I got a Criterion RV 6 about 45 years ago, my first. My second is a Meade RCX 10 I’ve purchased yesterday on a popular sellers site. I’m looking forward to sharing my new hobby with my children. Cheers from Canada
Actually your video gave me time to think and I realized that my family has been through all of these at one time or another. We started with a cheap small Refractor due to size and ease of portability, then moved on to a 114mm Newtonian Reflector and just recently added a 11" SCT. Thanks for the condensed lesson, the video was informative and great to be able to share it, when family and friends inevitably ask questions ;-)
Answering these criteria helped me select the best scope for my situation: Budget , Distance to Viewing Location , Visual or Photographic Astronomy , Available Targets , Storage Space , Setup/Teardown Speed
I have a Meade 8inch SCT I bought 20 years ago, and this scope is still great today. Great channel! And because of your extensive knowledge within your vids I'm about to buy a Baader prism as an upgrade. Thanks!
I have a Meade Infinity 90. It is an achromatic refractor that has an aperture of 90mm and a focal length of 600mm and focal ratio of 6.7. It comes with an Alt/Az mount with slow motion cable/controller on it. Great site and very inciteful descriptions of the different types of telescopes.
After a lot of investigation I finished up getting a Sky Watcher 127 Mak on an AZGTi mount. I live under Bortle 4 skies so can get reasonable views from my front lawn. Because there are a number of trees which obstruct my viewing range portability was also a consideration; I have proved the value of this by taking the rig out to Bortle 2 skies. I had great views of Comet 2012 Leonard last night. I am very happy with the rig and have upgraded my eyepiece selection, my favourite is a 40mm Plossl from Gosky. Because i need to ofen drive ling distances at night I am considering a lighter '"grap and go" kit to throw in the back of the car to urge me to stop and rest instead of driving into the sleep zone. The AZ Proto mount would be handy when I can't be bothered with aligning the Go To. Thank you for your excellent videos.
@Ian Foster Congrats! The Sky Watcher 127 Mak is an excellent choice. And with that mount it's great for astrophotography as well. As a lightweight and easier to set up alternative I believe the AZ Pronto mount is a great option. I might make a in depth video about it in the coming weeks. Clear skies!
I have a 6" SCT f10 (1500mm FL, or w/f6.3 reducer 945mm FL), and a 90mm f5.5 (500mm FL) Achromatic Refractor. With a shared SE Alt/Az mount. 32mm - 8mm EP's. Considering getting the new Celestron StarSense Autoguider to better automate alignment, finding, and tracking... I'm thinking the SSAG (plate solving) will be worth the additional expense as I'll be much more apt to bring things out for viewing. Its the Automation Age... Hobby Smarter, NOT Harder. Keep spreading the good word! -mike
Hi Bohdan, I really enjoy your channel. Well I live in the 3rd most light polluted city in the world, Montréal, if you can believe that! 8-9 on the Bortal scale, I often wondered why star hopping wasn’t all that easy for me, then after researching light pollution in my area it all became clearer for me, and I still do it the old fashioned way, star atlases! Well to answer your question, my first telescope is a Astromaster 90mm, and my second a 200mm/1200 Skywatcher Dodsonian! And I love them both! For the 90mm I built myself a new tripod- to improve stability and add some height, and for the 200mm a platform on wheels (6.75) inches tall to get some extra height, protect the base from water and snow, and more importantly to be able to move it around on my balcony observatory! I agree with you that the 24mm Panoptic from TeleVue is an excellent eyepiece! One thing that I have learned in the past year is that (and nobody ever tells you) is that with entry level equipment you do need to work around some of the compromises that the manufacturers make inorder to make their excellent products affordable. I am lucky enough because I am a cabinet maker that for me to make a new tripod is not a problem- I need time and the materials- but for someone else it may mean further investment….. Anyway good luck with your new scope!
@Leonid Cechmistro Hi! Thank you for sharing. From a light pollution point of view, living in an Bortel 9 area is rough. I totally understand that star hopping is difficult. Star atlases are very useful in this case. I use them from time to time as well. It's great that you build your own tripod for the astromaster. Did you use wood or metal for the legs? I think dobsonians are awesome in part because of how customisable they are. Wheels for the base, collimation screws for the mirrors or flocking the inside of the optical tube are things one can do to improve them. I agree with you on the entry level telescopes. Some really come with very basic features out of the factory and need improvements for decent usage. All the best and clear skies!
