Beginner Telescope

[srupes]

I'm looking at getting a telescope in the next few months. Eventually I'd like to get into astroimaging. So far I seem to like the NexStar 8SE but was wondering if the extra $ is worth it over the 6SE? Thoughts? Both would fall into my budget. Is there any other suggestions for a newbie?

[SEmert]

Hi,

The best advice I can give you is to come to a couple of star parties and/or Eagle Lake Observatory public nights first, before purchasing a scope. You'll get a better feel for what you want to do after comparing several of the members' scopes there.

Having said that, the NexStar's probably aren't the best for serious astro-imaging. Do a scan through the Imaging SIG and get a feel for what the folks have talked about there. First thing you need is a solid Equatorial (not Alt-Az) mount that can track very well. The NexStar's are good visual scopes, and they may be able to be used to take short exposures. I'll leave that to the imagers to expand upon (I'm not one of them!)

Also, to get a feel for the NexStar 6, contact the MAS VP to borrow the Society's NexStar 6 loaner scope (assuming you are already a member). Then you can see if you like it before buying one.

Finally, that exact same question has been asked quite a few times before in the B-SIG forum. Take a look back at some of the earlier answers to get a little more detail.

Steve

[srupes]

Thanks for the info! I'm keeping my options open for a telescope and do plan on attending some of the upcoming star parties. Plus I'll keep reading what is on the boards. Thanks again for the info!

[heinerv]

Another option. At Cherry Grove we have 2 dob's; an 8" and a 10" that are there all the time for use. Both are star hopping types with no motors, etc. So you get some practice using that type of scope. Also, we are in the process of setting up an imaging scope at Cherry Grove, so you may want to get in on the ground floor and become the expert on that scope.

[srupes]

Thanks! That's some great options too. The more scopes I get exposed to the better for me to make a decision. I'm so looking forward to learning more about the field.

[Ricola]

If you are available, may I suggest you attend our BSIG (Beginners' Special Interest Group) meeting at Eagle Lake Observatory this Saturday from 10:30-Noon. David Falkner, Myself and others will be around and will be happy to try to answer your telescope questions.

Ric

[srupes]

Yes, I already cleared my schedule and planned on attending.

[Krontab]

Srupes PM'd me to share my rig as a side note to a conversation we had at the SIG. This is the rig I recently purchased to get a feel for what I would like in the future. I got this mainly for the optics. It was the only 114mm that had a parabolic mirror that I could find in the ~$200 price range. I comes with Orion Expanse eyepieces that are ~$70 a piece. The reflector tube combined with the eyepieces cost more than the package by far so, the mount was a gimmie and needs a little TLC to get it working (goo gone and lithium grease. Here is the rig:

Orion 09798 StarBlast 4.5 Equatorial Reflector Telescope, Metallic Green
http://smile.amazon.com/Orion-09798-Sta ... rblast+4.5

The optics have been great but the mount is nothing to write home about. The make it with a dobsonian mount as well. Since the mount is at weight limit with the telescope on the mount, a point and shoot or slr is not really an option for the mount. I have tried both and had a hard go of it. If I had to do it over again I'd go with the dobsonian mount although I do like using the tracking motor I additionally purchased as I can just get it aimed at an object and it stays in view. The main reason to go with the dob version is there are no dead spots or limits to what angle you can point it. Link to dob version http://smile.amazon.com/Orion-10015-Sta ... rblast+4.5

Note the dob version comes with Kellener eyepieces and not Expanse and have less eye relief

My recomendation is get a 2x barlow and moon filter as well.