New here looking for our first telescope
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New here looking for our first telescope
I’ve posted this in the introductions forum but I can’t see my post I am looking for advice please. .
My husband and I just purchased our first home together. We have fields behind us and good visibility at night.
He is very interested in the moon & night sky and I have decided to get him a telescope for Christmas, he’s not very big on technology so if it’s relatively easy to use then that would be a bonus , however I am good with instructions and tech so I can always help him.
I’m wanting something to hopefully see planets I.e Saturn’s rings, I’m not sure what price I would need to spend but my budget is 200-250 max really as it’s his first telescope.
He’s never done any telescope viewing (lol) before so any advice would be welcome. I have seen some that look good that work with apps?
Also I have a canon 700d camera would be awesome if we could use that to take pics- I’m probably asking for too much now!! Haha
Thank you xx
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Re: New here looking for our first telescope
The most important thing to do when choosing a telescope is to go to a few star parties with your local astronomy club. This is the best way to start to learn what actually fits your goals and modes of observing. It really cuts down on a category of mistakes.
If that will not be your primary approach?
We can help you best if you tell us more about what you wish to see and your budget. How your typical observing might go is also rather important.
Take Saturn as an example? You generally only need about 20x in order to tell that Saturn has rings. You can do that with a cheap telescope. But a whole lot of people are far happier with their view of Saturn if they are using a good scope which will deliver 200x or more - some are pushing for much more than that.
The thing is, the useful magnification which a telescope can deliver is largely dependent on the
The simplest scope for you to get which will give you very good optics and is pretty affordable with decent
At the other end of things? You get the Stellina. It will cost about $4000 and the
Refractors tend to be the easier OTAs (Optical Tube Assemblies) to work with. You take care of them and you will likely never have to collimate them or do anything other than infrequent cleaning. The good ones are not cheap. As you go to bigger ones they get very expensive, heavy, and ergonomically difficult.
SCTs (Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes) and MCTs (Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescopes aka Mak-Cas) tend to have long focal lengths and thus narrow FOVs (Fields Of Views). They can be a good value and can put a fairly large
We have to mention the Newtonians. They can be the best value. That Sky-Watcher 150P has relatively "slow" optics and that means the views are very good quality and collimation is relatively easy. A lot of people get bigger Newtonians with faster optics and collimation gets a bit more difficult/finicky and you have more aberrations.
Sorry, that is sort of the short version. But I'd emphasize that going to star parties is the best way to sort this all out. There is nothing like trying out a variety of telescopes on a variety of targets to learn what you want and what it is actually worth to you.
Edit: I should point out that most of us who live quite far North of the equator expect to have relatively poor views of the bright planets for several years. When visible they will mostly be low in the sky which means you are looking through a lot of atmosphere near the horizon and the views will be less clear.
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Re: New here looking for our first telescope
https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobson ... onian.html
For low-to-zero maintenance, yet with a smaller
https://www.firstlightoptics.com/evosta ... 0-eq2.html
https://www.firstlightoptics.com/evosta ... 0-az3.html
You would need to purchase a proper, star diagonal for the alt-azimuth kit, and for use at night. The diagonal included is for daytime-terrestrial use. Avoid the short, compact refractor kits.
This tabletop Newtonian-Dobson is rather popular... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/herita ... xtube.html
A Maksutov-Cassegrain... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/maksut ... ronto.html
Despite its short, compact tube, that one has a rather long focal-length, which would make it more difficult to hunt for objects, yet is very good for up-close views, day and night.
"Desserts tend to corrupt, and absolutely delicious desserts corrupt absolutely." - Chef Acton
Alan
Apochromat: Takahashi FS-102 4" f/8 - Achromats: Meade S102 102mm f/5.9, Antares 805 80mm f/6(flocked & blackened), Meade "Polaris" 70mm f/12.9, Sears(Towa) #4-6340 50mm f/12(flocked & blackened) - Newtonians: Orion 6" f/5(flocked & blackened) - Catadioptrics: Explore Scientific 127mm f/15 Maksutov-Cassegrain, Celestron "PowerSeeker" 127mm f/8 "Bird Jones" reflector(modified, flocked, blackened, and collimated!) - Mounts: Meade LX70(EQ-5), Astro-Tech Voyager I alt-azimuth
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Re: New here looking for our first telescope
Cheers,
JT
∞ AP Scopes: #1: TPO 6" f/9 RC #2: ES 102 f/7 APO #3: ES 80mm f/6 APO
∞ G&G Scopes: #1: Meade 102mm f/7.8 #2: Bresser 102mm f/4.5
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- Lady Fraktor
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Re: New here looking for our first telescope
The 150mm posted above would be a good starter and will let you see and keep you busy viewing for a long time.
These are not the best for photography but various platforms are available to allow you to image through the eyepiece itself.
This is called A-focal photography and there is a lot of information available for it.
Download a free copy of Cartes du Ciel or Stellarium, both excellent planetarium programs to help you find what is viewable for you.