Based on My expirience, the most importan thing of any scope is the mount so the most of your budget should be invested on a reliable mount. That said, My personal recomendation as first scope for any beginner would be a dobsonian or an Achro Refractor F7 or higher on an EQ3 mount or an AZ mount which allows fine movements. On F7 refractors or higher the chromatic aberration is less noticed an over 80mm aperture de Focal length would be on a mid point to get good views of DSOs and either planets, moon and the sun. Go for the highest aperture your budget allows you and if youre thinking about 70mm or smaller rather recomend to get binoculars instead of a telescope
Thanks Bogdan, I'm new-ish to astronomy and over about a year and a half (and corresponding with the start of COVID-19) I've acquired binoculars, an entry level 4-inch refractor, and recently a used Celestron Nexstar 6SE. I'm hoping to travel to a deep sky preserve with the latter and I also chose the 6-inch SCT as there are too many trees in my own backyard to make it a practical site to observe from. Looking forward to any new content you release. (Would you consider taking on 'how to travel with a telescope' as a topic? I'm still working out how to fly with my 6-inch SCT.)
@Olde Bill Nice journey so far! A 6 inch SCT is a great telescope for planetary observations, but you can certainly observe DSOs with it as well. I just put the topic "travel with telescope" on the list for future videos 🙂
Most astronomers will end with a bunch of telescopes and its a long journey to find out what you will use the most :D So the question is rather "how can you cover your reqirements with 2 or 3 telescopes the best?" I owned many telescopes and my favorite allrounder is the 8" SCT, my 107 Apo and 120 mm ED collect dust. But still, I will get a 90 or 102 MAK + GTi for travelling. If I lived on the countryside owning house + garden I would probably build a small observatory and install a classic F20 Cassegrain with small obstruction, since planets, GCs and PNs are my favorite objects.
@Djehuti I guess you are right. There is a tendency to collect as many telescopes as possible. I always try to sell one after getting a new telescope. Keep the number low. It's not always easy 🙂 I'm also thinking of building some kind of observatory on top of my garage. Having your personal observatory must be something really amazing.
For me a 8sct on an eq goto mount and can be mouted on az4 azimutal mount is king. Compact perfekt for solar system and photographie. If I want DSO photographie I bought a used faststar for my c8 sct, works great. For visual use on galaxys and nebulas i have a 12 skywatcher dob with go to and can also moved freely without the motors. One refraktor maybe will also enter.
@Atila Dudus Nice setups! A goto 8 inch SCT is indeed a very sweet telescope. Looking forward to your opinion should you get a refractor as well. Clear skies!
I started with an Achro Refractor 80mmF5 and i learnd a Lot. I also used a Friend’s 114mmF5 newtonian but collimation procesos is not for me. I live in Colombia near Bogotá and although we have a quite athmosphere due to our 2600meter over sea level, we have to much clouds and rain every day at any time of the year so I cant afford time to colimate when wheather gives me only short Windows to make astronomy. Also take info account that the bigger the aperture the most demanding Will be the scope with the seeing conditions. I just purchase a 5inch Mak and expect to get a small petzval APO to do some Astrophotography
I have a Meade ETX 125 Maksutov-Cassagrain (actually 127mm), with a 1900mm focal length, f-15, which is good for the Moon, planets, planetary nebulae, and clusters. Not so hot for deep sky, but very nice for Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus, and star clusters. Good optics for astrophotography. I have a heavy tripod that tilts with latitude to allow stable object tracking . I also have a 90mm Meade Mak-Cass mirror lens 1000mm focal length f-11. Very portable and easy to rig with one of my DSLR's on a Manfroto tripod for bright lunar photography, or birds. It gives very nice color renditions of the lunar surface. I use Telvue Radian eye pieces from 6mm to 14mm, and 25mm and 40mm Meade Plossels for lower magnification. I am looking for a Televue 85 with wider field of view to complement the Mak-Cass models.
