Any astronomers in here

Brutal biff

Brutal biff

Brutal biff

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I'm moving house sometime in August and with there being a field virtually outside my front door the area won't be flooded with street lights so I want get myself a telescope

Can anyone help me in recommending a decent one for a beginner need one that's going to be easy to store and preferably 1 that I'll be able to take pictures with also because my eyesight is pretty bad it needs to be easy to use while wearing glasses my budget will be around 350

Thanks
 
Eames said:
Venus is rising so Virgo's are going to feel extra warmth from the Taurus in their lives today
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Indeed. I hear that Taurus will be flaccid during the first of the month, therefore making meat purchases a perilous endeavour. If you want to play it safe, wait for Libra to ejaculate during the crescent moon and then buy a lotto scratch card and hope for the best. Also if you're caught up in a crab nebula, consult your GP.
 
You could quite happily get a half decent telescope for that price, however, not one that can take pictures. Astrophotography is very expensive and not something I suggest looking at before you know you enjoy astronomy.

You have a few decision to make. Within your budget your best bet would be a dobsonian or reflector telescope. Your other choice is whether or not get a motorised mount. These choices depend on whether or not you want to just hit a number and see a nebula or whether you want to learn the sky and navigate it yourself.

Motorised EQ mounts (looks like a tripod) let you make 3 points of reference and then will track the sky to counter the earth's spin. From this, you can then use the controls to move to your desired coordinates. This is great for seeing a lot, quickly. However, they can be a bit of an arse to setup and you will get less telescope for your money. You will also be limited to a fairly small aperture reflector within your budget, probably around a 130p (the number denoting the size in mm of the mirror, referred to as the aperature). You could do this for under £300.

Your other option is a dobsonian. These use a simple floor mount which pivots and has angle control, however, this is all done by hand. You use a finder scope to locate your target then look through the eyepiece. It takes a little getting use to as you'll no doubt be surprised at how fast things move out of your field of view due to the earth's rotation, so you need to learn to make adjustments by hand as you go. It's not as complicated as it sounds and I'm sure you'd be well on the way to mastering it after a nights viewing. The bonus to a dobsonian is they're cheaper than reflectors due to the mounts being simpler, thus meaning for under £300 you can get a 200p.

I forgot to mention you can also get a non motorised EQ mount with a relfector, which will allow you to increase your aperature somewhat, probably to around 150p, but that'll take you to the limit of your budget. Controlling this also requires use of a finder scope and making adjustments by hand as you view.

I think that's everything, feel free to trust me if you want more depth on anything.
 
For your budget, I'd go for one of these: http://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-150pl-eq3-2.html It has a 6 inch aperture, so will have a maximum theoretical magnification power of 300x.

My first telescope was the 5 inch version of that, and it was fantastic. I could clearly see the rings of Saturn, and the cloud bands of Jupiter. The equatorial mount, when aligned to north, will let you track objects as the Earth rotates.
 
Is there somewhere which shows you what the main planets look like at different magnifications. I keep looking and keep thinking it's nope worth it. With such easy access to Hubble and other photos (not the same I know)
 
Glaucus said:
Is there somewhere which shows you what the main planets look like at different magnifications. I keep looking and keep thinking it's nope worth it. With such easy access to Hubble and other photos (not the same I know)
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Nope. A picture on the internet will look twice as big if you lean in closer to the screen. There's no way to accurately represent what a given magnification will make a planet look like.

For reference, this is the best picture I've been able to take with a 10 inch Dobsonian. 1200mm focal length, 1/3 inch CMOS chip in the camera, and a 2x barlow lens. Totals about 280x magnification (though I'm not 100% on how that calculation works). The conditions weren't ideal, and I'm convinced the telescope is capable of better, but... you know. British skies. So much cloud.

fZ9wFdZ.jpg
 
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I looked into getting into astrophotography, then someone posted an image much like above of Saturn and said that's the best I would get for pumping 5k into equipment, I didn't bother..
 
'Harry said:
Sorry my friend :( I got use to Hubble type pictures, then reality hit....
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I'm the same. I want to take pictures myself. but just can't get decent results. without spending loads.

wonder what the 20" plus ones could take but they're like around $8k
 
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Look at the image forums on the stargazers lounge for an idea of what can be done by amateurs with varying levels of kit.
 
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