Another web based site is Calsky.com, this site will generate a list of viewable objects for your location as well as best time to view. (Set it for Hobby though)
Ask any other questions that come to mind and enjoy
See Far Sticks: Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser 127/1200 BV, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS 100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
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Re: New here looking for our first telescope
- Lady Fraktor
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Re: New here looking for our first telescope
See Far Sticks: Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser 127/1200 BV, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS 100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
EQ: TAL MT-1, Vixen SXP, SXP2, AXJ, AXD
Az/Alt: AYO Digi II, Stellarvue M2C, Argo Navis encoders on both
Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102
Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Tak prism, TAL, Vixen
Eyepieces: Antares to Zeiss (1000101)
The only culture I have is from yogurt
- smp Online
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Re: New here looking for our first telescope
With your budget, I suggest you also consider the Astronomers Without Borders One Sky.
There’s a review here:
app.php/article/review-of-awb-onesky
Good luck and clear skies!
smp
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Re: New here looking for our first telescope
I really recommend a few more items, too. 1) A headlamp that includes red & white LED lights. 2) An
--Russmax
Celestron AVX 8" SCT & Omni XLT 102 AZ
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Re: New here looking for our first telescope
Mount: iOptron CEM60
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Re: New here looking for our first telescope
Thanks so much for the recommendations, I have just ordered the Newton dobsonian (sp?) so hopefully we will be able to set this up and enjoy it added a moon filter too was only £9 but sounded like a good idea .
Thanks for all the advice. Will stick around I’m sure you’ll be hearing from me between Christmas and new year asking how to get the thing working. Excited to explore the night sky! Xx
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Re: New here looking for our first telescope
MariaBatey wrote: ↑Thu Dec 05, 2019 10:04 am Hi.
Thanks so much for the recommendations, I have just ordered the Newton dobsonian (sp?) so hopefully we will be able to set this up and enjoy it added a moon filter too was only £9 but sounded like a good idea .
Thanks for all the advice. Will stick around I’m sure you’ll be hearing from me between Christmas and new year asking how to get the thing working. Excited to explore the night sky! Xx
A 150mm
https://www.f1telescopes.co.uk/shop/eye ... -eyepiece/ (a low power of 21x, and binocular-like)
The eyepiece would also allow for the hunting of the dimmer objects in the sky, and to see the Pleiades star-cluster and the galaxy in Andromeda during the fall and winter; also to scan the star-fields of the Milky Way in summer. There are deep-sky objects to spot and observe within those star-fields as well.
One more nice thing about the kit: at
The kit does not come with collimation tools. A collimation-cap is really all you need in the beginning, and perhaps ever...
https://www.firstlightoptics.com/other- ... n-cap.html
There are quite a few collimation tutorials online for Newtonians.
I have to wonder as to the purchase of a Moon-filter. For one, when the Moon is at full-phase, there's little if any detail to be seen. There's far more detail to be had when the Moon is at quarter and half phases, and at those phases the Moon is not quite as bright...
Instead, you might find a variable-polariser more useful, and for dimming Jupiter and Venus; Jupiter, to see its subtle colours and surface features; and Venus, to see its Moon-like phases. It can also be used for the Moon itself, although our eyes can't be damaged by observing the Moon at full-phase in any event. A variable-polariser is like a dimming-switch for indoor-lighting, but for celestial lights in the sky instead...
https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/an ... r-125.html
You simply screw it onto the bottom of an eyepiece, then twist to adjust the level of brightness...
The polariser will also reduce and even eliminate the diffraction-spikes caused by the secondary spider-vanes...
Before and after the polariser...
Now, the polariser is only good for a handful of objects, and an accessory to consider if you find it interesting.
"Desserts tend to corrupt, and absolutely delicious desserts corrupt absolutely." - Chef Acton
Alan
Apochromat: Takahashi FS-102 4" f/8 - Achromats: Meade S102 102mm f/5.9, Antares 805 80mm f/6(flocked & blackened), Meade "Polaris" 70mm f/12.9, Sears(Towa) #4-6340 50mm f/12(flocked & blackened) - Newtonians: Orion 6" f/5(flocked & blackened) - Catadioptrics: Explore Scientific 127mm f/15 Maksutov-Cassegrain, Celestron "PowerSeeker" 127mm f/8 "Bird Jones" reflector(modified, flocked, blackened, and collimated!) - Mounts: Meade LX70(EQ-5), Astro-Tech Voyager I alt-azimuth
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Re: New here looking for our first telescope
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Re: New here looking for our first telescope
The kit was produced by the same manufacturer overseas as your own; Synta of China.
This is the scene from my own, and through the collimation-cap...
That's the entire optical-system at a glance. All of the components on the inside of the tube are present. At
In both cases, the telescopes are collimated.
"Desserts tend to corrupt, and absolutely delicious desserts corrupt absolutely." - Chef Acton
Alan
Apochromat: Takahashi FS-102 4" f/8 - Achromats: Meade S102 102mm f/5.9, Antares 805 80mm f/6(flocked & blackened), Meade "Polaris" 70mm f/12.9, Sears(Towa) #4-6340 50mm f/12(flocked & blackened) - Newtonians: Orion 6" f/5(flocked & blackened) - Catadioptrics: Explore Scientific 127mm f/15 Maksutov-Cassegrain, Celestron "PowerSeeker" 127mm f/8 "Bird Jones" reflector(modified, flocked, blackened, and collimated!) - Mounts: Meade LX70(EQ-5), Astro-Tech Voyager I alt-azimuth
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