@vmstanford Maks are indeed great telescopes. A refractor to complement the Maks makes sense and the Tele Vue 85 is excellent. Let me know how it compares to the Maks once you get it.
Hello Bogdan, I was wondering if you can help me to decide which way to go. I am torn between a premium 5“ APO and a 8“ Meade LX200. The price class is the same after adding a microfocuser to the Meade. Only other consideration is the Meade is heavy. Understand that the max magnification in a 127mm APO is 254 while with the Meade over 400 is possible. I have a 8“ Dob and find the planets in the eyepiece very small. Can I expect a significantly larger view in the Meade? So would you find the best view from the APO or the Meade in a bortle 5/6 area? Best!
@elray4932 Past an aperture size of 5" the limiting factor in getting very high magnifications is going to be the seeing conditions. It is very rarely that you will be able to observe with magnifications greater than 250x and not loose image detail. The 8" lx200 won't show you more details or give you "bigger" planets when compared to your 8" Dob. Both have a theoretically max magnification of 400x. On planets the 5" Apo will offer visible sharper views and with more contrast when compared to the LX200 or the 8" dob. It will however be much weaker when it comes to DSOs. If it were me then I would get the Apo to go alongside my 8" dob.
@@BogdanDamian Fabulous advice!!! I will go with the APO and won’t look back. Thank you so much for taking the time to help me out. Have a great day! 😊
I just bought the Sky Watcher 102. I am an absolute beginner who barely knows the difference between a planet and a star (😂😂😂). Your videos helped in the decision making process. Hopefully I’ll be able to figure it out and get some good views. Do you have a suggestion for videos/channels to get the most out of it in the northern hemisphere? (Germany)
@user-ge8em9pu4j Congratulations on your new telescope and welcome to this awesome hobby 😃 I can also recommend the channels Late Night Astronomy and Small Optics in general and AstroBackyard for astrophotography. They make some very informative videos worth watching. Clear skies!
Hi Bogdan, Can you help me in selecting a type out of the below mentioned. Requirements - planatery imaging and deep sky viewing and casual photography. "Crisp and sharp planatery & deep sky viewing ability" - GSO RC 6" 1370mm RC F/9 - GSO 6" M-CRF F=1848mm F/12 - BRESSER MESSIER MC-152 F: 1900mm; F/D: F12,5
@dex9525 Hi! The requirements make it difficult to choose a single telescope out of the ones you listed. Ritcheys are optimized for astrophotography which is why for visual observations there are definitely better options out there. Also you need to keep in mind that the longer the focal length of the telescope, the narrower the field of view is. This isn't that ideal for DSO observations, where you typically want a wide FOV. If it's only casual photography that you are interested in, then I would get the BRESSER MESSIER MC-152. Alternatively maybe look at an 5" ~f8 achromat refractor. It will be excellent for visual and decently good for photography. It's the better allrounder option. Hope this helps.
My suggestion: first buy a good pair of binoculars 7 x 50 and learn the night sky with a mobile app and planispheres. Find new targets every night. I love to use both eyes and I am planning on getting a bino adapter on my future telescope.
@NA Hi and thanks for your feedback. I agree, nothing beats observing the planets or the stars with both eyes instead of one. A good binoviewer is definitely endgame stuff in visual astronomy.
How are Maks for travel? I live in the NW near Portland, where viewing options are limited. But I often travel to places with better options. But I need something I can grab and go. I was therefore leaning toward an APO, but they can get very pricy. Collimation, especially before each viewing, is too impractical. How are Maks for maintenance?
@Walter-uy4or From my experience, they are pretty good. Maks are much more robust than a dob. A good mak should hold collimation for years. I really enjoy my 4" mak, especially in combination with a good zoom eyepiece. Never had to collimate it since I bought it a couple of years ago.
@somvirsinghkadian5699 Both telescopes are made by the same manufacturer, Synta. So both should offer the same image quality. The starsense option in the Celestron is a nice feature for beginners. If price wise both telescopes cost the same, then go with the Celestron.
