Is anyone else struggling to understand ?
  • pleione
    I am feeling more & more like a complete bonehead , as after reading countless articles on pros & cons of different sorts of telescopes , some of which I'd never heard of , I feel more confused than ever . One of my ambitions , since childhood is to own a telescope , but am no nearer to knowing what is better , and what to choose. One author criticises refractors because of their limited apertures , and then comments that reflectors are almost always poorly made . Compound or catadroptic ? As I have a limited budget , I would really appreciate first hand experience and recommendations . Many thanks .
  • ScubiScubi
    Hi Pleione,
    I think this is a common problem. I consider myself reasonably experience skywatcher but who has never had the money to get himself a really good scope. However recently my luck has changed and I will hopefully be able to buy myself a good one in the coming months. However, I think the choices available to people are so huge it is a little daunting. This combined with the fact that if you ask 3 different people you will get 4 different opinions.
    But for what its worth this is MHO regarding buying new (others will disagree I am sure)...
    If you buy cheap you get cheap....spend as much as you can afford and compare prices online and in the shops before hand to get the best deals.
    Inch for inch refractors tend to be heavier and are more limited in size.
    Refractors tend to suffer from achromatic aberration (colour flares) more than reflectors.
    Refractors tend to be more awkward to use in terms of where the eyepiece is especially when looking straight up.
    As a rule of thumb you need twice the size of reflector to match the same gathering power of a refractor.
    Cheap reflectors use cheap glass that is prone to temperature problems.
    Reflectors are more subject to misalignment (in my opinion) by knocks and dings.
    For reasons I am not sure of, refractors make good planet observers while reflectors are better for deep space object.
    The mount type is very important as well so take this into consideration.

    Despite their shortcomings I think I am going to go for a refractor, probably a 6" skywatcher with EQ6 mount.

    I hope this helps!! :o)

  • BetelgeuseBetelgeuse
    Good advice Scubi...one more point is that decent refractors also tend to be more expensive than reflectors, per inch of aperture.

    Hi Pleione, yes it can be tough getting lots of different opinions when trying to decide, on pretty much anything really. But the general advice out there for beginners is to go for the largest aperture reflector you can afford, as it's not worth skimping on this.

    When it comes to telscopes, or rather mounts, the simplest ones to use, set up, and operate are the Dobsonians. Type 'dobsonian reflectors' into google to see what they're about. The actual telescope tube is a reflector like any other, but the 'dobsonian' refers to the actual mount the scope sits on.

    You will have to move the telscope manually yourself when observing due to the Earth turning, as it's the most basic mount. But for sheer ease of use I don't think you can go wrong with a dob, and you can always upgrade to something else later. I now have an 8 in Skywatcher reflector on an eq5 mount, but I built a 10 inch dobsonian myself that I used for years :-)
  • StephenStephen
    Thats some good advice there pleione. I had the same problem when getting my scope. Eventually i had to bite the bullet and go with my instincts. I picked up an orion xt8 dobsonian. You will get some amazing views with scope this size. I am really happy with my choice.... But.... I am now interested in trying some astrophotography and a dobsonian is no good for this. I think you should get a dob and you could upgrade the mount at a later date if you wish to get into photography. Although i did price a mount suitable mount for my xt8 for photography at well over the price i paid for the scope itself. And as said before, get the biggest scope you can afford. Hey betelgeuse, was it hard to build your on scope?
  • pleione
    Many thanks to Scubi , Betelgeuse & Stephen for taking the time to advise . My brain doesn't feel quite so much like scrambled egg , I think I can see light at the end of the tunnel or should I say telescope !
    Happy gazing to everyone xx
  • BetelgeuseBetelgeuse
    At the time it was a slight challenge I have to say. I bought the main and secondary mirrors, and the eyepiece holder, and made the scope tube, rolled from thin flexible wooden sheet.

    Was a thrill seeing galaxies millions of light years distant from something made yourself.

  • ScubiScubi
    Hi Betelgeuse,

    I like the idea of making a reflector and something simple like a dob mount would be no problem really either so certainly something worth considering and then you can all choose your own optics (and maybe spend a little more on quality).

    Talking of which, would you say it is better spending money on quality than just on aperture, say for instance buying a cheaper 10" reflector over a higher quality 8" with better optics?

    Where would you recommend buying optics from...I have seen a few advertised on the interweb?

    Cheers

    Scubi :o)
  • BetelgeuseBetelgeuse
    Hi Scubi, you always want good optics no matter what. I built my scope some years ago, but use the 8 inch skywatcher reflector now, as I think the 10 inch home built one has seen better days.

    At the time, I bought my mirrors from Orion Optics based in Crewe, and had no complaints :-)
Add a Comment