Which Telescope?

Hi Guys,
I have just joined as I stumbled across this great site whilst searching for Lunar photo's a few days ago and I found the Copernicus series sent in by John Lear which I thought were awesome. I had a lot of fun reading the accompanying thread going back to Sep 2006 and can see that there are some "true" characters here

Once I get settled in I am sure that I will get a great deal of enjoyment here, meet some cool people, have some laughs and learn a lot too

Anyway, to cut a long story, short I would like to know if there is a specific section or group of members who can give me any advice on what kind of astro telescope to buy, I want to be able to take photos so i'm thinking a mirror scope and camera combo (or do they come with a camera adapter) will i need auto tracking.?? now that probably sounds like I know more than I actually do coz although I can just about find my way round the night sky, I know "jack" about telescopes

Any advice would be great,

oh, i guess it would help if i said i can stretch to about 6K tops (without involving a divorce lawyer )

Thanks a lot guys,
RK

Hey thanks, I was considering posting something of this same Nature hope you get some good advice I follow along with.

A scope I was recommended was:

www.telescope.com...

ok for some reason I can't link directly to it

it's the:
Orion EON 80mm ED Apochromatic Refractor Telescope

but I am probably more of a beginner then you are.

But thats some advice I got as far as a scope...but i am sure there are some more experienced members here can help you out better.

[edit on 19-2-2009 by Mysterysoul]

[edit on 19-2-2009 by Mysterysoul]

Hey guys...

Check out www.skyandtelescope.com and www.astronomy.com for help in choosing a scope...

Also, try to contact astronomy clubs or public planetariums where you live; often, astronomy clubs that meet periodically will happily invite along and give you the opportunity to look thru different scopes.

Choose carefully so you don't end up with a scope that's
a) an over-priced piece of junk
b) a scope with awesome optics, but is so physically large that you'll never lug it out of the house.

My scope is a Meade Lightbridge 8".

Good luck,
Ezzi

Hey

The best place to look on ATS would be our Space exploration forum, there is a few thread on it but you could always make a new one on what you are looking for and the kinda budget you are looking at, Im sure you will get some ideas

Here's a thread to have a peek through,
www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by asala

---

thanks took a look through the thread, good information there. seems I am on a relatively decent track with that particular scope.

You'll spend quite a bit getting into astrophography as you need good equipment.

Orion telescopes have some good entry level scopes and mounts that will produce some good images at good prices. You can probably get started at around $3000. Your 6k budget should get you going fairly well.

Personally if you're just getting into backyard astronomy and I was you, I'd take about $800-1000 and maybe pick up a 10inch dob. Use this maybe for 6 months. This will be all manual and you'll have to search the sky by sky charts and what not but the reward of finding that object yourself is a lifetime memory. Also it will get you familar with the sky and will get you falilar with the demands this hobby can have. Cold weather, later or early mornings, clear skys yet terrible telescope conditions, etc, etc.

I see all to many time people spend thousands on this hobby only to have the equipment sit in inside. It can be a chore setting up, staying up late, etc, etc. lol

If I was going to make the astrophotography commitment I'd more then likely go with a orion refractor. There certainly is better(refreactors can cost 10's of thousands) but they do have a good reputation for their optics and quailty to price ratio.



www.telescope.com...

Well there site seems to be having issues but you can get an idea as to cost. Look at their refractors and good computerized mounts for astrophotography.

good helpful friendly site here.


www.cloudynights.com...







[edit on 19-2-2009 by Tyr Sog]

reply to post by Tyr Sog

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Tyr,

I have a couple of Stellarvue refractors myself. They tend to be a little more pricey but they are handmade and provide razor sharp views. Plus their customer service is top notch.

Oh yea for sure. Great scopes!

