Overwhelmed

[boomstix (Pat)]

Hi all,

The astronomy bug has bit and im in the market for my first scope. I have been reading, and reading non stop this past week trying to make an informed decision on what to buy. But when ever I think I have made my choice I read something else and im back at square one again. So I would like to hear from you guys some opinions.

Firstly, I have decided deffinately buying a dob, the only problem is what size. Now lets say I have a thousand dollar budget and storage/transport isnt an issue. Would I be better off spending that whole ammount on a 12" on or would it be money better spent buying an 10 or even an 8 and spending a few hundred on quality eye pieces?

What would you do in my situation i guess is the question I'm trying to ask. Is what you can see in a 12 inch miles better than what I could see in an 8 or 10? Thank you greatly for any input.

[erick (Eric)]

All other things being equal, 12" is much better than 8", Pat (I had an 8", then went to a 12"). It's also better than 10" but not as marked a difference.

If the question is simply what the view of DSOs is like (leaving out price, handling, transport etc.), than more aperture is usually what people want and enjoy.

Go with the largest aperture you can afford and handle, but start saving more money - you will want those eyepieces and more in future.

[boomstix (Pat)]

Thanks Eric, one more thing I forgot to mention. I noticed there are a few brands floating around out there, skywatcher, GSO etc. Are they all much of a muchness or is there one inparticular that is better than the others?

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

In Dobs the 2 main brands are GSO and Skywatcher. Vertually all others are clones or rebadged versions of these (eg Saxon are virtually identical to SW) As far as quality, very little to pick between the 2. Mainly item is that Skywatcher do collapsible and go to dobs.
Also, go the 12". The Eps that come with it will be quite adequate to start with

[andrew2008]

For a first scope my preference would be a 10" collapsible or the 8" Go To which can be picked up for $1000. The 8" will be easier on collimation and cheaper eyepieces at F6. The 10" are F4.7. Goto and tracking just make things easier and in my experience I'd have seen a lot more with an 8" that had goto than a 10 without when I was starting. You could also look at the Orion intelliscope dobs that look reasonably priced under $1000.

[jackenau]

A few years ago I had the same issue as I am sure many people do. What to see, what am I looking for, what do I want to see! I really wasn't sure but I wanted to see what was above me looked like. I went for the 12 inch Dob. (It was the biggest and lowest price ranged available at the time, yet affording great views of the sky) From the start I was impressed even with the select issues of eyepieces at the time that came with the scope and limited experience (very limited experience). It took time, but each night I viewed there was always something new that astonished me. As for goto and other similar type devices, they are great, but what I learnt was, where to look for in the sky and to identify what I was looking at and giving confidence to each viewing session.

From here, there are many enhancing products available that will truly mystify and further advance your journey into the pleasurable past time of astronomy.

Unfortunately lots of choices and which decision to make? Without a doubt whichever scope you choose you will want to see more. So be it short term, or long term I would go with whatever your budget allows at the start that allows for expansion (regardles whichever option you choose you will want to see more). It is far easier to buy a new eyepiece to enhance viewing over buying a bigger scope.

There are many ideas and solutions to further enhance your viewing once your selection has been decided.

If you try to take it all at once, when you have made your initial purchase it can become overwhelming, but if you perservere it will all come together eventually

[RobF (Rob)]

Convenience is incredibly important too. You won't see much in your 12" vs a smaller scope if you can't be bothered lugging it out to use. Its actually tough to figure out what works for you until you've had your scope a couple of years, and start lusting for something else. Some believe there is no ideal OTA - they each have advantages/disadvantages, so you either pick the best compromise or eventually multiple scopes.....

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Hi Pat.

You haven't stated what you want to look at. Objects: Planets, Moon, Galaxies?

Also, to help determine size is Location: Are you likely to observe in light pollution or will you be traveling to dark sky sites?

If you are going to be observing at a very dark site then you will be surprised at what an 8" dob can see.
Obviously the 12" will see objects a bit brighter, but with experimentation at our dark sky clubsite there isn't a 'fantastic' difference between the 8" and the 12".

In the city and brightly lit suburbs is a different story. Aperture rules! The 12" will see objects the 8" can't see at all.

Also, for Lunar and Planetary it won't matter too much. A 6" will be fine.
But faint Nebulae and Galaxies need the larger aperture to suck in as much light as possible.
12" in cities, 8" or 12" in dark skies.
Focal Ratio makes a difference too.
I think the 8" is still available in f5 and f6. The 12" is f5.
An f5 will show faint nebulae and galaxies slightly brighter than an f6.

Yes, I agree that the supplied eyepieces are fairly good.
Stepping up to better eyepiece will be a matter of trial and testing of different eyepieces over time and finding what you like.
The variety is HUGE!
Something that may be left till later.

