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Hello, and welcome! I would like to ask anyone with experience using a go-to telescope capable of planetary imaging whether they believe astrophotography is possible with these types of telescopes. Has anyone used traditional telescopes—specifically, go-to models, not smart telescopes? They can be either alt-azimuth or equatorial or simply alt goto. I am currently planning to purchase one that is budget-friendly, such as a Celestron model. Initially, I wanted a go-to Celestron telescope, but they are quite expensive, and I could not afford one. As a result, I am looking for a similar option that will allow me to have a closer look at the planets. Do any of you have suggestions, or experience with these telescopes? I have been looking at the Skywatcher go-to models. Has anyone had any experience with them?
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8.11
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Some things to know first: What is your budget? Is this your first telescope? Are you primarily interested in visual observing or photography? |
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Tony Gondola: My first telescope was a Celestron Powerseeker 60AZ, which I had for a long time. I want to switch to a GoTo model because I find it quite problematic to set up the telescope and hold it in the desired position. When I used it, the mount often became loose, making it difficult to keep it steady. The tripod is also wide, which makes it hard to bring it down the staircase. As for my budget, I don’t have much money right now, so I can’t afford something like a Celestron Edge HD or SLT. I'm looking for something around 100. I'm mainly focused on both visual observing—especially during events—and photography. |
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Szijártó Áron: seems you want a GoTo mount, that can track planets, and a cheap scope thats good for visual. I would get an EQ type mount, because they can also be used for visual and astrophotography. Skywatcher HEQ5 would be an affordable option. there is also the smaller and cheaper Skywatcher EQ35M if budget is tight. Regarding the scope a Maksutov Casegrain telescope might be something to consider. this could be used for visual and some planetary AP. Skywatcher make a Skymax Mak Cass 127mm thats pretty affordable. https://www.highpointscientific.com/skywatcher-127mm-maksutov-cassegrain-telescope-ota-s11520 I have not used one myself, so hopefully owners will comment. |
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David Russell:Szijártó Áron: Is it have a goto function that tracks the object i set it up? i looking forward that has a remote or it requires least an app to control it. |
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there are 2 types of GoTo mounts. I will explain for you. one type is called Alt/Az. an Alt/Az type of mount will GoTo the Target by moving move up and down,(Alt) and also left and Right (Az) this type is designed for visual observers who want to GoTo a target and have a look for a short duration. the second type of GoTo mount is called an EQ mount. EQ means equatorial. the mechanical moments of this mount are circular in motion. the idea is that the mount is positioned looking towards the South or North Pole depending on where you live in the world. once the mount is correctly orientated the mount rotates around this position. the result is that if you attach a camera to an EQ mount the target will appear to be stationary, so an EQ mount is generally used for long exposure AstroPhotography. there are a small number of mounts that can work in both Alt/Az and EQ modes, and the smallest and cheapest one I know is the Skywatcher AZ/EQ5 Pro. I bought one of those for that reason, but to be honest I use it 99% of the time in EQ mode. I think any GoTo mount available today will be controllable via an App or computer software. many GoTo mounts will also come with a hand controller, which some people use and some do not. I think its good to have a hand controller for times when the computer software is not working correctly and you need to make manual adjustment. this sometimes happens. Hope that helps. |
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David Russell: That's interesting! I don't know about you, but I find that GoTo mounts tend to be cheaper than EQ mounts at me. I would love to get an EQ mount myself, but unfortunately, I can't afford one right now. I looked into what you mentioned, and the price is beyond my budget, being over 100. I’m not sure I can afford a telescope at this rate. Do you know of any good telescopes that are Alt/Az goto? I'm not really the type of person who wants to plan long night observing sessions. Plus, I already have a small Alt/Az telescope; the Seastar one is good enough for me to take a look at the outside world. |
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If your budget is that low, there simply isn't anything available. The only solution is to start saving until you have enough. Once you do, keep an eye on the used market. In the meantime study up on the subject, maybe go to a star party of available near you. That way, when the time comes, you'll be in a much better position to know what to get.
