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Old 28-07-2021, 07:58 AM
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But what should I buy

Hi I am just getting into Astronomy from the perspective of looking to use a telescope. I have read a number pf articles and magazines and watched a range of videos on what telescopes one might consider and how they work. I read the following, "For a beginner, a Skywatcher Dobsodian gives the most bang-for-the-buck and starts of the young astronomer’s journey on a high note" but still am unsure if that is the path I should go down or if I should buy a 6'or 8' SCT with goto technology that could lead to AP in the future. I would be interested in people's thought and their experience.
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Old 28-07-2021, 11:10 AM
Startrek (Martin)
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Paul,
A few things need to be established before you decide on your astronomy journey
Rather than advise what you should or shouldn’t buy or start off with , the questions below will help decide on a general pathway to get started

Initial budget allowance ?
Will you be using your telescope at home in a semi permanent or permanent arrangement or be travelling to other dark locations ( portability) or both ?
Are you going to start with visual astronomy for the first couple of years with prospects of getting into Astrophotography later ?
Do you want to start with both visual astronomy and astrophotography straight off the bat ?
If using your telescope for either Visual or Astrophotography at home , your property details ( house with backyard , Apartment with balcony ) ?
City location, Suburban location , rural location ?
Do you have a restricted view of the night sky at your location ie: large trees , buildings etc...

Sorry to ask so many questions but they are all relevant in what choices you make in the hobby, how much you spent and what type of equipment you buy to get underway. The options available for this amazing hobby for both visual and Astrophotography are endless.

Hoping other folk on IIS jump in and offer some advice too

Cheers
Martin
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Old 28-07-2021, 12:52 PM
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Get thee to an astronomy club viewing night…before you buy anything. It has been a while since I lived in Sydney but my memory is that at least one of the clubs has a loaner scope program.

Try to see a few scopes in the field and talk to the owners about likes and dislikes…then buy.

COVID restrictions may slow down the process but check some things out before spending you hard earned
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Old 28-07-2021, 03:34 PM
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Hello,

The weight and the size of the scope needs to be considered against your general body strength and age. Large aperture scopes become heavy and awkward pretty quickly.

I'd compare moving a 8" dob base around as similar to stacking 11kilos on the opposite side of a large box, then carry the box diagonally, with the weight on the other side of the box away from you.

I'd go with Scott's suggestion, try and use other peoples scopes first. Just as much variety in scopes as there is in car designs.

But a budget and a weight limit would be good.


Steve
If you drive a i20 a 12" dob based newt is not going to be a friendly travelling buddy.
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Old 29-07-2021, 07:12 AM
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Originally Posted by Startrek View Post
Paul,
A few things need to be established before you decide on your astronomy journey
Rather than advise what you should or shouldn’t buy or start off with , the questions below will help decide on a general pathway to get started

Initial budget allowance ?
Will you be using your telescope at home in a semi permanent or permanent arrangement or be travelling to other dark locations ( portability) or both ?
Are you going to start with visual astronomy for the first couple of years with prospects of getting into Astrophotography later ?
Do you want to start with both visual astronomy and astrophotography straight off the bat ?
If using your telescope for either Visual or Astrophotography at home , your property details ( house with backyard , Apartment with balcony ) ?
City location, Suburban location , rural location ?
Do you have a restricted view of the night sky at your location ie: large trees , buildings etc...

Sorry to ask so many questions but they are all relevant in what choices you make in the hobby, how much you spent and what type of equipment you buy to get underway. The options available for this amazing hobby for both visual and Astrophotography are endless.

Hoping other folk on IIS jump in and offer some advice too

Cheers
Martin
Hi Martin, thanks budget is maybe $3,000
I'd use the telescope both at home and elsewhere eg a local park for less restricted sky view (perhaps less light from near by houses) and perhaps going further for darker skies (not sure where). I have a restricted view (30 - 50 degrees) between trees to the south in my back garden and an east to north west view to the north off an alfresco area upstairs at home or from the driveway although that view is impacted by the house. I'd need to carry the scope upstairs from garage to the alfresco balcony.
I think I'd start with visual astronomy to get used to it all but may look to AP later but I don't have a DSLR or anything that would take photos through a scope so that is another investment decision and so probably for later on. I am up near Hornsby in Sydney so light pollution is an issue. I also don't like the idea of having to make additional $,000s investment ie I'd like to have only one telescope for the foreseeable future. I just joined NSAS and will look to borrow their scopes once covid restrictions are relaxed and will look to do their beginners in the field program that they offer.
I'm interested in both DSO as well as planets, moon etc I guess in reality we all are.