Hope that helps

[boomstix (Pat)]

Thanks a lot for the replies guys. As for my location I live in Mount Gravatt just south of Brisbane CBD so yeah there is a bit of light pollution around me. Though I do live close to the local football fields that are quite dark at night so will be heading down there to do most of my observing. I mainly want to look at DSOs. I think im pretty much settled on the 12" GSO now I just need to save a few weeks and make the plunge. I really am getting quite exited and have gone out and purchased the 2011 australian austronomy book as well as getting the starmap pro app on my Iphone so I can start learning while I save.

[Shano592 (Shane)]

Pat, don't forget to look at the Bintel badged 12" dob, too.

From memory, they are a rebadged GSO, but have a few more bells & whistles, such as a crayford focuser as standard equipment.

[boomstix (Pat)]

Well after 6 months stuffing around I finally bit the bullet today! Just got off the phone from the guys at Andrews. Ordered a 12" Guan Sheng Dob and should have it by mid next week. Rediculously exited now and can hardly wait. Just want to say a big thank you to all the people that offered me advice in the past.

[vanwonky (Dave)]

Nice one Pat. I am a relative newbie with a 12" Collapsible Skywatcher and am loving it. My first bit of advice for what it is worth is to get a Telrad when you can. Makes pointing the scope at an object a breeze. And the first thing to look at is Saturn. Your purchase is all justified just by that alone!
Cheers
Dave

[jenchris (Jennifer)]

Don't forget to join the Southern Astronomical Society - meets in Ormeau. meets net sat13th Aug - it's our AGM so it's a BBQ see the Event Horizon magazine on http://www.sas.org.au/
We have 8" dobs you can rent for $10 a month- until you've saved your pennies. (they're not amazing but you can see stuff!)
You're always welcome to come down to my place at Ormeau and look through my LX90 if you like. (I also have the dobs here as I'm the keeper of the gear!)

[Waxing_Gibbous (Peter)]

If you are a bit lazy like me, get an 8" Skywatcher, go-to Dob.
A go-to will help you learn the sky"backwards" if you catch my drift.
All those constellations (none of which look like their namesakes) are very confusing.
Plus, right ascension makes no sense to me even after 12 years.

If you don't mind the star-map and flashlight route, then an 8" manual dob will be great.
Or even an 8" newt on a decent Alt-Az mount (very easy to handle).
Anything bigger will be an inconvenience until you get used to having a telescope.
I bought a 12" GSO/Bintel and sold it on soon after.
Much too big and awkward to move in and out all the time.

Of the current brands, GSO (often re-badged, i.e. 'Bintel') seem to have the edge in consistent optical/mechanical quality, followed by Skywatcher and Orion.
I'd avoid buying any expensive EPs until you get a feel for what you like to observe best then buy eyepieces that are suited.
I'd start with an 8-24 zoom and a couple of cheapies in the 30-38mm range.
They'll probably be so-so to poor, but you get a good idea of what focal lengths you like without going broke.
Just my 2 cents.

[ColHut (Colin)]

I think you might consider checking out some types at a local astronomy society. Regardless - the scope you use the most will be the best for you.

regards

[vanwonky (Dave)]

Guys - Pat has already ordered his scope. A 12" Guan Sheng Dob from Andrews as he said. It's OK Pat, they are starstruck

[boomstix (Pat)]

Thanks vanwonky, I was having a bit of a chuckle reading the suggestions after my last post Thank you though guys. Just hope the weather plays nice next week when it arrives

[boomstix (Pat)]

So, was hoping the Dob would arrive today but alas. Pretty sure it will be here tomorrow some stage, getting exited now Have spent many an hour reading this site over the past week while trying to wait patiently. So much infact that I convinced myself to buy a 13mm Nagler eye piece along with a telrad and laser collimater. (almost bought a 31mm Nagler also but didnt want to get too carried away lol) The eyepiece and accessories prolly wont arrive till early next week but fingers crossed the weather stays nice up here this weekend and I can give you guys a good first light report on monday

[vanwonky (Dave)]

You have been reading a lot! I also purchased a 13mm Nagler (and 24mm Panoptic) based on recommendations in the forum. They are a very nice improvement on the eyepieces that came with the scope. Not that they were bad at all but these are much sharper and the FOV is awesome. Also just ordered a TeleVue Powermate to boost things a bit when the seeing is good - not that we are getting much in Perth at the moment. Now .. to stop spending money on this new hobby!

[boomstix (Pat)]

Disappointment today...

My scope which I ordered last Thursday from Andrews has yet to arrive yet my eye piece, collimator and telrad which I ordered from Bintel 2 days ago arrived today. Thought I would of had the scope for sure by now but alas... Anyone from Brisbane way order through Andrews in the past? And if so how long did you scope take to arrive?