Introduction to Astronomy, Want a telescope? Please read before posting.

fryup · 20-05-2020 8:54am

yes but with respect, the Bresser hasn't got a computerised/goto mount and Celestron are a better make aren't they?

Pat Dunne · 22-05-2020 12:21am

fryup wrote: »

yes but with respect, the Bresser hasn't got a computerised/goto mount and Celestron are a better make aren't they?

It’s all about the aperture and at this price range both the Celestron and Bresser are very similar.
Apperture rules! A bigger lens or mirror means brighter, sharper images
A 60mm scope is simply too weak to offer any worthwhile viewing apart from the Moon and perhaps Jupiter and it’s Moons, don’t expect to see the Great Red Spot or the Gas Bands. It’s unlikely you make out the Rings of Saturn in any real detail either. Galaxies or other features will just be smudges.
My response for this price range, is to buy the very best Binoculars you can and a good Tripod.

fryup · 26-05-2020 10:29pm

well can you recommend a good starter scope?

namloc1980 · 02-06-2020 6:21pm

A dobsonian scope offers the best value. Large aperture at a more affordable price relatively speaking. Great for the moon and planets.

Pat Dunne · 03-06-2020 10:06pm

namloc1980 wrote: »

A dobsonian scope offers the best value. Large aperture at a more affordable price relatively speaking. Great for the moon and planets.

The Dob will certainly give you more bang for your buck. The following is a good one for not a massive outlay
https://ktectelescopes.ie/Skywatcher-Skyliner-200P-Parabolic-Dobsonian-Telescope.html

fryup · 14-06-2020 11:01am

ok i'm pondering over these two refractors - they're both in my price range 200'ish

one is the latest Celestron with starsense technology it a "semi goto" in the sense you attach your phone to it and the starsense app will guide you to your chosen target - its however only got slow adjustment on the altitude you have to nudge on the latitude and the aperture is 80mm

Celestron

the other one is a Meade got a slightly bigger aperture at 90mm and has slow motion adjustment on both axises

Meade

*so which would suit me best as beginner to astronomy and also a daytime birdwatcher ?

Pat Dunne · 14-06-2020 4:05pm

fryup wrote: »

ok i'm pondering over these two refractors - they're both in my price range 200'ish

one is the latest Celestron with starsense technology it a "semi goto" in the sense you attach your phone to it and the starsense app will guide you to your chosen target - its however only got slow adjustment on the altitude you have to nudge on the latitude and the aperture is 80mm

Celestron

the other one is a Meade got a slightly bigger aperture at 90mm and has slow motion adjustment on both axises

Meade

*so which would suit me best as beginner to astronomy and also a daytime birdwatcher ?

Celestron, own Meade, so effectively the optical components will be of the same quality.
I wouldn’t be to hung up on “go to” technology. Id be looking for the best optical quality and largest aperture, you can get.

Capt'n Midnight · 16-06-2020 5:45pm

Lidl have some cheap and cheerful 10x50 binoculars on sale. € 19.99

Might be handy to have as a sacrificial pair that others or kids can borrow.

Calvin and Hobbes on that particular subject https://imgur.com/gallery/5BAVaZt
my favourite strip is the one about the glue

TomSweeney · 03-08-2020 4:38pm

For years I have wanted to get a decent telescope and mount that I can take nice photos with, I find the whole area very intimidating, refractors/reflectors, different mount types, Do I even need a telescope for night sky photography etc...

I have a Canon EOS 5Dmk3 and some L lenses, I have taken decent enough shots with that and a tripod in dark sky areas.
But can only do really 30s exposures before they start to blur.

I read the review of the new Canon EOS Ra and got depressed when I saw the price tag.

Perhaps I can take lots of shots with my regular setup and stitch the photos together using astro imaging software, is there good free ware that can detect the stars in your image and line them up - since they will be in slightly different positions as the photos are taken.

These are fairly decent photos from what I have , but they could be so much better ...

Then I've been told there is also mounts you don't need a telescope for, just can put the camera right on it ....

Don't know, I find I am stuck in moving on ...

murphyme2010 · 03-08-2020 5:16pm

If you want a simple tracking mount to let you take longer exposures have a look at this.

Michael.

TomSweeney · 05-08-2020 4:10pm

Can you get scope and mounts combined ? I see a decent scope is at least €1200, and around the same for a mount - and thats before any adaptors to attach a camera ....

iLikeWaffles · 06-08-2020 4:14pm

TomSweeney wrote: »

Can you get scope and mounts combined ? I see a decent scope is at least €1200, and around the same for a mount - and thats before any adaptors to attach a camera ....

