thelord2004 Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 hi all im a newby to stargazing ive worked nights outside before and loved the night sky. however my only night off was a sat and beer took preference. im now working days and have my mojo back for learning more about buying and using a decent entry level scope. as much advice as I can get please. I live in Leicester and my name is simon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZ Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Hi Simon, a warm welcome to EMS. Buying your first scope is a bit of a minefield, there are loads of scopes out there that claim to be the descendant of Hubble, but frankly don't even make a decent paper weight. Let us know what your budget is, and folks will give you some idea of what might suit you. I would suggest you don't buy from high street outlets, and if you spot anything on certain auction sites, be really careful. Just ask, you will get sensible advice. Size and weight are important factors to consider, and where you are going to securely store it. Alternatively, you are very welcome to come and join us the next time we have a meet, the Wymeswold darksite is just down the road from you. You would be able to have a look at and through what is available and what might suit you. A pair of Binoculars is a good place to start, there are loads of great binocular objects about, both summer and winter. The key is getting the darkest place you can find, as this really opens up the sky. Feel free to ask any questions you might have in the beginners and Help section. In the meantime, enjoy the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuckstar Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 (edited) Hi Simon, welcome aboard. I used to live in leics, and still work there!! +1 Everything Martyn said:-) Come along to meet and see what is available before you buy anything. If you get itchy, get a pair of bins to see you through. It's worth waiting and making an informed decision before you start spending out, and it can be "horses for course's" depending on what you would like to do. Think we're about due a quarterly meet? Good luck. Edited July 4, 2014 by tuckstar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedledee Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Welcome to EMS Simon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tweedledum Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 Welcome to EMS Simon, As well as binos being a great place to start, when you have 5 mins download a planetarium program, lots out there but try Stellarium its great and free to be found here :-- http://www.stellarium.org/ , a couple of books to help guide you round the sky are 'turn left at orion' and 'sky& telescope pocket star atlas' Also ex leicester, have a go with binos from the trig point of Beacon Hill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thelord2004 Posted July 5, 2014 Author Share Posted July 5, 2014 (edited) thankyou very much for your really helpful and kind welcomes and advice. I will definitely come to the next meet. when is it ? I already have a pair of 10x50 binos if there any good ? my budget at the mo is approx. £300 which im guessing wont get me a lot . where should I be looking for my first scope ? Edited July 5, 2014 by thelord2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tweedledum Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 That's a good budget for your first scope. Best bang for buck are done....have a look for the skywatcher 200p around £280 new. They are also infrequently advertised in the classifieds section, just 50 posts needed for access. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thelord2004 Posted July 5, 2014 Author Share Posted July 5, 2014 ok thankyou ill look out for one. is it possible to link a camera to that ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 You can but you will be limited to the moon really. Bright planets will be possible but difficult and I would say DSO's are just no. If you want to do astro photography you need loads more cash than £300. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 Ohh welcome to EMS by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tweedledum Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 Hi Simon, You are moving goal posts, as Daz implies , astrophotography = substantial tracking mount and a lot more cash. If you intend to go down the imaging route get a copy of 'making every photon count' . This will save you cash in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thelord2004 Posted July 5, 2014 Author Share Posted July 5, 2014 ok ill just stick to the basic for now thankyou . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 Hi. Don't mean / want to put you off but we don't also want to waste your money. Astro photography can be done "on the cheap" but on the cheap is circa £500 - £600. Doing it properly you need to spend a minimum of £1500, definitely more! So back to visual We next need to know, can you lift heavy/bulky things, do you have room to store it, do you want it to be portable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thelord2004 Posted July 5, 2014 Author Share Posted July 5, 2014 I can lift 50kg easily. storage is limited to a ex airing cupboard at the mo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 Then you are looking at something like this, might not fit in an airing cuboard though...... http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html They do do smaller ones but then you start getting into the realms of not being able to see as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZ Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 The 200P is probably the most popular scope on the market. It is a great scope for the money, and rightly acclaimed Sky at Night Highly Commended. The mount is a dead simple rocker box affair, but with a few modifications, it can be made into a "push-to" and a heck of a lot better than straight from the box. By "push-to", it can be fitted with angle gauges, so that using Stellarium, as Damian suggested, all you do is get the Alt Az coordinates, push the scope to these and the object should be in a medium power eyepiece. This works very well. Here's Daz's version, and it gives you some idea of what can be done to a scope to improve it's performance and make it more enjoyable to use. http://www.eastmidlandsstargazers.org.uk/topic/5570-setting-circle-mod-for-dob-bases/#entry62815 Daz did 14 new Messiers in one night at EMS2 star party. Get along and have a look at one, I think you will be impressed at what you get for the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuckstar Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 There's a world of difference between a visual and an imagine rig. Both in kit and price! Again get to the next available meet and see what's there. There's no rush to spend, wait till you really know what you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cazz Posted July 6, 2014 Share Posted July 6, 2014 Hi Simon, welcome to EMS :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fondofchips Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Hi Simon & welcome to EMS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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