First Telescope and First Forum Participation

[CreekLight]

Hi All,

I am completely new to forums so I hope that I can navigate my way around and not be too much of a problem.

I am seeking to purchase my first telescope after a recent visit to the planetarium. I live in an area away from the city lights (not quite country but close enough) and on top of a hill and can see that I will have fantastic access to the skies. I have read up on beginner telescopes (on ozscopes) but have become a little overwhelmed. The two that I was looking at are:

* Bushnell North Star Computerised Telescope 78-8846
* Celestron 80LCM Computerised Telescope

I would appreciate any thoughts anyone can give regarding these two to see if I am on the right track.

I have also read in another post that a visit to an astronomy society might help in relation to equipment. I think that is a great idea too and will see where there is one nearby.

Thanks in advance,
Tanya

[erick (Eric)]

Welcome aboard Tanya!

Plenty of useful threads to read on this site which will help you choose.

Also look in the "Projects & Articles" and "Equipment Reviews" over on the left for more guidance.

Yes, it would be good to see some telescopes and touch them before you buy. Getting to a club night, or into a retail shop would help. Then, be patient while you decide.

Most important is what you can see - so you want to best optics you can afford. Adding computerised control to the telescope package means that the optics are going to be cheaper to keep the price reasonable. But adding computerised control means you find things to look at much quicker. Decisions, decisions!

Cheers
Eric

[mozzie (Peter)]

hi tanya welcome to iis!!!!!!

my first scope i ever owned was a bushel north star goto...... way back!!!!!!
my advise would be to steer clear off them i had nothing but setup and pointing problems with it.....from day one....
my best advise would be a nice little 6" or 8" dobsonion if you can lift the 8" all the better they collect plenty of light nice and portable and theres plenty to see in the night sky with one....
hope this helps!!!!!!

[CreekLight]

Thanks Peter and Eric for some excellent advice. There is a public viewing night this Saturday in my local area so it is perfect timing to try out a few. Again, thank you and I look forward to having something of value to add a lot longer down the track.

[M54 (Molly)]

Hi Tanya and to IIS.
6" or 8" inch Dob. would be my choice too.

I hope it is a lovely clear night for the viewing night, but if it isn't you'll still get to see lots of cool scopes and ask lots of questions.

[Jen]

Tanya welcome to IIS oh once you buy your first scope i guarantee it wont be your last After going to a few astronomy camps now and i have played with a lot of scopes i would go a dob also much easier to use. Happy shopping

[Paddy (Patrick)]

Hi Tanya and welcome.

I think it's great that you're going to a viewing night - it will give you a good idea of what to expect as well as an introduction to different scopes. Just my own personal star hopper bias, you might find it worthwhile to spend some time with people who can help you find a few constellations and learn to star hop. This means that the scope you get could be much bigger and therefore gather more light as you won't need go to. Especially if you have a good observing site. As I have no need to go anywhere special for a dark sky, there is no rush for me to find lots of objects to observe so I can take time to find things.

Whatever you decide, the time spent at the viewing night will be the best way to ensure that you enjoy what you get.

[Jen]

i hope she is still busy shopping for that scope she hasnt come back yet LOL

[Brian W (Brian)]

Tanya, welcome to the group. see if this makes sense... GOTO and other options all cost money. the more you spend on options the less you have to spend on what you actually look through.

A good Newtonian on an dobson mount gives you the best viewing for the money spent.

A good 4.5" reflector in a dark site will allow you to get into this hobby in a very good way for not much money.

A good 6 or 8" reflector from a dark site will work even better.

What it may make sense to remember is that astronomy like any hobby has a learning curve. It took me about a year before I was able to start pushing the limits of my 4.5. But in that year I learned enough to use my next scope, an 8" reflector, with a certain amount of skill.

Bottom line... stay away from low priced GOTO and find a reflector that fits your needs.
Brian

[ColHut (Colin)]

There is a review of yon Bushnell Northstar in the Equipment Review section. Read it and weep.

Trust me. I wrote it.

Go and have a look at other peoples' stuff first. That will give you a much better idea of what is available.

regards and welcome

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

Tanya
Both of the scopes mentioned are computerised, which sounds like a good idea except for the following
1) Computerised scopes take a bit of knowledge to set up and align
2) You sacrifice aperture in exchange for the gadgetry
3) There is more to go wrong with these KISS (keep it simple st***d) applies

The good ol 8" dob scope is almost always the best option, or a 6" if the budget only extends that far. Most visual observers use dobs with as big an aperture as they can handle and afford. There is a very good reason for this, aperture always wins!!

Good luck with the choice

Malcolm