Any astronomy fans in - telescope recommendation please
18 December 2012, 08:18 PM
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Any astronomy fans in - telescope recommendation please
Thinking of getting a telescope as really enjoy the night sky and would like to see more. Don't know where to start and don't want to spend big money but would like to connect a DSLR to it if possible. Any thoughts or recommendations would be much appreciated. This popped out of a quick scan of the internet... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Celestron-31.../dp/B000MLL6RS
18 December 2012, 09:09 PM
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18 December 2012, 09:20 PM
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Listed scope is ok but more for visual work. Even then, the equatorial mount is a bit of a waste.
For imaging you really need a motor driven mount for everything other than the sun or moon. I.e. the scope needs to track the target to allow a long and/or multiple exposures to get enough light onto the sensor.
I'll say this now. There is not one single setup that is suitable for everything.
If you really want to get into imaging, then a motor driven mount plus telescope to suit the target. I.e. some targets need huge magnification, e.g. Jupiter/Saturn, so a quality Mak would suit. For nebula then a lower magnification but bigger aperture is needed, e.g. A fast refractor or reflector is needed.
If you can hold off the imaging side (other the moon or other quick shots) and stick to visual, then it gets much easier and much cheaper. A Dobsonian would suit. Big aperture, fast optics, very simple mount and just push it around the sky.
Have a look through: http://www.firstlightoptics.com/. (These guys have an excellent rep and keen prices. I've used them for several years with no probs.)
Generally, if you are looking to buy an entry level (ish) system, order before January. BBCs StarGazing Live always causes big problems January-March, well has the past two years.
Cheers
Ian
For imaging you really need a motor driven mount for everything other than the sun or moon. I.e. the scope needs to track the target to allow a long and/or multiple exposures to get enough light onto the sensor.
I'll say this now. There is not one single setup that is suitable for everything.
If you really want to get into imaging, then a motor driven mount plus telescope to suit the target. I.e. some targets need huge magnification, e.g. Jupiter/Saturn, so a quality Mak would suit. For nebula then a lower magnification but bigger aperture is needed, e.g. A fast refractor or reflector is needed.
If you can hold off the imaging side (other the moon or other quick shots) and stick to visual, then it gets much easier and much cheaper. A Dobsonian would suit. Big aperture, fast optics, very simple mount and just push it around the sky.
Have a look through: http://www.firstlightoptics.com/. (These guys have an excellent rep and keen prices. I've used them for several years with no probs.)
Generally, if you are looking to buy an entry level (ish) system, order before January. BBCs StarGazing Live always causes big problems January-March, well has the past two years.
Cheers
Ian
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