I mentioned in my intro post that I have never owned , or even used, a telescope. I have wanted to purchase one for many years now, but life responsibilities, income and my budget have kept me from pursuing fun things.
I have finally decided that I need to just go ahead and get my setup, because if I wait until I am debt-free, I'll probably be dead first.
My initial thought was to spend a few hundred dollars and get a good scope from that. A few hundred to me is nothing to sneeze at, it's a lot of money!
Fortunately, or unfortunately (depending on POV), through research, I have learned that I need much more than a scope, and my few hundred budget is probably going to be a few thousand. My, oh my.
I'd like your opinions on the scope and mount I'm considering, as well as any suggestions you may have. I'd also appreciate input on must-have accessories, like filters, eyepieces, barlows, powering, etc etc etc...
So, to start, I am, like other newbie astronomers, interested in astrophotography. Being a former pro photographer, I do know that this endeavor will have great challenges, coupled with a lot of frustration. I look forward to it. Challenge is fun.
I live outside New Orleans....think I'm in a
While I do plan to practice with my new scope from my backyard, I also have darker sites (within a few hours drive) I like to go to gaze at the stars, and will surely bring my new setup to those places as well. (I think they are
I do want to view and photograph our solar system, from our own star to all of the planets, but I am most interested in seeing and imaging
I do realise that I'll need different scopes for best viewing of each, so I want to start with
Anyway, finally, to the gear...
I am seriously considering the Skywatcher Pro ED 80mm refractor scope as my first. What do you guys think of this one? Pros and cons, in your opinion? Do you recommend it, or would you suggest a different scope and why?
As for mounts, I think I need to go with the EQ6-R, but I'm looking at the Celestron Advanced VX as well (it's nearly $500 cheaper, and weight capacity is 14lbs less). I admit that the product descriptions confuse me. Do these mounts track objects as well as find them, or is a guider/tracker yet another purchase I will be adding to my mounting debt?
If it is something else I need to purchase, what do you recommend?
Accessories:
Eyepieces and Barlows - What is most useful to you? What sizes/brands do you recommend? I'm lost on which to choose.
Filters - Which ones do you recommend I start with for
Power supply/tank/batteries - I certainly don't want to drag my gear out to a dark spot, set it all up, and use it for a bit only to have my batteries die. Is there a portable power supply that's easy to use (and charge) that would last an entire night of viewing/shooting/tracking?
As of now, I believe I will be using DarkSkyStacker and Photoshop for image stacking and post-processing, but I am always open to suggestions.
I think that's more than enough to start with...of course, if I don't know something, then I don't know to ask about it. So, if there is something I'm missing, please point it out to me.
In the words of Jeff Goldblum as 'The Fly': "Help mee. Please, help meeeeee!"
Thank you so much! I look forward to learning and sharing with you all!
Peace,
Laura