Astronomy

[Dan Vito Corleone]

Any amateur astronomers on the GF?

 

I've been looking at this telescope:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seben-700-76-Reflector-Telescope-incl/dp/B00426KOQI/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

 

Just wondering if anyone call tell me if it's any cop or not or if it's too simplistic etc?

[cloggypop]

Any amateur astronomers on the GF?

 

I've been looking at this telescope:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seben-700-76-Reflector-Telescope-incl/dp/B00426KOQI/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

 

Just wondering if anyone call tell me if it's any cop or not or if it's too simplistic etc?

 

I am no expert but I think you have to look through it .

[ChrisM]

Steer clear of Seben mate, they are notoriously shit 'scopes. Any telescope that is advertised on the basis of it's magnification is basically one to steer clear of. Aperture (or diameter) are king.

 

What's your budget?

[Dan Vito Corleone]

As cheap as possible but I can stretch a little if it's a quality product.

[setreal]

I am no expert but I think you have to look through it .

 

Don't you know the ol saying: If you look long enough at a shiny new telescope you will only find yourself.

[cloggypop]

Don't you know the ol saying: If you look long enough at a shiny new telescope you will only find yourself.

 

[YOUTUBE]ZOaDytJXIrE[/YOUTUBE]

[Paulie Dangerously]

What Agt Provocateur wants you to think he'll be doing

 

 

What he'll actually be looking at

 

Warning! The following content is NOT WORK SAFE. Click the Show button to reveal.

[ChrisM]

As cheap as possible but I can stretch a little if it's a quality product.

 

For the amount of money you're looking at spending you might be better off getting a pair of 10x50 binoculars.

 

Telescopes such as the Seben you posted, because they are cheap, obviously use cheaper components. So the tripod / mount wont be very secure, so you'll find it impossible to get a clear, vibration free image. The finderscope will also be next to useless so you won't be able to get anything in view, etc etc.

 

I don't mean to put you off, but a really cheap telescope will frustrate and piss you off, you'll lob it into the corner and never use it again. That's not to say a decent 'scope has to cost the earth, it doesn't, you can get really really good beginners 'scopes for about £130, that will have decent components and will let you see awesome stuff like Saturns rings, banding on Jupiter and her moons, the Orion Nebula and all sorts of stuff.

[Magic Sponge]

I'm looking at getting a telescope when we get our house but in the the meantime I just use Stellarium on my mac.

[Dan Vito Corleone]

OK Chris, thanks, £130 is doable in a few months or so - so what do you recommend?

[ChrisM]

Firstly I should add that I'm also a relative beginner, I recently got my first telescope but after 4 - 5 months of researching, reading up on the subject and asking plenty of questions. I'm by no means an expert but got given loads of good advice.

 

I don't know how much you know about telescopes, so forgive me if I'm teaching you to suck eggs (whatever the fuck that means). The two most common type of telescopes are the Refractor and the Reflector (also known as a Newtonian Reflector). The Refractor is what most people imagine when they think of a telescope -

 

 

 

The Reflector looks like this -

 

 

 

The general assumed rule is that Refractors are better for planetary viewing, and Reflectors better for things such as galaxies, nebulae and star clusters. However, I have been told that it's only when you start paying megabucks that this rule of thumb holds true.

 

The most important part of the telescope is basically how much light it gathers, as this is what gives you the quality of image. And 'how much light it gathers' basically means how wide the opening / aperture is (measured in mm). Because the Refractor uses a lens, whereas the Reflector uses a mirror, the Refractor works out more expensive pound for pound. To get the most bang for your buck, a Reflector is the best option. For example a Skywatcher 90mm Refractor costs around £145. A Skywatcher 130mm Reflector on the same mount and tripod costs around £135, so ten quid cheaper for a light gathering area 40mm wider. A Reflector is also what Sky at Night magazine recommend for beginners, as the best value for money.

 

Before I bore you with the different types of mounts, what are you looking for in a telescope? Are ease of use important, is storage space limited? Do you mind spending a little bit of time setting it up or do you want a 'grab and go' scope that can have you ready to go in minutes?

[Dan Vito Corleone]

I've been researching for a while, and I've asked a few people on Twitter who are astronomers for a living. With my relative inexperience of the sky I've more or less decided to go for a computerised one. The reason being that I'm not great with maps and charts etc so if I can get on the go quickly with one then it suits me better.

 

I don't have a lot of storage space but I have alternatives. It would possibly live in the boot of my car to be honest as there are a couple of decent places nearby.

 

SkyWatcher Startravel 102 SynScan AZ GOTO Refractor Telescope [10207] - £296.00 : 365Astronomy: Discovery for every day!

