SHOULD YOU GET A SECOND TELESCOPE? IF SO, WHAT KIND?

Рет қаралды 1,775

Ай бұрын

Advice on buying a telescope Part III. In this episode I'm going to tell you what I consider to be the ideal visual astronomy equipment to own and use. I think an 8 or 10 inch Dobsonian should be your first telescope but what if you want something lighter for those times when you don't want to lug out the Dob? Well, I think a small refractor is the perfect compliment to your Dobsonian for those times when you want to use a grab and go set up. Let me explain. To see part one of this series, Advice on Buying a Telescope: Types of Telescopes go here:
• ADVICE ON BUYING A TEL...
To see Part Two: Advice on Buying a Used Telescope go here:
• SHOULD YOU BUY A USED ...

Пікірлер: 49

@lindafinch8983 Ай бұрын

Hi Tsula, I felt your sorrow when your equipment was stolen and share your joy in your friends gift to you. For someone who gives and shares so much, I’m delighted you’ve had something in return. Thanks for the excellent information, enjoy your dark skies and your new telescope!

@tsulasbigadventures Ай бұрын

Linda: Thank you so much. I try to stay positive and imagine the universe rewarding good deeds. The best reward is when the universe gives a clear dark night with no moon and every target is centered in the eyepiece and I can clearly see it! A good telescope really helps though too. All the best.

@lindafinch8983 Ай бұрын

@@tsulasbigadventures Couldn’t agree more! Here’s to endless dark skies!

@ronm6585 Ай бұрын

Nice! I wish I had a friend like Katie. 😉 Thanks Tsula.

@tsulasbigadventures Ай бұрын

So lucky to have such friends.

@40Sec Ай бұрын

I think a computerized Mak is also a good and relatively affordable option for a second telescope depending on your needs. My primary frustration with my first telescope--a Heritage 130p dob--was trying to track the planets at high magnification. I also wanted to start doing some lunar and planetary imaging, and the Heritage 130p really isn't equipped for that. I went with a Celestron 127slt and it's generally been a great time. I may also have gone down the imaging rabbit hole since then and added a 180mm triplet, a 270/360mm triplet, and a Lunt hydrogen alpha scope, but I still love my little dob for quick views and for outreach.

@krazyhorse448 Ай бұрын

Wish I had friends like yours, that is beyond belief! Congrats

@tsulasbigadventures Ай бұрын

Thank you. I feel truly blessed.

@jimcabezola3051 Ай бұрын

Oh! Such a blessing! Mahalo, Katie, for helping out your dear friend, Tsula! Much aloha to both of you!

@tsulasbigadventures Ай бұрын

Thank you, thank you.

@garylawson5381 Ай бұрын

Thank you Tsula, from Gary in Alabama USA.

@tsulasbigadventures Ай бұрын

Thank you Gary from Alabama.

@aagifford Ай бұрын

I’d lean towards a smallish catadioptric, and in fact just picked up a used Meade 6 inch ACF for only $180. I gave the guy another $20 because he even delivered it! Anyway it is small and easy to set up, and complements my 8 inch dob and 11in Celestron CPC 1100 which weighs 65 pounds.

@tsulasbigadventures Ай бұрын

That would be a good choice as well. I am a huge fan of SCTs. What a great deal you got. That sounds terrific.

@earthling_parth Ай бұрын

Somehow I missed part 1&2, I need to watch those first! Awesome information as always Tsula ❤

@tsulasbigadventures Ай бұрын

Thank you so much. Definitely watch part one and two. I covered a lot.

@MrGp3po Ай бұрын

Great video. Glad you have great friends to smooth the traumas of life. I am waiting for your video, “Should I Buy an Eighth Telescope?” ;)

@lornaz1975 Ай бұрын

I have often thought that an 8 inch dob and a 4 inch apo refractor is a perfect combination. Well one could make that a 4.7 inch apo.

@bruno3005 Ай бұрын

It seams I'm not the only one who has more than one Telescope of the same kind. I own actually 3 triplet apochromatic refractors of 102mm f/7 and one of 130 mm f/7 and I have a 16 inch dobsonion and a 10 inch dobsonian. But mostly I use the refractors for imaging. And despite a have so much and so good telescope in my head it goes around and around which telescope I should buy next. Can't stopp it. Not to believe. But thanks for this interesting video.

@tsulasbigadventures Ай бұрын

Thank you. I know what you mean.

@earthling_parth Ай бұрын

You're very lucky to have such good friends like Katy! That StellarVue is a beauty ❤

@tsulasbigadventures Ай бұрын

I know it! What a great telescope.

@anata5127 Ай бұрын

For visual, you could get 14-20” quality DOB and good binocular. Don’t need anything else.

@tsulasbigadventures Ай бұрын

True but a 20" Dob would be massive!

@mikehicks4411 Ай бұрын

Nice video.... Why stop at two..right lol. I'm onto my 3rd...a smart telescope ,Seestar but I guess that would be getting into astrophotography....but what game changer for viewing DSO's.

