Beginner telescope ideas

emmetfahy

Hello all,
I have about 300-400 to spend on a telescope. I've never had one before, but am interested in getting into it.

I have looked at this one... Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian

It seems ok to me. But is it portable? ie could I set it up on a bench out my back garden sort of thing?

Or is there another brand that people would recommend? eg Celestron

Thanks

rolion

Back garden !?
Where are you based !?

Here in Dublin based back garden...summer time i barely can see any stars due to light pollution...winter time,more but with a good jacket and gloves that breaks the laptop or phone screens !

Go portable as much as you can afford as you may need to travel to fully experiene the magic of the sky.

Have fun

animaal

I'm not sure what the level of your interest is, or how much knowledge you already have, so please take this with a pinch of salt...


Common advice would be to start simple; i.e. binoculars or something like that. Astronomy equipment is expensive, and some people do lose interest pretty quickly. Best observing is usually under a clear and dark sky, which means late at night and/or cold weather, and perhaps travel to a remote location.

From there, a key question would be what do you want to do? I.e. planetary observing? taking images of deep space? You might not know yet. The 200p Dobsonian you reference is a good telescope, and well priced. It should work well for visual observing. the "200" means 200mm aperture, which means the tube is 8 inches wide. Its quite large, so more "luggable" than portable, and storage/transport probably needs consideration. However, there's probably not a lot of setting up needed each time you use it. It should show very good views for the price. I don't think it's motorised, so possibly less suitable for taking pictures. I'd think it;'s a good choice, if it meets your needs.

If portability/storage is a problem for you, another smaller/cheaper option would be something like the Skywatcher Heritage-130p Flextube. With less than half of the light capturing ability of the 200p, it's not going to give views that are as impressive though.

Other than dobsonians, most other options involve something on a tripod. Straight away, you're into "setting up" every time you want to observe. More parts, more complexity, and there will be less of your budget for the "tube" itself. As a result, the views may not be as good.

Many people who enjoy astronomy find that there's always another upgrade or purchase they want. It can become very expensive. That's why it's a good idea to start as simple as possible, until you know it's for you.

Capt'n Midnight

cheapest way to start is to wait until Aldi or Lidl have some binoculars without zoom

btw
from urban areas you should still be able to view planets because they are bright.