which telescope do i need?

[lewiso]

hi ive been interested in astronomy since i was a child but didnt realy carry on with it through my teens but since ive settled down with my girlfreind and had kids ive found my interest in it has grown again but im stuck as to which telescope to buy as there seem to be so many. ive got a small relector which ive been useing for the past year but now im after something bigger i want to be able to see galaxies and nebulas but im not realy interested in astrophotograpy.
which would be best a refractor or reflector?

[carlos_dfc]

Originally Posted by lewiso

hi ive been interested in astronomy since i was a child but didnt realy carry on with it through my teens but since ive settled down with my girlfreind and had kids ive found my interest in it has grown again but im stuck as to which telescope to buy as there seem to be so many. ive got a small relector which ive been useing for the past year but now im after something bigger i want to be able to see galaxies and nebulas but im not realy interested in astrophotograpy.
which would be best a refractor or reflector?

Hi
If you want best views of galaxies and nebulae, then the bigger aperture you get, the better - and the biggest aperture available for your money, is to buy a 'Dobsonian' mounted reflector.
A 'Dob' has a very sturdy 'point-and-view' mount - but cannot track objects' motion across the sky (you simply 'nudge' it as you are viewing) - which means they are no good for astrophotography - but if you aren't interested in that - then a 'Dob' is the way to go for yourself.

In the UK - best balance of good quality, at a reasonable price, is probably the 'SkyWatcher' range - and they make Dobs in sizes from 6" aperture, right up to 12"
I'd recommend you buy the biggest SkyWatcher Dob you can afford.


A few other essentials.....

Get a pair of binocs with at least 50mm aperture.
(avoid 'zooms' - zoom binocs are the work of Satan)
10x50, 7x50, 8x56, 9x63, 15x70, etc...are all good for astronomy.
They provide a great 'bridge' in magnification between charts and the telescope. Keep an eye out at 'Lidl', the cheap foodstore - they periodically get in stock a great pair of Bresser 10x50 binocs for only £10-£12

Also a good book of charts - Collins Atlas of the Night Sky is a good starter Atlas.
Collins Atlas of the Night Sky: Storm Dunlop, Wil Tirion,
Or if you wamt more detail - I personally use 'SkyAtlas2000' by Cambridge Press.
Sky Atlas 2000.0: Wil Tirion, Roger W. Sinnott

A couple more books...
'Turn Left at Orion' - a fantastic beginner's book - suggestions of things to view, and how to find them - with descriptions of what to expect to see at the eyepiece, and an explanation of exactly what you are looking at.
Turn Left at Orion: 100+ Objects to See in a Small 'scope, & How to Find Them: Guy Consolmagno
'Nightwatch' by Terence Dickinson - a perfect complement to 'Turn Left' - concentrates on general astronomy, plus equipment and how to buy and use it.
Nightwatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe: Terence Dickinson

And Software...
Stellarium - enter your location, and it will generate reall-time images of your sky - tell you what is there - with zommable detailed images of interesting objects
Stellarium - free download
Cartes du Ciel
More of a 'chart-like' appearance than Stellarium - but FAR more detail, more stars, objects etc.....
My personal fave for using outside at night on a laptop.
Cartes du Ciel, Celestial atlas - free download

[jimmer]

enough said Carlos I agree regards Jimmer

[Aaren]

Catadioptrics - This type of telescope is a combination of both Refractors
Reflectors. They use both lenses and mirrors. Sometimes called Schmidt-Cassegrains or Maksutov-Cassegrains, these telescopes combine the best of both worlds. The drawback? High cost. But if you believe you will be looking at a wide range of objects and have the money to burn, then a catadioptric may be the right choice for you.
-------------
Aaren

[lewiso]

thanks for all the advice i now think i know which telescope i want. on another point before i do go out and buy 1 a freind of mine has a seben big boss telescope its 6 inch when we have looked at anything though it further than the moon it is impossible to get a good magnification on it its still very small and very very fuzzy why is this????

[carlos_dfc]

Sadly, Seben reflectors are very poor.
They are poorly designed, and cheaply (badly) made.

Read this before being tempted to buy a reflector of unknown brand from e-bay...
ASTRO-CHAT - Astronomy Forum :: E-bay scopes - BEWARE!!!

[nytecam]

A google check on this Seben scope shows what appear to be a Jones-Bird compact Newtonian with Barlow like lens near eyepiece to correct for the simple spherical primary mirror. The design can work but I've yet to see a good commercial version.

I own a Meade DS-2114s [of similar design] that I've converted to an astro-camera to good effect at wpo - my Lensless Schmidt Camera
but that doesn't help the initial poster