hi
im a newbie here so id like to say hello to everyone

well im considering buying my first telescope as i am studing physics at university and although i have stargazed for many years using binoculars i feel its time to move up and get sumthing a little cooler to play with .

Now i have read many theads on this topic so im not coming in blind however amny of the posts were a few years old and newer products may have come on the market since then. As this is my first telescope i look to spend around £150- £250 so... $300 to $500 . i have picked out 4 telescopes im interested in (listed below) so could you advise but if you know of any better ones please recommend, btw do Orion telescopes and binoculars deliver to the uk as they do not send there catalogue.

1) Celestron C6-N Reflector $399.00 from Telescopes.com
2) Orion AstroView 6 EQ Reflector $399.95 from Telescopes.com
3) Orion ShortTube 80mm Min-EQ Refractor $300 from Telescopes.com
4) *2nd* Celestron StarSeeker 114 $300 from Orion

the telescope shall be mainly used for Luna and planetary obervations at first but then progressing too deep space objects , nebulea and star clusters

thanx matt

If you are planning to eventually do more deep space observing, then aperture is king. I am not familiar with #1 on your list, but I note that 2 and 3 are on equatorial mounts. Since you have done your homework, I expect that you have decided that you prefer an EQ mount, otherwise I would ask if you had considered an 8 inch Dob. An 8 inch reflector makes a nice step up from a 6 inch when it comes to viewing dim objects.

As to whether a company ships to the UK, you can probably send them an email and ask, if you do not see it explained on their web site.

__________________
"I'm as accurate as any psychic. And I'm a cartoon!" -- Squidward

"Arrrgh, the laws of physics be a harsh mistress!" -- Bender

Orion does not ship internationally, but they do have dealers who sell in your country:

http://www.telescope.com/custserv/cu...in.jsp?cid=257

Shipping to other countries ain't cheap, and telescopes are heavy. So don't expect to get those prices at the stores.

Be wary: Some of these stores can get telescopes from the factories, but they do not have the same support and inspection levels as the brand names.

I second the comments around the 8" dob suggestion at the price point you mention and the objects you plan to view. Best value in a beginner scope IMO.

Matt,

Here are two UK telescope vendors:

http://www.orionoptics.co.uk/acatalog/

http://www.dhinds.co.uk/

There are more, of course, but I don't have time to look them up at the moment.

This UK site may be of some help:

http://www.r-clarke.org.uk/starting_astro.htm

Dave Mitsky

__________________
Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

Thanks alot guys for the feedback its very helpful , checking out David Hinds Ltd Looks Very promising .

I was going to go for a EQ mount i heard they were probably best but ill have a look at the 8 inch Dob

thanks alot

Matt

In the lower price ranges, the scopes usually come on EQ mounts that are undersized.

In other words, to keep the price down, vendors put a scope on a mount that really should be used on the one size smaller telescope. The result is less stability than you should expect.

Since you are doing visual observing, an EQ mount is not required, but some people greatly prefer them and are willing to pay extra. That tradeoff is a personal decision you will need to make.

__________________
"I'm as accurate as any psychic. And I'm a cartoon!" -- Squidward

"Arrrgh, the laws of physics be a harsh mistress!" -- Bender

hey all,
well, i got an EQ and an alt/az...and for visual i deffinately prefer the Alt/az. Its also not so bad for imaging providing you keep to 30 second subs.
It really depends how much effort you are prepared to put into your observing...if i were starting over again, i would deffinately start with a Maksutov-Cassegrain scope, probably alt/az motorised mount. This is easy to store, easy to move around, is good at everything (great at nothing). You can see fuzzies with it...planets, image with it...hook it up to a comp and fiddle with star maps....they give great views and are great fun while seeing them.
cheers

BTW,
there is a very good second user web site in the uk called 'UK astro buy and sell'. You will be ammazed what you can get for a few hundred pounds on there..just be patient, know what you want, and sooner or later it will appear there for a bargain price.

I must respectfully disagree. While it may be true of entry level, there is a reason why people are willing to pay $100+ an inch for a Questar Mak-Cass!

__________________
Any day you wake up on "the right side of the dirt" is a good day.

T. Anderson

I thought it was closer to $100 per millimeter

Nah, it just seems that way to those of us who can't afford one!
Prices I've found range from just under $3k (3.5" OTA) to just under $12k (7" fully equipped).

__________________
Any day you wake up on "the right side of the dirt" is a good day.

T. Anderson

Kaptain K,

I believe you meant to say that a Questar runs about a thousand dollars plus an inch.

Dave Mitsky

__________________
Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

__________________
Any day you wake up on "the right side of the dirt" is a good day.

T. Anderson