Advice on first Telescope

[aganod (David)]

Hi I am looking at my first telescope and would like some help choosing.
The ones I have looked at so far are

Celestron NexStar 127SLT Computerised Telescope

Celestron NexStar 130SLT Computerised Telescope

Skywatcher Skymax 127 (eq3) with the Supatrak auto-tracking mount

Skywatcher BKP 130.

I was looking at using this first one to learn my way around the sky and locating objects.
I am already looking at a 12 inch Bintel Dob after learning a bit more.
Any one that has any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks David

[Amaranthus (Barry)]

Do you have some links to the various models you have in mind, so we can see more info? I think the 1st is a Mak and the 2nd is a Newt - not sure about the others. GOTO would be an advantage, especially if you are in light-polluted skies.

[Allan_L (Allan)]

Hi David,
Welcome to IceInSpace
Have you read this two part article: General Principles for Choosing your first Telescope
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-260-0-0-1-0.html

Its a few years old now, but still a good place to start.

Where are you located?
The best advice is to get you along to a (preferably free) observing session, where you can look through various equipment, and talk to owners who have travelled the path you are starting upon.

In reference to the smaller 4 scopes listed:
To steal a quote from part 2 of the article, be careful you do not finish up with a telescope that can automatically pinpoint countless objects that are far too dim for it to see.
And...
Any object within the grasp ... is either visible to the naked eye or fairly findable with a decent star atlas.

Having been down this road myself, my experience is that (they are all good scopes but) you will soon run out of things to see with these scopes, and be running for the larger aperture DOB before too long.

My recommendation, to save some time and cash, look at buying a DOB up front, 8" is good, 10" is better, 12" is starting to get a bit awkward to move about. And you can get it with GoTo up front too.
Personal preference: I would recommend Skywatcher goto DOB or an Orion.
This one looks to be excellent value http://www.bintel.com.au/Telescopes/...oductview.aspx
But the Bintel (GSO rebadged) and Meade are also highly regarded by many on this site.

Good Luck with your purchase

[Pinwheel (Doug)]

Originally Posted by aganod

I am already looking at a 12 inch Bintel Dob after learning a bit more.
Any one that has any advice would be appreciated. Thanks David

Hi David & welcome to IIS, I have a Bintel 302-b 12" Dob. It's a great scope & some even call it a Light bucket. The only negative really is it's size & weight, It's like moving a hot water system around... But mounted on wheels helps it to get around. If your in my area, your most welcome to have a closer look.

[PSALM19.1 (Shaun)]

Hi David,

Truth be told, all of the scopes mentioned will make you say "wow" quite often as you gaze heavenward! I learned my way round the sky the old fashioned way...without any Goto and electronics...this is maybe the hard (?) way to do it, but has the HUGE advantage of meaning you can spend less money on electronics and more on aperture! An 8" Dob will only set you back $500 or so and give superior views than the smaller electronic scopes you mentioned. If you can handle the size and weight of a 12" Dob then I say, go for it! Honestly, it won't take that long with a bit of practice to find your way round the sky and even a 12" Dob will not cost the earth for magnificant views! Lots of fun ahead...!!

[AstralTraveller (David)]

I know people who have bought a goto to learn there way around the sky and it hasn't worked. The best that happens is they learn a few calibration stars and not much else. Other times they don't even manage that. I'm afraid nothing beats a star atlas (I used Nortons) a red torch and a pair of small binocs (say 8x32) if you want to learn. There are real uses for goto but IMHO teaching isn't one of them.

As for the scope, if you can handle the 12" why not put the money you save by not buying the 5" and put it towards an Argo Navis?

[brian nordstrom (As avatar)]

mmm m , 12 inch and 'Agro Navis' , nice .
Brian.

[raymo]

Unless you have a large vehicle I would go for the collapsible Flex Dob;
it holds collimation very well, and is more convenient to transport.
raymo.

