Which one?

Hi Marcos,

Glad to see you are getting some helpful advice from the folks here. Welcome to the site!

Cheers,
~Al

Thanks for pointing me in this direction

Steve

Steve - welcome!

Unfortunately you are in a no-win situation - whatever you choose will be a compromise either on price, physical size/weight (for portability every two months), field-of-view, availability, aesthetics and a hunch....

That's why most amateurs don't all own the same 'scope and why a lot of them own more than one.

The only advice I would give you (the lads here have mentioned all the basic stuff) is to think carefully about what you want to do with the scope 2 years from now. There are plenty of stories of folks who've bought a scope for it to be ignored 6 months later when the new one arrives - me included.

Another crucial piece of advice is this - buy cheap, buy twice. The only instruments that will do the job are precision instruments - if you buy cheap, you'll be buying again soon enough. This advice goes for all astro hardware (and software) - eyepieces, filters, diagonals, mounts, imagers etc. That said, there are still 'bargains' out there.

I do agree strongly with you on learning the sky first - this is a very good decision on your part and its the way I started off. I'm so glad I did!

One final point is this - if you want the best, you will pay for it. And I don't mean a few hundred quid more - we're talking seriously expensive kit. By the time you add in all the add-ons and 'optional' extras that are vital, you will be out of pocket - so start buttering up her indoors now.

Of course, what you want is out there - you just have to find it. But I'll save you the trouble:

www.rcopticalsystems.com/rc_cine.html

All the best, happy hunting and do listen to all the advice, but you don't necessarily need to follow it!

Cheers

Dave McD

Hi Steve,
You can get short tube refractors, the F5 refractor is very portable and will probabily be the one I'll take on the eclipse next year.
As its not a apochromat, the planetary images are not perfect, but its great for widefield objects like clusters, star fields, the moon and nebulae.


As for light gathering power, this is how it works.
Lets compare a 4 inch scope to a 6 in scope (I'm ignoring loses due to secondary mirrors and non-perfect coatings etc).

Its the square of the apertures that you compare.
4x4=16 and 6x6=36, you'll see that the 6 inch collects over twice the light gathering power of a 4 inch.
A 12" scope gives you 144, so it gathers 9 times the light (144/16) of a 4 inch. This is why there is a high demand for dobs.

Given that you dont want to spend a fortune on a scope and have already used 130mm telescope, I dont think you'll gaining anything going to a 100 refractor or 150mm reflector, the small jump just isnt worth it.
I think a 8" F6-F8 dob would be the next step for you. As its a dob, it will be relatively inexpensive and you'll see deepsky and planetary detail that would be significantly superior, and its wouldn't be too bulky.

One thing I would recommend is that you avoid buying a scope that you'll have to upgrade in a few years, take the plunge and avoid the expensive mistakes!

A well made Dob is not difficult to use, as they're usually balanced.
Once you've got a 8x50 finder or some equivilant (bin the 8x30s), you'll have enough "firepower" to keep you going for years. Many people spend their entire "astro careers" with a scope like this.

I used a 12" dob for a number fo years, in the next few years I hope to get a 18-22 inch dob, roll on SSIA ! :lol:

kinda ruled out dobs cos they look damn ugly

STEVE Dobs ugly...........I dont think so
Have a look at mine
www.qsl.net/ei5fk/Cork-Astronomy-Club--.html
Ah come on Steve
Charles

Very nice Charles,
Is that a homebrew or did you buy it?
What focal ratio is it?
Do you need a step to see the zenith through it?

Steve, the thing about dobs is that they are not what you might think a telescope should look like, but they pack a massive punch

I'd like to get to a club meeting. I might try and get down to Tullamore next weekend. I've been advised that the Phoenix Park meetings are basically just an ad for Celestron and if I get to a club meeting then I want one that'll cover all angles. Anyone know any clubs near me? (I'm looking at voyager here cos we live in the same town

Hi Steve,
welcome to the boards! There are a few of us from both Astro 2 in NUI Maynooth, and Tullamore Astronomical Society here (Tullamore is within an hours drive from Maynooth, I used to live there). With regards to coming down to Tullamore, you'd be more than welcome. We won't try selling you Celestrons - or any other scope for that matter!

Still, the advice given to you already, is good advice. My only 2 cents I can offer is on purchasing - DONT buy from a reseller if they appear too exensive (as you have already mentioned), DO shop around (ever hear of Andromeda Optics in Dublin, suppliers of superior Meade telescopes, and if A&S ever said anything, Meade are not going out of business!), DO ask for all the help you want!

If you do decide to come down to Tullamore at COSMOS, there will be plenty of people and equipment to help you make an informed decision between all the options availble to you!

Seanie