n00b with no clue needs some help

[FJA (Faith)]

I agree with Jeanette. Women are just as capable as men and can handle our scopes. So, we're not as strong physically as men but we adapt things to our situation. To say 'I wouldn't buy a dob for a girl' is more than a tad insulting.

My own scope is 18" and extremely heavy which is no problem as it has wheels. Even a man can't lift my scope, so wheels are the way to go. My previous dob was 12", it was heavy but I fitted wheels to the base.

As others have already suggested, the OP should let his girlfriend choose the scope and then she can see what she wants.

[shelltree (Shelley)]

I also agree with Jeanette. I have a 10" dob and I wouldn't have it any other way! I have a bad shoulder and neck but I will still carry it out into the backyard and will probably start using a trolley once I sort it all out.

But that doesn't mean I'm incapable of using it. Not to mention the reason why I bought it is because it's manual and I have to find everything myself. That's most of the adventure! I would feel like I was cheating myself if I started out not doing everything manually. I want to learn the sky, I want the immense satisfaction that comes with finding those faint fuzzies! Not to mention finally getting a grasp on star hopping, it is a wonderful feeling and all part of the amazing astronomy experience.

As a beginner and beyond, the dob is fantastic. It requires little to no set up, has no fancy dials, doesn't need to be aligned, it's just ready to go.

I'm not trying to have a go at anyone but seriously? Most scopes, no matter how big can be fit with wheels and other aids.

Personally, I would let her decide. It is all up to personal preference. I think going to an astro night or a few before she decides would be really helpful. I knew I wanted a 10" dob because I'd used my friend's before, it was easy to set up and fit in my car

Anyway, my 2 cents

[spacezebra (Petra)]

I co-built, own and use a 20" SDM. I'm 5 9 and weigh 68kg. I have no problems getting my scope around. In fact it's easier to collimate than the 12" light bridge that I have.

SDMs rule

Cheers Petra d.

[mental4astro (Alexander)]

Oh, Andrew, you've put your foot in it all the way to the heel this time...

Poor choice of words, me thinks, foremost. I certainly think that things can get out of hand sometimes, like this little ditty:



THAT I find crass.

I think Andrew may have been trying to say that it is necessary to consider the physical capability of Scott's girlfriend. I for one found a C9.5 too much for my physical capability to man handle regularly. I had to sell it after the bugger drew blood from me one night! A big dob is an intimidating prospect if you are not used to handling such large and bulky items, especially by yourself, and I don't care if it's a bloke or shiela that's got to do the handling. We also don't know if the OP has to negotiate stairs, narrow door ways, carpeted stairs - and this is in an apartment block if they live in one. How many ads have there been here on IIS by blokes who are selling thier 10 dob because it is just too big?

Let's cool things a little, please.

[Shark Bait (Stu)]

I remember reading a post by someone who mentioned the 'sigh' factor when tackling big scopes. As they say, where there is a will, there is a way. Big Dobs will give you the best bang for your buck.

Many Dob owners make their scopes easier to move around with the addition of castors, locking castors and trollies. These basic mods are limited to your imagination and make the scopes easier to use so they see more time under the stars.

I got tired of moving my 12" Flex Tube dob around and built a removable rolling base for it. All big dobs should be sold with wheels.

[spacezebra (Petra)]

I agree Alexander, more info about circumstances etc, would help to provide an answer as to the right type of scope.

Cheers Petra d.

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

Originally Posted by mental4astro

Let's cool things a little, please.

I'm sorry that it was Andrew who had to cop the flack from this. I'm sure he meant his comment kindly.

But no, I'm afraid I can't cool down about this topic.
Gender has nothing to do with this hobby. We are all Astronomers on the field.

[Suzy]

I'm concerned about the impact the offending post (sorry Andrew) might have on potential female buyers on dobsonian telescopes.

Girls looking to buy a 10" dob take heed please- if I can manage a 10" dob so can you. I'm 5 4" and weight 44kg- it's more than half my weight (The tube is close to 16kg and the base is around 10kg). When I upgraded from a 6", I was going for an 8" but everyone on the forum had more confidence in me than I did in convincing me (and me succumbing) to the 10". I took it that they knew best. They were right & I've never looked back. These guys know what they are talking about! Hubby fitted wheels to the base, so it's easy to get it out. I can't carry it to put it into the boot to go to a dark site, but no big deal because hubby does that for me. All the girls I know that have got the 10" are capable of carrying a 10" by themselves. If you're not easily able to put wheels on it, a $20 trolley from Bunnings will do the job (your local astro shop I'm sure will even show you how to load it on with a trolley of theirs). If she needs to climb down steps to observe & lives on her own (say in a unit) and is as weak as myself, then I guess there could be a bit of a problem, but I'm thinking a garage would accommodate the scope anyway.