If you are just starting out don't bother with any of the expensive stuff! This hobby can be very expensive.

For a starter scope I'd recommend having a budget of €200 - €500 anything in this range will be okay quality for a beginner that can outgrow the the scope in probably 2-3 years or more depending on frequency of use. In which time can save for the better quality/more expensive gear. You'll get a scope and mount within this budget, DSLR will cost around this also so have a different budget for one. But first get the experience using the telescope before adding the complication of a camera. If you have no experience with using a camera it will be a very steep learning curve one which will probably break you.

Adyx · 07-08-2020 9:06pm

You could have a look at Astrobackyard.com. Some good advice although be warned he has very expensive gear. Deep Sky Stacker can be used to stack and align pictures.

TomSweeney · 10-08-2020 2:53pm

iLikeWaffles wrote: »

If you are just starting out don't bother with any of the expensive stuff! This hobby can be very expensive.

For a starter scope I'd recommend having a budget of €200 - €500 anything in this range will be okay quality for a beginner that can outgrow the the scope in probably 2-3 years or more depending on frequency of use. In which time can save for the better quality/more expensive gear. You'll get a scope and mount within this budget, DSLR will cost around this also so have a different budget for one. But first get the experience using the telescope before adding the complication of a camera. If you have no experience with using a camera it will be a very steep learning curve one which will probably break you.

hmm thanks very much!!

I do have experience using DSLR and long exposure photography, problem is lashing that on to a scope / mount ... allthough this is giving me hope
:

https://old.reddit.com/r/astrophotography/comments/i70u5r/the_andromeda_galaxy/

Lovely shot of Andromeda using DSLR + Star adventurer tracker, So I think ill get one of these first ... if it can produce images like this ...

iLikeWaffles · 10-08-2020 6:59pm

TomSweeney wrote: »

hmm thanks very much!!

I do have experience using DSLR and long exposure photography, problem is lashing that on to a scope / mount ... allthough this is giving me hope
:

https://old.reddit.com/r/astrophotography/comments/i70u5r/the_andromeda_galaxy/

Lovely shot of Andromeda using DSLR + Star adventurer tracker, So I think ill get one of these first ... if it can produce images like this ...

Well I reckon you'd be right at home with the Star Adventurer if you already now how to take long exposure pictures. The good thing with doing so is you can add onto the SA with a small refractor (has a 8kg max load) which would not be too costly either (Sky Watcher 72ED for instance). With very little knowledge about how to polar align the SA you will be up and running in no time!

Astro-imaging and observing with a telescope alone are very different beasts, you can see and capture a lot more with a camera obviously. With no scope you can image a lot.

Recently ordered a SA myself.

TomSweeney · 11-08-2020 2:11pm

OK, so I can add a scope to the tracker and use as a motorised mount ?
of course if i wanna get a good scope, im sure it'll weigh more than 8KG...

iLikeWaffles · 11-08-2020 6:25pm

TomSweeney wrote: »

OK, so I can add a scope to the tracker and use as a motorised mount ?
of course if i wanna get a good scope, im sure it'll weigh more than 8KG...

Yeah definitely could add a scope but there a bit of a difference with tracking an object and motorising a telescope (GoTo). The typical weight of a camera body would be under 1kg (400g-1000g) but depends on the make of the camera/lens. Canons can be lighter, a telephoto lens could be a similar weight to camera.

You would have to take into account the counter weight for the SA also. Think the counter weight that comes with the Pro pack is 1kg, the bar is fairly long also so say 1.5kg-2kg stress weight on the motor. A total guess but any scope up to 4kg could fit on the SA, in theory anyway!

But while it will track you are getting into GoTo territory which would account for the higher priced stuff. It is Right Accession tracking on the SA this is why it needs to be polar aligned, Polaris would be the only star that doesn't change position. Aligning correctly is very important for tracking. Deep sky objects require precise Polar alignment.

adocholiday · 11-09-2020 10:21am

Hi everyone,

I want to get a telescope as a gift for someone who wants something relatively basic that would allow you to see the planets etc. but doesn't have to be anything fancy. I saw some recommendations earlier for the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Parabolic Dobsonian Telescope but at €400 it might be a bit much for something that could get relatively little use.