@tsulasbigadventures Ай бұрын

Someone else mentioned not stopping at two. It could turn into an addiction but then again I could have endless episodes with each new purchase.

@markihde4381 Ай бұрын

Sound advice on getting a second telescope. Mine is an 80mm Stellarvue APO. After that, I purchased scopes designed for specific purposes. For example, my 6" f/12 ISTAR achromatic refractor that I use only for lunar observation is ideal but only really useful for just one dedicated purpose.

@tsulasbigadventures Ай бұрын

Thank you. Nice second telescope you have! I have never heard of that ISTAR telescope but it sounds like a beast.

@markihde4381 Ай бұрын

@@tsulasbigadventures It needs a beast of a mount. 40# and over 6' in length. I put it on a Losmandy G-11 mount, upgraded with a Losmandy Titan RA. The advantage of f/12 in that aperture is to get high power for lunar/planetary observations with longer focal length eyepieces. Those give better eye relief without having to squint through a tiny peep hole to get 200X. I also get superior contrast that a refractor provides.

@tsulasbigadventures Ай бұрын

@@markihde4381 I have a Losmandy GM8 but it only came with one 7 lb counter weight which was fine for my smaller scopes but now I want to put a big telescope on it. How many counter weights do you have to use to balance your gigantic telescope? It sounds nice but I don't think I would even be able to get it onto the saddle. 40 pounds is a lot for me anyway.

@markihde4381 Ай бұрын

@@tsulasbigadventures I have two 20# counterweights. It's a two-person operation to get it on the mount. More so, due to the awkward tube length and being heavy on the glass end. I had to get a 12" tripod extension and raise the Gemini control box. Otherwise, the balance point puts the eyepiece uncomfortably low if the scope is pointed much above the horizon. Regardless of telescope size and/or optical design, I've concluded that there's no "free lunch" in amateur astronomy. Large telescopes need large mounts that are not just rated for the optical tube weight, but that have enough mass to counteract torque forces on the tube and to dampen vibration.

@tsulasbigadventures Ай бұрын

@@markihde4381 That sounds like a huge operation. The views must be quite impressive for you to go to so much trouble with it. Thanks for that information. I was asking because I have a GM8 that I wanted to put a 30 pound telescope on. I think if I order one 21 pound weight and add it to the 7 pound weight it should balance. That is my hope and prayer. I agree with you about the no free lunch comment.

@brodymk45 Ай бұрын

Im looking to get a Celestron C8 or a Skywatcher 200PDS and putting it on my AVX mount as a second scope someday. I plan on looking at the planets and some brighter deep sky objects and I also plan on imaging, mostly imaging some galaxies and close ups of nebulae. Are these good choices? I live in a bortle 5.

@tsulasbigadventures Ай бұрын

The Celestron C8 would be an excellent choice. I think the AVX can hold up to 30 pounds and the C8 weighs 12.5. So, yeah, that would be a good choice. I would hesitate on the PDS. They require very fine collimation to get the most out of them.

@brodymk45 Ай бұрын

@@tsulasbigadventures thanks!

@tsulasbigadventures Ай бұрын

@@brodymk45 You're welcome.

@PauI__ Ай бұрын

What about a collapsible dobson, I think SkyWatcher has some of those, arent those easyer to move and store?

@k.h.1587 Ай бұрын

Only slightly, they are just as heavy and only shorten by about 1/3. That can be the difference of fitting in a small car though

@charlesalexander8099 Ай бұрын

I was thinking about getting a 9.25 Celestron evolution with a reducer and a hyperstar. The one thing I don’t like about this is the one arm mount. What do you think about the pros and cons of this set up?

@tsulasbigadventures Ай бұрын

I think a one arm mount is inadequate for a telescope that big. I rented a Celestron Nexstar 8" on a single arm mount and it was way too wobbly. It needs to be on two arm mount in my opinion, especially at that focal length. My 12" SCT is on a dual fork mount and even then when it is windy it shakes a bit and you can't touch it at high magnifications. I think the 9.25 would be a nice set up but you would only be able to use it when it was calm outside.

@charlesalexander8099 Ай бұрын

@@tsulasbigadventures Thank you so much for your thoughts on this one. I was afraid it might be unstable. The plan is to buy a new telescope around Christmas for the discounted prices. Thank you again and I wish you clear skies! 🤠

@aagifford Ай бұрын

I had a one arm C8, they are much less expensive because the mount is worth what you paid, which is adequate for visual use. Lots of backlash and so so tracking. Alt Az also, you would need a wedge if you are serious. Has a Spur gear drive instead of worm. But to get started, why not? Dabble, then upgrade the mount is one path. But I’d say if you want to image and are starting from scratch then save your money and get the OTA and mount separate.

@lornaz1975 Ай бұрын

Can I be Katie's friend too!!