Possible Upgrade - Opinions Needed!!!

[GPC (Glenn)]

Hi all,

Recently i have been getting very much into using my scope and having a good look around the night sky. I was perusing the shops this morning and came across some scopes for sale. So I am looking for peoples opinions on a scope that i would be interested in purchasing. The scope is a Celestron Astro Master 130 EQ - Its a 130mm Reflector, it has a 650mm focal length making it a F5 scope, comes with a CG-3 Equatorial mount it doesnt list the types of eyepieces it come with the just the sizes (but i already have my 2 plossl ones that are the same size fitting)
plus a couple of other bibs and bobs.

I currently have a 70mm refractor that has a 900mm focal length (f/12.5).

The price of this scope is not too bad in my opinion, so I am simply asking for peoples opinions on that type of scope and if you guys think it would be a viable upgrade to the next step so that i still have to do all the finding work but might be able to see some more objects that are lower magnitude and see some of the brighter objects a little bigger and clearer.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Glenn.

[adman (Adam)]

If you are using it for visual then go for an 8" dobsonian. You will see much more with it and not have to deal with a sometimes awkward equatorial mount.

Adam

[renormalised (Carl)]

Hi Glenn....that wouldn't be a bad upgrade, although I'd be getting the same model with the motor drives.

Where are you buying it and how much is it??

If it's up around the $400-$600 mark, you could pickup a 6-8" dob for that price, depending on who you buy off.

Have a look in the Telescope and Mounts section here. You might pickup a good scope relatively cheaply.

[Brian W (Brian)]

Hi, having started with an eq mount and then moved to the dob mount I got to agree ... if you are doing visual rather than astrophotography check out a 6 - 10" dob mounted reflector. Much easier to use and having moved up from a 4.5" to an 8" I can tell you there is a significant 'wow' factor in that big a move.
Brian

[AstroGuy]

Hi Glenn,


Good luck with your purchase!

Only thing I would try and get info on what the mirror surface wave error specs are for the scope you buy. GSO has pretty good surface wave error specs for their scope mirrors at around 1/12. For the price that they sell for, that's pretty good.

Regards...

[Dave T (Dave)]

G'day Glen,

I'm only a newcomer myself, but I feel I can comment on your situation. I got an Astromaster 130eq for Christmas (which by the way, comes with 10mm Plossl, and a 20mm 'erecting' eyepiece, for terrestrial viewing), which I had out at every opportunuity, and the views are quite good.

About two weeks ago I got onto an 8" dob that was for sale at a very good price (too good to refuse). Ever since I've had the two scopes I can tell you that the dob is always the first one to come out. I can carry the dob in two pieces and be set-up in a minute. But with the 130 I try to lug it out the door as one unit, and sometimes struggle with polar alignment (though there are a whole bunch of good tips on this site). Once set-up, there's the issue of sometimes wrestling with the scope to try and get it to a specific target only to find that the eyepiece is then in an impossible position for viewing.

So IMHO dollar for dollar, I'd go for the extra inches of apperture, ease of set-up, and operation. But that's my opinion.

Hope this helps,

Dave.

[Louwai (Bryan)]

Go the Dob!!!!! Best value for money when it comes to visual.

[Red Nine (Evan)]

Having just bought a dob myself, the ease of use surpasses that of any other mounting for visual. It is a breeze to move around and you don't spend good money on a mount you will get annoyed with, rather the cash goes towards extra aperture and you'll get a lot more use out of it, due to the ease of setup

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

All good advice. I also have a 130mm EQ mounted scope probably a clone of the one you are looking at. Since then I have had an 8" dob and a 12" dob. Since getting the first Dob I think I have used the 130mm twice in 2 years, and that was really only to make a comparison of images not for serious observing!
Go get a dob, cheaper, easier to use, more aperture, you cannot lose!

Malcolm

[AstroGuy]

Hi,

If you do decide on a reflector design....

Definitely check the secondary mirror error wave specifications. Make sure the secondary mirror has less error wave than the primary mirror.

1/20 error wave spec is less than 1/12 etc...


Regards...