our two story house. And don't want to take a 1m tube car camping.

I like the price of the 6'' goto Orion Newtonian for $700 , but it has a table top mount. I envisage that finding a stable surface out camping would be a pain.

So at the moment back to Skywatcher 150 Newtonian + Alt Az synscan goto mount plus bits for $1100.

Happy to buy kit second hand, but have not seen great stuff in Brisbane on ebay/gumtree or here. Seems to me that people hang on to their gear. There does seem to be some nice stuff in Sydney on the forum though.

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

Tony
You beat me to the punch, I was going to direct you to the LX90 for sale!!

Good luck with that.

Malcolm