Any suggestions would be really appreciated. Thanks!

iLikeWaffles · 11-09-2020 1:17pm

adocholiday wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I want to get a telescope as a gift for someone who wants something relatively basic that would allow you to see the planets etc. but doesn't have to be anything fancy. I saw some recommendations earlier for the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Parabolic Dobsonian Telescope but at €400 it might be a bit much for something that could get relatively little use.

Any suggestions would be really appreciated. Thanks!

You're going to want to tell us how much you are willing to spend. Anything less than 6" in a Newtonian/Dobsobian is not going to show planets in great detail.

adocholiday · 11-09-2020 3:30pm

iLikeWaffles wrote: »

You're going to want to tell us how much you are willing to spend. Anything less than 6" in a Newtonian/Dobsobian is not going to show planets in great detail.

Fair point. I could spend up to that amount but I'd be concerned that I spend that money and it ends up gathering dust in the corner is all. But that's more likely to happen with something that won't show anything particularly interesting.

If I have to spend that amount to get something worthwhile then I'll spend that. I just thought there might be an option a little cheaper that might be just not quite as good as the Dobsonian but would be good enough.

iLikeWaffles · 11-09-2020 8:29pm

adocholiday wrote: »

Fair point. I could spend up to that amount but I'd be concerned that I spend that money and it ends up gathering dust in the corner is all. But that's more likely to happen with something that won't show anything particularly interesting.

If I have to spend that amount to get something worthwhile then I'll spend that. I just thought there might be an option a little cheaper that might be just not quite as good as the Dobsonian but would be good enough.

The 8" skywatcher Dob is great scope go with that if can afford!

Slightly lower price and also a good starter scope is a Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ but smaller size of about 5.1"

adocholiday · 11-09-2020 8:48pm

iLikeWaffles wrote: »

The 8" skywatcher Dob is great scope go with that if can afford!

Slightly lower price and also a good starter scope is a Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ but smaller size of about 5.1"

Amazon have that Celestron for 151 pounds. With the pound as it is that's very cheap. Is there a massive difference in quality between the 2? Or enough to justify the cost difference?

iLikeWaffles · 11-09-2020 9:45pm

adocholiday wrote: »

Amazon have that Celestron for 151 pounds. With the pound as it is that's very cheap. Is there a massive difference in quality between the 2? Or enough to justify the cost difference?

Oh yeah nice! Yeah it would be a massive step up to the 8" from that bigger area to gather photons of light, be like serving soup with a spoon as opposed to a ladle. An 8" would be about 2.4 times the size of the 130. Area of light for the 5.1" is roughly 82 area for the 8" roughly 201. The more light allowed in the better magnification and image quality. Even a 6" would be a bit of step up from that 130.

Hmm... is it worth choosing the 130 over the skywatcher, in terms of money yes. But the better image quality for magnification in the 8", I don't think so. I'd rather the 8" myself but only because I know better.

As an aside, aperture should be measured in inches and focal length in mm but the celestron and most telescope makers market it in mm for some reason, probably easier for consumers to distinguish.

If for a beginner I'd probably go with the celestron, tbh. But as I said the bigger the better.

adocholiday · 11-09-2020 10:08pm

iLikeWaffles wrote: »

Oh yeah nice! Yeah it would be a massive step up to the 8" from that bigger area to gather photons of light, be like serving soup with a spoon as opposed to a ladle. An 8" would be about 2.4 times the size of the 130. Area of light for the 5.1" is roughly 82 area for the 8" roughly 201. The more light allowed in the better magnification and image quality. Even a 6" would be a bit of step up from that 130.

Hmm... is it worth choosing the 130 over the skywatcher, in terms of money yes. But the better image quality for magnification in the 8", I don't think so. I'd rather the 8" myself but only because I know better.

As an aside, aperture should be measured in inches and focal length in mm but the celestron and most telescope makers market it in mm for some reason, probably easier for consumers to distinguish.

If for a beginner I'd probably go with the celestron, tbh. But as I said the bigger the better.

I think I might go for the Celestron given the massive price difference. Would the Celestron be good enough to let you see things like the rings on Saturn? That's the kind of level I'd be aiming for.

iLikeWaffles · 12-09-2020 12:32am

adocholiday wrote: »

I think I might go for the Celestron given the massive price difference. Would the Celestron be good enough to let you see things like the rings on Saturn? That's the kind of level I'd be aiming for.