I find that, with SCT scopes, that LARGE central obstruction is very troubling. On many scopes of this design it is 40% of the diameter, OR LARGER! And this greatly reduces contrast and fine detail in the image. Our Astronomy Club has done "Testing and Experiments" off and on for years. We compare two 8 inch Newtonians, one is f/6 the other is f/8 . And we'll compare their image with that produced by three different brands of SCT. In every competition, everyone agrees, both Newtonians show you more detain and far better contrast then any of the SCT's ever could! Thus, I never recommended anyone waste their money on an over priced SCT when any good, home-made, 8 inch Newtonian will do a much better job for them! Now, if you have the space for, and the time and money for say an 11 or 12 inch SCT, to use for astro-imaging? That's a different ballpark all together.
@iiiDartsiii Dobsonians are great for advanced users as well. No SCT can match the light gathering capacity of a Dob at any price point. A Dob would however be very difficult to transport past a certain size. I think SCTs/Maks offer the best combination of both. worlds.
@@BogdanDamian oh no I wasn't putting down the Dobsonians I'm just thinking it's a better starting telescope if you aren't sure you want to go full in, I recently got one and just like how you said it's the best bang for your buck.
I got a Criterion RV 6 about 45 years ago, my first. My second is a Meade RCX 10 I’ve purchased yesterday on a popular sellers site. I’m looking forward to sharing my new hobby with my children. Cheers from Canada
Actually your video gave me time to think and I realized that my family has been through all of these at one time or another. We started with a cheap small Refractor due to size and ease of portability, then moved on to a 114mm Newtonian Reflector and just recently added a 11" SCT. Thanks for the condensed lesson, the video was informative and great to be able to share it, when family and friends inevitably ask questions ;-)
Answering these criteria helped me select the best scope for my situation: Budget
, Distance to Viewing Location
, Visual or Photographic Astronomy
, Available Targets
, Storage Space
, Setup/Teardown Speed
I have a Meade 8inch SCT I bought 20 years ago, and this scope is still great today. Great channel! And because of your extensive knowledge within your vids I'm about to buy a Baader prism as an upgrade. Thanks!
I have a Meade Infinity 90. It is an achromatic refractor that has an aperture of 90mm and a focal length of 600mm and focal ratio of 6.7. It comes with an Alt/Az mount with slow motion cable/controller on it. Great site and very inciteful descriptions of the different types of telescopes.
After a lot of investigation I finished up getting a Sky Watcher 127 Mak on an AZGTi mount. I live under Bortle 4 skies so can get reasonable views from my front lawn. Because there are a number of trees which obstruct my viewing range portability was also a consideration; I have proved the value of this by taking the rig out to Bortle 2 skies. I had great views of Comet 2012 Leonard last night.
I am very happy with the rig and have upgraded my eyepiece selection, my favourite is a 40mm Plossl from Gosky. Because i need to ofen drive ling distances at night I am considering a lighter '"grap and go" kit to throw in the back of the car to urge me to stop and rest instead of driving into the sleep zone. The AZ Proto mount would be handy when I can't be bothered with aligning the Go To.
Thank you for your excellent videos.
@Ian Foster Congrats! The Sky Watcher 127 Mak is an excellent choice. And with that mount it's great for astrophotography as well.
As a lightweight and easier to set up alternative I believe the AZ Pronto mount is a great option. I might make a in depth video about it in the coming weeks. Clear skies!
I have a 6" SCT f10 (1500mm FL, or w/f6.3 reducer 945mm FL), and a 90mm f5.5 (500mm FL) Achromatic Refractor. With a shared SE Alt/Az mount. 32mm - 8mm EP's. Considering getting the new Celestron StarSense Autoguider to better automate alignment, finding, and tracking... I'm thinking the SSAG (plate solving) will be worth the additional expense as I'll be much more apt to bring things out for viewing.
Its the Automation Age... Hobby Smarter, NOT Harder.
Keep spreading the good word!
-mike
This right here is EXACTLY what i was wondering as I’m taking the plunge to upgrade by 4.5” Newtonian refractor
@rayselM I'm glad the video got you the information you were looking for. Let me know how the upgrade turned out. Clear skies!
I have a 305mm Dob for high resolution and light gathering. 60mm baby Mak for travel as it is featherweight and the size of a couple of coke cans.
GOOD VIDEO! and that LIL BAD SNACKS SONG AT THE END!!!!! Grade A+ my dude and thanks for the info and tips!