 

This is the exact model I've been recommended, and I believe it also supports digital camera functionality, which I'd definitely like to have some fun with in the near future.

[setreal]

 

Keep a lookout for this please.

[ChrisM]

Part of the attraction for me was learning the sky and where everything was relative to each other, so I definitely didn't want to go down the GOTO route, and I wanted the vast majority of the money spent to be spent on it's light gathering power. Stellarium is a great little piece of free software that helps you to learn the sky and plot 'star-hopping' routes, and once you've spent a bit of time with it it's amazing how quickly you can look up at the sky (once the bastard cloud pisses off) and immediately recognise things. Also Turn Left at Orion is a really simple book that helps you navigate, no maps or charts or anything complicated.

 

I take it you've upped your budget then!

[Guest San Don]

GOTO has its benefits and shouldnt stop anyone learning where stars are.

 

Interesting news today that the universe is 50 million years older than thought (or so latest information says). Its a mere blink of an eye in a timespan of almost 14 billion years.

 

That in itself is mind blowing, 14 billion years. Just think about how long that is, you cannot truely comprehend it.

[Dan Vito Corleone]

 

I take it you've upped your budget then!

 

To be honest mate I didn't have a budget in mind. I just looked for "beginner telescopes" and the one I first posted was the first hit. I'm one of these people who doesn't mind paying extra for things as long as they are useful and enhance my experience with something.

[DalyanPete]

Just got celestron telescope as a birthday present.

Sky portal app dips in and out.

Thinking of buying hand controller, anyone done similar?

[Chr15]

There are a few apps available if you're interested.  

ISS Live  ( obviously plots the ISS)

StarWalk2 

Mobile Observatory 

Night Shift (gives info on what's visible in your area)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dockers_strike]

2 hours ago, DalyanPete said:

Just got celestron telescope as a birthday present.

Sky portal app dips in and out.

Thinking of buying hand controller, anyone done similar?

Nice one. I was going to get a celestron but a few of the neighbours round our have been installing these fucking lights under the soffits so the place looks like Blackpool illuminations.

 

You wouldnt think they'd make much light pollution but there is. Those hand controllers got a good write up when I was thinking about getting a telescope but Im a bit surprised the app is a bit hit and miss.

[DalyanPete]

7 hours ago, dockers_strike said:

Nice one. I was going to get a celestron but a few of the neighbours round our have been installing these fucking lights under the soffits so the place looks like Blackpool illuminations.

 

You wouldnt think they'd make much light pollution but there is. Those hand controllers got a good write up when I was thinking about getting a telescope but Im a bit surprised the app is a bit hit and miss.

Thanks for replying mate.

Light pollution is a bitch, next purchase for me might be air rifle to take a street light out!

The app controls the scope and disconnects a lot which is annoying as fuck. It is great for info on what's up there that night including satellites.

Controller is close on £200 in Turkey against £110 in UK so might get one brought over if we ever get over Covid.

[DalyanPete]

9 hours ago, Chr15 said:

There are a few apps available if you're interested.  

ISS Live  ( obviously plots the ISS)

StarWalk2 

Mobile Observatory 

Night Shift (gives info on what's visible in your area)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice one mate.

I will have a look at them. ISS one in particular as I really want to view that. Watched the space station tour videos the other day, really interesting.

Sky portal is good for daily out there info.

[dockers_strike]

2 hours ago, DalyanPete said:

Thanks for replying mate.

Light pollution is a bitch, next purchase for me might be air rifle to take a street light out!

The app controls the scope and disconnects a lot which is annoying as fuck. It is great for info on what's up there that night including satellites.

Controller is close on £200 in Turkey against £110 in UK so might get one brought over if we ever get over Covid.

Sounds a bit weird the app disconnecting. Is it a Celestron app of another downloadable one? If it is shipped with the Celestron, maybe there's an update needed? Might be worthwhile contacting the gaff you got the scope from and ask their advice, might be a faulty unit?

[DalyanPete]

8 minutes ago, dockers_strike said:

Sounds a bit weird the app disconnecting. Is it a Celestron app of another downloadable one? If it is shipped with the Celestron, maybe there's an update needed? Might be worthwhile contacting the gaff you got the scope from and ask their advice, might be a faulty unit?

It is a celestron app, it could be the WiFi here although I will contact them. Not the quickest reply service though.

The idea of it is you click on any planet/star and scope moves to the selection. Good at first but takes some of the joy of finding them yourself which is what I'm doing now.

And, I'll never discover a new star!

Anyway based on my love of the sky at night, I'm going to watch captain marvel tonight!

[Bjornebye]

 

 

[DalyanPete]

5 hours ago, Bjornebye said:

 

 

Exactly