Thanks again regards Paul
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Old 29-07-2021, 07:17 AM
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Thanks will do when lock down is over. I did see a used Celestron Evolution 8' at a pretty good price (it may have sold in the last day or so) and that is why I've asked this but maybe waiting and doing as you suggested is a better way to go. I'm sure another one will become available at some stage and it would be better to be sure that's what I want first.
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Old 29-07-2021, 07:20 AM
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Cheers I've got CRV and have average strength for a near 50 year old male.
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Old 29-07-2021, 08:37 AM
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Hi Martin, thanks budget is maybe $3,000
I'd use the telescope both at home and elsewhere eg a local park for less restricted sky view (perhaps less light from near by houses) and perhaps going further for darker skies (not sure where). I have a restricted view (30 - 50 degrees) between trees to the south in my back garden and an east to north west view to the north off an alfresco area upstairs at home or from the driveway although that view is impacted by the house. I'd need to carry the scope upstairs from garage to the alfresco balcony.
I think I'd start with visual astronomy to get used to it all but may look to AP later but I don't have a DSLR or anything that would take photos through a scope so that is another investment decision and so probably for later on. I am up near Hornsby in Sydney so light pollution is an issue. I also don't like the idea of having to make additional $,000s investment ie I'd like to have only one telescope for the foreseeable future. I just joined NSAS and will look to borrow their scopes once covid restrictions are relaxed and will look to do their beginners in the field program that they offer.
I'm interested in both DSO as well as planets, moon etc I guess in reality we all are.

Thanks again regards Paul
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
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Old 29-07-2021, 08:56 AM
Startrek (Martin)
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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
Attached Files
File Type: pdf Stellarium Basic Set Up and Use.pdf (29.2 KB, 47 views)
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Old 29-07-2021, 11:16 AM
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Hi Paul,

I’m excited that you want to buy a telescope, and the thread is already full of great advice and important questions. And there are a lot more of them hiding in the search box.

Ive re read your responses but from my perspective the most important question that I haven’t worked out from you yet is…
Why do you want to buy a telescope?

Welcome (hopefully) to a wonderful adventure!

Hemi
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Old 29-07-2021, 12:18 PM
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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
Thanks Martin, I have been a long time user of the old fashioned planisphere which I have had since the 80s. I have also used Star Walk 2 and SkyView Free and more recently looked at SkySafari and SkyPortal. I'll have a look at Setllarium. I trust you use it in preference to SkySafari and SkyPortal as it is better for you? My concern with a Table top scope is what I would put it on that I don't have vibration through the scope so that what I see continually shakes which I did experience in the 80s with a cheap and nasty scope we had when I was a kid. It was literally the hobby killer with no finder scope and I suspect has other issues also as it was picked up free some where.
So perhaps an SCT is a better option for portability and aperture size and not having to worry about what I stand the table top on.
Regards Paul

Last edited by EvolutionaryPS; 29-07-2021 at 02:35 PM.
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Old 29-07-2021, 12:35 PM
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Hi Paul,

I’m excited that you want to buy a telescope, and the thread is already full of great advice and important questions. And there are a lot more of them hiding in the search box.

Ive re read your responses but from my perspective the most important question that I haven’t worked out from you yet is…
Why do you want to buy a telescope?

Welcome (hopefully) to a wonderful adventure!

Hemi
Great question, given what you can get through NASA, Hubble and other photos etc on the internet why does anyone get a telescope? I suppose it is in the seeing it live and closer up than what I can do with the biological binoculars in my head. I've read books such as; Reality is not What it Seems (Carlo Rovelli), Edge of the Universe (Paul Halpern) When Galaxies Collide (Lisa Harvey-Smith) The 23rd Cycle (Sten Odenwald) Why is Uranus Upside Down (Fred Watson), Golidlocks and the Water Bears (Louisa Preston), Astrophysics for People in a Hurry (Neil DeGrasse Tyson), A Brief History in Time (Stephen Hawking) (A Briefer History...) Where the Universe Came From (NewScientist), Why Does E=mc2? (Brian Cox). I guess I am wanting to look more closely at the universe and maybe one day take my own photo of a thing or two.
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Old 29-07-2021, 12:43 PM
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Thanks Martin, I have been a long time user of the old fashioned planisphere which I have had since the 80s. I have also used Star Walk 2 and SkyView Free and more recently looked at SkySafari and SkyPortal. I'll have a look at Setllarium. I trust you use it in preference to SkySafari and SkyPortal as it is better for you?
Regards Paul
Paul,

I’ve tried a few planetariums ( including the old cardboard wheels ) Cartes du Ceil and others etc...
IMOH Stellarium has the best view port of the sky and endless useful tools plus it is extremely well supported and updated internationally, been using it since 2016
Stellarium was updated in late 2019 as Ascom supported so that worked perfectly for my telescope control, I don’t have to use 3rd party unsupported software like Stellarium Scope anymore as an inter connection driver for EQMOD
Stellarium is beautiful software as it covers both observer and imager
Cheers
Martin
PS: I was under the assumption that you were totally new to the hobby , but obviously not
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Old 29-07-2021, 01:39 PM
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Hello,

Seeing outer space live is the bees knees for me. Knowing what your looking at keeps you at the eyepiece for longer imo.

