Beginner - Need Some Info

[sparty419]

Hi guys,

I am new to this topic and new to Singapore. Always been facinated with astronomy and looking to meet people with the same passion. I am an amateur in this field, but looking forward to learning a lot.

First up, I am looking to buy a good telescope. Money is not the criteria. I have been reading up on the various types, but it's always much better to get suggestions from people who are more informed on such things. I am actually looking for one that I could use at home, so portability is not an issue also.

I was hoping to get in touch with someone who could help me out with selecting a good telescope. And also of course, to meet and make friends here with common interests. Also, wondering, are there places in Singapore that sells telescopes? Maybe I could drop by and check them out?

Thanks so much in advance.

Cheers

[VinSnr]

Hi guys,

I am new to this topic and new to Singapore. Always been facinated with astronomy and looking to meet people with the same passion. I am an amateur in this field, but looking forward to learning a lot.

First up, I am looking to buy a good telescope. Money is not the criteria. I have been reading up on the various types, but it's always much better to get suggestions from people who are more informed on such things. I am actually looking for one that I could use at home, so portability is not an issue also.

I was hoping to get in touch with someone who could help me out with selecting a good telescope. And also of course, to meet and make friends here with common interests. Also, wondering, are there places in Singapore that sells telescopes? Maybe I could drop by and check them out?

Thanks so much in advance.

Cheers

PM me.....can help you on this.

Which area you stay? Can meet up with you for a short while to discuss these.

[yybmage]

Welcome,
You know there is not really a need to get a scope yet. You can take a look at the skies with a pair of binoculars first.But you can get the scope you want if you are interested.

[sparty419]

Well..actually..the scope is for taking it back home (my permanent address) which is outside the country. Me and dad are into electronics and astronomy was something we were interested it checking out as a hobby. So thats why we are willing to spend the cash, provided we get a good telescope. And thats why I was hoping to get some assistance on this.

Thanks for replying anyway

[sparty419]

I found out there's this science center http://www.astro.com.sg/about.php

What do you think about this place? I am planning to check it out over the weekend.

[weixing]

Hi,
Astro Scientific is the only local astronomy vendor with a shop. There are a few others you might want to check out:
1) Astro Bargains - http://www.astrobargains.com/
2) StarOptics Scientific - http://staropticsscientific.com/

You can also checkout our buy and sell section as there are some good deals that pop up from time to time.

May be you should give us some more information on what you like to see, where the scope will be used most (in Singapore??) and any constraint that you might had.

Have a nice day.

[sparty419]

Hi Weixing,

Thanks for the links !! I'll check them out. Kinda short of time, but will explain in more detail about what I am looking for in the telescope.

Appreciate it.

[guangwei]

Hi sparty419, have pm you.

[sparty419]

Hey guys..hows everybody's holidays going? Been having busy weekend so far.

Anyways, I checked out the Astro Science Center shop today. Kind of learnt about the various types of telescopes. I am basically interested in a telescope which is in between a professional and a novice. Also, one of the criteria's was that I can connect the telescope to my PC to download or save images. Also, was looking for an aperture size of between 90-130mm.

For the above criteria, I believe the lady was quoting a price range between 900-1,500 dollars. Is this a reasonable price for the above features?

Thanks in advance.

[andeelym]

If you are looking for a bargain, try astrobargains. Personally I find that astrobargains gives the best price for the same equipment. I guess the prob is that astroscientific have to take care of the shop rental. Which is why the high price.

It looks like you are looking for a scope that can take images. You might want to do more research with your budget in mind. There are 2 parts to astrophotography. First is the scope and next is the imaging device.

There are already a few types of scopes. From what I gathered, refractors gives the best images but is the most expensive. I believe that the cassegrains gives the best bang for buck in terms of imaging quality. You also have to keep in mind the weight of the total equipment you wanna carry. No point buying the best stuff that weighs 30+ kg and requires you to die before you reach your intended location. For heavier stuff, use it when u are staying in a penthouse or have access to a garden/yard that you can easily move your equipment. If you are already an expert with the sky, you can go for a solid tripod or mount, otherwise, a mount with a GOTO feature might help you alot, esp when hunting sky objects. But you also have to know about the GOTO function. Some requires one star to align (easiest) and some requires 3 star 70 degrees apart from each other to complete alignment, IMHO, not practical for the flat-infested Singapore. You have to travel to go a suitable location to use it and worse if it weighs like an elephant.

There are 2 main kinds of imaging devices. First is a dedicated astro-imager aka CCD cams. That I believe pros like Weixing can advise better. The second type is a normal camera attached to your scope to take images. You can use a normal point-and-shoot or a DSLR, both requires different adaptors for the scope. Personally, i feel that DSLRs will give better images than point-and-shoot ones.

Frankly, I am also new to astro-photography and astronomy. What I typed above are the results of some of my research. I am still learning along the way and there are much to learn.

Just my 2 cents worth of newbie info. Sorry for the extremely brief sentences, feeling lazy to phrase them properly.