Saturn will be tiny in the supplied eyepieces, You should be able to make out the form though. What the bigger aperture allows is more light which in turn means more magnification. Magnifying with the 130 to the same degree of the bigger scope will be quiet dim as there is less light.

Bear in mind both are taken with Hubble and don't represent what you will see with either scope just the relative sizes at their *practical/most useful magnification

iLikeWaffles · 14-09-2020 2:27pm

Here's a better scope than the celestron https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-130.html

Longer focal length sturdier materials

adocholiday · 14-09-2020 2:34pm

iLikeWaffles wrote: »

Here's a better scope than the celestron https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-130.html

Longer focal length sturdier materials

Thanks so much because the Celestron is out of stock too! I'm going to buy this right away. Thanks for your help it's been invaluable.

endacl · 14-09-2020 2:59pm

adocholiday wrote: »

Thanks so much because the Celestron is out of stock too! I'm going to buy this right away. Thanks for your help it's been invaluable.

Will most likely need a bit of mirror adjustment after shipping. Order a cheap collimating tool while you’re at it.

Easy to use. Plenty of lessons in YouTube.

iLikeWaffles · 14-09-2020 7:36pm

adocholiday wrote: »

Thanks so much because the Celestron is out of stock too! I'm going to buy this right away. Thanks for your help it's been invaluable.

No worries!

Ordered one for a friend also it is a very decent scope I believe. They also have the Celestron on First Light which comes with a m42 threaded barlow (for T-Rings) and crappy phone adaptor for a similar price as what was on amazon.

If your looking for another recommendation / middle ground for the 8" there is also a Skywatcher 150p which would be middle ground to both apertures on First light about €345 (+ €30 deilery) https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-150p-eq3-2.html

irishgeo · 22-09-2020 8:27pm

iLikeWaffles wrote: »

No worries!

Ordered one for a friend also it is a very decent scope I believe. They also have the Celestron on First Light which comes with a m42 threaded barlow (for T-Rings) and crappy phone adaptor for a similar price as what was on amazon.

If your looking for another recommendation / middle ground for the 8" there is also a Skywatcher 150p which would be middle ground to both apertures on First light about €345 (+ €30 deilery) https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-150p-eq3-2.html

anyone recommend a mount of these SKYMASTER 25X70 BINOCULARS, cant hold them steady enough to see anything.

iLikeWaffles · 22-09-2020 8:36pm

irishgeo wrote: »

anyone recommend a mount of these SKYMASTER 25X70 BINOCULARS, cant hold them steady enough to see anything.

Literally any tripod and adaptor will do the job for binoculars

SusanC10 · 29-09-2020 10:11am

Looking for recommendations for a Telescope as a Christmas Gift for my Husband. Beginner.
To see Moon / Planets/ Stars.
Something we could bring with us on holidays too. With a Tripod.

Budget €300, max €350.

Have had a look online but don't know what would be best option.

TIA.

adocholiday · 29-09-2020 10:49am

SusanC10 wrote: »

Looking for recommendations for a Telescope as a Christmas Gift for my Husband. Beginner.
To see Moon / Planets/ Stars.
Something we could bring with us on holidays too. With a Tripod.

Budget €300, max €350.

Have had a look online but don't know what would be best option.

TIA.

Hi Susan,

The one that ilikewaffles suggested for me (The Celestron Sky-watcher Explorer 130) is great. I bought it as a gift for a beginner and they love it. I bought it here and got delivery of it pretty quickly.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-130.html

Also I found this video really great for doing the set up and just getting started with it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoZyR7U8cuo

SusanC10 · 29-09-2020 10:53am

adocholiday wrote: »

Hi Susan,

The one that ilikewaffles suggested for me (The Celestron Sky-watcher Explorer 130) is great. I bought it as a gift for a beginner and they love it. I bought it here and got delivery of it pretty quickly.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-130.html

Also I found this video really great for doing the set up and just getting started with it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoZyR7U8cuo

Thank you !
That looks good and well under budget.
Would you recommend any of the suggested accessories or is it sufficient by itself ?

Thanks a mill.

adocholiday · 29-09-2020 11:50am

SusanC10 wrote: »

Thank you !
That looks good and well under budget.
Would you recommend any of the suggested accessories or is it sufficient by itself ?

Thanks a mill.

I just bought the collimation cap in case it was out but to my untrained eye it seems to be ok. I might look at some other eye pieces etc. in future but the ones that come with it have done the job great so far.