I really like the idea of a table top as suggested for portability and having a nice small foot print.

As your budget is $3k and viewing location limited. I was going to suggest a 127mm mak on a table top. Retail for $980 and has the Freedom Find dual encoder technology etc.

As your probably going to be looking mostly at the moon, planets, double stars, clusters and the brightest of the gaseous DSO objects. This scope would be very good for those objects.

Hopefully Martin will talk about pro's and con's of the 127mm mak, and if its worth another 50% jump in price.


Steve
Ps. You might find this of interest.
http://www.deepskywatch.com/Articles...telescope.html
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Old 29-07-2021, 02:30 PM
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This might not help, but this was my journey.

1. 5x40 binos - got a lot of use out of them, still use them
2. 3 inch scope - saw a bit of the solar system, not bad for a cheap start
3. 10inch dob, got a lot of use, but I got bored of deep space, using it now, to show my kids solar system
4. 5inch APO for photography, currently using it
5. 25x100bino, haven't used yet, needs collimation.
5. 16 inch dob...rescued from the rubbish, needs new mirror...maybe this will rekindle my love for live viewing.
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Old 29-07-2021, 02:47 PM
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Hello,

Seeing outer space live is the bees knees for me. Knowing what your looking at keeps you at the eyepiece for longer imo.

I really like the idea of a table top as suggested for portability and having a nice small foot print.

As your budget is $3k and viewing location limited. I was going to suggest a 127mm mak on a table top. Retail for $980 and has the Freedom Find dual encoder technology etc.

As your probably going to be looking mostly at the moon, planets, double stars, clusters and the brightest of the gaseous DSO objects. This scope would be very good for those objects.

Hopefully Martin will talk about pro's and con's of the 127mm mak, and if its worth another 50% jump in price.


Steve
Ps. You might find this of interest.
http://www.deepskywatch.com/Articles...telescope.html
Steve / Paul,

A 127 Mak is a longer focal length telescope ( 1500mm ) but at f11 is a slow scope with a narrower FOV so Ok for planets but not ideal for DSO’s

The Skywatcher 130mm Virtuoso table top f5 mini dob is a better all rounder IMO and significantly cheaper

Others may disagree

Cheers
Martin
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Old 29-07-2021, 03:31 PM
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Maybe I'm in the minority here, but if AP is possibly in your future, invest in a good mount now. It probably won't pay dividends until you start jumping into AP, but a good solid mount with Go-To will at least help you for visual use in the meanwhile. You can learn the ins-and-outs and then start looking at more accurate polar alignment/tracking etc later.
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Old 29-07-2021, 06:43 PM
Startrek (Martin)
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Maybe I'm in the minority here, but if AP is possibly in your future, invest in a good mount now. It probably won't pay dividends until you start jumping into AP, but a good solid mount with Go-To will at least help you for visual use in the meanwhile. You can learn the ins-and-outs and then start looking at more accurate polar alignment/tracking etc later.
Adam,
I totally agree but probably not in Paul’s situation where he may have to load up the car and travel to a better location and set up for AP
That’s why I asked all the relevant questions in my first long winded post
He has a very restricted view of the night sky at home plus most of his observing ( or imaging ) would be done from an upstairs balcony and his gear will be stored in the garage down stairs ,not much fun lugging heavy gear around to set up each time , hence I suggested the more portable , low cost solution to start off with visual first using the Skywatcher 130mm f5 Virtuoso reflector on a table top
Thanks for your suggestion
Apologies Paul for the hijack reply to Adam
Cheers
Martin
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Old 29-07-2021, 06:47 PM
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Thanks everyone, so all very helpful. Martin I'm still new to the hobby just had some good reading and bit of exposure when I was a kid with a rather useless telescope circa 32 odd years ago. And I'm not sure that really counts other than I can identify Scorpio, a couple of planets, the southern celestial pole and a few other things. I've not used what one would call a real telescope, so I'd say I'm still a newbie.
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Old 04-08-2021, 06:02 PM
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Thanks Martin I'm going to rent the 6' virtuoso for 6 months and see how I go, I've also got a 20mm eye piece. So I'll probably look for a moon filter. Do I need a filter for the Sydney light pollution do you think? I've seen some suggest they don't do much interested in your thoughts.
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