Point 1: Manual star hopping.
Seriously- I could never read a map- get lost in a circle I would. But there I was star hopping across the universe finding a ton of objects manually. As far as I'm concerned (& most will agree), the best learning is done by learning manually. I did two and half years of it before getting guidance on the dob.

Point 2: Being a girl.
No surprise to most, I'm very much a girrly girl- hate the cold, hate discomfort, weakling, couldn't read road maps, Ron even reserves his little concrete slab just for me at his star parties , if a guy wants to carry something for me- carry away I say , the list goes on- I'm a preverbial feminists nightmare, yet many here on this forum have given me constant support and encouragement because they believe in me. It really is amazing what one can do when one is passionate about something and I refuse Russ' help when he offers it when I'm observing at home. So basically I say this to all girls out there who might be afraid of buying a dobsonian scope or getting into astronomy- If I can do it- anyone can!!!

Here's proof- big dob and feather weight astro girl that handles it- piece of cake And that's Brian Cox in the pic with me. Don't ask me how he got there, he just is.
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/a...se.php?a=91089

[astroron (Ron)]

Just a few words in support of the girls of iceinspace
From Jeanette who I first met here at Cambroon quite a few years
ago arriving with her 8"scope and has progressed in leaps and bounds
and is one of the most respected imagers and observers on here, now operating a 10" scope which she has no problem moving around with wheels.
Fay, and Petra and other female observers seem to manage very well with large scopes
I am always impressed with the observing progress of Suzy, though being of slight build is able to do so much observing with a large scope and manage it quite competently
So I add my support to most of the others on here, in saying go for the largest scope you can use the best and enjoy
Cheers

[chaffingbuttock (Matthew)]

Just to clarify, I have never been female in my life and so my viewpoint may be a little biased, but I don't think gender or race should affect anything in life, astronomy included. I do, however, believe that this thread has taken a horrible turn from being a helpful forum for someone who was hoping for some useful advice into a big argument that really is not constructive. The best advice still holds true that the OP should take his gf to somewhere like bintel to talk to a professional and they will go through things like portability, type of use, budget etc etc.

ps nice to see that there are a lot of women in this hobby.

[ausastronomer (John Bambury)]

You can take gender right out of the equation and I still get the same result.

I wouldn't have a SCT of any aperture or make if someone gave me one.

I have looked through well in excess of 30 different Schmidt cassegrain telescopes over the years and I am yet to look through one that can even remotely get close to the visual image quality of a 1/2 decent newtonian of equal aperture. Compared to a top grade newtonian the difference in image quality to my eye is monumental. There are 3 main reasons for this. They suffer from thermal equilibrium issues in a big way because of the closed tube design and the additional glass in the Schmidt corrector. Most are poorly collimated because a lot of the owners have nfi how to collimate them. These are mass produced optics with an F2 to F2.5 (read very fast) primary mirror and the optical quality of a very large number of them is very ordinary. I am told that when a SCT is all happening the images are excellent. I am yet to see this. In addition a SCT will always provide slightly dimmer and less contrasty images for a given aperture due to the larger central obstruction and the additional air to glass surfaces (corrector plate and a star diagonal at a minimum, plus in some cases a focal reducer)

Unless you are an imager I can't think of one solitary good reason to own a SCT.

Cheers,
John B

[mental4astro (Alexander)]

Edit: Nah, take it back. Thread's pear shaped enough.

Scott, all the best with the scope selection.

[ausastronomer (John Bambury)]

Hi Alex,

I already read the post you have edited and just want to comment as follows. My post is relevant on the following basis:-

1) the original poster has asked which telescopes he should consider buying his better half.

2) Someone responded saying he should dismiss a dob based on weight considerations; and instead buy her a 6" SCT.

3) I have responded putting forward the reasons why I consider a SCT a poor choice as a visual telescope.

All pretty relevant to the original posters question for mine.

Cheers,
John B

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

I feel a little guilty coming back to this thread because I made a comment about visiting a shop to get an idea of size and recommended a 10" or 12" dob "as long as she is comfortable with the weight and size".
I certainly did not mean to imply that a female could not handle a decent sized dob, I would give the same advice to a male beginner. I was certainly surprised how cumbersome my solid tube 12" was to move around when I first got it and had to make some mods to make it easier to transport, so I know what I am talking about!
As an active IIS member, I reckon the girls are a large part of what make this forum so unique and enjoyable.
I also happen to agree with John, I have looked through a few large SCTs and only on one occasion have I thought the few compared to my GSO 12" Dob, and that was in pristine conditions at 9000ft on Mauna Kea with an 11", and even then I would say they were about the same as I would get in my backyard.

Malcolm