Hi Bohdan, I really enjoy your channel. Well I live in the 3rd most light polluted city in the world, Montréal, if you can believe that! 8-9 on the Bortal scale, I often wondered why star hopping wasn’t all that easy for me, then after researching light pollution in my area it all became clearer for me, and I still do it the old fashioned way, star atlases!
Well to answer your question, my first telescope is a Astromaster 90mm, and my second a 200mm/1200 Skywatcher Dodsonian! And I love them both! For the 90mm I built myself a new tripod- to improve stability and add some height, and for the 200mm a platform on wheels (6.75) inches tall to get some extra height, protect the base from water and snow, and more importantly to be able to move it around on my balcony observatory!
I agree with you that the 24mm Panoptic from TeleVue is an excellent eyepiece!
One thing that I have learned in the past year is that (and nobody ever tells you) is that with entry level equipment you do need to work around some of the compromises that the manufacturers make inorder to make their excellent products affordable.
I am lucky enough because I am a cabinet maker that for me to make a new tripod is not a problem- I need time and the materials- but for someone else it may mean further investment…..
Anyway good luck with your new scope!
@Leonid Cechmistro Hi! Thank you for sharing. From a light pollution point of view, living in an Bortel 9 area is rough. I totally understand that star hopping is difficult. Star atlases are very useful in this case. I use them from time to time as well.
It's great that you build your own tripod for the astromaster. Did you use wood or metal for the legs?
I think dobsonians are awesome in part because of how customisable they are. Wheels for the base, collimation screws for the mirrors or flocking the inside of the optical tube are things one can do to improve them.
I agree with you on the entry level telescopes. Some really come with very basic features out of the factory and need improvements for decent usage.
All the best and clear skies!
@@BogdanDamian I used wood! And I found the model on CloudyNights! Clear skies to you too!
@Leonid Cechmistro That sounds great! There are a lot of treasures to be found on cloudynights.
Based on My expirience, the most importan thing of any scope is the mount so the most of your budget should be invested on a reliable mount. That said, My personal recomendation as first scope for any beginner would be a dobsonian or an Achro Refractor F7 or higher on an EQ3 mount or an AZ mount which allows fine movements. On F7 refractors or higher the chromatic aberration is less noticed an over 80mm aperture de Focal length would be on a mid point to get good views of DSOs and either planets, moon and the sun. Go for the highest aperture your budget allows you and if youre thinking about 70mm or smaller rather recomend to get binoculars instead of a telescope
Thanks Bogdan, I'm new-ish to astronomy and over about a year and a half (and corresponding with the start of COVID-19) I've acquired binoculars, an entry level 4-inch refractor, and recently a used Celestron Nexstar 6SE. I'm hoping to travel to a deep sky preserve with the latter and I also chose the 6-inch SCT as there are too many trees in my own backyard to make it a practical site to observe from. Looking forward to any new content you release. (Would you consider taking on 'how to travel with a telescope' as a topic? I'm still working out how to fly with my 6-inch SCT.)
@Olde Bill Nice journey so far! A 6 inch SCT is a great telescope for planetary observations, but you can certainly observe DSOs with it as well.
I just put the topic "travel with telescope" on the list for future videos 🙂
Most astronomers will end with a bunch of telescopes and its a long journey to find out what you will use the most :D So the question is rather "how can you cover your reqirements with 2 or 3 telescopes the best?" I owned many telescopes and my favorite allrounder is the 8" SCT, my 107 Apo and 120 mm ED collect dust. But still, I will get a 90 or 102 MAK + GTi for travelling. If I lived on the countryside owning house + garden I would probably build a small observatory and install a classic F20 Cassegrain with small obstruction, since planets, GCs and PNs are my favorite objects.
@Djehuti I guess you are right. There is a tendency to collect as many telescopes as possible. I always try to sell one after getting a new telescope. Keep the number low. It's not always easy 🙂
I'm also thinking of building some kind of observatory on top of my garage. Having your personal observatory must be something really amazing.
For me a 8sct on an eq goto mount and can be mouted on az4 azimutal mount is king. Compact perfekt for solar system and photographie. If I want DSO photographie
I bought a used faststar for my c8 sct, works great. For visual use on galaxys and nebulas i have a 12 skywatcher dob with go to and can also moved freely without the motors. One refraktor maybe will also enter.
