Newbie - Buying a new scope & next star-gazing session? :)

[biodreamz]

Hello there,

With my recent renewed interest in interplanetary probes, space travel and star trek franchise etc., I realized the related hobby i could take up is this!:) After observing the Venus transit in NUS fields, i had decided to get a telescope myself last year, but it just got delayed due to graduation job etc etc.:$

So when the black friday deal propped up couple of days back, i wanted to grab the celestron astromaster 114EQ (selling at $230 sgd from telescopes.com...i did some basic research about the types of scopes and deals and also it was touted as best entry level scope... But i cancelled my order just a day later after realizing that third-party transfer/shipping (via comgateway) would cost me a bomb as total packaging would be 20+ kg! ....

Now resisting my immediate temptation to buy a scope, i thought i should join this forum first and seek out help from the best!! .. that's you guys..

May I know when is the next star-gazing session planned? BTW i stay at north (woodlands), if anyone would be kind to show their astro masters or even nex series, i would be happy to come over!!

Also what would be the best way to get a new scope at SG? celestron astromaster 114EQ which i almost bought online costs ~S$400 here at astro.com (sci centre). A whooping S$170 more from online. Of course warrante is there if i get it locally.

would appreciate any comments and replies

cheers
Deepak

[Gary]

Hi Deepak. Welcome to the hobby and the forum!

You may find this useful: http://www.astro.sg/p/buying-telescope.html.

Since you are in the North, you should check out Galaxy Astronomy Club if you have not already done so: http://home.galaxyastro.sg/

I will be giving a free public talk on choosing a telescope and binocular in Feb 2014 at Toa Payoh Public Library. Feel free to drop by.

Depending on the person/organisation mentioning it, "best entry telescope" is quite subjective as different people have different needs, wants, biases and limitations. Go through more reviews of entry level telescopes from various brand/manufacturer to arrive at a more informed decision. Visiting stargazing sessions is another efficient way of doing so.

Due to the year-end NE monsoon season, the chances of stargazing sessions will be lower. But do check this forum regularly (and/or follow twitter accounts of local amateur astronomers) in case of sudden impromptu sessions when the weather clears up.

Good luck and have fun observing the Universe!

[cloud_cover]

Hello!
I'm not one of the "best" but I do have some experience shipping in telescopes from the US
Prices there are significantly lower than here but shipping does indeed kill. When buying anything you must always consider the cost of shipping over. Do also remember that a telescope is mostly air but volume is also considered when shipping so a 5kg telescope may end up "weighing" well more than 20. Case in point: When I bought my 4" refractor, by itself plus case and accessories it weighs maybe 8kg. When packed for shipping it "weighed" 30kg+ by volume. Generally though you don't want to skimp on packing. The worst thing that can happen is a broken scope arriving at your doorstep. In general though, when comparing equal apertures, newtonians take up the most volume, together with Mak-Newts. Refractors usually are next then the Catadioptric scopes such as SCTs and Mak-Cass. This is due to their optical designs and the resultant tube size.
If you're buying from the USA, you might want to consider used scopes. They are significantly cheaper than brand new but of course you run the risk of defects. Most sellers, however, on cloudynights and astromart are reasonably up-front and if you've done your due diligence it should be OK, in general. Ebay and Craigslist scopes are riskier although that's not to say they are no good.
If you're looking at the $400 range for a new scope, do consider the Skywatcher 130p table-top Dobsonian. Its light and easily portable although it does need a few tweaks for maximum efficiency(as with most budget scopes anyway). Its sold by a local dealer (I"m not supporting or recommending him- nor un-supporting. Just commenting on the product)so you'll have no issues with shipping.
Alternatively you can also pick up a used scope here. The benefit is you get to test it out before buying and you can usually call the seller if there are issues, within reason.
Finally, this being the Monsoon season, there's truly no rush to get a scope since the skies will be mostly cloudy probably all the way out to Feb. Take you time, participate in a sidewalk session or two (public viewing) and you'll get an idea what a given scope can or cannot do

[biodreamz]

wahh! so quick replies

Thanks Gary for the links. I would look into the blog as well as the club in detail.
I would wait for your sharing session next Feb.

Thanks cloud_cover for sharing the telescope shopping experience! I would look into cloudynights and astromart.
also Skywatcher 130p table-top Dobsonian.

Something tells me that, the universe has conspired (the monsoon season) me to go and have a through understanding of
the scopes and their potential b4 getting one ..i won't disappoint IT.

Thanks again guys! I hope someday i can share the same passion for astronomy as you guys have (evident from your responses)

Cheers

[Hardwarezone]

There are more than a handful of websites that ship to SG without forwarder, shipping estimate can be seen in "cart"
adorama, opticsplanet, handsonoptics, highpointscientific, optcorp, amazon uk,france,germany

[biodreamz]

Hi, 'hardwarezone' .. I just did a quick check for shipping prices of the celestron astromaster 114EQ at optics planet, opt corp, adorama, amazon uk ... the minimum shipping came out to be US$165 (almost equal to the lowest price for this scope itself, which is at telescopes.com.. i guess its always product specific... the volumetric weight of the scopes seems to be very high due to the packing mode .. thanks for letting me know those websites

[Hardwarezone]

Hi, 'hardwarezone' .. I just did a quick check for shipping prices of the celestron astromaster 114EQ at optics planet, opt corp, adorama, amazon uk ... the minimum shipping came out to be US$165 (almost equal to the lowest price for this scope itself, which is at telescopes.com.. i guess its always product specific... the volumetric weight of the scopes seems to be very high due to the packing mode .. thanks for letting me know those websites

Did you search correctly ?
amazon uk's shipping for that item is £60.79
Total with shipping and exchange rate is SGD305 or 23% cheaper

gbp 99.99 minus 16% vat add 60.79 shipping add 3% exchange rate loss

[biodreamz]

Hi Harwarezone, sorry for so delayed reply!

yes you are right about the pricing, this is great! about 100 bucks cheaper than what's at local dealer ...
I did check for the same scope but from another seller at amazon ...hence pricey!

I have not decided which one to get yet ....

but thanks for your prompt responses

Cheers! happy holidays ..