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$100 budget is going to be tough. To save some money, you could drop the goto option and just look for something that is motorized. This means you will still have to manually find your object, but once you have, lock the clutches and it will track. For example, maybe you can find a used CG4 mount. This is a manual mount but you can also buy a motor kit for it, the kit costs ~$100. Then with that, you can just put your existing scope on it.. or find a cheap used newt. The 6" Celestron Newt that is sometimes bundled with the AVX can be found used for ~$100. With a 2x barlow, that scope gives a decent view of the planets. This is really bare bones but it would accomplish what you're asking. Still over $100 but for everything. Astrophotography is possible with such a setup but it will require a very good polar alignment, and if you attempt long exposure DSO astrophotography.. it won't dither, so your images will have fixed pattern noise (aka walking rain). Good luck! Honestly though.. I'd recommend saving more and getting a proper set up. |
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James: To be honest, I'm comparing the value of my phone, which cost 100, and with that value, I'm trying to find the perfect goto telescope that around 100 value at me that is is the most reachable budget I could spend money, thus I'm not spending too many budgets, only for those that I'm interested in so I'm saving money every time, most basically an alt AZ one I'm trying to look for which give you a closer look at the planets, It doesn't have to be so expensive or large. The reason I want to switch to Goto is that having a standard manual telescope is a bit frustrating to use, u need to set its scope on the object every time, not to mention it is a bit troubling to carry it in the staircase. |
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Unfortunately you'll need to add another 0 to your budget of 100 (€,$? doesn't matter). The cheapest go-to mount would probably be the AZ-GTI, which is already more than 3 times your current budget.
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@David Russell what can you tell me about the 102/1300 Skywatcher Skymax Maksutov Cassegrain Goto telescope? Is it any good? It seems affordable to me.
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Szijártó Áron: ok. it has a 4 inch lens, which means that it gathers a reasonable amount of light. if you want to look at planets and the moon this scope would be your minimum size. planetary viewing people often like scopes of 8 inches or larger. the Celestron 9.25 is a popular model but way over your budget. the Skymax102 has a long focal length of 1300mm and a focal ratio of F12.7. this means its not great for Deep Sky AstroPhotography as the focal ratio is too high. it would be OK for Lunuar Astrophotography and perhaps the brightest planets like Jupiter and Saturn and Mars and Venus. its a lightweight small scope which will go onto most of the smaller Skywatcher mounts. its probably a good visual scope, BUT if I was looking for something LIKE this I would go for the next model up, which is the Skymax 127. the Skymax 127 is a 5 inch lens, and therefore catches way more light. this will give you more pleasure in the long term and is a better scope. the weight difference between the two is not so much, and the Focal length is slightly longer at 1500mm (more zoom) and the focal ratio is slightly lower at F12 which means it will be slightly better for planetary astrophotography should you want to try that. for Visual I think the Skymax 127 would be better than the Skymax 102. Larger aperture (lens) is always good for visual use. Hope that helps. Dave |
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David Russell:Szijártó Áron: That has a bit higher value for me, but thanks. I will see what I can do if I manage to gather enough money. I will certainly get the one you suggested, but if not, I will stick to the Skymax 102. In any case, I only just want to see the planets closer and nothing else. |
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If all you want to look at are the planets then there really is no need for GoTo capability. Honestly you might just consider a Dobsonian telescope. Yes, in it's basic form it's not motor driven but you'll be able to get a lot more aperture for your money. That equates to seeing more detail as the larger the aperture, the greater the resolution.
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Szijártó Áron: Planets are very small things in the sky. very very small compared to large objects like Nebulas. the smaller the target is the bigger the telescope objective lens needs to be to see things well. 8 inches (or 200mm) is often considered a good spot for visual. I have looked at planets with a 5 inch telescope and they are reasonable, and my 4 inch Takahashi has also given me reasonable views of Saturn, but only by using focal extenders and Barlows. a 5 inch scope will serve you better in the long run, so save the money for a while, and look for second hand. many people buy a scope and then give up the hobby so sometimes you get lucky second hand. Good Luck. |
