[Chaos-l] introduction, equipment request
Michael Hrivnak
mhrivnak at hrivnak.org
Fri Jun 15 09:23:32 EDT 2007
Thanks for such great advice from several of you. Mark and Jeff are
tuned right into what I was thinking. I've red lots of recommendations
for starting with the Orions in the 6-8" range. I was set on the 6",
until I realized that an extra $100 and a few more pounds gets you an 8"
with approximately 77% (16/9) more surface area for light collection.
I'll be at the Morehead Planetarium viewing tomorrow night, possibly
arriving a bit late. Please say hello if you can recognize me from this
photo:
http://hrivnak.org/headshot.jpg
I'll head over to Big Bang as soon as I have a chance. Thanks again for
all of the advice.
Michael
Jeff Polston wrote:
> I thought I'd follow up a little on this excellent advice.
>
> A golden rule I've heard and subscribe to, is to buy the biggest scope
> you can, but not so big that you will never use it. Let's face it, if
> a scope is big and heavy, or a pain to setup, it's going to be
> gathering dust most of the time. That's why so many people recommend
> a 6" reflector on a dobsonian mount. It's easy to setup, easy to use,
> and doesn't bust the budget. However, if you can swing the little bit
> extra cost of getting an 8" scope, consider going that route. The 8"
> scope is not that much bigger. It will probably be a f/6, so about
> the same length. The tube and base will be a fraction bigger, but not
> by much. The extra light gathering ability will come in handy as you
> gain more observing experience. Don't get me wrong, a 6" scope is
> still a great scope, but also consider an 8".
>
> If you're just learning about astronomy another great tool is a
> planisphere...those round thingies where you dial in the date and time
> and it shows you what's up. They are excellent for learning the
> constellations, how the night sky changes, and finding the brighter
> stars and deepsky objects.
>
> Welcome to a hobby worth loosing sleep over.
>
> Jeff
> http://www.jeffpolston.com
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* chaos-l-bounces at rtpnet.org [mailto:chaos-l-bounces at rtpnet.org]
> *On Behalf Of *Mark South
> *Sent:* Friday, June 15, 2007 8:35 AM
> *To:* Michael Hrivnak
> *Cc:* Chaos-l at rtpnet.org
> *Subject:* Re: [Chaos-l] introduction, equipment request
>
> Michael, I highly recommend the *Orion SkyQuest XT 6" Dobsonian* as a
> beginner scope. I own one myself and it has been a wonderful scope.
> I think the current price is around $249. By default you get 2
> eyepieces! (wide-field and narrow-field). The current deal is a free
> laser collimator (to align the scope) and a starmap. I bought my
> scope from Big Bang Astronomy because I want to support our local
> dealer. (Speak with Kendall, the owner). Other considerations:
> Zhummel or Celestron 6" Dobsonians (www.telescopes.com
> <http://www.telescopes.com>).
>
> Click on:
> http://www.telescope.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=238462&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=3&iSubCat=334&iProductID=238462
> <http://www.telescope.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=238462&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=3&iSubCat=334&iProductID=238462>
>
>
> Reasons to buy this scope include the following:
> 1) As a musician, you can full understand that buying a really, really
> low quality instrument will detract from learning how to use the
> instrument. In the same way, buying a cheap department store scope
> will end up in the closet! The Orion XT's are very good quality scope
> for the price.
> 2) A 6" scope is easy to "grab-n-go". Very minimal setup time... no
> hard-to-use inaccurate go-to computers. (*any scope less than $1000
> that has computer go-to is really bad. *spend your cash on the mirror
> not bad tripods and go-tos)*.*
> 3) Look at this scope as a long-term scope. If you decide later to
> buy a scope of larger aperture-- 10", 12" and up you will still have
> this scope as your small scope. I currently own a larger scope, but
> guess which scope I use MOST of the time? The Skyquest 6" scope---
> because it's so easy to use.
> 4) It has a f/8 f-stop. (Let me get techie on ya). What this means
> basically is that it's a nice balance between a wide-field of view and
> a narrow field of view. For example, the 5" ETX scopes are f/15. So
> every eyepiece will really magnify highly-- kinda like looking through
> a port-hole. This is not bad if you want to stick to planets, but not
> good for other views of deep sky objects. On the other extreme are
> small scopes with f/4. This has great wide-field views, but tough to
> magnify the object. So the bottom line, I'm getting at here is that
> f/8 is a nice balance for a 6" scope.
>
> *Used equipment*: Do not buy used from e-bay, but only from a good
> website such as "Astromart" Personally, I think it's a hassle to buy
> a used 6" scope on-line. I would rather pick up a new one, but
> that's me.
>
> *Accessories:*
> Always save extra cash for accessories:
> Urgent Essentials:
> 1) Telrad -- makes finding objects a cinch
> 2) "Turn Left @ Orion" or a good Star map (sky and telescope's Pocket
> Sky Atlas)
> http://www.amazon.com/Turn-Left-Orion-Hundred-Telescope/dp/0521781906/ref=sr_1_1/102-0200149-1147310?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181910432&sr=8-1
> <http://www.amazon.com/Turn-Left-Orion-Hundred-Telescope/dp/0521781906/ref=sr_1_1/102-0200149-1147310?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181910432&sr=8-1>
>
> Non-urgent non-essentials for later to consider:
> 1) Better eyepieces
> 2) Telrad dew shield (from astrosystems.biz)
> 2) Teflon pad kit from Astrosystems.biz to make the motions smoother.
> (the only negative for this scope is that the motions are rather
> sticky)
> 3) Bar-lowed Collimator laser for the ultimate accuracy.
> 4) A padded
> case http://www.telescope.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=408&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=408
> <http://www.telescope.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=408&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=408>
>
> Stuff to learn:
> 1) Learn to Collimate your scope. Read the directions cover-to-cover.
> 2) Learn to use the Telrad for easy targets and Star-hop for more
> difficult objects
> http://www.skyandtelescope.com/howto/visualobserving/Map_at_the_Telescope.html
>
> Also check out the CHAOS information on getting started with Astronomy
> http://www.rtpnet.org/chaos/RA/startingRight.html
>
> Hope this helps!
> Mark South
>
>
> On Jun 14, 2007, at 11:20 PM, Michael Hrivnak wrote:
>
>> Greetings from a newbie. I want to get into amateur astronomy, and I
>> intend to be at the Morehead Planetarium observation session on Saturday
>> night. I'm moving back to the Triangle to play with the NC Symphony, I
>> love science and math, and I think it's high time that I learned more
>> about astronomy.
>>
>> Now I need a telescope. I've been reading buying guides, etc., and I
>> think I want a good reflector in the 6-8" range. How easy is it to find
>> some decent used equipment? I'm thinking to spend maybe a few hundred
>> dollars. I've checked websites of a couple of local shops (big bang,
>> oceanside), but there is nothing used that fits my parameters. Advice?
>> Suggestions? Where should I look? Should I forget about used equipment
>> and just buy new?
>>
>> I'm sure that I'll learn a lot more about what equipment I want by going
>> to some local observation sessions and going to some retailers. In the
>> mean time, I invite your advice for a novice's first purchase in the
>> Triangle.
>>
>> Thanks a lot,
>> Michael
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>
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