SusanC10 · 29-09-2020 11:52am

adocholiday wrote: »

I just bought the collimation cap in case it was out but to my untrained eye it seems to be ok. I might look at some other eye pieces etc. in future but the ones that come with it have done the job great so far.

Thanks. Appreciate the tips.

SusanC10 · 12-10-2020 5:28pm

adocholiday wrote: »

Hi Susan,

The one that ilikewaffles suggested for me (The Celestron Sky-watcher Explorer 130) is great. I bought it as a gift for a beginner and they love it. I bought it here and got delivery of it pretty quickly.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/reflectors/skywatcher-explorer-130.html

Also I found this video really great for doing the set up and just getting started with it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoZyR7U8cuo

Unfortunately when I went to order this, it was out of stock. So back to the drawing board.

Any thoughts on this one below ?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0000XMSKC?tag=georiot-trd-21&th=1&psc=1&ascsubtag=space-ie-7526858956323542000-21

iLikeWaffles · 12-10-2020 8:25pm

SusanC10 wrote: »

Unfortunately when I went to order this, it was out of stock. So back to the drawing board.

Any thoughts on this one below ?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0000XMSKC?tag=georiot-trd-21&th=1&psc=1&ascsubtag=space-ie-7526858956323542000-21

That's out of stock also

Bluesquare · 06-12-2020 10:52am

iLikeWaffles wrote: »

That's out of stock also

Hi

Did you get one in the end . Currently looking for one for my hubby but way out of my depth . Seems to be a shortage of stock as well which isn’t helping .

I have seen this one : https://www.camera.ie/products/celestron-starsense-explorer-dx-130az

It seems a bit pricey though for a beginner .

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

iLikeWaffles · 06-12-2020 6:41pm

Bluesquare wrote: »

Hi

Did you get one in the end . Currently looking for one for my hubby but way out of my depth . Seems to be a shortage of stock as well which isn’t helping .

I have seen this one : https://www.camera.ie/products/celestron-starsense-explorer-dx-130az

It seems a bit pricey though for a beginner .

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Very pricey!!

Decent scope on adverts... https://www.adverts.ie/telescopes-binoculars/telescope-skywatcher/22326549

Hellrazer · 06-04-2021 7:17pm

So Ive always wanted a telescope just for casual viewing and I mentioned it last week for my birthday and Mrs Hellrazer just got me one of these to start off with!!!

https://www.astroshop.eu/telescopes/skywatcher-telescope-n-114-500-skyhawk-eq-1/p,5011#tab_bar_1_select

I haven't a clue where to start. Any tips on how to get started ie setup,calibration , alignment etc?

Thanks

iLikeWaffles · 07-04-2021 12:53am

Hellrazer wrote: »

So Ive always wanted a telescope just for casual viewing and I mentioned it last week for my birthday and Mrs Hellrazer just got me one of these to start off with!!!

https://www.astroshop.eu/telescopes/skywatcher-telescope-n-114-500-skyhawk-eq-1/p,5011#tab_bar_1_select

I haven't a clue where to start. Any tips on how to get started ie setup,calibration , alignment etc?

Thanks

First off aligning this to Polaris will be extremely difficult / near impossible because it doesn't have a hole in the centre of the mount to align it.

But luckily aligning is only really necessary if a tracking motor is required you have 2 options: get an approximate alignment then use the drift align method (basically adjust till tracking stays still) or find a skip and throw it in (tripod is okay). Before you do that though purchase a decent mount like an EQ3-2 or one with a polar scope or hole in the centre of the mount where a polar scope can be attached (a polar scope is a sight with markings like a crosshair, you place Polaris on the mark).

Can you still use this mount for observation? Sure just plonk it down and point it at stuff, however there will be a lot of shake because the mount is not very good. Attaching a camera to it to image will be very frustrating and may put you off using the thing altogether. Scope is decent enough though, but I'm not sure how well the Skywatcher eyepieces that come with it are. Best thing to do there is purchase a Seben, Celestron or Skywatcher 8-24mm zoom eyepiece (all same manufacturer just branded differently). For such a small focal length a Zoom eyepiece will pair very nicely and gives you a wide range of magnification, also the field of view is huge with that zoom eyepiece.

Calibration: I assume you mean collimation. Don't touch it until you know what you are doing and spend a good deal of time learning about it lots of info on youtube, it has to be precise.

