Need advice on buying a telescope

[mystang52]

I've been fascinated by astronomy since I was a kid, got my first telescope when I was 8 years old. Nothing like seeing Saturn for the first time. I have a now-30 years old telescope and with my 70th birthday coming up I'm thinking of treating myself to a new modern 'scope. My current one gets little use because it's heavy and unwieldy to set up.
I've seen those compact scopes that are apparently much better, and I presume not unwieldy. I want one that has the computerize way to find objects in the sky, and a motorized mount so I don't have to manually rotate the scope.
Is a budget of $1000-2000 reasonable for my needs? Recommendations? What other questions should I be asking?

 

[6miths]

Yes the high end of that budget should get you nicely set up. An 8-inch SCT with self-alignment is just the thing. I still wouldn't call these particularly easy to lug around but less than 8-inches just isn't going to get it done IMHO. 4-inch is too small and there aren't many 6-inch scopes. In some ways Voyager, Galileo and Hubble ruined everything with their images! I lugged a 4-inch scope all over the world but always had aperture envy. The other, much more affordable option, is to get into a club. On clear summer Saturday evenings we have a group that gets together in our dark sky neighbourhood that includes a couple of very nice scopes. Most enthusiasts are eager to share.

 

[homestead]

Good place to go, cloudynights forum and ask your questions there.
They also sell used equipment there.

 

[Lewis Clark]

Find a local astronomy club in your area. Go to a few meetings and - if possible - star parties. The members will love to talk about their equipment and most will be happy to show off what they have.

What will work best for will depend on what you want to look at (inside or outside the solar system), and how many pounds of equipment you are willing to handle. The best telescope for you is one you will actually use.

 

[Freedom56]

I have two scopes. An 8" Celestron SCT and a 4" ED refractor both on computerized mounts. Your budget is reasonable and for that money I would buy a 8" Meade LX85 series with the computerized mount or the equivalent from Celestron.

 

[donheff]

You got some good recommendation there. I built a 6 inch Dobsonian with my daughter about 20 years ago an enjoyed it immensely. If I still had my darker sky weekend home I would research and buy one of the collapsed optics GOTO scopes you are looking into. Another thought - astro photography. I had fun with a quickcam hooked up to a laptop and open source image stacking software. Today people are mounting cellphones to their objective lenses and getting great results. There are Facebook groups that can help including Smartphone Astro Imaging for Beginners.

Here are a couple of my photos with no tracking. With the sort of scope you are looking at, nebulas and other objects will be in imaging reach.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

I identify with you. My scope is quite large and requires a pickup truck and ramps to carry it to dark skies and a stepladder to reach the eyepiece. I’m only 62 but I’m finding it a bit much to deal with. I also have a 10” computerized scope but it’s nearly 30 years old and not supported any more and the electronics are toast, with spare parts unavailable.

I’m finding that visual observing doesn’t seem to appeal to the “younger” crowd and they all use CCD cameras. Personally, I think the world has enough images of M31, but that’s just me.

I’d agree that 8” is the minimum for serious astronomy. I had a 8” SCT for years and had a lot of fun with it. Kinda wish I’d never sold it.

 

[Al18]

I see the OP lives in NJ - a very dense state. You’ll need to be miles away from lights to see anything but the moon IMHO.

 

[eytonxav]

I had an 8" Celestron Ultima and it was pretty heavy and not the easiest setup to lug around. I believe Dobsonians are quite a bit lighter, but still bulky. Maybe a good refractor telescope would be something to check out.

 

[mystang52]

I see the OP lives in NJ - a very dense state. You’ll need to be miles away from lights to see anything but the moon IMHO.

Yah, there's the rub. Other than viewing the planets, I'll have to drive at least 40 minutes or so for anything close to darker skies if I want to see the more exotic things. As much as I'm willing to do that in principle, I fear I won't be doing it often enough to not feel guilty shelling out $$$$$ for a good scope. Still deliberating. Thanks, all.

 

[SecondAttempt]

You got some good recommendation there. I built a 6 inch Dobsonian with my daughter about 20 years ago an enjoyed it immensely. If I still had my darker sky weekend home I would research and buy one of the collapsed optics GOTO scopes you are looking into. Another thought - astro photography. I had fun with a quickcam hooked up to a laptop and open source image stacking software. Today people are mounting cellphones to their objective lenses and getting great results. There are Facebook groups that can help including Smartphone Astro Imaging for Beginners.

Here are a couple of my photos with no tracking. With the sort of scope you are looking at, nebulas and other objects will be in imaging reach.

Just a note that donheff probably knows but to be careful of:

If you want a simple, easy to set up telescope then one of the Celestron or Meade 8 inch alt-az mounts is a good choice. If you want to do astrophotography you will generall be better with an equatorial mount so the image does not rotate during long exposures. You can get an "equatorial wedge" for a Meade or Celestron for a few 10s of dollars so it is not a budget issue, more of a technical difference you should be aware of.

Your budget will get you the basic telescope but may be a little light after you add a tripod, lenses, star finder, and everything else you will probably want.

 

[BOBOT]

For a good consideration of the basics this might help:
https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-equipment/how-to-choose-a-telescope/

 

[Time2]

I see the OP lives in NJ - a very dense state. You’ll need to be miles away from lights to see anything but the moon IMHO.

Back in 2108 we had Hurricane Micheal, power was out for miles around us.
I took my wife out in the back yard, we dark adjusted our eyes and amazed ourselves with all the stars in the sky. Hopefully that is a once in a lifetime event. We were 8 days without power, 3 months without cable and my phone provider. Thank goodness I was able to tether to an AT&T phone I bought after the hurricane.

 

[JohnInAZ]

Check out Ed's Youtube Page

This guy is amazing...

Check out his youtube channel he covers everything including:

Top 3 Beginner telescopes..

-jfc-

 

[donheff]

This guy is amazing...

Check out his youtube channel he covers everything including:

Top 3 Beginner telescopes..

-jfc-

Interesting that his #1 choice is an 8 inch manual Dobsonian. My six inch home built Dob almost fits his bill. It was a lot of fun learning star hopping to find stuff in the sky but I think I would go with a computerized C6 or C8 on an equatorial mount that he cites as #2. Easier to find hard to see objects and good for photography if you want to give that a shot. But a lot more expensive.

 

[mystang52]

OP here. Once again, thanks to all for your helpful replies, and special thanks to Homestead for referring me to Cloudy Nights. I made a careful and thoughtful decision, and decided on the Celestron Evo 6". In interests of brevity, I'll just say that the Evo 6 was the best choice for me.
I got great personal help from an avid astronomy buff who happens to live a few miles from me. I've had the telescope for 3 days now. So far I've seen the chimney of a distant house, which was my target to align the finder. Skies have not cooperated so far, but I'm patient.
[in the picture here the tripod is at its lowest]

 

[skyking1]

very cool and thanks for starting the topic. I am also on the hunt for a good spotting scope and a more dedicated sky watching one too. Our property has a view to ship traffic for the spotter.

 

[JoeWras]

I should just do what OP did and go for it.

I have this delusion that I'll turn the 6" the piece of glass I have in my closet into a telescope some day. I spent a winter (1978-79) grinding it to a perfect sphere, but it needs a final grind to a parabola. I'll probably never complete it.

 

[skyking1]

I have the left over bearing from the rebuild job this year. It weighs about 500 pounds, and turns very very easily. One of my recycling ideas was to make an observatory with it. Put a belt drive and a stepper motor on it for tracking in the one axis.