I've got a birthday coming up soon and I've indicated to the family that I would like a telescope of some sort. But like every other time I ask for anything slightly technical I need to provide some sort of details. Unfortunately I don't know very much about astronomical scopes, plenty about riflescopes but that doesn't help. Maplins seem to have some impressive looking ones but I don't trust the staff to steer me right.
So, just wondering if anyone on here knows anything about them particularly whether there is a price or standard one should not go below to get something decent?
Also I like to buy things that don't devalue too much.
Fire away.
And yes, I do want to look at Uranus.
I'm sure some experts on here will be along soon and there have been threads on the topic previously.Originally Posted by Harry Smith
Certainly wouldn't buy from Maplins though, buy from a specialist store - maybe buy a couple of astronomy mags and browse the ads.
Some thoughts.
Reflector - don't go below 6" (15cm). Refractor - don't go below 3" (7.5cm) - objective sizes. The ones below that are toys. I'd recommend joining your local astronomical society and they can help you out.
There are various reflector types - Newtonian is popular. They effectively double the focal length with the use of mirrors.
The resolution power and light gathering power is a function of the size of the objective. The magnification is a function of the focal length and size of the eye-piece - the longer the focal length the higher magnification for a given eye piece.
Do do get an equatorial mount if possible as once it's lined up you only need to turn the scope in one plane to follow a star as the earth rotates, azimuth is a pain unless you have a motor drive.
That's probably enough info. Pm me if you like.
Its a a long time since I took my Astronomy and Physics degree but I still remember a few things.
Try this site. And they have a help line. https://www.telescopehouse.com/how-to-choose
Martyn.
Last edited by MartynJC (UK); 19th May 2017 at 23:20.
Thanks for posting this as I was wondering the same myself. I have a toy like one that my wife bought me a few years ago but would really like to upgrade in preparation for my OU Astronomy and Planetary Science course later in the year.
As an aside, I have recently downloaded Stellarium onto my laptop and the Star Walk 2 app full bundle onto my android phone. Both really useful stargazing tools.
(Good forward planning to mention Uranus right at the start as well)
It is a bit of a minefield, as there are so many things you can do within the hobby, start at different levels and of course price points. I should probably have started by saying that I'm a very, very amateur astronomer but my experiences may assist you in determining what you would like to do.
First off, if you work, don't like the cold, don't like late nights, live in Britain (!) or live in a city, astronomy may not be for you. By it's nature, you observe at night, with often the best views in winter, IF it's a clear night and IF there's no light pollution, prevalent in cities. I mention all of that because there's no point spending a shed load of money on kit to get you going and you realise that staying up late, maybe driving to a dark site, in the cold is not for you. If you do take to it but work, getting enough sleep may be an issue. Family commitments can also come into play. I'm not trying to put you off but merely to let you know the realities.
I would suggest starting with a powerful pair of binos, or if you already have some, attach these to a camera tripod with a dedicated clamp and you can have many exciting views of the moon, the planets and even some of the Messier objects. 10×50 or 15×70 options are available, can be had cheaply but if you can pay for better quality. I use my bird watching bins more than my telescope, as they're easier to set up and the width of field makes them useful to see more of the night sky. There is often a temptation to go mad and buy hugely magnified optics. This can lead to other issues.
If you want to go for a telescope you need to choose from Dobsonians, Newtonians refractors. Which one to go for depends on what you want to look at, whether you are travelling to view or have a stationary location. The telescope is only the means of looking, the quality of the optics is the really important part, which determines the image quality. You can always buy better eyepieces for example, of different magnifications (fields of view) most of those coming with starter kits are not much cop. eBay is a useful source from people who rushed out to get good kit but then left the hobby.
I bought a small, portable Dobsonian telescope which then cost £130 and was recommended as a good starter, but manual telescope. It's entirely manual and despite looking a bit funky does actually work really well. Here's a shot I took down the eyepiece with my phone. It's also quite a good representation of the image you can see through such a telescope.
However, if I had my time again, I would have spent more and buy a system with an object tracking system. This is a method whereby you calibrate your telescope to something large and easy to find, like the moon, and once set in the telescope you will be able to dial in thousands of objects, the telescope will then turn, lock on and automatically track them. Looking at something as close and large as the moon, on a manual system like my Dobsonian, requires constant adjustment given the earth's rotation. Something like the Skywatcher Skymax would be where I would start today - IF I had tried it our for a while first.
See if your local club has open nights, and determine if it is for you. If it is, I wish you dark skies!
Wow, thanks guysI know I've posted this on the right forum now, a lot of piss-taking and derailing on too many others and I find online reviews can be biased.
I shall search out a society near to me if there is one and start downloading some stuff as advised. Still a month to go but I fear I shall be asking for the money rather than hoping (dreading) someone gets me the right equipment from Argos
We have a small dobsonian telescope but - as others have said - knowing where to point it and when is vital. There are some amazing apps that will tell you what's visible where and when but real people are better.
I am lucky to have a brother in law who is a journalist specialising in 'stargazing' as he calls it and on a clear night he can talk for hours about what you can see with the naked eye, how far away it is, how old it is and so on.
He's written a book which has a great deal to recommend it - apart from the price. He sold it to an American publisher and for some reason it's over £30 at Amazon. But if you download the free sample you'll get a taste of how he brings things to life and you might decide it's worth it.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/33192207..._xnbizbN4SS6ZS
But as others have said, find a local club and people are usually very happy to pass on their knowledge.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last edited by jamesianbriggs; 20th May 2017 at 11:13.
I 'Won' this Orion 8" reflector scope off the bay, I was lucky in that the fella was coming to Sheffield the following week and dropped it in for me!!
I set it up at night in the back garden, Pointed it at the moon and almost blinded myself!!, Among the lenses and other bits, I found a filter that said 'Moon' on it! I screwed it in below the lens and it took the bite out of it superbly!!
I've not got around to getting an adapter to fit my Nikon to it yet but I have an old 42mm 500mm lens and a Nikon adapter to fit the lens so I had a go with it on the camera, Had to use manual settings though as there's no contacts on the old lens!!
Here's a couple of pics I took with the setup, Not brilliant but i'm no David Bailey
The camera/lens..
John
See this thread: Telescope enthusiasts...and you'd get some good advice at the Wolverhampton Astronomical Society (link) or any FAS club (link).
Give my mate Ted a call at Harrisontelescopes and he'll point you in the right direction.....upwards🙄
Thanks to all for good links/ideas.
I picked up a Sky-watcher 4.5" a few years ago for ~100 pounds, eq mount, great bit of kit for putting out in the back garden to look at a few things. Much bigger and it would be too big to keep putting out and taking back in (although up to 6" I should think would be fine), much smaller and it would be too small.
It's great for things like the moon, double stars, Jupiter moons, not so great for Saturns rings which is a shame because they are the most wonderful thing I have ever seen un my life (best image I ever saw was from a 15" refractor - the colours were amazing).
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