UKC

Hi all,

Im thinking about getting a telescope for me and the kids. the device should be easy to set up and move a few metres from my bedroom (ground floor in chalet bungalow) into the garden and back again.

I have no idea of cost nor specs so wondered if anyone has bought one and what to consider when buying one.

Thanks

Richard

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:
Here's one that ticks all your boxes. It just so happens that I own one as well.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextub...


Here's a quick review that I found on youtube
youtube.com/watch?v=q00hq_p_5rw&

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

If you don't want to get into the technicalities of equatorial mounts and that sort of stuff then a 6 inch plus newtonian reflector on a dobsonian mount should do the job for somewhere in the region of £200. If you have a larger budget then you can start looking at Makutsov Cassegrain scopes and goto mounts but I have to admit that I have got by with an eight inch dob for many years now. The main thing is to avoid small reflectors and cheap refractors, you run the risk of dim or fringed images that will put off watching.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

I like the look of this one. Celestron is a good make as well.

http://www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk/acatalog/Celestron_C90_Mak_Spotting_Sco...

Shame it does not come with a tripod. May fit a standard camera tripod.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

My girlfriend and I are likely to be selling our Bresser scope that we've barely used. This one: http://www.telescopehouse.com/acatalog/Bresser_Galaxia_II_114mm_Telescope-1...

Let me know if you're interested.

In reply to Fultonius:

Is this a good one (others here please chime in)? How much, why and where?

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:
Fultonius' scope looks good. A reflector gives you more diameter for your money (though kids used to pirate telescopes might think it looks weird at first), and the equatorial (tilted) mount allows you to track objects as they drift across the view. 4.5-inch is portable enough to actually get out and put away, yet big enough to get a good view of moon, planets, brighter galaxies etc. I had something similar when a kid and it kept me busy/obsessed for about four years. Get a good star atlas too.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

I follow @VirtualAstro on Twitter. He is a mine of information and tweets everything from ISS passes to greater celestial events. He also has a great website which includes this guide to telescopes (with recommendations):

http://www.meteorwatch.org/beginners-telescopes-easy-guide-review/

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

We have a 10 inch reflector on a lovely (and innovative) hand made Dob mount, and although it's amazingly portable and easy to set up for such a big light bucket, it takes up a lot of space indoors. We're downsizing the house soon so with regret, it's got to go. Advice is to make sure if you buy anything off spec (ebay etc), that you know what you're getting into space wise (no pun intended).

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

I know nothing.

BUT, I clearly recall Patick Moore telling us years ago that unless you are prepared to invest in a telescope with AT LEAST a 6 inch objective lens, then stick to a good pair of high magnification binoculars.

And who am I to question...

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

Oh crap, I'm already confused. I just want the kids to experience something different and sciency. Who'd thunk astronomy was so complex?

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

I bought it as a 30th birthday present and it got reviews as a good introductory 'scope. We've used it a few times but we live a somewhat nomadic life so it just not getting the use and it's taking up a lot of space in our life. If we have a fixed place to live we'd keep it for sure.

We're not going to be replacing it with a telescope for the foreseeable future, so it's not like we're "upgrading".

The only hitch is.... it's in a friend's garage in Chamonix and we're not going to pick it up until the middle/end of July.

Now, it's in perfect condition, so I guess 2/3s of retail is fair - £130?

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

I did some research into this for my sons 12 year old birthday a couple of months ago.

After advice I opted for a skywatcher evostar 90 (I think) it was about £135.00

There is a lot of light polution around where I live so that's why we didn't go for a reflective one.

It's been great looking at the moon and stuff and even seen the moons of jupiter and that.

We have both really enjoyed it.

good luck

Gaz