Telescopes... Lost and confused

Soggybiscuit

So, I want to purchase a telescope... but I have no idea on where to start. My budget is around $400-$600, but there are alot of models to choose from around that price.

The primary purpose of this telescope will be viewing the moon, sun (eventually), planets, with some nebulae and galaxies occasionally (if possible in this price range). I would also like to be able to mount a DSLR camera to the telescope for astrophotography purposes.

Here are a couple I have looked at:

Orion 8" Dobsonian

Celestron 8" Dobsonian

Any recommendations?

SunDragon

Well, you cant really do astrophotography with a Dobsonian. In the price range you are in, they are going to be manual tracking(i.e. you move the scope) so you wont be able to shoot long exposure with them any. You could possibly do some moon shots. It's bright enough that you dont need automatic tracking. If your serious about getting into astrophotography(its very involved, very expensive hobby btw) start with a Casserigan style scope like a Celestron or a Mead. They offer tracking even at lower price levels that is good enough to just mess around with taking pictures.


With that said, those are both great scopes for starting out without doing astrophotography. Assuming you have reasonably dark skies in your area, you can see a lot of stuff with a 8" scope. Even if you dont have dark skies, the planets and moon will be great in those scopes. Make sure in your budget you leave enough room for a good set of eyepieces. They will last a long time and can be used on future scopes.

Skoal Cat

I used a sunscope the other day (no idea what the model was, but it was made for the sun, not just a telescope with a special filter on it), and holy shit.

Sarksus

The Orion XT8 is a great telescope for beginners. You may consider upgrading to the Intelliscope version which comes with something called a digital setting circle which is basically a computer that (once you align everything and give it some basic information) knows the orientation of the telescope, knows the location of interesting things to look at in the sky, and then tells you how to position the scope to see these things. That version of their Dobsonian models also comes with a few other upgrades that make the additional cost worth it.

Regarding astrophotography, I would discourage you trying that until you have more experience and a larger budget. Astrophotography requires a lot of dedication and uses expensive equipment that is often not optimized for visual viewing. You can easily drop two thousand dollars on a good astrophotography rig and that is not including the DSLR. As SunDragon said, a Dobsonian is not suitable for astrophotography because it's moved around manually and most photographs require exposures of at least a few seconds and dead-accuracy.

What you might want to try, and this is something I have done, is to get a tripod for the DSLR and take 30 second exposures of the night sky. At such a wide angle the movement of the Earth won't affect the exposure you take too much. You can do a lot with just the camera and you can learn the image processing techniques and software used without spending all your money on an astrophotography rig.

Also, about viewing the sun. There are two methods used to view the sun. There are white light filters available for that XT8 which fit over the top of the telescope. This provides you with a view that looks like an enlarged view through a pin-hole viewer. What you see is basically a white disc with the sun spots showing up in black. It's better than nothing but I've always wanted to see the sun in color which is what Skoal Cat is talking about. These telescopes use "hydrogen alpha" filters which provide a view of the sun as a boiling orange fireball. You can see sunspots and also the "prominences" that are ejected out into space.

I want to stress that these hydrogen-alpha filters are NOT the same as hydrogen-alpha filters that screw onto the eyepiece. Those smaller filters are meant for night-time viewing and if you use them for solar viewing you will damage the telescope and seriously injure your eyes. Solar viewing can be dangerous unless you know what you're doing so read up on it.

Here is the XT8i with the computer: http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/Dobsonian-Telescopes/IntelliScope-Dobsonians/Orion-SkyQuest-XT8i-Computerized-IntelliScope-Telescope/pc/1/c/12/sc/27/p/27183.uts

There are a lot of accessories you can buy but I think the most important one is something to help you align the mirrors inside the telescope. This process is called collimation and it is very intimidating to new people but it's actually rather interesting and not too difficult once you understand it.

This tool: http://www.telescope.com/Shop-by-Brand/Orion-Product-Center/Orion-Telescope-Tune-Up/Orion-Collimating-Telescope-Eyepiece/pc/8/c/90/sc/112/p/3640.uts

It will help you a lot. The collimation cap that comes with the telescope for free is okay but I found it frustrating.

One last thing. Unfortunately there doesn't ever seem to be a huge number of people who know a lot about telescopes on these forums so finding a place where you can get help whenever you need it is very vital. I recommend the Cloudy Nights website and community. They are large, very experienced and extremely helpful. Take a look around, read the rules, read the threads that gather up the best threads of each forum and then maybe make your own thread, even just to talk about your first experience with your new scope. Link here: http://www.cloudynights.com/

Have a good time. Amateur astronomy is an old and massive hobby. There is so much to learn and see and there is quite a lot to buy so watch out for the various fevers that afflict the hobby ;P

Edit: Oh, I almost forgot, buy one of the big astronomy magazines! Either Astronomy or Sky and Telescope (I like the latter). They have a lot of product reviews, scientific articles but most importantly they publish a nice, easy to read map of the night sky every month that will make it easy to learn the constellations and the location of everything. I would definitely try to learn the night sky and then use the Intelliscope (if you get one) as a safety net if you can't find something or if you just want to look at something quickly (because the hobby really is about looking and there's nothing wrong with using a tool to see more!) .