@Atila Dudus Nice setups! A goto 8 inch SCT is indeed a very sweet telescope. Looking forward to your opinion should you get a refractor as well. Clear skies!
I started with an Achro Refractor 80mmF5 and i learnd a Lot. I also used a Friend’s 114mmF5 newtonian but collimation procesos is not for me. I live in Colombia near Bogotá and although we have a quite athmosphere due to our 2600meter over sea level, we have to much clouds and rain every day at any time of the year so I cant afford time to colimate when wheather gives me only short Windows to make astronomy. Also take info account that the bigger the aperture the most demanding Will be the scope with the seeing conditions. I just purchase a 5inch Mak and expect to get a small petzval APO to do some Astrophotography
I have a Meade ETX 125 Maksutov-Cassagrain (actually 127mm), with a 1900mm focal length, f-15, which is good for the Moon, planets, planetary nebulae, and clusters. Not so hot for deep sky, but very nice for Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus, and star clusters. Good optics for astrophotography. I have a heavy tripod that tilts with latitude to allow stable object tracking .
I also have a 90mm Meade Mak-Cass mirror lens 1000mm focal length f-11. Very portable and easy to rig with one of my DSLR's on a Manfroto tripod for bright lunar photography, or birds. It gives very nice color renditions of the lunar surface.
I use Telvue Radian eye pieces from 6mm to 14mm, and 25mm and 40mm Meade Plossels for lower magnification.
I am looking for a Televue 85 with wider field of view to complement the Mak-Cass models.
@vmstanford Maks are indeed great telescopes. A refractor to complement the Maks makes sense and the Tele Vue 85 is excellent. Let me know how it compares to the Maks once you get it.
@@BogdanDamian Will do. Thanks for the videos. Well done.
I have a Starfield 80mm APO refractor and an IOptron RC6.
Man! Wonderful informative content! I use a binocular so far! I like a mak102 too buy Telescopes are so expensive!
Hello Bogdan, I was wondering if you can help me to decide which way to go. I am torn between a premium 5“ APO and a 8“ Meade LX200. The price class is the same after adding a microfocuser to the Meade. Only other consideration is the Meade is heavy. Understand that the max magnification in a 127mm APO is 254 while with the Meade over 400 is possible. I have a 8“ Dob and find the planets in the eyepiece very small. Can I expect a significantly larger view in the Meade? So would you find the best view from the APO or the Meade in a bortle 5/6 area? Best!
@elray4932 Past an aperture size of 5" the limiting factor in getting very high magnifications is going to be the seeing conditions. It is very rarely that you will be able to observe with magnifications greater than 250x and not loose image detail. The 8" lx200 won't show you more details or give you "bigger" planets when compared to your 8" Dob. Both have a theoretically max magnification of 400x. On planets the 5" Apo will offer visible sharper views and with more contrast when compared to the LX200 or the 8" dob. It will however be much weaker when it comes to DSOs. If it were me then I would get the Apo to go alongside my 8" dob.
@@BogdanDamian Fabulous advice!!! I will go with the APO and won’t look back. Thank you so much for taking the time to help me out. Have a great day! 😊
I just bought the Sky Watcher 102. I am an absolute beginner who barely knows the difference between a planet and a star (😂😂😂). Your videos helped in the decision making process. Hopefully I’ll be able to figure it out and get some good views.
Do you have a suggestion for videos/channels to get the most out of it in the northern hemisphere? (Germany)
@user-ge8em9pu4j Congratulations on your new telescope and welcome to this awesome hobby 😃 I can also recommend the channels Late Night Astronomy and Small Optics in general and AstroBackyard for astrophotography. They make some very informative videos worth watching. Clear skies!
Hi Bogdan,
Can you help me in selecting a type out of the below mentioned.
Requirements - planatery imaging and deep sky viewing and casual photography.