Yea, as I'm sure you know there is so many great scopes and such a huge price difference between quality and brands. 6K to 10K(and up to a 100k) for a refractor is certainly not unheard of lol. Though 1k-2k(tube only) will blow most of us away lol.

reply to post by Tyr Sog

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I went the cheap route with Stellarvue. I have an SV809/D 80mm refractor which was about $399 (it doesn't have ED glass) and my guide scope is the F60 60mm. But at the time I lived in an apartment so lighter weight and portability was my issue. I had 3 flights of stairs to manage LOL

Oh wait, I was thinking of Tele-Vue lol. I'm not totally familar with Stellarvue, arn't they fairly new though?

Yea, portablity should certainly factor in ones purchase. There's nothing more dishearting in spending thousands only to find out you get ick of lugging in and out of a house lol.

reply to post by Tyr Sog

---

They've been around for awhile. Check out stellarvue.com if you're curious. Great people and great scopes!

WOW, 10 replies in as many hours, thanks a lot guys, I very much appreciate all the time and effort you guy’s took to share your knowledge.

Mysterysoul
“Orion EON 80mm ED Apochromatic Refractor Telescope but I am probably more of a beginner then you are.”
Thanks for that, I will have a look at that model, I can assure you Sir, you are definitely not more of a beginner than me…. LOL The only reason I know my way around the night sky is coz I used to be a marine navigator back in the days of sextants  I hope you get sorted out, please let me know how you get on, which model you get and what you think of it when you get up and running. Thanks a lot for your comments.

ezziboo "check out: www.skyandtelescope.com and www.astronomy.com “ - Will check out this site - thanks
“Choose carefully so you don't end up with a scope that's
a) an over-priced piece of junk - That is good advice and what I was afraid of doing 
b) a scope with awesome optics, but is so physically large that you'll never lug it out of the house.” - Food for thought – sounds obvious to you guys “in the know” but to be honest, it is something that would have been low down on my list of priorities – great advice, thanks…

My scope is a Meade Lightbridge 8" – I will do a search on this model, thanks 

Azala
“The best place to look on ATS would be our Space exploration forum.” Thanks for the link. I had a feeling this page would not be the place to start this thread so I will check that out later, much appreciated 

Tyr Sog
“Orion telescopes have some good entry level scopes. If I was going to make the astrophotography commitment I'd more then likely go with a orion refractor.
www.telescope.com...
Well there site seems to be having issues but you can get an idea as to cost. Look at their refractors and good computerized mounts for astrophotography.
good helpful friendly site here.
www.cloudynights.com... “ – Thanks for that Tyr, I will check out “Orion refractor” gear and the sites that you have mentioned 

Griffinrl
“I have a couple of Stellarvue refractors myself. They tend to be a little more pricey but they are handmade and provide razor sharp views. Plus their customer service is top notch.”
“They've been around for awhile. Check out stellarvue.com if you're curious. Great people and great scopes! “ - I will deffo check these out – thanks a lot 

Well you guys certainly have given me lots to consider there, thanks to you all and to ATS for a great site.
best regards
RK

Just for fun here is an image of Jupiter that I took with my Celestron C130 (5.1") Maksutov scope:

i just recently got into this too. My scope hasnt even arrived yet. pretty recent.

i went with a celestron astromaster 114eq. its normally 300 bucks, but i got it for 120

its a cheap scope, but it got rave reviews. supposedly the best of the "toy" quality. it didnt break my wallet so im happy.

i also got a solar filter for watching the sun, the motor mount for tracking, and a nice set of binoculars (celestron 15x70) so i can watch while im taking pics, or share while im using scope.

for a camera. my mom had an old canon ae-1 35mm with some nice lenses. i can piggyback the camera on the scope for wideangle with the lens, or i got a t-adapter for hooking it straight up to the eyepiece.

hopefully i will have some nice shots to show you all very soon.

if you are on a budget, i suggest getting a reflector. mirrors replace the (extremely) expensive optics, and you get a larger aperture for collecting more light.

the dobs are reflector too, and are a good choice.

if you really want to get into astrophoto, dont go with anything smaller than an 8" reflector.

if you are really just starting out. pick binoculars first. youll be surprised what you can see still, and not be out a lot of money