[aganod (David)]

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I am still deciding on what way to go.
I was thinking of starting with a smaller one with the electronics so I could easily take it with me sometimes and then getting the dob to just use at home.
I live on the coast just south of Perth in WA. I was also wanting to start trying
some photography as well.
Here are the links for 2 of the telescopes.
http://www.celestron.com/browse-shop...ized-telescope

http://www.celestron.com/browse-shop...ized-telescope

The other 2 I saw them in a shop and have included photos of the details.

http://s30.postimg.org/yvom6wspd/sky1.jpg

http://s30.postimg.org/u67v9sggh/sky2.jpg

Thanks David.

[Pinwheel (Doug)]

If you want to do Astro-photography then that rules out a Dob. You simply won't have back focus due to it's focal length. You should look for an 8" F4 Newtonian with a solid EQ mount with star tracking ability.

[raymo]

That blanket statement is not right Doug; Skywatcher Dobs work fine
at prime focus and with EP projection.
raymo

[OzStarGazer]

Yes, raymo is right:
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-201-0-0-1-0.html

[Pinwheel (Doug)]

Originally Posted by raymo

That blanket statement is not right Doug; Skywatcher Dobs work fine
at prime focus and with EP projection.
raymo

I wish I knew that earlier when I bought my 12" Bintel Dob!

[raymo]

It has been stated by myself and others on several occasions when this
subject has come up, but it is easy to miss individual threads amongst
thousands of them.
raymo

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Personally, I don't think you'll learn anything much about the sky using a GOTO. And if eventually you get a GOTO Dob, well it won't matter.

My thoughts are that if you are eventually going to get three or more telescopes, one of those 5" computerised telescopes will be fine.

But, I think everyone should give consideration to having a small short tube refractor that they can pick up, walk out with, and start viewing. They are extremely handy both in their own right, and for iffy nights when you might only get 20 minutes of viewing and so can't be bothered lugging out the heavier or more complicated telescopes, and for when travelling.

Regards,
Renato

[raymo]

I don't wish to hijack the thread, but just a quick comment. Doug, if
you're good with D.I.Y. you could move the primary mirror up the tube
the required amount, or look for a new or used low profile focuser if your scope nearly comes to fo

David, if you do get one of those small GoTos, don't get the SLT 130. The tube is too long for the
single arm mount, and vibrates severely when touched. The 127 SLT is much more stable.
raymo

[OzStarGazer]

Originally Posted by Renato1

Personally, I don't think you'll learn anything much about the sky using a GOTO.

I think you are right! This is similar to all the kids who are not so good at maths because they always use a calculator or an app...
PS: They also say that you learn better in a crisis than in a normal situation. So when you have to find something yourself and make an effort it will stick in your head somehow...

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

Originally Posted by OzStarGazer

So when you have to find something yourself and make an effort it will stick in your head somehow...

Nothing sticks in my head for very long. I like goto, it is wonderful. Try finding a magnitude 9+ comet without digital R.A. / Dec readout by star hopping and see how long it takes.

[Camelopardalis (Dunk)]

As you can see David, there are those who enjoy the journey and those that enjoy the destination

Personally I started off a long time ago (in a far away galaxy...) with a manual mounted refractor and got a huge amount of satisfaction from it. I've recently added one added to my armoury again. You can do a lot worse than something like a 120mm achromatic refractor on an AZ3 mount.

It's always good to learn the sky, but it'd remiss to dismiss GOTO. The best thing I like about goto scopes is the tracking...once you've found an object it continues to keep it in the field of view as the Earth turns. Especially useful at high magnification.

The main issue IMO with the SLT scopes are they are motorised only...when your power source is exhausted, that's it, time's up. At least with a manual mount or a Dob mounted scope you can still move it, even if you have to track manually.

I usually use an equatorially mounted scope and while most of the time it's powered, motorised and I'm using the goto, when the battery runs flat I can just release the clutches and drive manually...it's good to have both

Then comes the issue of aperture...more aperture allows us to see more detail and/or fainter objects. IMO about 8" is a sweet spot where there's enough aperture that you can see plenty of detail on planets and globular clusters (for example) but the scope still remains relatively manageable.

If you have a local telescope shop or astronomy club or society, I'd recommend going along to have at these things for yourself. A 12" Dob for example is quite a beast

[OzStarGazer]

Can a GOTO also be used in normal mode with a finderscope?