Prio

I'd highly recommend you purchase and read Backyard Astronomer's Guide before purchasing a telescope. They go into great detail about the pros and cons of each kind of telescope, have an entire chapter on astrophotography and will generally give you the knowledge to make a good decision about what kind of telescope is right for you.

Additionally, I would suggest that you look for a local amateur astronomy group. They often have classes for newbies; my local one will even loan you a telescope (for free!) to help you get into the hobby.

Soggybiscuit

Prio wrote: »

I'd highly recommend you purchase and read Backyard Astronomer's Guide before purchasing a telescope. They go into great detail about the pros and cons of each kind of telescope, have an entire chapter on astrophotography and will generally give you the knowledge to make a good decision about what kind of telescope is right for you.

Additionally, I would suggest that you look for a local amateur astronomy group. They often have classes for newbies; my local one will even loan you a telescope (for free!) to help you get into the hobby.

Thanks! I just ordered that book. I will check for some clubs.

The Orion XT8 is a great telescope for beginners. You may consider upgrading to the Intelliscope version which comes with something called a digital setting circle which is basically a computer that (once you align everything and give it some basic information) knows the orientation of the telescope, knows the location of interesting things to look at in the sky, and then tells you how to position the scope to see these things. That version of their Dobsonian models also comes with a few other upgrades that make the additional cost worth it.

Regarding astrophotography, I would discourage you trying that until you have more experience and a larger budget. Astrophotography requires a lot of dedication and uses expensive equipment that is often not optimized for visual viewing. You can easily drop two thousand dollars on a good astrophotography rig and that is not including the DSLR. As SunDragon said, a Dobsonian is not suitable for astrophotography because it's moved around manually and most photographs require exposures of at least a few seconds and dead-accuracy.

What you might want to try, and this is something I have done, is to get a tripod for the DSLR and take 30 second exposures of the night sky. At such a wide angle the movement of the Earth won't affect the exposure you take too much. You can do a lot with just the camera and you can learn the image processing techniques and software used without spending all your money on an astrophotography rig.

Also, about viewing the sun. There are two methods used to view the sun. There are white light filters available for that XT8 which fit over the top of the telescope. This provides you with a view that looks like an enlarged view through a pin-hole viewer. What you see is basically a white disc with the sun spots showing up in black. It's better than nothing but I've always wanted to see the sun in color which is what Skoal Cat is talking about. These telescopes use "hydrogen alpha" filters which provide a view of the sun as a boiling orange fireball. You can see sunspots and also the "prominences" that are ejected out into space.

I want to stress that these hydrogen-alpha filters are NOT the same as hydrogen-alpha filters that screw onto the eyepiece. Those smaller filters are meant for night-time viewing and if you use them for solar viewing you will damage the telescope and seriously injure your eyes. Solar viewing can be dangerous unless you know what you're doing so read up on it.

Here is the XT8i with the computer: http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/...27/p/27183.uts

There are a lot of accessories you can buy but I think the most important one is something to help you align the mirrors inside the telescope. This process is called collimation and it is very intimidating to new people but it's actually rather interesting and not too difficult once you understand it.

This tool: http://www.telescope.com/Shop-by-Bra...112/p/3640.uts

It will help you a lot. The collimation cap that comes with the telescope for free is okay but I found it frustrating.

One last thing. Unfortunately there doesn't ever seem to be a huge number of people who know a lot about telescopes on these forums so finding a place where you can get help whenever you need it is very vital. I recommend the Cloudy Nights website and community. They are large, very experienced and extremely helpful. Take a look around, read the rules, read the threads that gather up the best threads of each forum and then maybe make your own thread, even just to talk about your first experience with your new scope. Link here: http://www.cloudynights.com/

Have a good time. Amateur astronomy is an old and massive hobby. There is so much to learn and see and there is quite a lot to buy so watch out for the various fevers that afflict the hobby ;P

Edit: Oh, I almost forgot, buy one of the big astronomy magazines! Either Astronomy or Sky and Telescope (I like the latter). They have a lot of product reviews, scientific articles but most importantly they publish a nice, easy to read map of the night sky every month that will make it easy to learn the constellations and the location of everything. I would definitely try to learn the night sky and then use the Intelliscope (if you get one) as a safety net if you can't find something or if you just want to look at something quickly (because the hobby really is about looking and there's nothing wrong with using a tool to see more!) .

Thanks. I will check that telescope out. I checked the magazines out, subscribed to Sky and Telescope.

Thanks for the advice everyone. Sorry I havent been able to get back to this thread earlier, but I am out on a business trip right now.

Sarksus

That book is really awesome, by the way. I usually recommend it but I forgot, I swear! Definitely read through it before buying anything. Looking for local clubs is also good advice. 8 inches is plenty of aperture and will let you see quite a bit but if you have a local club you might have a chance to try larger scopes to scratch your itch. 10-12 inches are common but depending on where you live you might have members with 20 inch monsters that need a ladder to use! Clubs usually organize outings to dark zones, too.

Skoal Cat

Hey Sarkus, the Sun looks amazing btw.