A digital spirit level will be a big help for aligning the mount head to Polaris. Your latitude and pointing north is a good approximation to Polaris. 54° for me or to be more precise 54.4°; this will be the angle of the level mount (levelled tripod base) and pointing to Polaris which is not quiet north. Another option is your phone if you can squarely fit it on the back of the mount.

Hellrazer · 07-04-2021 7:43am

iLikeWaffles wrote: »

First off aligning this to Polaris will be extremely difficult / near impossible because it doesn't have a hole in the centre of the mount to align it.

But luckily aligning is only really necessary if a tracking motor is required you have 2 options: get an approximate alignment then use the drift align method (basically adjust till tracking stays still) or find a skip and throw it in (tripod is okay).

Thanks for that.
Have a look at that site for me and find something that's a "bit" better for me.
My wife asked for a beginner one knowing I never really stick to hobbies I take up

and didn't want to spend too much. She didn't really know what to buy.

It hasn't shipped yet so I can change the order but don't want to spend too much more if I can help it.

iLikeWaffles · 08-04-2021 3:37am

Hellrazer wrote: »

Thanks for that.
Have a look at that site for me and find something that's a "bit" better for me.
My wife asked for a beginner one knowing I never really stick to hobbies I take up and didn't want to spend too much. She didn't really know what to buy.

It hasn't shipped yet so I can change the order but don't want to spend too much more if I can help it.

If you're just dipping your toe in every now and then an Alt-Az mount would be perfect, no aligning literally plonk it down and look. Slow motion controls have to be used to get a long look at something.

Where the Alt-Az and Equatorial Mount differ is it is easier to adjust for the earths rotation on the EQ, when it is aligned to Polaris (just off centre to celestial north pole) you just need to adjust 1 axis Right Ascension (RA)

Decent enough views from this:
https://www.astroshop.eu/telescopes/skywatcher-telescope-ac-90-900-evostar-az-3/p,21947

fryup · 12-04-2021 9:08pm

i'm tempted by this one its the latest from celestron, you use it with your smartphone to tracks various targets in the night sky

but this one only has slow-mo control on the altitude

Manual altazimuth mount with altitude slow motion adjustment with a sliding rod makes it easy to follow the on-screen arrows to your desired target.

https://www.camera.ie/products/celestron-starsense-explorer-dx-80-az

iLikeWaffles · 12-04-2021 10:14pm

fryup wrote: »

i'm tempted by this one its the latest from celestron, you use it with your smartphone to tracks various targets in the night sky

but this one only has slow-mo control on the altitude

https://www.camera.ie/products/celestron-starsense-explorer-dx-80-az

Spend more time looking at the phone than the actual object in the sky, your phone is going to ruin your night vision also. Pure gimmick.

fryup · 12-04-2021 10:33pm

just set the phone to night vision?

anything that can help you find a target is good thing surely? esp for a novice

iLikeWaffles · 13-04-2021 12:05am

fryup wrote: »

just set the phone to night vision?

anything that can help you find a target is good thing surely? esp for a novice

A phone is the worst thing you can use to find a target. Screen too small and not all phones have a night mode, if an app has it when the phone will lock or you get some stupid notification there goes seeing the dimmest objects. Use your brain power. They've been doing it for thousands of years without using a phone! You only need to know 1 thing in the night sky to find anything, 2 and you'll find it faster.

Moreilly · 17-04-2021 6:24pm

Quick question, is this any good ! - https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p11758_SkyWatcher-Telescope-Starquest-130P---Newtonian-Telescope-130-650.html

It's for a first telescope for a 11 year old who has been interested in stars and planets for years now, the budget is maxed out at this so is there anything cheaper and available that would also be a option?

Jaden · 18-04-2021 2:15pm

That's alot of Telescope for starting out with an 11 year old. No chance they can move that on their own, so you'll be lugging it around/outside.

I'd go second hand, like this similar one:
https://www.adverts.ie/telescopes-binoculars/sky-watcher/23386062

They do "Desktop" 76/114mm dobsonians that are probably alot more portable, maybe that might be a decent call.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/National-Geographic-Compact-Telescope-114/dp/B00A7SSZKM

Refractors are gonna be alot lighter and more portable:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001TI9Y2M/ref=twister_B087DMWYTS?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

That's what would get my vote.

If you were near Galway, I'd give you a loan of my Astromaster 130, I'm guessing you're east coast though.

Introduction to Astronomy, Want a telescope? Please read before posting.

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