"Crisp and sharp planatery & deep sky viewing ability"
- GSO RC 6" 1370mm RC F/9
- GSO 6" M-CRF F=1848mm F/12
- BRESSER MESSIER MC-152 F: 1900mm; F/D: F12,5
@dex9525 Hi! The requirements make it difficult to choose a single telescope out of the ones you listed. Ritcheys are optimized for astrophotography which is why for visual observations there are definitely better options out there. Also you need to keep in mind that the longer the focal length of the telescope, the narrower the field of view is. This isn't that ideal for DSO observations, where you typically want a wide FOV. If it's only casual photography that you are interested in, then I would get the BRESSER MESSIER MC-152. Alternatively maybe look at an 5" ~f8 achromat refractor. It will be excellent for visual and decently good for photography. It's the better allrounder option. Hope this helps.
Thanks for your tips!
Nice video Bogdan! Cer senin!
@Galaxy Art Media Mulțumesc! Cer senin!
My suggestion: first buy a good pair of binoculars 7 x 50 and learn the night sky with a mobile app and planispheres. Find new targets every night. I love to use both eyes and I am planning on getting a bino adapter on my future telescope.
@NA Hi and thanks for your feedback. I agree, nothing beats observing the planets or the stars with both eyes instead of one. A good binoviewer is definitely endgame stuff in visual astronomy.
I have an 8 inch collapsible dobsonian and a Meade ETX125 Mak.
@Lightbridge 16 That is a very nice setup. A Mak with GoTo is also great for astrophotograpy.
How are Maks for travel? I live in the NW near Portland, where viewing options are limited. But I often travel to places with better options. But I need something I can grab and go. I was therefore leaning toward an APO, but they can get very pricy. Collimation, especially before each viewing, is too impractical. How are Maks for maintenance?
@Walter-uy4or From my experience, they are pretty good. Maks are much more robust than a dob. A good mak should hold collimation for years. I really enjoy my 4" mak, especially in combination with a good zoom eyepiece. Never had to collimate it since I bought it a couple of years ago.
@@BogdanDamian DONT THEY HAVE AN MIRROR SHIFT PROBLEM, that why the put in focusers, for fine adjustment's. so the view wont move.
I have a Celestron 9.25 SCT GOTO.
Thanks 🙏
Which is good for beginner dobsonian or mexitoff
@somvirsinghkadian5699 Hi, in my opinion the best all-rounder and therefore the best option for beginners is a Dobsonian telescope.
@@BogdanDamian so which dobsonian in your opinion I have two choice one is celestron starsense and one is skywatcher
@somvirsinghkadian5699 Both telescopes are made by the same manufacturer, Synta. So both should offer the same image quality. The starsense option in the Celestron is a nice feature for beginners. If price wise both telescopes cost the same, then go with the Celestron.
I find that, with SCT scopes, that LARGE central obstruction is very troubling. On many scopes of this design it is 40% of the diameter, OR LARGER! And this greatly reduces contrast and fine detail in the image. Our Astronomy Club has done "Testing and Experiments" off and on for years. We compare two 8 inch Newtonians, one is f/6 the other is f/8 . And we'll compare their image with that produced by three different brands of SCT. In every competition, everyone agrees, both Newtonians show you more detain and far better contrast then any of the SCT's ever could!
Thus, I never recommended anyone waste their money on an over priced SCT when any good, home-made, 8 inch Newtonian will do a much better job for them!
Now, if you have the space for, and the time and money for say an 11 or 12 inch SCT, to use for astro-imaging? That's a different ballpark all together.
Thank you.
New sub. 👍🇺🇸
@R D B Thanks and welcome 🙂
So dobsonian if you're tight on money and maybe trying the hobby, sct if you're good with money and serious about the hobby.
@iiiDartsiii Dobsonians are great for advanced users as well. No SCT can match the light gathering capacity of a Dob at any price point. A Dob would however be very difficult to transport past a certain size. I think SCTs/Maks offer the best combination of both. worlds.
@@BogdanDamian oh no I wasn't putting down the Dobsonians I'm just thinking it's a better starting telescope if you aren't sure you want to go full in, I recently got one and just like how you said it's the best bang for your buck.
@iiiDartsiii oh sorry, I misunderstood the point you were trying to make. I totally agree with you, a Dob is the better starting telescope 🙂
I have a 4" SCT
Maksutovs have spherical mirrors not parabolic.